TS - Yellow Magic Orchestra vs. Kraftwerk, or maybe even Gary Numan

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

i'm not sure i get YMO. talk about it being 'jokey'. it sounds like futuristic Japanese game show music.

it's a close toss up for me between Kraftwerk and Numan, although i think the krauts have it in my book.

― JasonD, Friday, 18 October 2002 23:39 (twenty-three years ago)

What's wrong with futuristic Japanese game show music? I love YMO, they have a sound that reminds me of fascist cheese! Haruomi Hosono is a million times more interesting than Numan in my books. Kraftwerk is great, but how can you put down YMO and praise Kraftwerk at the same time? Remember, they wrote stuff like "The Model" and "The Robots"...(in fact, I cite the entire "Man Machine" album!)...that stuff is just as "jokey" as any YMO stuff.

― Ashley Andel, Friday, 18 October 2002 23:52 (twenty-three years ago)

And as a side note, I think the main riff in "The Man Machine" sounds like it could back N'Sync!

― Ashley Andel, Saturday, 19 October 2002 00:10 (twenty-three years ago)

And as a side note, I think the main riff in "The Man Machine" sounds like it could back N'Sync!

kraftwerk, QED.

― jess (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 19 October 2002 00:48 (twenty-three years ago)

I am unaware what QED stands for--please enlighten me.

― Ashley Andel, Saturday, 19 October 2002 03:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Yellow Magic Orchestra. The bizare Japanese cheese was part of the appeal. Futuristic gameshow music is bang on. It really did sound like it was made by machines. Mass produced, made in Japan, of high quality plastic, with none of that pesky human German craft involved.

― kate, Saturday, 19 October 2002 09:01 (twenty-three years ago)

QED = quod erat demonstrandum

whizz for gerundives!!

― mark s (mark s), Saturday, 19 October 2002 09:31 (twenty-three years ago)

YMO are more self depreciating - "japanese gentlemen, stand up please" is scarier then 'we are the robots'

― threemetalinsects (threemetalinsects), Sunday, 20 October 2002 04:36 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

I like the warm funny sound of YMO better, but it's almost impossible to really pit one against the other in my mind. It's really cool to look at either band, though, and realize that their progeny have evolved in similar parallel fashion. One could probably write a pretty serious piece of research/speculation examining how the music relates to the industrialization relates to the postwar reconstruction relates to the cultural reaction of both countries. Oh, and the noisesters too, and gabba, and Rotterdam vs. Shinjuku and ut!

I'm boggling myself I quit. I hate school

― Tom Millar (Millar), Sunday, 8 December 2002 07:02 (twenty-two years ago)

three years pass...

I'm hearing Solid State Survivor and immediately I clicked with it more than I have with anything by Kraftwerk (and I like at least some periods of Kraftwerk). It's not a kitsch or cheese kind of thing at all. The synth sounds are lovely - I love how "Insomnia" and "Rydeen" ripple and ring; maybe there's just more high end - and the songs just come together for me. Wow, if all synthpop were like this I'd understand it. I wonder if it's just that it's more overtly disco-influenced. Maybe it's just busier?

― Sundar (sundar), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 04:01 (nineteen years ago)

Right now, Yellow Magic Orchestra. But that's because I just got X-Infinity Multiples.
"Nice Age" and "Behind the Mask" are incredible. Plus, the cover almost trumps any of the Kraftwerk album covers (that's kind of blasphemous, but check it out, it's amazing). It does get a little goofy at times (though, somehow the cover of "Day Tripper" works). JasonD is right about it sounding like futuristic Japanese gameshow music; but sometimes that's all I really want to hear.

― Famous Cory (Famous Cory), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 05:52 (nineteen years ago)

four years pass...

surprised this thread hasn't gotten more replies.

Kraftwerk were definitely more influential but YMO put out more good material and showed talents outside of the realm of electronic pop. BGM is better than pretty much any technopop album ever. Plus, Hosono is one of the more intruiging musicians ever; I would love to read a book on that guy. Hutter and Schneider seem like pretty dull people. And of course we all know about Sakamoto. Don't get me wrong, I love Kraftwerk, but YMO was just more creative and prolific. Not sure how Numan enters this discussion but he's pretty much second-tier

― frogbs, Tuesday, 22 February 2011 17:42 (fourteen years ago)

four years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4OMd0RYbgM

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 5 August 2015 01:51 (ten years ago)

I like YMO plenty, especially Solid State Survivor, but yeah: Kraftwerk > YMO without a doubt.

― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Wednesday, 5 August 2015 02:00 (ten years ago)

YMO were hugely influential, even to hip-hop and techno (yes, american)

― soyrev, Wednesday, 5 August 2015 02:11 (ten years ago)

Of course they were, and I don't think anyone would doubt that. Japan/Sylvian were definitely influenced by YMO/Sakamoto, too. But I dunno, as much as I love YMO's stuff, I still prefer that run of records Kraftwerk made from Autobahn to Computer World.

― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Wednesday, 5 August 2015 02:18 (ten years ago)

sorry, that was an xpost (@frogbs). i love both myself but i've been so deep into the YMO universe (solo careers, side projects, etc) for the past year that i should really spend some more time with kraftwerk again before answering this question for myself

― soyrev, Wednesday, 5 August 2015 03:48 (ten years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz6n6YIos5w

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 5 August 2015 04:30 (ten years ago)

That is Miharu Koshi, who started recording experimental electro pop in the late 70s and has many albums produced by Haruomi Hosono. Her stuff is really cool.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 5 August 2015 04:33 (ten years ago)

her stuff is fucking AMAZING, and yes, very clearly YMO-produced (hosono even sings backups sometimes). Parallelisme and Tutu are both classics. does anyone have anything else by her??

― soyrev, Wednesday, 5 August 2015 05:33 (ten years ago)

I have Boy Soprano and it's really really good, even better than the two you mentioned

I'm interested in her later work - the Miharu + Hosono album Swing Slow was really fun (and odd, of course)

― frogbs, Wednesday, 5 August 2015 20:16 (ten years ago)

damn, i need that. crying every day that i can't seem to get whatcd to work in korea ;_;

― soyrev, Thursday, 6 August 2015 00:42 (ten years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.