For many, quite simply, Japan's greatest ever group and their greatest album. Nearly 30 years on, YMO are still cited by seemingly any creative Japanese musician operating in rock, dance, club and other genres as a major influence and by many international artists too. Formed in 1978 by Ryuichi Sakamoto, ex Happy End bassist Haruomi Hosono and ex-Sadistic Mika Band drummer Yukihiro Takahashi, they pioneered techno pop. On their second album Solid State Survivor, YMO combined their synth/drum machine sound with some memorable tunes such as Technopilis and Behind the Mask (later covered by Eric Clapton). The group disbanded in 1984, all have pursued successful solo careers, reuniting recently as Audio Human Sponge. Their legacy as YMO is timeless.
