Koji Kondo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Koji Kondo | |
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 Koji Kondo in 2006
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| Background information | |
| Born | August 13, 1960 Nagoya, Japan |
| Occupations | Composer, sound director |
| Instruments | Piano, electronic organ |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Associated acts | Shigeru Miyamoto |
Koji Kondo (近藤 浩治 Kondō Kōji, born August 13, 1960) is a Japanese video game composer and sound director who has been employed at Nintendo since 1984. He is best known for scoring numerous titles in the Mario and The Legend of Zelda series.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Born in Nagoya, Japan, Koji Kondo began taking lessons in the electronic organ from the age of five. He improved his skills in the instrument in a cover band that played jazz and rock music.[1] Kondo studied at the Art Planning Department of Osaka University of Arts,[2] but was never classically-trained or particularly dedicated to music. However, he gained some experience in composing and arranging pieces, using both the piano and a computer to assist him. During his senior year, Nintendo sent a recruitment message to his university stating that they were interested in hiring people dedicated to composition and sound programming. An LCD and arcade gamer, Kondo successfully applied for the job in 1984 without requiring any demo tapes.[1]
[edit] Career
Kondo was the first person hired by Nintendo for the purpose of creating compositions, and was to play an integral role in making the company's games and music recognizable worldwide. The first games he scored were the arcade games Vs. Golf and Punch-Out!!. Despite creating very little music, he was able to overcome the challenges of sound design. As the Famicom had become highly popular in Japan, Kondo was assigned to compose music for the console's subsequent games at Nintendo's new development team, Nintendo EAD. Kondo also wrote an instruction manual on how to program Japanese popular music into the Famicom using the peripheral Family BASIC. To conclude his first year at Nintendo, he created the music to Devil World alongside Akito Nakatsuka.[1] In 1985, Nintendo started marketing the Famicom abroad under the name the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to capitalize on the 1983 video game crash that devastated Atari, Inc.[1] He composed the music for the hit releases Super Mario Bros. (1985)[3] and The Legend of Zelda (1986)[4] which helped the system to sell 60 million copies in total – more than any other console to date – and established some of the most well-known melodies in the video game industry.[1]
Super Mario Bros., for many years the best-selling video game of all time, was Kondo's first major score. The game's melodies were created with the intention that short segments of music could be endlessly repeated during the same gameplay without causing boredom. Kondo's soundtrack to Super Mario Bros. gained worldwide recognition, and is to this day the most well-known video game score. The main theme is iconic in popular culture and has been featured in over 50 concerts,[1] been a best-selling ringtone,[5] and been remixed or sampled by various musicians.[1] Kondo's work on The Legend of Zelda scores has also become highly recognized. He produced four main pieces of background music for the first installment of the series; the overworld theme has become comparable in popularity with the Super Mario Bros. main theme. Following the success of The Legend of Zelda, he provided the score for two Japanese-exclusive titles, Nazo no Murasamejō (1986) and Shin Onigashima (1987). He also created the soundtrack to Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987),[1] which was later rebranded outside of Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2 in 1988.[6][7]
Kondo returned to the Super Mario series to produce the scores to Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) and the SNES launch title Super Mario World (1990). Koichi Sugiyama directed a jazz arrangement album of Super Mario World's music and oversaw its performance at the first Orchestral Game Music Concert in 1991. After finishing the soundtrack to Super Mario World, Kondo assisted his employee Soyo Oka to score Pilotwings. In 1993, he created the sound effects for Star Fox, and in 1995 he composed the sequel to Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.[1]
[edit] Concerts
Kondo attended the world-premiere of Play! A Video Game Symphony at the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont, Illinois in May 2006. His music from the Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda series was performed by a full symphony orchestra. This event drew nearly four thousand attendees.
[edit] Musical style and influences
Alternative rock band The Zou said they like Kondo's work on Legend of Zelda.[8] The "Super Mario Bros. theme" reached number one on Billboard Magazine's Hot Ringtones chart in 2009.[citation needed] He cites rock bands Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer and musical genres latin music and classical music as major musical influences.[9]
[edit] Discography
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Chris. "Koji Kondo". Square Enix Music Online. http://www.squareenixmusic.com/composers/kondo/index.shtml. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
- ^ "Mario and Zelda composer Koji Kondo shares all at GDC '07". Music4Games. 2007-01-19. http://www.music4games.net/News_Display.aspx?id=506. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
- ^ "Super Mario Bros. Tech Info". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/nes/action/supermariobros/tech_info.html?tag=tabs;summary. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
- ^ "The Legend of Zelda Tech Info". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/nes/adventure/legendofzelda/tech_info.html?tag=tabs;summary. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
- ^ Pearce, James Quintana (2007-01-04). "Top Selling Ringtones In US For 2006". mocoNews. http://moconews.net/article/top-selling-ringtones-in-us-for-2006/. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
- ^ McLaughlin, Rus (2007-11-08). "IGN Presents The History of Super Mario Bros.". IGN. http://retro.ign.com/articles/833/833615p2.html. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
- ^ "Super Mario Bros. 2 Tech Info". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/nes/action/supermariobros2/tech_info.html?tag=tabs;summary. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
- ^ http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/dec/25/the-zou-finds-inspiration-in-the-unlikeliest/ | Vindy.com]
- ^ "Koji Kondo". Square Enix Music Online. http://www.squareenixmusic.com/composers/kondo/index.shtml. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
[edit] External links
- Koji Kondo at the Internet Movie Database
- Game | Life Video Games Live 2007 Interview
- Advanced Media Network Video Games Live 2007 Interview
- IGN GDC 2007 Interview
- Interview with Music4Games
- Kelly, Piaras (26 March 2004). ""Inside Nintendo: Koji Kondo"". Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. http://web.archive.org/web/20071014070040/http://gamerseurope.com/articles/486.. Accessed 17 February 2006.
- MacDonalad, Mark (3 May 2006). "Koji Kondo Interview, Part 1". 1UP.com. Accessed 17 February 2006.
- Van Zelfden, N. Evan (30 May 2006). "Play! kicks off world tour in Chicago. Gamespot.com. Accessed 17 June 2006.
