Yoko Kanno
Yoko Kanno |
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Yoko Kanno (菅野 よう子 Kanno Yōko, b. March 19, 1964 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan), is a composer and performer of musical scores for Japanese film and television. She is best known for her work on the soundtracks for many seminal anime films and TV series, as well as a growing number of live-action movies. In addition to soundtracks Kanno occasionally composes music for JPop artists as well, the most notable being Maaya Sakamoto and Kyoko Koizumi. She is also a musician, most notably a skilled keyboardist, and is the composer and frontress for the band The Seatbelts, which performs many of Kanno's compositions on the various original soundtracks for which she is responsible.
Biography
Some of her most famous soundtrack themes include "Voices" (Macross Plus), "Tank!" (Cowboy Bebop), "Yakusoku wa Iranai" (Escaflowne), "Gravity" (Wolf's Rain), "Inner Universe" (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) and Stand Alone Complex O.S.T . She was the lead member of a band called The Seatbelts, which regrouped in the year of 2004 to compose the soundtrack of the Cowboy Bebop game, scheduled for a 2006 US release. It was also rumored that Yoko Kanno will be making the opening theme for the live-action series Kamen Rider Kabuto, with the song being titled "FIRE", but this rumor has been proven false, as the Kabuto opening is "NEXT LEVEL" by YU-KI; however, this rumor is not dead as indicated by past shows. Many of the Rider shows change their openings midway through the series, and since the series is almost midway through its season, there is a possibility that the show will change its opening.
She has composed for many Koei games released during the late 1980s to early 1990s and for a Dreamcast game. Due to her close involvement in the Cowboy Bebop anime, the game released by Bandai also features her work.
Apart from anime and games, Kanno also composes for live-action films and CMs (television advertisements or commercials) for all sorts of brands. Grand Funk Inc. is her recording studio of choice in producing for these two media. Contributions to films started in the 90s but only since 2002 has there been a trend towards the medium. Most of the latter were shown in international film festivals.
She is married to fellow composer Hajime Mizoguchi, with whom she collaborated on the soundtracks for Please Save My Earth and Escaflowne.
She has attended Otakon and Anime Expo in 1999, as well as Anime Expo New York in 2002.
On September 13, 2005, GameSpot reported Kanno has been hired by Gravity Corp. to do the scoring for their in-development MMORPG, Ragnarok Online 2. [1]
The mystery of Gabriela Robin
On some of Kanno's albums, a singer-songwriter named "Gabriela Robin" is credited, and is often featured singing gibberish-like lyrics on a number of songs. There is wide speculation and belief that Robin is actually Kanno herself under a different name. [2]
Although Kanno has maintained that Robin is a different person than her, the booklet of the Macross Plus-soundtrack names Gabriela Robin as the composer of Santi-U, while Kanno claims this honor in a Newtype interview for herself.
Discography
Solo Studio Albums
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1998 | Song to fly | Track 8 Performed and all songs composed, conducted by Yoko Kanno. (Tracks 1-7,9-11) Performed by Cosmic Voices From Bulgaria, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, |
Anime works
| Anime Name | Year | Kanno's Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Please Save My Earth | 1994 | Composer (other tracks by Hajime Mizoguchi) |
| Macross Plus | 1994 | Composer |
| Memories: Magnetic Rose | 1996 | Composer |
| Vision of Escaflowne | 1996 | Composer (other tracks by Hajime Mizoguchi) |
| X Clamp Characters File Vol1-4 | 1996 | Composer (one track for each album) |
| Clamp School Detectives | 1997 | Second ending theme |
| Noiseman Sound Insect | 1997 | Composer |
| Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight | 1998 | Composer for Opening theme |
| Cowboy Bebop | 1998 | Composer |
| Cardcaptor Sakura | 1998 | Composer for TV opening theme |
| Brain Powerd | 1998 | Composer |
| Turn-A Gundam | 1999 | Composer |
| Dai-Guard | 1999 | Composer for Ending theme; "Rocking Horse Stars" |
| Jin-Roh | 1999 | Pianist |
| Escaflowne: The Movie | 2000 | Composer (other tracks by Inon Zur & Hajime Mizoguchi) |
| Earth Girl Arjuna | 2001 | Composer |
| Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door | 2001 | Composer Pianist for The Seatbelts |
| RahXephon | 2002 | Composer for Opening theme for TV & OVA |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex | 2002 | Composer |
| Wolf's Rain | 2003 | Composer for TV & OVA |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG | 2004 | Composer |
| Genesis of Aquarion | 2005 | Composer (other tracks by/in collaboration with Hogari Hisaaki) |
| Oban Star-Racers | 2006 | Composer for Opening and Ending theme songs |
| Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society | 2006 | Composer |
Video games
| Game Name | First Released | System Name(s) | Kanno's Role(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romance of the Three Kingdoms | 1986 | MSX, Amiga, DOS, J2ME, NES, SNES | Composer |
| Nobunaga's Ambition | 1988 | NES, Game Boy, Mega Drive/Genesis, Super NES, DOS, Mac OS, Amiga | Composer |
| Genghis Khan | 1989 | NES, Amiga, MSX, DOS | Composer |
| Uncharted Waters | 1990 | NES, Genesis, MSX, SNES, DOS | Composer |
| Uncharted Waters 2: New Horizons | 1995 | SNES, Genesis, PlayStation, DOS | Composer |
| Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream | 2000 | Dreamcast | Composer |
| Cowboy Bebop | 2001 | Playstation | Composer |
| Ragnarok Online 2 | 2007 | Windows | Composer |
Film works
| Film Name | Year | Kanno's Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Yamato Takeru | 1994 | Composer |
| Asalto | 1996 | Composer |
| Boku wa benkyo ga dekinai (I Can't Study) | 1996 | Composer |
| Natsu jikan no otonatachi | 1997 | Composer |
| Tokyo.Sora | 2002 | Composer |
| Mizu no onna | 2002 | Composer |
| 03 + | 2003 | Composer |
| Shimotsuma monogatari (Kamikaze Girls) | 2004 | Composer |
| Ashura-jô no hitomi (Blood Gets in Your Eyes) | 2005 | Composer |
| Su-ki-da | 2005 | Composer |
| Honey and Clover | 2006 | Composer |
Works for Associated Acts
| Band | Album | Year | Kanno's Role(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tetsu 100% | Tokyo Taco Blues | 1986 | Composer for one track |
| Tetsu 100% | 1987 | Composer for four tracks | |
| Ato3cm | 1987 | Composer for five tracks | |
| Jack in the Box | 1988 | Composer for three tracks | |
| Manatsu no Santa Claus | 1988 | Composer for one track | |
| Sunao | 1989 | Composition credited to band | |
| Samply Red | Perfect Rouge | 1996 | Composition credited to band |
| Ah-ra ii Kimochi | 1996 | Composition credited to band | |
| (with Riyu Konaka) Kiseki to Taitsuku | 1996 | Composition credited to band | |
| Happy Go Lucky OST | 1997 | Composer for 8 tracks | |
| Kemeko no Uta (Happy Go Lucky) | 1997 | Arrangement credited to band | |
| It's for my Ego | 1997 | Composition credited to band | |
| Perfect Rouge I, II, III | 2002 | Composition credited to band |
Works for Pop Albums
| Artist | Album | Year | Kanno's Role(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiyono Yoshino | Montage | 1988 | Composer for two tracks |
| Song Bird | 1989 | Composer for three tracks, arranger for two tracks | |
| Melanger | 1990 | Composer for one track, performer on two tracks | |
| Keiko Nakajima | Keiko Nakajima | 1990 | Composer for all tracks |
| Kyoko Endo | Renai | 1990 | Arranger for seven tracks |
| Kobitori ni Naritai | 1993 | Arranger for all tracks | |
| Fuyu no Miwa | 1993 | Arranger for all tracks | |
| Hashire Hashire | 1999 | Arranger for two tracks | |
| Aki Okui | Lost Melodies | 1994 | Arranger for two tracks |
| Straw Color | 1997 | Arranger for one track | |
| Hitomi Mieno | Hajimari no Boukenshya-tachi ~Hikari no Chizu~ |
1995 | Composer for two tracks |
| Yuri Shiratori | Atarashii Kutsu | 1995 | Composer for two tracks, Lyricist for one track |
| Caramel Pop | 1995 | Composer and lyricist for two tracks | |
| Kyoko Koizumi | Otokonoko, Onnannoko | 1996 | Composer for eight tracks, arranger for all tracks except 9 by Samply Red |
| For my Life(Single) | 1999 | Composer for two tracks | |
| Maaya Sakamoto | Grapefruit | 1997 | Composer for all tracks |
| Dive | 1998 | Composer for all tracks | |
| Hotchpotch | 1999 | Composer for all tracks | |
| Lucy | 2001 | Composer for all tracks | |
| Easy Listening | 2001 | Composer for all tracks | |
| Tune The Rainbow | 2003 | Composer for all tracks, two tracks composed with Alexander Borodin | |
| Shonen Alice | 2003 | Composer for all tracks | |
| Akino Arai | Sora No Mori | 1997 | Composer for five tracks |
| Sora No Miwa | 1997 | Composer for two tracks | |
| Hiru No Tsuki | 1998 | Arranger for two tracks | |
| RGB | 2002 | Composer for one track | |
| Yasui Inoue | Kyuu Dan | 1998 | Composer for one track |
| Crystal Kay | Eternal Memories | 1999 | Composer for two tracks |
| Komichi no Hana | 1999 | Composer for one track | |
| C.C.L Crystal Lover Light | 2000 | Composer for one track, Arranger for one track |
Hired vocalists
Notes and references
External links
- The Yoko Kanno Project
- Yoko Kanno Database
- Yoko Kanno Japanese site
- Voices: An EX.org Exclusive Interview with Yoko Kanno
- A Gabriela Robin Site
- Grand Funk Inc. Official Site
- Yōko Kanno at the Internet Movie Database
- Nippop Profile | Yoko Kanno
- Yoko Kanno discography at MusicBrainz
- Jmusic.fr.tc biographie et discographie, section jmusic (fr)