Akira Yamaoka (山岡 晃, Yamaoka Akira, born February 6, 1968) is a Japanese composer and music producer. He is best known for composing music for several video games in the Silent Hill series by Konami, among other games. Yamaoka also worked as a producer on the series, as well as composing for the Silent Hill film and its sequel. Since 2010, he has been the sound director at Grasshopper Manufacture.
Akira Yamaoka | |
|---|---|
山岡 晃 | |
 Yamaoka in 2010 | |
| Born | February 6, 1968 Niigata, Japan |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Employers |
|
| Spouse | Tamu Murata |
| Website | akirayamaoka |
Early life
editYamaoka attended Tokyo Art College,[1] where he studied product design and interior design. He originally planned to follow a career in design.[2]
Career
editYamaoka joined Konami on September 21, 1993.[3][better source needed] He immediately began to work on the games Contra: Hard Corps, Sparkster, and Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2. Shortly thereafter, he worked on the music for the PC Engine and Sega CD versions of Snatcher. 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] Although initially hired as a composer, he soon became involved in overall sound design.[4]
On December 2, 2009, it was announced that Yamaoka was leaving his long term employer Konami.[5][6] On February 3, 2010, it was announced that Yamaoka had joined Grasshopper Manufacture and was working with Goichi Suda and Shinji Mikami on their action game, Shadows of the Damned.[7] He was first appointed to the role of chief sound officer at Grasshopper, but became involved in aspects of game production as well.[8]
On August 10, 2012, Yamaoka announced he would be releasing a second solo album in late 2012, one "different from the usual Silent Hill music."[9] On October 31, 2012, he announced via Facebook, that the new three-track Spanish-language single "Revolución" would premiere at V-CON during a live performance.[10] In 2014, he expressed interest in returning as a composer for Silent Hills, although the project was later cancelled.[4]
In late October and early November 2015, Yamaoka and his band performed tracks from the Silent Hill series at nine live events in cities across the United Kingdom, titled "Silent Hill Live".[11][12] In July 2016, Yamaoka performed live at the BitSummit 4th indie game festival in Kyoto, Japan.[13]
Style and influences
editWhen asked what other artists influenced his work, Yamaoka cited Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails as his "main inspiration, both performing and in music style."[9] Among his other influences are Angelo Badalamenti (best known for his soundtrack work with David Lynch), Massive Attack,[14] 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." He has also stated that he derives much of his influence from baroque styles common throughout the 18th century.
Yamaoka stated some of his favorite songs to be "Der Mussolini" by D.A.F., "Amber" by Craig Armstrong, "Moments in Love" by Anne Dudley, "Moon Over Moscow" by Visage, and "The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone.[15]
Personal life
editBefore 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] Yamaoka stated in 2009 that his favorite game creator is Suda51 and his favorite video game is No More Heroes.[16] In March 2011, Yamaoka auctioned some of his musical instruments to raise charity funds for the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[17] His favorite of his own soundtracks is Silent Hill 2.[17] In 2014, he stated his favorite film was Dario Argento's Suspiria.[18] He is married to Ai "Tamu" Murata, who is the drummer of the heavy metal band Nemophila. They have two daughters.[19]
Works
editVideo games
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Smart Ball | with Yasuhiko Fukuda and Manabu Saito |
| 1994 | Contra: Hard Corps | with several others |
| Sparkster | with several others | |
| Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 | with Michiru Yamane | |
| Snatcher | Sega CD version, PlayStation version, Sega Saturn version | |
| 1996 | Gradius Deluxe Pack | with Miki Higashino, Kiyohiko Yamane, and Motoaki Furukawa |
| Ganbare Goemon: Uchū Kaizoku Akogingu | with several others | |
| Road Rage/Speed King | PlayStation version | |
| Lightning Legend: Daigo no Daibouken | "Spring's Undersea Walking Hurricane (Rankerk Hatred)" | |
| 1997 | Moon: Remix RPG Adventure | "Tears of Machine" and "TILT" |
| International Superstar Soccer Pro 98 | with several others | |
| Nagano Winter Olympics '98 | with Soshiro Hokkai and Keiko Fukami | |
| 1998 | Poy Poy 2 | |
| NBA In The Zone '98 | with Yuichi Asami, Ryuichi Inoue, and Nobuhiko Matsufuji | |
| Kensei: Sacred Fist | with Kyoran Suzuki and Norikazu Miura | |
| 1999 | Silent Hill | |
| ISS Pro Evolution | with Shinji Enomoto, Kosuke Soeda, and Hideki Kasai | |
| 1999–2012 | Bemani series | |
| 2000 | Gradius III and IV | |
| ESPN MLS GameNight | with Shinji Enomoto, Kosuke Soeda, and Hideki Kasai | |
| 2001 | Silent Hill 2[20] | |
| 2002 | Contra: Shattered Soldier | with Sota Fujimori |
| 2003 | Silent Hill 3[21] | |
| 2004 | Rumble Roses | with several others |
| Silent Hill 4: The Room[22] | ||
| 2006 | Rumble Roses XX | with several others |
| 2007 | Silent Hill: The Arcade | with Masayuki Maruyama and Jun Ito |
| Silent Hill: Origins[23] | ||
| Silent Hill: The Escape | ||
| 2008 | Silent Hill: Homecoming | |
| 2009 | Silent Hill: Shattered Memories[24] | |
| 2010 | No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle | with several others |
| 2011 | Shadows of the Damned | |
| Rebuild of Evangelion: Sound Impact | arrangements | |
| Sdatcher | ||
| 2012 | Sine Mora | |
| Liberation Maiden | ||
| Lollipop Chainsaw | music director | |
| Silent Hill: Book of Memories | guitarist on "Love Psalm (Book of Memories)" | |
| Black Knight Sword | ||
| 2013 | Rotolla | |
| Killer Is Dead | music director | |
| 2014 | Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day | |
| Murasaki Baby | "Neeko" | |
| 2015 | Persona 4: Dancing All Night | "Time To Make History" remix |
| 2016 | Puzzle & Dragons X[25] | with Kenji Ito, Yuzo Koshiro, and Keigo Ozaki |
| The Silver Case[26] | arrangements, "WHITEOUT" | |
| Let It Die | music director | |
| 2017 | Astro Boy: Edge of Time[27] | |
| World of Tanks | "Battle in Japan" with Andrius Klimka[28] | |
| 2018 | The 25th Ward: The Silver Case[29] | with Baiyon, Erika Ito, and Masafumi Takada |
| 2020 | Dead by Daylight | Chapter XVI: Silent Hill[30] |
| Ninjala | with several others | |
| World of Tanks | "Mirny-13 – Hangar Theme" with Aleksandr Khilko and Aleksey Vanchuk[31] | |
| 2021 | The Medium | with Arkadiusz Reikowski[32] |
| 2022 | Deathverse: Let It Die[33] | |
| 2023 | Decarnation[34] | |
| Stray Souls[35] | ||
| 2024 | Silent Hill: The Short Message | |
| Silent Hill 2 | Remake | |
| Slitterhead[36] |
Films
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Silent Hill | with Jeff Danna, also executive producer |
| 2011 | Julia X | "Julia's Wish" |
| 2012 | Silent Hill: Revelation | with Jeff Danna |
| 2014 | Patema Inverted | sound director |
| 2017 | Kuso[37] | with Flying Lotus, Aphex Twin, Thundercat, and various others |
| 2024 | Return to Silent Hill[38] |
Anime/television
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Cyberpunk: Edgerunners | Anime series based on Cyberpunk 2077[39] |
Other
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | iFuturelist | |
| 2011 | "Ex Animo" by Play for Japan: The Album | with various others |
| Snatcher | ||
| 2012 | Revolución[citation needed] | |
| "Rinkaku (Eternal Slumber Mix)" by Dir En Grey[citation needed] | ||
| 2013 | "Rose Cat" by World 1-2 | with various others |
| 2014 | "Sustain the Untruth (Remix)" by Dir En Grey[citation needed] | |
| 2016 | En Mo Takenawa |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Interview with Akira Yamaoka". spelmusik.net. July 2002. Archived from the original on June 29, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
- ^ "Interview with Akira Yamaoka (Spelmusik.net) - Silent Hill Memories". www.silenthillmemories.net. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ "Akira Yamaoka – Sound Director". Anony.ws. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ a b "Interview: Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka". October 29, 2015.
- ^ Remo, Chris (December 2, 2009). "Report: Silent Hill Composer Yamaoka Leaves Konami". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on December 4, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
- ^ "Rumor: Silent Hill composer leaves Konami". Destructoid. December 1, 2009. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ "Silent Hill composer Yamaoka joins Suda 51's 'video game band'". Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
- ^ Sheffield, Brandon (June 13, 2011). "Surprises In Store: Akira Yamaoka's New Direction". Game Developer. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ a b "AKIRA YAMAOKA – Interview in Spain at Play Fest".
- ^ "AKIRA YAMAOKA – New Single Premieres at V-CON". Facebook.
- ^ Priestman, Chris (September 9, 2015). "Silent Hill Composer To Perform The Soundtracks Live This Halloween". Siliconera. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
- ^ Blake, Vikki (September 23, 2015). "New Dates Confirmed for Silent Hill's Akira Yamaoka UK Tour". IGN. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ^ Greening, Chris (June 26, 2016). "Akira Yamaoka headlines BitSummit 4th lineup". Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- ^ thegamingmuse. "The History of Team Silent & Creation of the Silent Hill Series". Youtube. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ Wahlgren, Jon (July 9, 2010). "Playlist: Grasshopper Manufacture's Akira Yamaoka". Nintendo Life. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ Nintendo Power, Volume 248
- ^ a b "Akira Yamaoka (Person)". Giant Bomb. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "むらたたむ". Twitter. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ^ "Akira Yamaoka "Would Love" to Return to Silent Hill". November 5, 2020.
- ^ "Akira Yamaoka "Would Love" to Return to Silent Hill". November 5, 2020.
- ^ "Akira Yamaoka "Would Love" to Return to Silent Hill". November 5, 2020.
- ^ "Silent Hill: Origins – Akira Yamaoka | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Interview: Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka". October 29, 2015.
- ^ Greening, Chris (January 5, 2017). "Ito, Koshiro, Yamaoka join forces for latest Puzzle & Dragons soundtrack". Video Game Music Online. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ^ Greening, Chris (September 17, 2016). "Akira Yamaoka's latest soundtrack to release next month". Video Game Music Online. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ^ Sackenheim, Shawn. "Akira Yamaoka scores the new Astro Boy Card Battler". originalsoundversion.com. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ Fuller, Garrett (October 19, 2017). "Interview with World of Tanks Composer Akira Yamaoka". mmorpg.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ "The 25th Ward: The Silver Case – Coming 2018". nisamerica.com.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (May 26, 2020). "Silent Hill's Pyramid Head comes to Dead by Daylight". Polygon. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ "Official soundtrack published to YouTube". youtube.com. October 23, 2020. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (May 7, 2020). "The Medium is a next-gen psychological horror game from Blair Witch maker Bloober". GamesBeat. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Romano, Sal (April 27, 2022). "Deathverse: Let It Die second developer diary features composer Akira Yamaoka". Gematsu. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sal (May 11, 2023). "Decarnation launches May 31, features music by Akira Yamaoka". Gematsu. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ Romano, Sal (July 11, 2023). "Stray Souls adds Akira Yamaoka as composer". Gematsu. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Lada, Jenni (December 10, 2021). "Bokeh Game Studio's Slitterhead Features Akira Yamaoka Music". Siliconera. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ Bein, Kat. "Help Flying Lotus Make His First Movie 'Kuso'". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
- ^ Wilson, Mike (May 31, 2024). "Silent Hill Transmission Details Silent Hill 2 Remake, Christophe Gans' Return to Silent Hill [Video]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ Skrebels, Joe (June 25, 2020). "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a Cyberpunk 2077 Anime Announced". IGN. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
External links
edit
- Official website
- Archived Konami blog (in Japanese)
- Akira Yamaoka at IMDb