Mr. Lawrence

I ended up in serious gridlock this morning, but listening to the instrumental version of the very first piece of music I posted on this blog - the theme from the only film David Bowie is in that's actually worth watching (please correct me if I'm wrong), 'Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence' - certainly eased the tension.

Serendipitously, the first thing I listened to when I got to my desk was by German alt-techno producer Lawrence: a new EP out on Ghostly International's sister label Spectral. And whilst it's nowhere near as dramatic as Sakamoto's massive string-steeped sweeps (Lawrence specialises in subtle and understated electronics), 'Anna Forever' elicited a similar goosebumps-all-over moment. Deeeeeeply enjoyable...

Lawrence - 'Anna Forever' (MediaFire)

Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas

For the inaugural entry in what I hope will be a long-running and reliable endeavour, I've decided to share what's been my favourite song for the past two decades - a tune that's unlikely to be eclipsed in the near or far future.

A melancholy meeting of two musicians who've successfully managed to move deftly between - and reconcile - the radical and the accessible for thirty-something years, "Forbidden Colours" couples Ryuichi Sakamoto's gravity-defying synth and string signals with David Sylvian's otherworldly vocals.

Released in 1983, this elegiac and angelic piece is essentially Sakamoto's main theme from Nagisa Oshima's movie 'Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence', with Sylvian's desert-swept narrative hovering over its sublime surface.

Sakamoto, the former Yellow Magic Orchestra magician, also stars in 'Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence' along with David Bowie, and despite minor flaws it's worth watching for the sublime score alone; it also happens to be one of Bowie's more successful cinematic turns.

The film's script was based on work by South African author Laurens van der Post, specifically 'The Seed and The Sower', which diarised his real-life ordeals as a Japanese POW in World War II.





There are a few versions of "Forbidden Colours" and the Sylvian-less 'Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence' main theme floating around, all well worth seeking out, but this beauty is the best - and an all-time favourite.

Ryuichi Sakamoto & David Sylvian - Forbidden Colours