Ryuichi Sakamoto and YAS-KAZ in Bali
A glimpse into Sakamoto and YAS-KAZ’s immersive study of gamelan, daily life, and the musical language of Bali in a rare 1985 TV documentary.
In a captivating Japanese TV documentary from 1985, Ryuichi Sakamoto travels to meet friend and percussionist YAS-KAZ in Bali—not for a sightseeing trip however, but instead for a deep study into the sounds of the island. The film documents a journey that unfolds less like a conventional travel video but more like a pilgrimage, where observation takes precedence over performance.
From the moment they arrive, the intent is clear: to listen and absorb. Bali's soundscape—dense with the resonant clang of gamelan, layered birdsong, and the hum of daily life—draws the two musicians in completely. Sakamoto is seen seated cross-legged in village temples, visibly engrossed by the overlapping rhythms of traditional ensembles. YAS-KAZ, who at this point had been living in Bali for some time, performs with local musicians in which his unique drumming style is tactfully fused with Gamelan rhythms.
The documentary offers a quiet, pacing – there are no formal interviews or narrated expositions. Instead, we’re given glimpses: Sakamoto crouching in a field with a microphone, capturing the chirp of insects; a shared laugh with young Balinese dancers; the haze lifting off a rice paddy in early morning light. These fragments form a broader, unspoken dialogue between the Japanese experimentalism of the time and the deep-rooted tradition of Balinese music.
Rather than positioning themselves as outsiders imposing new ideas, Sakamoto and YAS-KAZ move through Bali with a kind of artistic empathy. They don’t treat sound as raw material to be extracted, but as part of a living, breathing culture. What they seem most drawn to is the inseparability of music from daily life—the way ritual, environment, and rhythm are intertwined. In Bali, music (and dance) isn’t something that happens on a stage; it’s embedded in the air, the people, the cadence of the day. That integrated worldview subtly challenges the modern, compartmentalized way we often think about music and its purpose.
Seen today, this footage resonates even more deeply. It offers early evidence of Sakamoto’s emerging global sensibility—one that would later surface in his ambient works and environmental recordings, as well as in other intercultural collaborations. But more than that, it stands as a quiet reminder: that musical discovery isn’t always about what someone plays. Sometimes, it’s about learning to listen again.
YAS-KAZ and Sakamoto’s time in Bali doesn’t result in a grand musical statement, instead it offers a rare glimpse of two artists at the peak of their powers; learning, observing, and immersed in an island that has since seen immense changes.
Check out the documentary here 👇
Reminds me of Steven Feld's idea of 'acoustemology' - one’s sonic way of knowing and being in the world. Thanks for sharing! ✨