Yellow Magic Orchestra - BGM

YMO is a Japanese electronic music band consisting of Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals), and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, vocals). BGM is their fourth studio album, released in 1981. The title stands for “Background Music.”

YMO were the first band to use the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer as early as 1980, one of the first programmable drum machines. This was their first studio album recorded using the Roland MC-4 Microcomposer and TR-808.

The American magazine Stereo Review described the recording as “crystalline” and the performance as “incredible,” praising the album for its “remarkable” blend of “East and West.”