Editing Yellow Magic Orchestra (section)

==History==

===1976–1978: early years and formation===
Prior to the group's formation, Sakamoto had been experimenting with [[Electronic musical instrument|electronic music equipment]] at the [[Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music]], which he entered in 1970, including synthesizers such as the [[Buchla]], [[Moog synthesizer|Moog]], and [[ARP Instruments, Inc.|ARP]].<ref name="dayal_interview">{{cite web|last=Dayal|first=Gheeta|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra|url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/blog/archives/00000615.htm|work=Groove|publisher=The Original Soundtrack|access-date=June 17, 2011|date=July 7, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002224518/http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/blog/archives/00000615.htm|archive-date=October 2, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The group leader Haruomi Hosono had been using an [[Ace Tone]] [[rhythm machine]] since early in his career in the early 1970s.<ref name="wire2017">{{cite journal |title=The Primer:Yellow Magic Orchestra |journal=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]] |date=October 2017 |issue=404 |page=38 |url=https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/59878/page/38 |access-date=November 16, 2018 |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116190631/https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/59878/page/38 |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the break-up of his band [[Happy End (band)|Happy End]] in 1972, Hosono became involved in the recording of several early [[electronic rock]] records, including [[Yōsui Inoue]]'s [[Folk rock|folk]] [[pop rock]] album ''[[Kōri no Sekai]]'' (1973) and [[Osamu Kitajima]]'s [[Progressive rock|progressive]] [[psychedelic rock]] album ''Benzaiten'' (1974), both of which utilized synthesizers, electric guitars, electric bass, and in the latter, [[electronic drum]]s, and [[Drum machine|rhythm machines]].<ref>{{Discogs release|2509617|井上陽水 – 氷の世界}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://www.discogs.com/%E4%BA%95%E4%B8%8A%E9%99%BD%E6%B0%B4-%E6%B0%B7%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C/release/2509617 Translation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420110819/https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://www.discogs.com/%E4%BA%95%E4%B8%8A%E9%99%BD%E6%B0%B4-%E6%B0%B7%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C/release/2509617 |date=April 20, 2019 }})</ref><ref>{{Discogs release|1303605|Osamu Kitajima – Benzaiten}}</ref> Also around the same time, the band's future "fourth member" [[Hideki Matsutake]] was the assistant for the internationally successful electronic musician [[Isao Tomita]]. Much of the methods and techniques developed by both Tomita and Matsutake during the early 1970s would later be employed by Yellow Magic Orchestra.<ref name="sound_147"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Isao Tomita: Moog reverie|url=http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1586|publisher=[[Resident Advisor]]|access-date=July 17, 2012|date=July 13, 2012|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924130348/http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1586|url-status=live}}</ref>

Sakamoto first worked with Hosono as a member of his live band in 1976, while [[Yukihiro Takahashi]] recruited Sakamoto to produce his debut solo recording in 1977 following the split of the [[Sadistic Mika Band]]. Hosono invited both to work on his [[exotica]]-flavoured album ''[[Paraiso (Haruomi Hosono album)|Paraiso]]'', which included [[Electronic music|electronic songs]] produced using various electronic equipment. The band was named "Harry Hosono and the Yellow Magic Band" as a satire of the idyllic perception of pacific and Hawaiian music America had been obsessed with <ref name="guardian_ymo"/> and in late 1977 they began recording ''Paraiso'', which was released in 1978.<ref name="discogs_paraiso">{{Discogs release|1188801|Harry Hosono And The Yellow Magic Band – Paraiso}}</ref> Hosono then worked on the album ''[[Pacific (1978 album)|Pacific]]'', along with Shigeru Suzuki and Tatsuro Yamashita, which included an early version of the song "Cosmic Surfin".<ref>{{Discogs release|2561274|Pacific}}</ref> 

Hosono and Sakamoto also worked together alongside [[Hideki Matsutake]] in early 1978 for Hosono's experimental "electro-exotica" [[Fusion (music)|fusion]] album ''Cochin Moon'', which fused electronic music with [[Music of India|Indian music]], including an early "synth [[raga]]" song "Hum Ghar Sajan".<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web|author=Dominique Leone|date=July 19, 2005|title=Hosono & Yokoo: Cochin Moon|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]]|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4016-cochin-moon/|access-date=May 26, 2011|archive-date=July 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715081905/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4016-cochin-moon/|url-status=live}}</ref> The same year, Sakamoto released his own solo album, ''[[Thousand Knives|The Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto]]'', experimenting with a similar fusion between electronic music and [[traditional Japanese music]] in early 1978. Hosono also contributed to one of Sakamoto's songs, "Thousand Knives", in the album.<ref>{{Discogs release|325757|Ryuichi Sakamoto – Thousand Knives Of}}</ref> ''Thousand Knives'' was also notable for its early use of the [[microprocessor]]-based [[Roland MC-8 Microcomposer]] [[music sequencer]], with Matsutake as its [[Programming (music)|music programmer]] for the album.<ref name="knives_cd">{{Discogs release|1156483|Ryuichi Sakamoto – Thousand Knives Of (CD)}}</ref><ref name=Tanaka2014/>

While Sakamoto was working on ''Thousand Knives'', Hosono began formulating the idea of an instrumental disco band which could have the potential to reach success in non-Japanese-language territories, and invited Tasuo Hayashi of [[Haruomi Hosono|Tin Pan Alley]] and [[Hiroshi Sato (musician)|Hiroshi Sato]] of [[:ja:ハックルバック|Huckleback]] as participants, but they declined.<ref name=Tanaka2014>{{cite web|last1=Tanaka|first1=Yuji|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra: The Pre-MIDI Technology Behind Their Anthems|url=http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/magazine/yellow-magic-orchestra-gear|publisher=[[Red Bull Music Academy]]|date=November 11, 2014|access-date=November 11, 2014|archive-date=April 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150420065107/http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/magazine/yellow-magic-orchestra-gear|url-status=live}}</ref> Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi eventually collaborated again to form the Yellow Magic Orchestra and they began recording their self-titled album at a [[Shibaura]] studio in July 1978.<ref name="discogs_ymo_lp"/>

===1978–1983: National and international success===
[[File:Yellow Magic Orchestra YMO (1981 Press Photo).jpg|thumb|YMO in 1981]]

The band's 1978 self-titled album ''[[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|Yellow Magic Orchestra]]'' was successful and the studio project grew into a fully fledged touring band and career for its three members. The album featured the use of computer technology (along with synthesizers) which, according to ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', allowed the group to create a new sound that was not possible until then.<ref name="billboard_1979">{{citation|title=Artists and producers strive for inroads overseas|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=May 26, 1979|volume=91|issue=20|issn=0006-2510|page=61|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_iQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT61}}</ref> Following the release of the album ''Yellow Magic Orchestra'', a live date at the Roppongi Pit Inn was seen by executives of A&M Records of the USA who were in the process of setting up a partnership deal with Alfa Records. This led to the YMO being offered an international deal, at which point (early 1979) the three members decided the group would be given priority over their solo careers. The most popular international hit from the album was "Firecracker", which would be released as a single the following year and again as "Computer Game", which became a success in the United States and Europe.{{citation needed|date=February 2011}}

Following an advertising deal with [[Fujifilm|Fuji Cassette]], the group sparked a boom in the popularity of electronic pop music, called "[[synthpop|technopop]]" in Japan,<ref name="guardian_ymo">{{cite news|last=Lewis|first=John|title=Back to the future: Yellow Magic Orchestra helped usher in electronica – and they may just have invented hip-hop, too|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/04/electronicmusic.filmandmusic11|work=The Guardian|location=UK|access-date=May 25, 2011|date=July 4, 2008|archive-date=November 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111061211/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/04/electronicmusic.filmandmusic11|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="sarasota">{{cite journal|title=Computer rock music gaining fans|journal=[[Sarasota Journal]]|date=August 18, 1980|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7s4mAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h44EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4481,2128223|access-date=May 25, 2011|page=8|archive-date=October 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019003232/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7s4mAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h44EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4481,2128223|url-status=live}}</ref> where they had an effect similar to that of [[the Beatles]] and [[Beat music|Merseybeat]] in 1960s Britain.<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> For some time, YMO was the most popular band in Japan.<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> Successful solo act [[Akiko Yano]] (later married to Sakamoto) joined the band for its live performances in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but did not participate in the studio recordings. On the other hand, the YMO trio contributed to her own albums and became part of her live band, during these same years.{{citation needed|date=February 2011}} Legendary English guitarist {{nowrap|[[Bill Nelson (musician)|Bill Nelson]]}}, who had disbanded {{nowrap|[[Be-Bop Deluxe]]}} and {{nowrap|[[Bill Nelson's Red Noise|Red Noise]]}} to more recently explore [[Electropop]] himself, likewise played on YMO's {{nowrap|''Naughty Boys''}} (1983), its non-vocals variant {{nowrap|''Naughty Boys Instrumental''}} (1984) and subsequent solo {{nowrap|Yukihiro Takahashi}} projects, before featuring the latter on two of Nelson's own UK based releases.

Making abundant use of new synthesizers, [[Sampler (musical instrument)|samplers]], [[music sequencer|sequencers]], [[drum machine]]s, computers and digital recording technology as it became available, as well as utilizing [[cyberpunk]]-ish lyrics sung mostly in English, they extended their popularity and influence beyond Japan.<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/><ref name="sarasota"/><ref name="clashmusic">{{cite web|title=Senor Coconut|author=Paul Sullivan|work=clashmusic.com|date=September 1, 2007|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/senor-coconut|access-date=May 29, 2011|archive-date=February 3, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080203191201/http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/senor-coconut|url-status=live}}</ref>

Their second album, ''[[Solid State Survivor]]'', released in 1979, was YMO's pinnacle recording in Japan, winning the 1980 Best Album Award in the [[Japan Record Awards]]. It featured English lyrics by [[Chris Mosdell]], whose sci-fi themes often depicted a human condition alienated by dystopic futures, much like the emerging [[cyberpunk]] movement in fiction at that time. One of the album's major singles, and one of the band's biggest international hits, was "[[Behind the Mask (Yellow Magic Orchestra song)|Behind the Mask]]", which YMO had first produced in 1978 for a [[Seiko]] [[Quartz clock|quartz]] [[wristwatch]] commercial,<ref name="discogs_ucymo">{{cite web|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra: UC YMO|date=August 6, 2003|publisher=[[Discogs]]|url=http://www.discogs.com/Yellow-Magic-Orchestra-UC-YMO/release/1282322|access-date=May 29, 2011|archive-date=October 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015011618/http://www.discogs.com/Yellow-Magic-Orchestra-UC-YMO/release/1282322|url-status=live}}</ref> and then for ''Solid State Survivor'' with lyrics penned by [[Chris Mosdell]]. The song was later revised by [[Michael Jackson]], who added new lyrics and had intended to include it in his album ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metafilter.com/82928/Behind-the-Mask-Michael-Jacksons-rarest-recording |title=Behind the Mask – Michael Jackson's rarest recording? |publisher=MetaFilter |access-date=March 27, 2011 |archive-date=March 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303034004/http://www.metafilter.com/82928/Behind-the-Mask-Michael-Jacksons-rarest-recording |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite the approval of songwriter Sakamoto and lyricist [[Chris Mosdell]], it was eventually removed from the album due to legal issues with YMO's management.<ref name="camera_mosdell"/> Jackson's version was never released until his first posthumous album, ''[[Michael (Michael Jackson album)|Michael]]'', though his additional lyrics were included in later cover versions of the song by [[Greg Phillinganes]], [[Eric Clapton]], and [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]] himself in his 1986 solo release ''Media Bahn Live''.{{citation needed|date=February 2011}} ''Solid State Survivor'' included several early computerized [[Electronic rock|synth rock]] songs,<ref name="sarasota"/><ref name="boston_1998">{{citation|title=RYUICHI SAKAMOTO GOES AVANT-CLASSICAL|work=The Boston Globe|author=Jim Sullivan|date=February 8, 1998|page=8|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/26130789.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+08%2C+1998&author=Jim+Sullivan%2C+Globe+Staff&pub=Boston+Globe&desc=RYUICHI+SAKAMOTO+GOES+AVANT-CLASSICAL|access-date=May 27, 2011|archive-date=February 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210005517/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/26130789.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+08%2C+1998&author=Jim+Sullivan%2C+Globe+Staff&pub=Boston+Globe&desc=RYUICHI+SAKAMOTO+GOES+AVANT-CLASSICAL|url-status=dead}}</ref> including a mechanized [[Cover song|cover version]] of "[[Day Tripper]]" by the Beatles.<ref name="boston_1998"/>

''Solid State Survivor'' went on to sell over 2 million records worldwide.<ref name="Hardy_1987">{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Rock|author1=Phil Hardy |author2=Dave Laing |author3=Stephen Barnard |year=1987|edition=2nd|publisher=Macdonald Orbis|isbn=0-356-14274-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tgcKAQAAMAAJ|page=476}}</ref> By 1980, YMO had become the most popular group in Japan, where they were performing to sold-out crowds. Their first live album ''[[Public Pressure]]'' set a record in Japan, topping the charts and selling 250,000 copies within two weeks, while their next studio album ''[[X∞Multiplies]]'' had 200,000 pre-orders before release.<ref name="sarasota"/> The same year, their albums ''Solid State Survivor'' and ''X∞Multiplies'' held the top two spots on the [[Oricon]] charts for seven consecutive weeks, making YMO the only band in Japanese chart history to achieve this feat.<ref name="oricon_ymo">{{cite web|title=ポルノが24年ぶりの快挙達成！|publisher=[[Oricon]]|date=August 17, 2004|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/ranking/5122/|access-date=June 9, 2011|archive-date=October 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024002827/http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/ranking/5122/|url-status=live}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/ranking/5122/ Translation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420110818/https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/ranking/5122/ |date=April 20, 2019 }})</ref>

The 1980 song "[[x∞Multiplies|Multiplies]]" was an early experiment in electronic [[ska]].<ref name="sicko_brewster"/> ''X∞Multiplies'' was followed up with the 1981 album ''[[BGM (album)|BGM]]''.<ref name="allmusic_bgm" /> ''UnderMain Magazine'' noted the album's significance in the early history of [[hip hop]], describing its "groundbreaking" use of the [[Roland TR-808]] drum machine, the song "Music Plans" as where "the beginnings of that funky, electronic boom-bap vibe of hip-hop beats start to emerge" and the song "Rap Phenomena" as "an aural ''[[Australopithecus]]'' of electronic rap music."<ref name="undermain2">{{cite news |last1=Clenney |first1=Chuck |date=4 October 2022 |title=Did Japan Invent Hip-Hop? |url=https://undermain.art/arts-culture-news/did-japan-invent-hip-hop/?fbclid=IwAR3Ysor5cKQIjkxS6AP0I7K8-DsH52H8511tIY0nhXiPS_YAz4-VrxiSdbE |access-date=8 March 2025 |work=UnderMain Magazine}}</ref><ref name="allmusic_bgm">{{allMusic|class=album|id=r53034|access-date=May 29, 2011}}</ref> It was followed by their next album later the same year, ''[[Technodelic]]'', which is significant for its early use of [[Sampling (music)|sampling]] and [[Loop (music)|loops]].<ref name="thevinyldistrict" />

They also had similar success abroad, performing to sold-out crowds during tours in the United States and Europe.<ref name="sarasota"/> The single "Computer Game" had sold 400,000 copies in the United States<ref name="sarasota"/> and reached No. 17 in the UK Charts. The group also performed "Firecracker" and "[[Tighten Up (Archie Bell & the Drells song)#Covers|Tighten Up]]" live on the ''[[Soul Train]]'' television show. At around the same time, the 1980 song "Riot in Lagos" by YMO member Sakamoto from his album ''[[B-2 Unit]]'' pioneered the beats and sounds of [[electro music]].<ref name="wire_1996">{{citation|title=A–Z Of Electro|work=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|issue=145|date=March 1996|author=David Toop|url=http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/210/|access-date=May 29, 2011|archive-date=June 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629195229/http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/210/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="broughton_2007">{{cite book|last=Broughton|first=Frank|title=La historia del DJ / The DJ's Story, Volume 2|year=2007|publisher=Ediciones Robinbook|isbn=978-84-96222-79-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1GMxP6mpRdgC&pg=PA121|page=121}}</ref> The band was particularly popular with the emerging [[hip hop]] community, which appreciated the group's electronic sounds, and in [[the Bronx]] where "Firecracker" was a success and sampled in the famous ''Death Mix'' (1983) by [[Afrika Bambaataa]].<ref name="wire_1996"/><ref name="buckley_2003">{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Peter|title=The rough guide to rock|year=2003|publisher=[[Rough Guides]]|isbn=1-84353-105-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C&pg=PT908|page=901}}</ref> Bambaataa also cited YMO's subsequent albums along with Sakamoto's "Riot in Lagos" as influences.<ref name="undermain2" /> Meanwhile, in Japan, YMO remained the best-selling music act there up until 1982.<ref>{{citation|title=Pioneering Production Economy in the '80s|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=May 29, 1982|volume=94|issue=21|issn=0006-2510|page=41|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=byQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT41}}</ref>

===1984–1993: breakup and brief reunion===
The band had paused their group activities by 1984. After the release of their musical motion picture ''Propaganda'', the three members had returned to their solo careers. They were careful to avoid saying they had "split up", preferring to use the Japanese phrase meaning {{Nihongo|"spreading out"|散開|sankai}}, and the trio continued to play on each other's recordings and made guest appearances at live shows. Takahashi, in particular, would play the band's material in his concerts. Meanwhile, Sakamoto would gain international success for his work as a solo artist, actor, and [[film composer]],<ref name="billboard_1996">{{citation|title=Q&A With Ryuichi Sakamoto: Pop Pioneer And Producer And Award-Winning Soundtrack Composer|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=August 31, 1996|volume=108|issue=35|issn=0006-2510|page=72|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vwcEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA72}}</ref> winning [[Grammy Award|Grammy]], [[Academy Award|Oscar]], and [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe]] awards.<ref name="boston_1998"/>

Yellow Magic Orchestra released a one-off reunion album, ''[[Technodon]]'', and credited it to 'NOT YMO' (YMO crossed out with a calligraphy X) or <s>YMO</s> in 1993.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}} In contrast to the group's earlier synth-pop style, ''Technodon'' sees the group adopting a more [[ambient techno]] sound. During their brief reunion in the early 1990s, they continued to experiment with new styles of electronic music, playing an instrumental role in the [[techno]] and [[acid house]] movements of the era.<ref name="UGO">{{cite web|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto|publisher=[[UGO Networks]]|url=http://www.ugo.com/channels/music/features/bandsondemand/artist.aspx?artist=ryuichisakamoto&cat=electronica&full=Ryuichi%20Sakamoto|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817022440/http://www.ugo.com/channels/music/features/bandsondemand/artist.aspx?artist=RyuichiSakamoto&cat=Electronica&full=Ryuichi+Sakamoto|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 17, 2007|access-date=May 27, 2011}}</ref>

===2002–2023: post-breakup and reformation ===
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2011}}

The early 2000s saw Hosono and Takahashi reunited in a project called [[Sketch Show (band)|Sketch Show]]. On a number of occasions Ryuichi Sakamoto has joined in on Sketch Show performances and recording sessions. He later proposed they rename the group Human Audio Sponge when he participates. The groups Barcelona performance at Sonar festival and Wild Sketch Show DVDs chronicle these reunions, and include a tongue-in-cheek Japanese text-only history of the group that spans to 2036.

The band have reunited in 2007 for an advertising campaign for [[Kirin Brewery Company|Kirin]] Lager which lampooned their longevity and charted No.1 on various Japanese digital download charts (including [[iTunes Store]] chart) with the song "Rydeen 79/07", released on Sakamoto's new label [[Avex Trax|commmons]]. Recently performing live as Human Audio Sponge; Hosono, Sakamoto, and Takahashi did a live performance together as Yellow Magic Orchestra for the [[Live Earth (2007 concert)|Live Earth]], [[Live Earth concert, Kyoto|Kyoto, event]] on July 7, 2007, which raised money and awareness of a "climate in crisis".

In August 2007, the band once again reformed, taking the name HASYMO or HAS/YMO, combining the names of Human Audio Sponge and Yellow Magic Orchestra. Their first single under this name, "Rescue", was written for the film [[Appleseed EX Machina]]. They released a new two song single titled "The City of Light/Tokyo Town Pages" on August 6, 2008. HASYMO played two live concerts in Europe in the summer of 2008, one at the [[Royal Festival Hall]], London on June 15, as part of the [[Meltdown (festival)|Meltdown]] festival of music curated by [[Massive Attack]] and another in [[Gijón]], Spain, on the 19th. Although the primary YMO members (Yukihiro Takahashi, Haruomi Hosono, and Ryuichi Sakamoto) were effectively known as HASYMO and played both these concerts, these concerts were billed simply as "YMO" but featured only 4 YMO songs in each concert while the rest of the concert featured Sketch Show, HASYMO music and members' solo works.

In August 2009, the band played the World Happiness festival in Japan, featuring many Japanese artists. The band closed the night, and confirmed that "Yellow Magic Orchestra" was their official name, dropping the HASYMO title. They opened with a cover of "[[Hello, Goodbye]]" and performed old YMO songs along with their newer songs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.world-happiness.com/ |title=WORLD HAPPINESS 2011 |publisher=World-happiness.com |access-date=March 27, 2011 |archive-date=March 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310111755/http://www.world-happiness.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In August 2010, YMO once again closed their World Happiness festival. They added classic songs from their back catalog into their set list. They also covered "[[Hello, Goodbye]]" and "[[Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)]]".<ref>[http://world-happiness.com/2010/07/yellow-magic-orchestracrystal-kay.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100805065812/http://world-happiness.com/2010/07/yellow-magic-orchestracrystal-kay.html|date=August 5, 2010}}</ref> In January 2011, [[KCRW]] announced for their World Festival concert series that Yellow Magic Orchestra will perform at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] on June 26, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/tickets/performance-detail.cfm?id=4529 |title=Big in Japan: Yellow Magic Orchestra & Cibo Matto &#124; Hollywood Bowl Presented by LA Phil |publisher=Hollywoodbowl.com |access-date=March 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408105441/http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/tickets/performance-detail.cfm?id=4529 |archive-date=April 8, 2011  }}</ref> Not long after, a concert for June 27, 2011, at [[The Warfield]] was added.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thewarfieldtheatre.com/eventdetail.php?1id=31801 |title=The Warfield &#124; Event Details |publisher=Thewarfieldtheatre.com |access-date=April 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321135009/http://thewarfieldtheatre.com/eventdetail.php?1id=31801 |archive-date=March 21, 2012 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> It was announced in February that YMO would perform at the Fuji Rock festival in July and the World Happiness festival 2011 on August 7.

In 2012, Sakamoto helped organize the [[No Nukes 2012]] festival held in the [[Makuhari Messe]] hall in [[Chiba (city)|Chiba]], Japan, on July 7 and 8, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nonukes2012.jp/en/ |title=NO NUKES 2012 |publisher=Nonukes2012.jp |date=January 2, 2012 |access-date=December 12, 2012 |archive-date=November 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116023753/http://nonukes2012.jp/en/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Among the many artists performing, [[Kraftwerk]] closed the July 7 concert, with YMO performing on both days, closing the July 8 concert.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fm20120705a1.html |title=Sakamoto gently rallies the troops for No Nukes 2012 &#124; The Japan Times Online |publisher=Japantimes.co.jp |date=July 5, 2012 |access-date=December 12, 2012 |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025061754/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fm20120705a1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> YMO also headlined their World Happiness festival on August 12, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeout.jp/en/tokyo/event/5164/World-Happiness-2012 |title=World Happiness 2012 – ''Time Out Tokyo'' |publisher=Timeout.jp |date=August 12, 2012 |access-date=December 12, 2012 |archive-date=July 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702094924/http://www.timeout.jp/en/tokyo/event/5164/World-Happiness-2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After these performances, the band once again went quiet; though no formal announcement was made of a hiatus or breakup, the band ultimately did not reconvene for further recordings or headlining concerts.

On June 23, 2018, Hosono played his debut UK solo concert at the [[Barbican Centre]] in London; Takahashi and Sakamoto joined him on stage to perform "Absolute Ego Dance", marking the final time that the three would appear together in public. (The band featured in Hosono's second and third "Yellow Magic Show" on Japanese TV, both recorded in 2019; their appearance in the third was in front of a live audience, but Sakamoto appeared via prerecorded video.)

===2023: Takahashi and Sakamoto's deaths===

On January 11, 2023, Takahashi died at the age of 70, following a case of pneumonia. He had undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor in 2020 but continued to have health troubles that interfered with his musical activities in the intervening years.<ref>{{cite news |title=YMO高橋幸宏さん死去 70歳 20年脳腫瘍摘出 懸命リハビリも |url=https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/05091066608a45c66fe19bfa314bb99969bc5e3f |access-date=January 14, 2023 |publisher=Yahoo! News |date=January 11, 2023 |archive-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115064310/https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/05091066608a45c66fe19bfa314bb99969bc5e3f |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=YMO 高橋幸宏さん死去 70歳 「ライディーン」の作曲手がける|url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20230115/k10013950081000.html|access-date=January 15, 2023|publisher=NHK|date=January 15, 2023|archive-date=January 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116010305/https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20230115/k10013950081000.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Corcoran |first=Nina |date=January 15, 2023 |title=Yellow Magic Orchestra Drummer Yukihiro Takahashi Dies at 70 |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/yellow-magic-orchestra-drummer-yukihiro-takahashi-dies-at-70/ |access-date=January 15, 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US |archive-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115145105/https://pitchfork.com/news/yellow-magic-orchestra-drummer-yukihiro-takahashi-dies-at-70/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Legaspi |first1=Althea |last2=Kreps |first2=Daniel |date=January 15, 2023 |title=Yukihiro Takahashi, Drummer and Lead Vocalist of Yellow Magic Orchestra, Dead at 70 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/yukihiro-takahashi-yellow-magic-orchestra-dead-obit-1234661542/ |access-date=January 15, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> That same year, Sakamoto died on March 28 at the age of 71, following a lengthy battle with cancer; leaving Hosono as the last surviving member of the group.