Ryuichi Sakamoto - Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia (1984)

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Professor Sakamoto gives a lesson on what is practically a different style of music with each track on Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia, beginning with a sure-fire hit: the extroverted, quintessentially Japanese synth workout "Field Work" (with Thomas Dolby). From there, Sakamoto hits riff-ready crossover jazz-fusion ("Etude"), electronic minimalism ("M.A.Y. in the Backyard"), and Oriental dub ("Paradise Lost"). There is a return to sampladelic Eastern synth-pop with "Steppin' Into Asia," but for the most part Sakamoto displays his impressive stylistic range on this solo album.

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1 Field Work 4:05
2 Etude 5:14
3 Paradise Lost 5:24
4 M.A.Y. in the Backyard 5:37
5 Steppin' into Asia 5:18
6 Tibetan Dance 5:02
7 Zen-Gen 4:27
8 In a Forest of Letters 5:40