Koji Ueno
Encyclopedia
is an award-winning Japanese composer
, musician
, arranger
and keyboardist
. He is noted for his unique style of music.
He graduated from Nihon University
's department of music at its faculty of art, and in 1978, began his career in music with his first music ensemble, 8&1/2, after which he worked with the group Halmens between 1979 and 1981. In 1980, Ueno formed the musical group Guernica
, noted for its unique form of avant garde music, along with vocalist Jun Togawa and lyricist Keichi Ohta.
In the 1980s, Ueno worked with renowned composer Ryuichi Sakamoto
on the soundtracks of the films Koneko Monogatari, Oritsu Uchūgun - Oneamisu no Tsubasa
, and The Last Emperor
. In 2004, he composed the music for the lauded Takashi Nakamura
-directed TV anime
series, Fantastic Children
.
Ueno has recently formed the musical group Netszo & Gansaku, with the first album, Polarity Integration released by Sony Music on April 2007.
Ueno has also lectured on film music at the Faculty of Art at Nihon University
. He has won several awards, including the award for best musical composition at the 1989 Mainichi Film Festival for his composition of the musical score for the film Untama Giru, and has also won numerous international awards, including the best music at the Festival Des Trois Continents in Nantes
in 1989, as well as the "Cristal tcheque pour la musique contemporaine" at the 32rd Golden Prague International Television Festival in 1995, held in Prague
, for his score for the NHK
television series, The Pale Cast of Thought.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
. He is noted for his unique style of music.
He graduated from Nihon University
Nihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
's department of music at its faculty of art, and in 1978, began his career in music with his first music ensemble, 8&1/2, after which he worked with the group Halmens between 1979 and 1981. In 1980, Ueno formed the musical group Guernica
Guernica (band)
Presumably named after the famous painting Guernica by Pablo Picasso, this Japanese trio from the 1980s specializes in avant-garde music in a retro 1920's and 30's cabaret style...
, noted for its unique form of avant garde music, along with vocalist Jun Togawa and lyricist Keichi Ohta.
In the 1980s, Ueno worked with renowned composer Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
on the soundtracks of the films Koneko Monogatari, Oritsu Uchūgun - Oneamisu no Tsubasa
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise
is a 1987 Japanese animated science fiction film and the first film produced by Gainax and Bandai Visual. It was directed and written by Hiroyuki Yamaga with assistant director Takami Akai. The film would eventually be a critically acclaimed Gainax classic, but it was poorly received and sold only...
, and The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor is a 1987 biopic about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, whose autobiography was the basis for the screenplay written by Mark Peploe and Bernardo Bertolucci. Independently produced by Jeremy Thomas, it was directed by Bertolucci and released in 1987 by Columbia Pictures...
. In 2004, he composed the music for the lauded Takashi Nakamura
Takashi Nakamura
, is an accomplished Japanese animator and anime director. It was his work on Ōgon Senshi Gold Lightan that helped inspire fellow animator Koji Morimoto.His 2001 film A Tree of Palme was an official selection of the Berlin Film Festival....
-directed TV anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series, Fantastic Children
Fantastic Children
is a Japanese animated television series created by Takashi Nakamura and produced by Nippon Animation. It first aired on Japan across TV Tokyo between October 4, 2004 and March 28, 2005, totaling 26 episodes, and also received its satellite television premiere on the CS television network...
.
Ueno has recently formed the musical group Netszo & Gansaku, with the first album, Polarity Integration released by Sony Music on April 2007.
Ueno has also lectured on film music at the Faculty of Art at Nihon University
Nihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
. He has won several awards, including the award for best musical composition at the 1989 Mainichi Film Festival for his composition of the musical score for the film Untama Giru, and has also won numerous international awards, including the best music at the Festival Des Trois Continents in Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
in 1989, as well as the "Cristal tcheque pour la musique contemporaine" at the 32rd Golden Prague International Television Festival in 1995, held in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, for his score for the NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
television series, The Pale Cast of Thought.
Compositions
- Koneko Monogatari (1986, composition and arrangement)
- Untama Giru (1989, music)
- Teito Taisen (1989, music)
- RéservoirReservoirA reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
(1991, composition and arrangement) - Gadget: Invention, Travel, & AdventureGadget: Invention, Travel, & AdventureGadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure is a videogame or interactive movie, first released by Synergy Interactive in 1993. Gadget resembles a point-and-click adventure game similar to Myst, but with a strictly linear storyline culminating in a fixed finale. Thus it tends to be classified more as...
(1993, music) - Edogawa Ranpo Gekijō: Oshie to Tabi-suru Otoko (1994, music)
- Mugen Ryūkyū Tsuru Henrī (1999, music)
- -Less (2001, music)
- Fantastic ChildrenFantastic Childrenis a Japanese animated television series created by Takashi Nakamura and produced by Nippon Animation. It first aired on Japan across TV Tokyo between October 4, 2004 and March 28, 2005, totaling 26 episodes, and also received its satellite television premiere on the CS television network...
(2004, music) - Tarako, Tarako, Tarako (2004, a TV ad song for Q.P.'s TarakoRoeRoe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
Pasta Sauce, sung by Kigurumi in CD) - ImabikisōImabikisois a visual novel developed by Chunsoft for the PlayStation 3. It is the first visual novel to be released on a seventh generation console. The game imagery consists mostly of static or animated photographs, though live-action clips scattered throughout....
(2007, sound)