Yukihiro Takahashi (高橋幸宏 ''Takahashi Yukihiro'', born June 6, 1952) is a Japanese musician, singer, record producer and actor, who is best known internationally as the drummer and lead vocalist of the

Yellow Magic Orchestra Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO for short) is a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, vocals). The group is conside ...

, and as the former drummer of the

Sadistic Mika Band was a Japanese rock band formed in 1972. Its name is a parody of the late 60s band Plastic Ono Band. Produced by Masatoshi Hashiba on Toshiba-EMI Records (now EMI Music Japan), the band was led by guitarist Kazuhiko Katō and singer , who were a ...

. He is currently a member of the group METAFIVE.

Biography

Yukihiro Takahashi first came to prominence as the drummer of the

in the early 1970s, and became known to western audiences after this band (led by

Kazuhiko Katō , nicknamed , was a Japanese record producer, songwriter and singer. He sometimes used the spelling of "Kazuhiko Katoh". History As a member of the Folk Crusaders, Katō launched his recording career in the mid-1960s. "Kaettekita Yopparai (I O ...

, formerly of

The Folk Crusaders , also known as simply , was a Japanese folk group, popular in Japan in the later half of the 1960s. Career The band was formed in 1965 by the five university students Kazuhiko Katō, Osamu Kitayama, Yoshio Hiranuma, Mikio Imura and Masaki Ash ...

) toured and recorded in the United Kingdom. After the

disbanded, some of the members (including Takahashi) formed another band called

The Sadistics was a Japanese rock band formed in 1972. Its name is a parody of the late 60s band Plastic Ono Band. Produced by Masatoshi Hashiba on Toshiba-EMI Records (now EMI Music Japan), the band was led by guitarist Kazuhiko Katō and singer , who were ...

, who released several albums. Takahashi recorded his first solo album, ''Saravah'', in 1977. In 1978, Takahashi joined

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto inf ...

and

Haruomi Hosono , sometimes credited as Harry Hosono, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is considered to be one of the most influential musicians in Japanese pop music history, credited with shaping the sound of Japanese pop for ...

to form the

. Throughout the 1980s, Takahashi also released a large number of solo albums, primarily intended for the Japanese market. Takahashi has collaborated extensively with other musicians, including

Bill Nelson Clarence William Nelson II (born September 29, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Nelson previously served as a United States Senator from Flo ...

Iva Davies Ivor Arthur Davies, AM (born 22 May 1955), known professionally as Iva Davies, is an Australian singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Davies' music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in t ...

of Icehouse,

Keiichi Suzuki is a Japanese musician, singer, and record producer who co-founded the Moonriders, a group that became one of Japan's most innovative rock bands. He is known to audiences outside Japan for his musical contributions to the video games ''Mother'' ...

of the

Moonriders is a Japanese musician, singer, and record producer who co-founded the Moonriders, a group that became one of Japan's most innovative rock bands. He is known to audiences outside Japan for his musical contributions to the video games ''Mother'' ...

(often as a duo dubbed " The Beatniks", although Suzuki essentially functioned as a member of Takahashi's backing band during the

' brief hiatus) and in particular Steve Jansen. Takahashi has released a single ''Stay Close'' and an EP ''Pulse'' as a duo with Jansen. Takahashi helped compose the soundtrack to the

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series '' Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water'' in 1989, including the song "Families". Takahashi participated in temporary reunions of both the

(missing the lead vocalist Mika who was replaced by

Kaela Kimura is a Japanese pop rock singer, lyricist, fashion model and television presenter. Career Born in Adachi, Tokyo, Japan to a Japanese mother and British father, Kimura started working as a model in 2002 for the Japanese magazine ''Seventeen (Jap ...

), and The Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). Both of these reunions included tours of Japan, and an album of new material. In the early 2000s, Takahashi became a member of the duo Sketch Show, with

. Sketch Show has released two albums, one of which, ''Loophole'', has been released in the UK. Both Takahashi and Hosono have recently reunited with Sakamoto as HASYMO – a combination of Human Audio Sponge and Yellow Magic Orchestra. This collaboration produced a new single "Rescue" in 2007. Takahashi is still actively involved in music and its production, having released the solo album ''Life Anew'' on July 17, 2013, as well as anniversary and live albums. His latest work is ''Saravah, Saravah!'' (2018), a remastered reboot of his solo debut album which, along with re-recorded vocals, features appearances by Sakamoto, Hosono and other musicians. Takahashi suffered from temporary headaches since the beginning of summer 2020. While Takahashi initially thought that this was a temporary migraine, he finally subjected himself to an

MRI scan Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

. It was discovered that the headache was the result of a brain tumor. On August 13, 2020, Takahashi underwent surgery to remove the tumor; he announced that there were no aftereffects and that he would devote himself to treatment. On October 20, 2020, Takahashi announced through his social media that he had completed his course of treatment following the surgery.

Discography

Solo albums

* '' Saravah!'' (1978) * '' Murdered by the Music'' (1980) * '' Neuromantic'' (1981) * '' What, Me Worry?'' (1982) * ''Tomorrow's Just Another Day'' (1983) * ''Time and Place'' (1984) (Live Album) * ''Wild and Moody'' (1984) * ''Poisson d'Avril'' (1985) * ''The Brand New Day'' (1985) (Best of) * ''Once a Fool'' (1985) * ''Only When I Laugh'' (1986) * ''La Pensee'' (1987) – with Yohji Yamamoto * ''Ego'' (1988) * ''Broadcast from Heaven'' (1990) * ''A Day in the Next Life'' (1991) * ''The Adventures of Gaku'' (1991) * ''Umi Sora Sango no Iitsutae'' (1992) * ''Life Time Happy Time'' (1992) * ''Heart of Hurt'' (1992) (Unplugged best of) * ''Ahiru no Uta ga Kikoete Kuru yo'' (1993) * ''Mr YT'' (1994) * ''I'm Not in Love'' (1995) (Best of) * ''Fate of Gold'' (1995) * ''Portrait with no Name'' (1996) * ''A Sigh of Ghost'' (1997) * ''Pulse:Pulse (with Steve Jansen)'' (1997) * ''A Ray of Hope'' (1998) * ''Yukihiro Takahashi Collection – Singles and More 1988–1996'' (1998) * "Run After You" (1998) (Live Album) * ''The Dearest Fool'' (1999) * "Fool On Earth" (2000) – remixes * ''

Blue Moon Blue ''Blue Moon Blue'' is a 2006 album by Japanese musician and singer Yukihiro Takahashi. Track listing # "Something New" (4:51) # "Blue Moon Blue" (4:47) # "A Star Is Born" (4:45) # "In Cold Queue" (4:48) # "Lay My Love" (5:18) # "I Like The Wrigh ...

'' (2006) * ''Page by Page'' (2009) * ''Life Anew'' (2013) * ''Saravah, Saravah!'' (2018) * ''Grand Espoir'' (2021) Compilation

Singles

* "C'est si bon"/"La Rosa" (Seven Seas, Japan 1978) * "Murdered by the Music"/"Bijin Kiyoshi at the Swimming School" (Seven Seas Japan 1980, Statik UK 1982, Lyrics by

Chris Mosdell Christopher John Mosdell (born 9 November 1949) is a British lyricist, poet, author, composer, vocalist and illustrator based in Tokyo, Japan, and New York City, United States. He has collaborated with an extensive array of musicians and artist ...

) * "Blue Colour Worker" (with

Sandii Sandii & the Sunsetz were a Japanese synthpop band that collaborated from 1979 until the #1990s. The Sunsetz, led by Makoto Kubota, and Sandii started as separate artists, and each have a separate discography. However, their collaboration provi ...

, Lyrics by

)/"Mirrormanic" (Seven Seas Japan 1980) * "Drip Dry Eyes (single version)"/"Charge" (single version)" (Alfa UK 1981, Lyrics by

) * "Drip Dry Eyes (album version)"/"New Red Roses" (Alfa Spain 1981, Lyrics by Chris Mosdell) * "Disposable Love"/"Flashback (single version)" (Alfa UK 1982) * "School of Thought"/"Stop in the Name of Love" (Statik, UK 1982, Lyrics by Chris Mosdell) – plus remixed 12 inch version * "Are You Receiving Me?"/"And I Love You" (Yen Japan 1982) * "Maebure"/"Another Door" (Yen Japan 1983) * "Stranger Things Have Happened (single version)"/"Kill The Thermostat" (Pick-Up/Warners Germany 1984) * "Stranger Things Have Happened"/"Bounds of Reason"/"Metaphysical Jerks" (with Mick Karn and Bill Nelson) (Cocteau UK 1985) * "Poisson D'Avril (single version)"/"Kimi ni Surprise!" (Yen Japan 1985) * "Weekend"/? (Pony Canyon 1986) * "Stay Close" 12 inch EP with Steve Jansen (Pony Canyon Japan, Rime Records UK 1986) * "Look of Love"/? (Toshiba EMI Japan 1988) * "Fait Accompli" (promotional single, Japan 1989) – with Steve Jansen * "1 percent no Kankei" (Toshiba-EMI 1990) * "Stronger Than Iron" (Toshiba-EMI 1991) * "Xmas Day in the Next Life" EP of Christmas songs (

Toshiba-EMI , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. When ...

1991) * "Genki Nara Ureshiine" (Toshiba-EMI 1993) * "Seppai No Hohemi" (Toshiba-EMI 1994) * "Watermelon" (with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra) (Toshiba-EMI 1995)

Filmography

* ''A Y.M.O. FILM PROPAGANDA'' (1984) * ''Tenkoku ni ichiban chikai shima'' (1984): Katsuki Jirô * ''Shigatsu no sakana'' (1986): Nemoto Shôhei * ''

The Discarnates is a 1988 Japanese horror film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. Cast * Morio Kazama as ''Hidemi Harada'' * Tsurutarô Kataoka as ''Hidekichi Harada'' (Father) * Kumiko Akiyoshi as ''Fusako Harada'' (Mother) * Yûko Natori as ''Kei Fujino'' * Tos ...

'' (1988) * ''Otoko wa sore gaman dekinai'' (2006) * ''20th century boys: Chapter 3-Our flag'' (2009): Billy * '' Norwegian Wood'' (2010): Gatekeeper * ''

Labyrinth of Cinema is a 2019 Japanese anti-war fantasy drama film written, produced, directed and edited by Nobuhiko Obayashi. It stars Takuro Atsuki, Takahito Hosoyamada and Yoshihiko Hosoda as three present-day Onomichi moviegoers who find themselves transport ...

'' (2020)

Games

* '' Ginga no Sannin'' (1987,

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

) * ''Sangokushi: Eiketsu Tenka ni Nozomu'' (1991, Naxat) * '' Neugier: Umi to Kaze no Kodō'' (1993,

Telenet Japan was a Japanese video game and software developer founded in October 1983 by Kazuyuki Fukushima. The company had several video game divisions including: Wolf Team, Laser Soft, Reno, Renovation Products, Riot, Commseed, and Telenet Jr. Telenet J ...

) * ''FantaStep'' (1997,

Jaleco was a corporate brand name that was used by two previously connected video game developers and publishers based in Japan. The original Jaleco company was founded in 1974 as Japan Leisure Company, founded by Yoshiaki Kanazawa, before being renam ...

) * ''T kara Hajimaru Monogatari'' (1998, Jaleco) - Main Theme

References

External links

More complete Japanese Discography
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Takahashi, Yukihiro 1952 births Japanese dance musicians Japanese drummers Japanese electro musicians Japanese electronic musicians Japanese house musicians Japanese record producers Japanese male singer-songwriters Japanese singer-songwriters Japanese techno musicians Japanese trance musicians Living people Singers from Tokyo Sadistic Mika Band members Yellow Magic Orchestra members