The Magical Pride Party is an annual celebration that takes place in various cities around the world. It is a unique event that combines the vibrant energy of the LGBTQ+ community with the enchanting atmosphere of magic and fantasy. Attendees dress up in their most extravagant outfits, often inspired by mythical creatures, wizards, or fairies. The costumes are a way to express individuality and embrace the spirit of the party. The atmosphere is filled with excitement, as people from all walks of life come together to celebrate love, acceptance, and self-expression. The Magical Pride Party is not only a celebration, but also an important platform for activism and raising awareness.
How one band shaped the sounds of Japan and beyond
The Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) was founded by Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1978. In the early 1970s, Haruomi Hosono created the legendary band “Happy End” which became the cornerstone of rock music. Ryuichi Sakamoto studied musical composition at the Graduate School of Tokyo University of the Arts and is a musician deeply versed in contemporary and electronic music. Yukihiro Takahashi was a member of the “Sadistic Mika Band,” which debuted in England as well as Japan in the 1970s. He was also a fashion designer. Neither white or black magic, YMO created musical yellow magic.
"Yellow Magic Orchestra - Computer Game 1979" (1979)
YMO was founded to create stateless, exotic sounds on disco beats with computers and synthesizers. They were affected by the US Martin Denny, German Kraftwerk, and the Italian producer Giorgio Moroder. The first recording was Martin Denny’s “Firecracker” which they covered with computers and synthesizers. It starts with computer game sound effects and was released overseas as the “Computer Game.”
"MC-8 and data cassette tapes 1980 (Photographer: Kenji Miura)" (1980)
YMO actively used Roland’s micro computer “MC-8” since they were founded. Unlike sequencers, the MC-8 allows intricate control of tonal quality and rhythm, so Isao Tomita’s disciple Hideki Matsutake was invited as an expert for its operation. What amazed the developer at Roland was that YMO used this computer at their concerts when it was designed for recordings in studios. The backing tracks for YMO’s stages were not recorded beforehand but were auto-played in real-time with the MC-8. The MC-8 data was loaded from cassette tapes on stage by Hideki Matsutake. This made possible YMO’s intricate and variegated live performance.
"Advertisement in the US 1980 (Yellow Magic Orchestra)" (1980)
The first album “Yellow Magic Orchestra” was released in 1978 and was soon noticed by the US A&M Records. The album was remixed in the US and sold worldwide in 1979. The art of the cover and promotion video for overseas sale were both designed by a US creator and the motif was oriental Japan seen from the west. The image was a combination of the old “Fujiyama/Geisha” and the new “Walkman/Semiconductor.” As their public image, the Yellow Magic Orchestra quoted the misunderstood oriental and caricatured image of Japan from 1979 to 1980.
"Instrument sets of 1979 (Photographer: Kazuhiro Kitaoka)" (1979)
Roland’s MC-8 and Moog’s gigantic modular synthesizer Moog lll-C supported YMO’s early music, and other multiple tonal qualities of synthesizers colored their music. For example, Moog’s Polymoog, Korg’s PS-3100, Oberheim’s Oberheim 8-Voice, Pollard’s syndrum. The Sequential Circuits’ Prophet-5, ARP’s Odyssey, and Roland’s Vocoder VP-330 which was the sound icon and characteristic voice of YMO must be remembered as contributing to the melody and bass. TOKIO!
"Los Angeles, The Greek Theatre performance 1979 (Photographer: Kenji Miura)" (1979)
YMO released their second album “Solid State Survivor” in 1979. Unlike their first album which was affected by exotic music and disco, this album was largely affected by post punk and the new wave. It contains the recording of “Rydeen” which was a big hit in Japan, “Behind the Mask” which was later remade by Michael Jackson, and The Beatles’ cover “Day Tripper.” This album sold over one million copies in Japan and after the release, YMO went on their first world tour.
"London Hammersmith Odeon 1980 (Photographer: Kenji Miura)" (1980)
In 1980, YMO went on their second world tour. This became a large-scale tour of several European countries and the US. In London, they held a concert in the distinguished Hammersmith Odeon and many celebrities came to see them. Hollywood broadcasted a concert by satellite for Japan and many celebrities visited it as well. Also, in between this tour, YMO appeared on the screen of “Soul Train” as the first Japanese artist to do so. They became the talk after performing the cover song “Tighten Up” which was a US hit single by Archie Bell and the Drells. After finishing their tour and returning to Japan, they held a four consecutive day performance at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan. YMO became a social phenomenon in Japan.
Yellow Magic Orchestra
The principal members are Haruomi Hosono (bass), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (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.
Making abundant use of new synthesizers, samplers, digital and computer recording technology as it became available, their popularity and influence extended beyond Japan. Generally the band are highly regarded as pioneers of electronic music, and continue to be remixed and sampled by modern artists.
The band had stopped working together by 1984 (deliberately using a Japanese term meaning "spreading out" or "branching out" rather than saying they were "splitting up"); the three members returning to their solo careers but continuing to collaborate. They released a one-off reunion album, Technodon, in 1993.
The early 2000s saw Hosono & Takahashi reunited in a project called 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 unit "Human Audio Sponge" when he participates, although outside Japan they also used "Yellow Magic Orchestra" until ownership issues with former label Alfa were resolved, so subsequent live releases use the original band name.
Oricon chart statistics -
Singles:
Technopolis : 9 in Oricon chart, 293,000 copies sold
Rydeen: 15 in Oricon chart, 225,000 copies sold
Tighten Up: 43 in Oricon chart, 38,000 copies sold
Kimi Ni Mune Kyun: 2 in Oricon chart, 347,000 copies sold
Kageki Na Shukujo: 15 in Oricon chart, 79,000 copies sold
Ishin Denshin: 23 on Oricon chart, 57,000 copies sold
Albums:
Yellow Magic Orchestra (US Mix): 20 on Oricon chart, 250,000 copies sold
Solid State Survivor: 1 on Oricon chart, 1,021,000 copies sold
Public Pressure: 1 on Oricon chart, 393,000 copies sold
Multiplies (Mini LP): 1 on Oricon chart, 412,000 copies sold
Multiplies (US version): 7 on Oricon chart, 186,000 copies sold
BGM: 2 on Oricon chart, 275,000 copies sold
Technodelic: 4 on Oricon chart, 118,000 copies sold
Naughty Boys: 1 on Oricon chart, 243,000 copies sold
Naughty Boys Instrumental: 18 on Oricon chart, 31,000 copies sold
Service: 5 on Oricon chart, 135,000 copies sold
After Service: 2 on Oricon chart, 123,000 copies sold
(Source - booklet of the compilation "We Love YMO", 1998)
Yellow Magic Orchestra – Yellow Magic Orchestra USA & Yellow Magic Orchestra
Digitally remastered edition of debut album from 1978.
CD1 - The USA version, mixed by Al Schmitt in 1978 'for a more USA-friendly sound'.
CD2 - Original Japanese version.
Recorded at Studio "A", Shibaura, Tokyo, 1978.
On Disc: Made in Austria
Different Matrix / Runout, Mastering SID Code, Mould SID Code and Rights Society
The Magical Pride Party is not only a celebration, but also an important platform for activism and raising awareness. It serves as a reminder of the struggles that LGBTQ+ individuals have faced throughout history and the ongoing fight for equal rights. By coming together in such a festive and magical environment, the LGBTQ+ community empowers themselves and advocates for a more inclusive society.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
- Barcode : 5099751344520
- Rights Society : BIEM SACEM SDRM
- Label Code : 00199
- Matrix / Runout (Disc 1 - Variant 1) : Sony Music S0100480616-0102 25 A 2
- Mould SID Code (Disc 1 - Variant 1) : IFPI 942A
- Mastering SID Code (Disc 1 - Variant 1) : IFPI L555
- Matrix / Runout (Disc 2 - Variant 1) : Sony Music S0100480616-0202 11 A 3
- Mould SID Code (Disc 2 - Variant 1) : IFPI 942A
- Mastering SID Code (Disc 2 - Variant 1) : IFPI L551
- Matrix / Runout (Disc 1 - Variant 2) : Sony Music S0100480616-0102 25 A 2
- Mould SID Code (Disc 1 - Variant 2) : IFPI 942L
- Mastering SID Code (Disc 1 - Variant 2) : IFPI L555
- Matrix / Runout (Disc 2 - Variant 2) : Sony Music S0100480616-0202 11 A05
- Mould SID Code (Disc 2 - Variant 2) : IFPI 942L
- Mastering SID Code (Disc 2 - Variant 2) : IFPI L551
- Matrix / Runout (Disc 1 - Variant 3) : Sony Music S0100480616-0102 25 A 2
- Mould SID Code (Disc 1 - Variant 3) : IFPI 942A
- Mastering SID Code (Disc 1 - Variant 3) : IFPI L555
- Matrix / Runout (Disc 2 - Variant 3) : Sony Music S0100480616-0202 11 A 3
- Mould SID Code (Disc 2 - Variant 3) : IFPI 941A
- Mastering SID Code (Disc 2 - Variant 3) : IFPI L551
Yellow magic orchestra album
Yellow Magic Orchestra is the type of album one might find at the bottom of an old record collection whilst cratedigging at local garage sales, and in the era of the internet, the equivalent to such a discovery would be to find this unique experience packaged into a full-length digital upload on the scrolling sidebars of YouTube or within the tailor-made playlists of Spotify. Whatever the case, it is very much a project that is worth looking into, whether it be out of predetermined destiny or out of pure and simple algorithmic technology. Originally assembled as a partially satirical experiment to mimic the world's misunderstandings of East Asian music and culture, Yellow Magic Orchestra's all-inclusive genre-mingling disco miscellany went on to produce a hit promotional single as well as granting a great contribution to the craze of synthpop that the seventies rotated around with such fascination.
Some may recognize composer Ryuichi Sakamoto as the most notable individual member of this trio, whose shared Tokyo heritage supplies the common ground on which each artist is able to exercise their instrumental and vocal talents alike. Yellow Magic Orchestra's self-titled debut is a compendium of the trends of its time, but it embodies these methods with the idiosyncratic perspective of a group looking in on the fashions of their Western counterparts and making them their own. This brand of outsider originality couldn't have been more worthwhile, as the futuristic luster that has been spray-painted onto this thirty-seven minute parcel of electronic illusion is nothing if not captivating.
Songs such as Firecracker still sound ahead of their days even in a whole new century of musical principles, and it is due to their collective knack for prototypal pop experimentation that Yellow Magic Orchestra have stood the test of time. Their introductory album is beyond fun, a valuable vintage toy passed down through the generations with an entertainment value that will likely never run out.
The party typically features live performances, including music, dance, and acrobatics. These performances add to the magical aura of the event and create an immersive experience for attendees. There are also often art installations, workshops, and interactive activities that allow participants to unleash their creativity. In addition to the entertainment aspect, the Magical Pride Party often partners with LGBTQ+ organizations and charities to raise funds and support their important work. This ensures that the event has a lasting impact beyond just one night of celebration. Overall, the Magical Pride Party is a celebration of diversity, love, and acceptance. It allows members of the LGBTQ+ community to come together, express themselves, and feel united in a world that has not always been accepting of their identities. This magical gathering is a testament to the resilience and strength of the LGBTQ+ community and their ongoing fight for equality..
Reviews for "Celebrating LGBTQ+ Identity: Magical Pride Takes the Disney Parks by Storm"
1. Jessica - 2/5 - I was really looking forward to Magical Pride Party, but I was left disappointed. The event felt overcrowded, making it hard to move around and enjoy all the attractions. The lines for the rides were ridiculously long, and I ended up spending most of my time waiting. The food options were also limited, and the prices were exorbitant. Overall, I wouldn't recommend attending this event unless you're a die-hard Disney fan who doesn't mind the lack of organization and high costs.
2. Mike - 2/5 - I attended Magical Pride Party with high expectations, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to them. The entertainment was lackluster, and the performances felt rushed and poorly executed. Additionally, the event lacked diversity in terms of the characters and themes showcased. The ticket prices were steep, especially considering what was offered. I won't be returning next year and would advise others to consider other Disney events instead.
3. Sarah - 3/5 - While Magical Pride Party had its moments, it fell short of being a truly magical experience for me. The event seemed more focused on selling merchandise and promoting Disney products, rather than providing a memorable and enchanting atmosphere. The stage shows were underwhelming, and there were limited interactive experiences for attendees. However, the LGBTQ+ community representation was a positive aspect, and the overall ambiance was enjoyable. If Disney puts more effort into improving the entertainment and diversifying the attractions, Magical Pride Party could become a must-attend event.