Akira Yamaoka (#749)

[Revoc]

Akira Yamaoka leaves Konami:
http://www.aeropause.com/2009/11/aki...fter-16-years/

Edit: Don confirmed the departure with Yamaoka.
http://www.squareenixmusic.com/forum...p?p=100221#top

[Revoc]

Silent Hill Director Joins Grasshopper Manufacture
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3177798

Hmm, I thought he would become a freelancer...

[Akumu]

We interviewed him last night
http://www.originalsoundversion.com/?p=8334

[Arcubalis]

Does anybody know what's going on with him? Did he leave GHM to start a music career in Mexico? Seems like he's been there for half a year, and has some solo album called Revolucion?

[dissident93]

Originally Posted by Arcubalis

Does anybody know what's going on with him? Did he leave GHM to start a music career in Mexico? Seems like he's been there for half a year, and has some solo album called Revolucion?

No he is still apart of GHM but I think that's correct. He doesn't live in Mexico however he did spend alot of time there.

[Nisto]

Where exactly does the current birthplace originate from? The Making Of Silent Hill 2 DVD says in a biography feature on him that he was born in Niigata and raised in Tokyo.

[Jotamide]

Does anone know why his early work in the Silent Hill games (1-4) is only available on the US iTunes? Who do I have to contact to try to get them released worldwide? They're under Akira's name on iTunes btw, except the Silent Hill 1 OST.

[dissident93]

Originally Posted by Oniros

Does anone know why his early work in the Silent Hill games (1-4) is only available on the US iTunes? Who do I have to contact to try to get them released worldwide? They're under Akira's name on iTunes btw, except the Silent Hill 1 OST.

Because music licensing laws are stupid.

[Jotamide]

Originally Posted by dissident93

Because music licensing laws are stupid.

I did send him a message on his official website but nobody probably reads those. So sad that I can't own any of the best SH OSTs digitally.

[LiquidAcid]

Silent Hill Live

After SH is now officially dead this looks like a perfect way to say goodbye...

[Jotamide]

Originally Posted by LiquidAcid

Silent Hill Live

After SH is now officially dead this looks like a perfect way to say goodbye...

And of course this happens in the UK, on the single year where I'm in Japan for Halloween. FFS

[student41269]

Originally Posted by LiquidAcid

Silent Hill Live

After SH is now officially dead this looks like a perfect way to say goodbye...

I had to double-take when I read this. Triple-take, even. Still not sure I believe it.

Anyway, I have tickets for the Glasgow show (added since the Silicon Era article was posted). A crummy venue in a grim city - very Silent Hill!

[Dag]

Still at GHM, he's doing Let It Die:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lozSw_qna_w
http://www.letitdiethegame.com/music.html

100 bands/1 track, interesting concept.


There is also a Kiev concert in november.

[Jormungand]

So after listening to Sparkster (Genesis), I don't believe for a second that Yamaoka composed much if anything for it. Even though he directly refers to it in an interview:

Spelmusik: Your first project for Konami (in 1993) was Sparkster for Nintendo’s Super Famicom (SNES) and Sega’s Mega Drive. Can you tell us a little about the music? Was it hard work?

Yamaoka: I do remember that (laughs). Since it was my first project at Konami, I remember it very well. I remember that there were still many limitations to the hardware spec. and I went through so many tries and errors. I also feel my music back then was too fresh.

Any insights?

[Nisto]

I don't see why it's so inconceivable to be honest. In his more recent years he has arguably been more focused on horror music, but his discography still covers a lot of varying genres. Personally, I feel like "Fight with Axel" could be his work for example - it's slightly reminiscent of some of his prog-rock projects.

[Phonograph]

you could say the same for hiroyuki sawano's earlier works
soul link doesn't sound like attack on titan, there is a major gap (I even wonder if sawano doesn't have a ghost composer a la samuragoch)

[CHz]

On Yamaoka's old Konami site, there were two prototype samples (the original sequenced versions before being converted to hardware) from SNES Sparkster: Pyramid and Final Battle. Unsure if any Genesis music is known to be his.

[layzee]

Originally Posted by CHz

On Yamaoka's old Konami site

Still got the bookmark: http://www.konamistyle.jp/customfact...re/index2.html

Stopped working a long time ago though. There was a variety of semi-interesting stuff on it.

[Jormungand]

Originally Posted by Nisto

I feel like "Fight with Axel" could be his work for example - it's slightly reminiscent of some of his prog-rock projects.

I'm interested in this. Are these projects his independent albums listed on vgmdb?

[Nisto]

Well, to clarify, the overall style of his original works are mostly rock-oriented, but I particularly had the iFUTURELIST album in mind I think, which does have some hard techno stuff too. For example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-bdROxLv9A&t=18m45s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC0b20S8s8I&t=1m44s

Maybe I find these more similar than most of you though *shrug*

[Raizen1984]

I recall Steel Works from SNES Sparkster being credited to him somewhere, but I completely forget where. I've had him tagged on that track for years, and I wouldn't have done so without a source..

[LiquidAcid]

Composer Akira Yamaoka Returns to Horror With Bloober Team’s The Medium

That looks promising. I'm a big fan of Layers of Fear, and from my initial impression of The Medium, it could fit well with Yamaoka.

[Nisto]

While this is already bumped, I might as well mention that he recently posted an arrangement of the Final Fantasy Chocobo theme on his YouTube channel.

[Carl]

Originally Posted by Nisto

While this is already bumped, I might as well mention that he recently posted an arrangement of the Final Fantasy Chocobo theme on his YouTube channel.

Now that's a matchup I didn't ever think I'd see... Akira x Chocobo, lol