Masayuki Sakamoto -- High Tide

 

I can consider the name Masayuki Sakamoto a fairly common one with different kanji representing it. For example, in the Japanese entertainment industry, there is the member of the Johnny's Entertainment group V6 with that name（坂本昌行）.

Not too long ago, I also found another Masayuki Sakamoto but with a differing kanji at the very end of his name（坂本昌之）. According to his J-Wiki file, he is a keyboardist, arranger, composer and music producer who comes from Sapporo, and his data only begins from the late 1990s. Therefore, I was wondering whether this was the same Masayuki Sakamoto who came up with the 1987 album "PSYCHE" although in katakana, it's pronounced as "pushuke"（プシュケ）. But apparently according to Discogs, this is indeed the same fellow.

Discogs also notes that his "PSYCHE" delves into technopop, New Age and classical music. I think that the track that I have for you here, "High Tide", covers the first two genres. It's a very cheerful instrumental that rather straddles the fence between the synthy works of another Sakamoto and the Japanese-American band Hiroshima. There is also the contemporary technopop side paired with a traditional side that makes me feel as if I were taking a walk through the older neighbourhoods of Kyoto. Going back to that incomplete Sakamoto article on J-Wiki, the fellow has worked with many other artists including Miyuki Nakajima（中島みゆき）, Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）, Junichi Inagaki（稲垣潤一）and Chikuzen Sato（佐藤竹善）.