World

Hiroshi Sato’s ultra-rare synth masterpiece, Orient, originally released in 1979 on Kitty Records in Japan only at a fruitful time when Hiroshi Sato, Haruomi Hosono, and Shigeru Suzuki were fresh from playing in the group Tin Pan Alley and Haruomi Hosono had just formed Yellow Magic Orchestra. Orient is a unique balance of various styles and a superb breezy mix of Japanese synth-pop with a subtle touch of mid-70s Herbie Hancock-style funk and AOR.

It’s one of the best kept secrets of the Indonesian archipelago. Hidden away on a pop album inspired by The Police, lies ‘Licik’, a deep vocoder funk workout lasting over nine minutes. ‘Licik’ is a hauntingly unique track and a testament to the quality of some of the best music the archipelago has to offer. It’s the first recorded Indonesian song to use the vocoder in such a way. The B-side pays tribute with a re-contextualisation of the original by Bali-based Dea Barandana.