Bottom/ Soundtrack to Pedro Almodovar film High Heels by Ryuichi Sakamoto, formerly of synthpop pioneers Yellow Magic Orchestra. Ryūichi Sakamoto (坂本 龍一 Sakamoto Ryūichi, born January 17, 1952, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese musician, composer, producer and actor, based in New York and Tokyo. He was ranked at number 59 in a list of the top 100 most influential musicians compiled by HMV. Following the disbanding of Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sakamoto released a number of solo albums in the 1980s. While primarily focused on the piano and synthesizer, this series of albums boasted a roster of collaborators that included David Sylvian, David Byrne, Thomas Dolby, Nam June Paik, and Iggy Pop, among others. Sakamoto would alternate between exploring a variety of musical styles, ideas, and genres, ranging from traditional Japanese and Okinawan songs to electronica with bossanova, to solo piano, to "post-techno", to avant-garde DJ set under the stage name DJ Lovegroove. 1999 saw the long-awaited release of Sakamoto's 'opera' entitled LIFE. It premiered with seven sold-out performances in Tokyo and Osaka. This ambitious multi-genre multi-media project featured contributions by over 100 performers, including modern dance choreographer Pina Bausch, Bernardo Bertolucci, José Carreras, His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Salman Rushdie. Top/ David Bowie stands tall on the cover of electronica-influenced album Earthling (BMG, 1997), sporting the Union Jack frock coat he co-designed with Alexander McQueen. Lee Alexander McQueen (16 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was an English fashion designer known for his unconventional designs and shock tactics. McQueen worked as the head designer at the French Haute Couture House Givenchy for five years, succeeding John Galliano, before founding the Alexander McQueen and McQ labels. McQueen's early runway collections developed his reputation for controversy (earning the title "l'enfant terrible" and "the hooligan of English fashion"), with trousers aptly named "bumsters", and a collection entitled "Highland Rape". McQueen's dramatic designs, worn by celebrities including Rihanna, Björk and Lady Gaga, met with critical acclaim and earned him the British Designer of the Year award four times.
