Musician/composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has been on the creative scene and making records since the late 1970s. A godfather of synth-pop, techno and other electro fetishes, Sakamoto’s aesthetic has greatly evolved. Crafting sophisticated ambient and orchestral themes while making soundtracks for films has resulted in him winning Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Awards. Now he’s in his mid-60s, having recently survived a bout with cancer, and his first solo effort in eight years is a gentle, mostly instrumental aural meditation. These existential sonic sketches are minimalist in nature but come together as an electroacoustic whole far greater than its composite parts. A conceptual record, async addresses the limits and contexts of life, art and nature. He also references experimental filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky by dubbing this musical effort an imaginary soundtrack to a Tarkovsky movie that never was. No beats here, and it’s all meta, all the time.
—Mitch Myers
