B-2 Unit
Early electronic album that shaped electro, hip-hop and techno.
B-2 Unit is the second solo studio album by Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, released in 1980. Its lead single "Riot in Lagos" became a highly influential cult hit and is considered one of the most important tracks in the history of electronic dance music. The album is also notable as one of the first to feature the Roland TR-808 drum machine.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Ryuichi Sakamoto
- Released
- 21 September 1980
- Recorded
- 1980
- Studio
- Studio A (Tokyo)
- Studio 80
- Air Studios
- Genre
- Electronic
- broken beat
- IDM
- industrial techno
- Label
- Alfa
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
Side one
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Differencia | 2:04 |
| 2 | Thatness And Thereness | 3:27 |
| 3 | Participation Mystique | 6:41 |
| 4 | E-3A | 4:45 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iconic Storage | 4:43 |
| 2 | Riot In Lagos | 5:40 |
| 3 | Not The 6 O'Clock News | 5:02 |
| 4 | The End Of Europe | 4:57 |
Track listing from the source article.
Production
Ryuichi Sakamoto’s solo album B-2 Unit was among the first records to feature the Roland TR-808 drum machine, which had been loaned to his band Yellow Magic Orchestra before its 1980 release. The lead single, “Riot in Lagos,” also ranks as an early track to use the 808. Sakamoto’s inspiration came from Afrobeat, especially the work of Nigerian musicians Fela Kuti and Tony Allen, whose rhythmic patterns he adapted for electronic music. While making the album, Sakamoto moved between Japan, England, and Germany. After a stint at Kraftwerk’s studio in Germany, he headed to London to record the single at Dennis Bovell’s unfinished studio. Bovell, an admirer of Sakamoto and YMO, noted that Sakamoto brought unreleased gear like the Prophet-10 synthesizer. Bovell secured a 3M 24-track recorder and Dolby equipment from George Martin through a friend. Sakamoto played the drum part from written notation, cueing Bovell to start and stop the tape, then asked him to “cut it up” and apply dub effects. The entire track was recorded and produced in just a few hours.
Reception and impact
The album and especially "Riot in Lagos" had a significant influence on the development of electro, hip hop, and techno music in the 1980s. The track was a cult hit in nightclubs worldwide and is considered an early example of electro music, anticipating its beats and sounds. It is credited with putting the Roland TR-808 drum machine "in the clubs for the first time" with "a new body music" that "foretold the future" of music. The Guardian listed it at number six among 50 key events in dance music history. Early electro and hip hop producers such as Afrika Bambaataa and Kurtis Mantronik cited the track as a major influence, especially on Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" and Mantronik's formation of Mantronix. Sakamoto's use of squelching bounce sounds and mechanical beats was incorporated into early American electro and hip hop tracks including "Message II (Survival)" by Melle Mel and Duke Bootee, "Magic's Wand" by Whodini and Thomas Dolby, "Electric Kingdom" by Twilight 22, and The Album by Mantronix. Resident Advisor said the track anticipated techno and hip-hop sounds and inspired artists from Tokyo, New York City, and Detroit. Peter Tasker of Nikkei Asia said it was influential on techno, hip hop, and house music. The track was later included in the compilation Kings of Electro. Hip hop producers such as Bambaataa and Mantronix, and electronic producers such as Aphex Twin and Autechre, drew inspiration from the song and album. It also influenced Detroit techno creators, with similarities to Juan Atkins' Cybotron track "Clear". British acid house and drum and bass DJ Fabio called it "the most incredible tune." In the United Kingdom, the track was sampled by Foul Play, Denise Motto, The Shamen, M-D-Emm, and Nation 12 during the 1980s to 1990s.
Legacy
Rolling Stone stated the album proved influential for artists developing the sound of hip-hop in the early 1980s. Mojo noted it is often cited as a key text in the history of techno, demonstrating future directions of electronic sound recognizable as Chicago footwork, Ze Records' mutant disco, and early Warp Records. Fact and Louder Than War said the album anticipated broken beat, industrial techno, and intelligent dance music. NME wrote that the entire album eschewed traditional song structures for atmosphere and tone, anticipating the rebellious wave of 1990s IDM and electronic music a decade beforehand. The Baffler observed that the album predated Kraftwerk's Computer World, Bambaataa's "Planet Rock", and Aphex Twin in spinning descriptive and prescriptive musical yarns. Music Radar in 2023 called it a future-facing record that sounded like nothing else at the time and still sounds fresh and experimental four decades later. The New Yorker remarked that the album sounds so current and fully electronic that listeners may not believe it was made forty-three years ago.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was B-2 Unit released?
B-2 Unit was released on 21 September 1980.
Which label released B-2 Unit?
B-2 Unit was released by Alfa.
More in Alfa Records Albums
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