Ken Takakura, who first rose to stardom in the 1960s playing yakuza outlaws, but later became Hollywood’s go-to actor for made-in-Japan films, died on Nov. 10 at age 83 of malignant lymphoma. A private funeral had already been held when the Japanese media broke the story today.
The legendary actor most recently starred in “Dearest” and Zhang Yimou’s “Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles.” Western audiences best know Takakura for his roles in Ridley Scott’s “Black Rain” and 1992′s “Mr. Baseball.”
Born on Feb. 16, 1931 in Fukuoka, Japan, Takakura entered the Toei studio in 1955 after graduating from Meiji University. His breakout role was as an escaped prisoner in Teruo Ishii’s 1965 hit “Abashiri Prison,” which was loosely based on Stanley Kramer’s 1958 “The Defiant Ones.” The film spawned a long-running series, while Takakura churned out hit after hit for Toei in the remainder of the decade and beyond. Usually playing stoic loners who move into action only after repeated provocations, Takakura became an iconic figure for a generation of Japanese moviegoers, much as Clint Eastwood did in Hollywood.
Takakura played a version of this character in Sydney Pollack’s 1974 “The Yakuza,” with a script co-written by yakuza movie aficionado Leonard Schrader, together with Pollack and Robert Towne. By this time, however, Japanese moviegoers had tired of Takakura’s brand of gang actioner, whose good guys followed a code of yakuza chivalry routinely disregarded by the more realistic hoods of Kinji Fukasaku’s popular 1973 “Battles without Honor and Humanity” and its sequels.
Even before leaving Toei in 1976 Takakura had begun moving away from his signature yakuza genre, playing a bankrupt-businessman-turned-extortionist in the 1975 Junya Sato thriller “The Bullet Train.” In the remainder of the 1970s and after he appeared in a succession of starring roles, including an ex-con journeying to reunite with his wife in Yoji Yamada’s 1977 hit “The Yellow Handkerchief.” Based on a story by Pete Hamill, the film was remade as a 2008 film of the same title by Udayan Prasad, with William Hurt starring in the Takakura role. Takakura also played a veteran dog handler in the 1983 Koreyoshi Kurahara smash “Antarctica,” which set a record as the highest-earning Japanese film of all-time that was only surpassed by Hayao Miyazaki’s animation “Princess Mononoke” in 1997. “Antarctica” was remade as the 2006 “Eight Below,” with Frank Marshall directing.
In 1989 Takakura appeared in “Black Rain” as a forbearing Japanese cop assigned to deal with Michael Douglas’s hot-tempered detective, who is after an escaped yakuza played by Yusaku Matsuda. He followed with a similar role as a pro baseball manager dealing with Tom Selleck’s spoiled former major leaguer in the 1992 Fred Schepisi comedy “Mr. Baseball.”
After the turn of the millennium, Takakura appeared only in a handful films, including 2005′s “Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles” and his 205th and last film, Yasuo Furuhata’s 2012 “Dearest,” playing a retired prison counselor making a journey of remembrance to the port where his deceased wife was born.
From 1959 until their divorce in 1971 Takakura was married to singer Chiemi Eri, but they had no children.
Source: Variety
„Solve et coagula“ - dissolve and coagulate – are the basic principles of alchemy. With “ALCHEMUSIC I – solve”, exceptional artist Meinhard presents part one of his alchemusical magnum opus on which he, yet again, defies any simple categorization.
Right after leading us through a colorful and completely bonkers sonic interpretation of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland on is debut, the flamboyant musical wunderkind is now tackling nothing less than the attempt of solving one of the last riddles of mankind by creating a sonic rendition of the sorcerer's stone. What, at first glimpse, might sound like the mad fantasy of an utter megalomaniac is actually a quite logical next step when taking Meinhard's excessive creativity into account. Therefore, the listener should be aware that anything is possible in this first part of the artist's alchemusical journey (part two is planned for release next year) – anything... except boredom or a conservative adherence to any sort of genre-norm. Meinhard takes elements like acoustic guitars, trumpets, strings and cembalo, mingles them with rock guitars, drum-loops, synthesizers and digital mayhem and creates pure sonic gold. After listening to “ALCHEMUSIC I – solve”, you will be wondering how you could ever have doubted that a daring combination of Folk- and Medieval music, New Wave, Gothic Rock, Prog, Gipsy-Swing, Synth Pop, plus Baroque- and Neo-Classical-stints could result in anything else than pure listening bliss. Meinhard effectively proves himself a master alchemist, creating a maelstrom of emotions, atmosphere and pure addictiveness from a fusion of alleged opposites. Is this genius or is it madness? Perhaps, we should settle on defining it as a combination of both while looking forward to the most deliciously trippy sonic journey the music world has seen in quite some time.
Track Listing:
1. Blood+Love
2. humunculus:automaton
3. Knight of Gold
4. 667 - The Neighbor of the Beast
5. eXpelled
6. The Sun Sign
7. YSAYKTW (You Save And You Kill The World)
8. Holy Sun
9. Why Do I...?
10. AtTheRiteSite
11. BPHMT
12. Rhapsody
Alchemusic I - Solve
One of the most successful German Electro-bands returns with a new single! „Sick Man“ is a relentless dance commando, a well-aimed attack on all the club floors of this world. The new Maxi-CD is released in a hand-numbered Digipak, strictly limited to 888 copies world-wide.
To call Funker Vogt an established institution in the German Electro-scene would almost be a criminal understatement, as the trio has been one of the most popular bands in the wide crossover between EBM, Industrial and melodic hard Electronica for years. The songs always hit you straight in the eye, the band produces a steady string of guaranteed floor fillers and will turn any concert hall around the globe into a jam-packed cauldron of searing madness. Introducing new singer Sick Man and a brand-new single sporting his name, Funker Vogt are now making a definitive statement: we are stronger than ever and anything that carries the Funker-Vogt-brand means war on the dance floor! Period. No remorse. On the new single, the band has driven the trademark, sweat-inducing fusion of pumping EBM-basslines, technoid inferno-beats, massive trance licks, hard verses and anthemic chorus parts to a new all-time high and sounds as fresh, compact and hard as ever. The second new song, „The Last Awakening“ brings out the melodic side of Funker Vogt and pushes it to perfection and the lads have conjured up three high-pressure mixes of the title song and two versions of the b-side to ensure that this new release is pure dance-floor-bliss! This is Funker Vogt 2.0 – We came to kick your collective ass! This is a declaration of dance floor war!
Tracks:
1. Sick Man (Evil Mix)
2. The Last Awakening (Superhuman Mix)
3. Sick Man (Single Mix)
4. The Last Awakening (Demo Mix)
5. Sick Man (Epic Mix)
Berlin-based Melodic-Electro-group Solitary Experiments has prepared a special fan-treat for the mini-festival which celebrates the band's 20th anniversary on October 25th, 2014 in Berlin.
Special occasions are best celebrated among friends, which is why Solitary Experiments have asked a number of friends to put their own spin to the biggest hits from the latest outing „PHENOMENA.“ „The 20th Anniversary Compilation“ does not online contain the resulting remix work, but also the three best mixes to come out of the remix battle that the Berliners had initiated via Facebook. Also included is a smashing cover version of the Bronski-Beat-classic, which the band has treated to the trademark „Solitary-sound“ with loving care. The original tune was a massive influence on the group and pretty much the initial spark for trying to put together a music project. With a total playing time of 80 minutes, this release utilizes the maximum capacity of a standard Compact Disc and delivers almost one and a half hours of smashing, club-compatible remixes of some of the most popular Solitary-Experiments-tunes. Those that will be attending the event in Berlin and are there early enough might be in luck to receive a giveaway copy of this release at the door... for all the rest, „The 20th Anniversary Compilation“ is released as a Digital Download at a special bargain price and as a strictly limited pressing on CD.
Track listing:
1. Smalltown Boy (30th Anniversary Tribute)
2. Beg Your Pardon (SoliT.O.Y.ry Mix)
3. Now Or Never (NamNamBulu Remix)
4. No Salvation (Torul Remix)
5. Steering Wheel (The Saint Paul Remix)
6. Stars (Patenbrigade Wolff Remix)
7. Epiphany (BeyOnd the Sugarcake Remix)
8. Game Over (Nobody Is Perfect Remix by Final Illusion)
9. No Salvation (Modcube Remix)
10. Epiphany (Attacke Remix)
11. Steering Wheel (MRDTC Version)
12. Game Over (Nin-Tendo-Mix by Eisfabrik)
13. No Salvation (ES23 Remix)
14. Epiphany (Hypervisor Remix)
15. Stars (DJ Thommy's Stardust Mix)
Out now via Alfa Matrix is the 5-track single "Zeitgeist" by the classic electronic act Növö (aka Laurent Boudic). The single is the title track of the recently released 4th studio full length CD also entitled "Zeitgeist". It's the third single released from this album plunging us once again in Laurent Boudic's personal interpretation of the good old classic EBM / New Wave era and mixes darker and more experimental industrial side with the project's early EBM roots.
Besides a 7" and another extended mix, "Zeitgeist" also received the remix treatment by Flood Veyor, Franck Kartell as well as Denial Of Service. You can download this splendid new single via iTunes, Bandcamp and co.
