Akira Yamaoka
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| Akira Yamaoka | |
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.jpg) Akira Yamaoka at the Game Developers Conference in 2010 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | February 6, 1968 Niigata, Japan |
| Genres | Rock, ambient, dark ambient, industrial, trip-hop |
| 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 Japanese video game composer, sound designer, sound director, and video game producer who worked for Konami since 1993 until his resignation in 2009. He is best known for creating the music in the Silent Hill series; he also worked as a sound director and producer on the series as well as serving as a composer and producer of the Silent Hill feature-length film and its sequel.[1][2]
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Yamaoka attended Tokyo Art College,[3] where he studied product design and interior design.
[edit] Career
On December 2, 2009, it was announced that Yamaoka was leaving his long term employer Konami.[4] On February 3, 2010, it was announced that Yamaoka has joined Grasshopper Manufacture and will be working with Goichi Suda and Shinji Mikami on their upcoming psychological-action thriller game, Shadows of the Damned, in partnership with Electronic Arts.[5]
[edit] 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.[3]
In 1993 he joined Konami to work on the game Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2.[3] and then shortly thereafter 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.[3]
Yamaoka stated in a 2009 interview that his favorite game creator is Suda 51 and his favorite video game is No More Heroes.[6]
[edit] Musical style and influences
Yamaoka cites among his influences Angelo Badalamenti (best known for his soundtrack work with David Lynch), Metallica and Depeche Mode.[3]
When asked if his studies at Tokyo Art College had helped him in his musical career, he replied[3]: "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."
[edit] Discography
- Smart Ball (1991) – with Yasuhiko Fukuda and Manabu Saito
- 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)
- 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)
- iFuturelist (2006)
- 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)
- No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (2010) – with (mainly) Masafumi Takada and Jun Fukuda
- Play For Japan: The Album (2011) one of several contributors
- Shadows of the Damned (2011)
- Rebuild of Evangelion: Sound Impact (2011) – arrangement of compositions originally written by Shiro Sagisu
- Sdatcher (2011)
- Sine Mora (2012)
- Lollipop Chainsaw (2012)
- Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (2012) – with Jeff Danna
[edit] References
- ^ "A New Silent Hill on the Way From Konami". http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/37030/a-new-silent-hill-way-from-konami.
- ^ "Director's Blog - Silent Hill 2 Composer". http://michaeljbassett.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/silent-hill-composer-is/.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Silent Hill composer Yamaoka joins Suda 51's 'video game band'". http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/03/silent-hill-composer-yamaoka-joins-suda-51s-video-game-band.
- ^ Nintendo Power, Volume 248
[edit] External links
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