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B-2 Unit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
B-2 Unit
Studio album by
Released1980 (1980)
StudioStudio A, Studio 80, Air Studios
GenreElectronic, electro
LabelAlfa
ProducerRyuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto chronology
Thousand Knives
(1978)
B-2 Unit
(1980)
Left-Handed Dream
(1981)
Singles from B-2 Unit
  1. "Riot in Lagos""
    Released: 1980
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

B-2 Unit is the second solo album by Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. The album included the track "Riot in Lagos", which was significant in the development of electro and hip hop music; the song was listed by The Guardian in 2011 as one of the 50 key events in the history of dance music.[2]

Production

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The then brand new Roland TR-808, prior to the drum machine's official release in 1980, was rented out to Sakamoto's band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO).[3] Sakamoto's solo album B-2 Unit was one of the first albums to use the 808, while its lead electro single "Riot in Lagos" was one of the first songs featuring the 808.[4][5]

During production, Sakamoto was travelling between Japan, England and Germany. After working at Kraftwerk's studio in Germany, Sakamoto then travelled to London where he recorded the lead single "Riot in Lagos" at dub reggae producer Dennis Bovell's new studio before it had been fully built. Bovell, who was a fan of Sakamoto and YMO, recalled that Sakamoto brought over various new electronic musical instruments, including a Prophet-10 synthesizer before it was officially released. Bovell also rented a 3M 24-track tape recorder and Dolby equipment from producer George Martin, who Bovell's friend knew. Sakamoto played the drum track, which he had previously written down on musical notation sheets, while telling Bovell when to start and stop recording. After recording, he then asked Bovell to "cut it up" and dub the track using his prior experience with dub music. The song was produced and recorded in several hours.[6]

Influence

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The album, and in particular the song "Riot in Lagos", has been acknowledged as an influence on the development of hip-hop and electro music of the 1980s.[7] Artists in the 1980s including Afrika Bambaataa and Mantronix and more recently Aphex Twin and Autechre are said to have drawn inspiration from the song and album.[8][9]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Differencia"2:04
2."Thatness And Thereness"3:27
3."Participation Mystique"6:41
4."E-3A"4:45
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Iconic Storage"4:43
2."Riot In Lagos"5:40
3."Not The 6 O'Clock News"5:02
4."The End Of Europe"4:57

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ "B-2 Unit – Ryuichi Sakamoto". AllMusic. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  2. ^ Vine, Richard (July 9, 2011). "Ryuichi Sakamoto records Riot In Lagos". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  3. ^ McCabe, Paul (31 July 2020). "Tadao Kikumoto: An Exclusive Conversation". Roland Articles. Roland Corporation. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  4. ^ McNamee, David (November 2016). "Dance moves: Riots in Lagos and the birth of electro". The Long and Short. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  5. ^ Shamoon, Evan (31 July 2020). "How Yellow Magic Orchestra Launched the 808 Revolution". Roland Articles. Roland Corporation. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  6. ^ Allen, Ross (25 February 2019). "Dennis Bovell On Recording Ryuichi Sakamotos Riot In Lagos At His Studio". Test Pressing. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  7. ^ "An introduction to Ryuichi Sakamoto in 10 records". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  8. ^ Petridis, Alexis. "Ryuichi Sakamoto: the avant gardist who became a groundbreaking pop star". The Guardian. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  9. ^ Kreps, Daniel. "Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yellow Magic Orchestra Member and Oscar-Winning Composer, Dead at 71". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
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