Seminal is an overused word in the rock critic's lexicon, but it certainly applies to Yellow Magic Orchestra. The pioneering electro-pop band was formed in 1978 by classically-trained keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto, Happy End bassist/lkeyboardist Haruomi Hosono and former Sadistic Mika Band drummer Yukihiro Takahashi, all of whom wanted to use electronic instruments to go beyond conventional guitar-based rock 'n' roll. Their eponymous debut album bore a large stylistic debt to Germany's Kraftwerk,...

Seminal is an overused word in the rock critic's lexicon, but it certainly applies to Yellow Magic Orchestra. The pioneering electro-pop band was formed in 1978 by classically-trained keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto, Happy End bassist/lkeyboardist Haruomi Hosono and former Sadistic Mika Band drummer Yukihiro Takahashi, all of whom wanted to use electronic instruments to go beyond conventional guitar-based rock 'n' roll. Their eponymous debut album bore a large stylistic debt to Germany's Kraftwerk, but YMO's music had more of a pop feel than Kraftwerk's, and the Japanese trio scored hits with singles such as "Fire Cracker" and "Computer Game." Call it music for the Pacman age. Their next album, Solid State Survivor, saw YMO further develop their synth/drum machine-dominated sound. Creative differences and perhaps declining audience interest in the band's once-novel fusion of pop and electronics led to YMO's breakup in 1984. Sakamoto is the highest-profile ex-YMO member due to his soundtracks for films such as Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and The Last Emperor, while Hosono and Takahashi have been involved in a wide variety of projects, most recently in their avant-pop duo Sketch Show, which can be seen a logical progression from the various ambient and pop-oriented projects in which Hosono has been involved since YMO's demise. YMO reformed in 1993 for the one-off Technodon album and tour project, which was a fairly lifeless, "can-I-have-my-check-now-please" kind of affair. But the band, whose sound influenced a generation of musicians internationally, remains one of the best-known J-pop exports ever.