Ryuichi Sakamoto (坂本 龍一, Sakamoto Ryūichi, born January 17, 1952) (Japanese pronunciation: [sakamoto ɽju͍ːitɕi]) is a Japanese musician, activist, composer, record producer, writer, singer, pianist, and actor based in Tokyo and New York. Beginning his career in 1978 as a member of the electronic music group Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), Sakamoto served on keyboards and sometimes vocals. The band was an international success, with worldwide hits such as "Computer Game / Firecracker" (1978) and "Behind the Mask" (1978), later playing a pioneering role in the techno and acid house movements of the 1990s.
He concurrently pursued a solo career, debuting with the experimental electronic fusion album Thousand Knives (1978), and later released the pioneering album B-2 Unit (1980), which included the electro classic "Riot in Lagos". From thereon, he produced more solo records, collaborated with many international artists, and pursued a wide variety of projects, such as having composed music for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics opening ceremony. His composition "Energy Flow" (1999) (also known as the alternative title of the single disc Ura BTTB) was the first instrumental number-one single in Japan's Oricon charts history.