History
Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) was an influential Japanese electronic music band, formed in 1978. They are renowned as a major influence in popular music, and for pioneering the synth-pop genre. The principal members are Haruomi Hosono (bass), Yukihiro Takahashi (1952-2023, drums) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952-2023, keyboards).
The band was originally conceived as a one-off studio project by Hosono, the other two members being recruited session musicians - the idea was to produce an album fusing orientalist exotica (cf their cover version of Martin Denny's Firecracker) with modern electronics. However , the first album (with its cutting-edge production) was very popular, and the studio project grew into a fully fledged touring band and career for its three members.