Ryuichi Sakamoto feat. Thomas Dolby – Fieldwork

The opening track on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia, Fieldwork is an ethereal synth-pop jam featuring the haunting vocals of English composer Thomas Dolby. While the instrumentation here is pretty standard ’80s with FM synthesizers and drum machines, the arrangement on this extended “(Long London Mix)” makes this a standout from the era adding a curious Art of Noise-esque voice synth intro and electro-funk breakdown featuring slap bass bouncing along some bubbling synthesizers. The B-side “Exhibition” is a beautiful synthesizer composition where Sakamoto flexes his minimal avant-garde chops without relying too much on his melodic and harmonic training. Across 15-minute, layered looping phrases with Steve Reich phasing techniques meet electronically produced extraterrestrial creature noises for a kind of sci-fi ambient that would surely twist some brains at a deep listening chill-out session.

Recommended – Full Listen

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