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| Akira Yamaoka | |
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 Akira Yamaoka at Play! A Video Game Symphony in Stockholm, Sweden on June 2, 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Born | February 6, 1968 Niigata, Japan |
| Genres | Rock, ambient, industrial |
| Occupations | Composer, sound designer, sound director, video game producer |
| Instruments | Guitar, keyboards |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Akira Yamaoka (山岡 晃 Yamaoka Akira, born February 6, 1968) is a video game composer, sound designer, sound director, and video game producer who has worked for Konami since 1993. He is best known for creating the music in the Silent Hill series; he also works as a sound director and producer on the series.
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Biography
Early life
Yamaoka attended Tokyo Art College[1], where he studied product design and interior design.
Career
He joined Konami on September 21, 1993, after previously being a freelance music composer. He is most well known for his work for the Silent Hill series of video games, for which he composed all the music and sound effects in the whole series (excluding Silent Hill: Play Novel for the Game Boy Advance and "Esperandote" in Silent Hill, composed by Rika Muranaka). Since Silent Hill 3, he is playing a more important role as the series' producer, also continuing with his music composition working.
Yamaoka's sound commonly contains strong melancholy undertones and generally identifies with the dark ambient, industrial, trip-hop and rock genres. Since Silent Hill 3, he also started working in collaboration with Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and Joe Romersa for vocal compositions.
Much of his work from previous titles has been compiled for the 2006 Silent Hill movie adaptation, directed by Christophe Gans.
His music from Silent Hill 2 was performed live in 2005 at the third Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig, Germany. Yamaoka also performed music from Silent Hill at the world-premiere of Play! A Video Game Symphony on May 27, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, and accompanied the orchestra with an electric seven-string guitar. He also composed songs for KONAMI's Bemani series, which has also featured tracks from Silent Hill.
His first original album, iFUTURELIST, was released in January 2006. He also wrote the theme of 101%, the main show of the French TV channel Nolife.
On December 2, 2009, it was announced that Yamaoka was leaving his long term employer Konami.[2]
Personal life
Before working as a video game composer, Yamaoka initially sought a career as a designer, but instead became a musician after studying product design at Tokyo Art College[1].
In 1993 he joined Konami to work on the game Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2[1]. When Konami began searching for a musician to compose Silent Hill's score, Yamaoka volunteered because he thought he was the only one capable of making the soundtrack. [1]
Musical style and influences
Yamaoka cites among his influences Angelo Badalamenti (best known known for his soundtrack work with David Lynch), Metallica, and Depeche Mode.[1]
When asked if his studies at Tokyo Art College had helped him in his musical career, he replied[1]: "At that time, Mick Karn of Japan, Steve Strange of Visage, and a lot of other musicians combined the notions of Art and Music with their own new style. I got really influenced by that. Therefore, every time I write songs, I try to combine Art and Music."
Discography
- Smart Ball (1991) – with Yasuhiko Fukuda and Manabu Saito
- Snatcher CD-ROMantic (1992) under the pseudonym "Konami Kukeiha Club"
- Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 (1994) – with Michiru Yamane and Aki Hata
- Sparkster (1994) – with Kazuhiko Uehara, Masahiro Ikariko, Michiru Yamane, and M. Matsuhira
- Snatcher (1994) with Keizou Nakamura, Masanori Adachi, Kazuhito Imai and Masanori Ohuchi.
- Lightning Legend (1996) – with Ohamo Kotetsu, Matamata, Hitofumi Ushima, and Yasuo Asai
- Speed King (1996) (PlayStation version)
- International Superstar Soccer Pro (1997)
- Poy Poy (1997)
- Kensei: Sacred Fist (1998) – with Kyoran Suzuki and Norikazu Miura
- International Superstar Soccer Pro '98 (1998)
- Silent Hill (1999)
- Gradius III & IV (2000)
- Silent Hill 2 (2001)
- Contra: Shattered Soldier (2002) – with Sōta Fujimori
- Silent Hill 3 (2003)
- Rumble Roses (2004) – with many others
- Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004)
- Silent Hill (2006) – with Jeff Danna
- Rumble Roses XX (2006) – with many others
- Silent Hill: Origins (2007)
- Silent Hill Homecoming (2008)
- Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (2009)
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Interview with Akira Yamaoka". spelmusik.net. July 2002. http://www.spelmusik.net/intervjuer/akira_yamaoka_eng.html. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ Remo, Chris (December 2, 2009). "Report: Silent Hill Composer Yamaoka Leaves Konami". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26345/Report_Silent_Hill_Composer_Yamaoka_Leaves_Konami.php. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
External links
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