A new Ryuichi Sakamoto tribute album will pay homage to the Japanese composer and Yellow Magic Orchestra founding member. Called To the Moon and Back, the record is set to drop December 2 via Milan Records.
With musicians like Devonté Hynes, David Sylvian and the Cinematic Orchestra set to share their own covers of Sakamoto songs, the first offering from the album is Thundercat's rendition of 1978's "Thousand Knives."
On his cover, Thundercat has put his personal spin on the track, adding English lyrics and slashing the song's runtime in half. Considering the song has been reworked numerous times over the years by Sakamoto himself (including on the 1981 YMO album BGM), it's safe to say this is a poignant interpretation.
Earlier this year, Sakamoto revealed he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. In a statement released around the time of the announcement, he said "since I have made it this far in life, I hope to be able to make music until my last moment, like Bach and Debussy whom I adore."
Check out Thundercat's cover of "Thousand Knives" below.
With musicians like Devonté Hynes, David Sylvian and the Cinematic Orchestra set to share their own covers of Sakamoto songs, the first offering from the album is Thundercat's rendition of 1978's "Thousand Knives."
On his cover, Thundercat has put his personal spin on the track, adding English lyrics and slashing the song's runtime in half. Considering the song has been reworked numerous times over the years by Sakamoto himself (including on the 1981 YMO album BGM), it's safe to say this is a poignant interpretation.
Earlier this year, Sakamoto revealed he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. In a statement released around the time of the announcement, he said "since I have made it this far in life, I hope to be able to make music until my last moment, like Bach and Debussy whom I adore."
Check out Thundercat's cover of "Thousand Knives" below.
