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Ryuichi Sakamoto, creator of Nokia 8800 ringtones, has died

04. 04. 2023 Tuesday / By: Robert Denes / Generic / Exact time: BST / Print this page

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F ollowing the news of Ryuichi Sakamoto's death, a compilation of Nokia 8800 tones that he composed were shared, in addition to his soundtracks, extensive solo and collaborative releases, and his work as one third of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sakamoto created a number of mobile phone ringtones and alerts for the Nokia 8800 in 2005.

“In honor of Ryuichi Sakamoto,” Tech Product Bangers wrote, “I've made a video compilation of all the ringtones and alerts for the Nokia 8800, most of which are his work. Please listen, there are some beautiful sounds here."

It was confirmed yesterday that Sakamoto died on March 28 at the age of 71 following an ongoing battle with cancer. Earlier this year, he released his final album 12, which was recorded in 2021 and 2022. He was recently announced to perform at the Manchester International Festival.

A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto - To The Moon and Back was released last November to celebrate the musician's 70th birthday and features reworked versions of his music by artists such as Thundercat, Devonté Hynes, Alva Noto and David Sylvian.

In a tribute to the acclaimed composer and producer, Sakamoto's management company, Commons, wrote that "while Sakamoto underwent treatment for cancer, which was discovered in June 2020, Sakamoto continued to create works in his home studio when his health permitted. He lived with music until the end."

The Nokia 8800 is a luxury mobile phone manufactured by Nokia, based on the Nokia Series 40 operating system. The 8800 has a stainless steel body and scratch-resistant screen and weighs 134 grams. According to Nokia, the 8800's "sophisticated sliding mechanism uses premium ball bearings made by manufacturers of bearings used in high-performance cars."

The Nokia 8800 was first introduced on 7 April 2005 and went on sale in the UK on the O2 mobile phone network in October 2005. The Nokia 8801 was launched in North America and uses the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz frequencies that prevail in North America. In most respects, the Nokia 8801 is identical to the Nokia 8800, except for 850/1800/1900 MHz instead of the 900/1800/1900 MHz on the Nokia 8800. Today, they are highly collectible on the second-hand market and are widely used by various assassins in the John Wick film series - listen to the background music!

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