The incredible musician, singer/songwriter, and producer— Shintaro Sakamoto, shares his favorite records as part of our Favorite Records Series, where artists list 10-15 of their favorite albums (rules are at least ones must contain synths)!
Sakamoto began his career as a founding member and frontman for the underground Japanese psychedelic rock band, Yura Yura Teikoku, before embarking on a prolific solo career. Check out his music here.
Without further ado...
Photos provided by Max Flick for Synth History.
1. Ann Steel - Ann Steel
In 2009, a friend I was traveling with in Italy played me Ann Steel’s "My Time", and I immediately fell in love with the song. I later found out that Telex had covered it. I think it’s a perfect record that embodies what you imagine when you hear the term 'techno-pop'.
2. Martin Rev - Strangeworld
This album shocked me the first time I heard it. Martin Rev's mumbling vocals and the wobbly delay effects on the track are decadent and cool. The balance between the avant-garde sound and the overall atmosphere of old American pop is just perfect.
3. The Space Lady - On The Street Of Dreams
I love the sound of cheap drum machines, simple sparse instrumentation, pop tunes with untrained vocals, and lots of delay. I’m always looking for records with these qualities. And The Space Lady has it all.
4. Bruce Haack - Preservation Tapes
Among Bruce Haack's works, I especially love this collection of unreleased recordings. I’m a sucker for any song with a slow rhythm box beat and vocoder effects, but even compared to similar tracks, “When Mothers of Salem” stands out as perfect.
5. Gary Blanchard - Original Soundtrack
I had no idea who this was, but the jacket design and photo of the weird-looking dude on the cover spoke to me, so I bought it. As it turned out, the record sounded just the way it looked, and had all my favorite elements.
6. Joe Tossini And Friends - Lady Of Mine
I love the sound of the rhythm box on this record, and the overall homemade quality to the recording, but above all, the songs are just stellar. And Joe Tossini’s raw, 'real' vocals resonate with me.
7. Jeff Phelps - Magnetic Eyes
I first learned about Jeff Phelps through the 2012 compilation album Personal Space: Electronic 1974 - 1984. I’ve always loved Sly & the Family Stone's There’s a Riot Goin’ On, and I’d been looking for more soul music with rhythm boxes and a home-recorded feel. So this album felt like the ideal record I’d been searching for.
8. Supersempfft - Roboterwerke
There are various types of tracks on this album, and they’re all good, but I especially love “We Found Out.” I love it so much that I made it the theme song for my radio show.
9. Philippe Chany - Rive Gauche
I discovered this through the 2016 reissue on Dark Entries. I was amazed that such a record came out in France in 1983. Every track is great, and the laid-back vocals are exactly my taste.
10. Syunsuke Ono - Electro Voice Sings Sly Stone
This album — where the Japanese artist Syunsuke Ono covers Sly Stone’s songs and processes his vocals through talk boxes and Vocal Writer and Text Edit software — is like the concept album of my dreams. And it’s an amazing record. I love it so much that I had Syunsuke Ono cover my song "Disco Is.”
Synth History Exclusive.
Photos by Max Flick.
Conducted by Danz.