Motoaki Takenouchi
Encyclopedia
Motoaki Takenouchi is a Japan
ese composer
, most recognised for his video game soundtrack
s during the 1990s, particularly for the Shining series of games. He has worked for companies such as Sega
, Enix
, Climax Entertainment
and Game Arts
.
Takenouchi studied Music Composition at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
, where he and fellow composer Hayato Matsuo
were classmates. Around this time, he was involved with numerous music projects, including arrangement projects under the supervision of composer Koichi Sugiyama
. However, he did not compose his first soundtrack (for the game Jewel Master
) until after he graduated from university in 1991.
Takenouchi's compositional approach often encompasses elements of progressive rock
and jazz fusion
, frequently making use of odd time signature
s, virtuosic musical lines, syncopation
and dissonance
. He has cited King Crimson
, Yes
, Frank Zappa
and Keith Emerson
of Emerson, Lake & Palmer
as some of his favorite musicians and influences. Even so, he is perhaps better known for his symphonic orchestral soundtracks, as heard on games such as Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal
, Shining Force CD
, and to a lesser extent on Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole.
In addition to his work on video game soundtracks, Takenouchi also composed music for some of the early releases on Shinji Hosoe
's Troubadour
record label. More recently in 2000, he composed and arranged the songs "Shower" and "Baby Love" by Rina Chinen
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese composer
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...
, most recognised for his video game soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s during the 1990s, particularly for the Shining series of games. He has worked for companies such as Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, Enix
Enix
The was a Japanese company that produced video games, anime and manga. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982...
, Climax Entertainment
Climax Entertainment
Climax Entertainment is a Japanese video game development company. Climax got its start during the 16-bit era, primarily developing games for the Mega Drive console...
and Game Arts
Game Arts
is a Japanese video game software developer located in Tokyo, Japan. Originally established in 1985 as a computer software company, they have since expanded their enterprise to produce for a number of game console and handheld systems...
.
Takenouchi studied Music Composition at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
or is one of the oldest and most prestigious art schools in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju, Adachi, Tokyo...
, where he and fellow composer Hayato Matsuo
Hayato Matsuo
is a Japanese video game and anime composer, arranger and orchestrator. He has worked on titles such as Front Mission 3, Final Fantasy XII, the Shenmue series, and Magic Knight Rayearth. Inspired by his mother, a piano teacher, he graduated from the music composition department of Tokyo University...
were classmates. Around this time, he was involved with numerous music projects, including arrangement projects under the supervision of composer Koichi Sugiyama
Koichi Sugiyama
is a Japanese music composer, council member of JASRAC , and honorary chairman of the Japanese Backgammon Society...
. However, he did not compose his first soundtrack (for the game Jewel Master
Jewel Master
Jewel Master is a 1991 video game for the Sega Genesis game console. It took place in the country of Mythgard, where the protagonist, The Jewel Master must traverse the harsh lands ranging from scorching deserts to rugged mountains and through long forgotten ruins to collect the 12 elemental rings...
) until after he graduated from university in 1991.
Takenouchi's compositional approach often encompasses elements of progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
, frequently making use of odd time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s, virtuosic musical lines, syncopation
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
and dissonance
Consonance and dissonance
In music, a consonance is a harmony, chord, or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance , which is considered to be unstable...
. He has cited King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
, Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
and Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
of Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
as some of his favorite musicians and influences. Even so, he is perhaps better known for his symphonic orchestral soundtracks, as heard on games such as Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal
Shining Force II
, is a tactical role-playing game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console developed by Sonic! Software Planning in 1994. The storyline is not directly connected to the original Shining Force, although a Game Gear title Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict links the two games' plots.The game is much...
, Shining Force CD
Shining Force CD
Shining Force CD is a 1994 remake of the Game Gear RPGs Shining Force Gaiden and Shining Force Gaiden II for the Sega Mega-CD console. The game is divided into four Books that can be played sequentially or separately. The first two Books contain adapted versions of the original Game Gear games...
, and to a lesser extent on Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole.
In addition to his work on video game soundtracks, Takenouchi also composed music for some of the early releases on Shinji Hosoe
Shinji Hosoe
, also known as MEGATEN and SamplingMasters MEGA, is a Japanese video game composer and musician most famous for scoring Ridge Racer, Keyboardmania 3rd mix and many early 1990s Namco arcade games. He also created the in-game music for Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse...
's Troubadour
Troubadour Records
Troubadour Records is an independent Japanese record label, founded in 1992 by Shinji Hosoe.The label was set up to release original work by numerous video game composers...
record label. More recently in 2000, he composed and arranged the songs "Shower" and "Baby Love" by Rina Chinen
Rina Chinen
Rina Chinen is a female Japanese entertainer, former singer, model and TV actress. Rina was born in Naha, Okinawa. Although Okinawa is now part of Japan, it has evolved its unique culture and music blended from Chinese, Japanese, and Pacific influences...
.
Works
- (1991) Jewel MasterJewel MasterJewel Master is a 1991 video game for the Sega Genesis game console. It took place in the country of Mythgard, where the protagonist, The Jewel Master must traverse the harsh lands ranging from scorching deserts to rugged mountains and through long forgotten ruins to collect the 12 elemental rings...
(Mega DriveSega Mega DriveThe Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
) - (1992) Air Combat II Special (FM TownsFM TownsThe FM Towns system is a Japanese PC variant, built by Fujitsu from February 1989 to the summer of 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with regular PCs...
) - (1992) Double Moon Densetsu (NESNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
) - (1992) E.V.O.: Search for EdenE.V.O.: Search for EdenE.V.O.: Search for Eden, originally released in Japan as , is a side-scrolling action role-playing video game developed by Almanic Corporation and published by Enix for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1992 for Japanese audiences, the game was later translated and released in...
(SNESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
) (arranger, composition by Koichi SugiyamaKoichi Sugiyamais a Japanese music composer, council member of JASRAC , and honorary chairman of the Japanese Backgammon Society...
) - (1992) Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole (Mega DriveSega Mega DriveThe Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
) - (1992) Shining Force Gaiden: Expedition to the Evil God's CountryShining Force Gaidenis a 1992 tactical role-playing game released only in Japan for the Sega Game Gear, though it was later released as an enhanced remake for Shining Force CD in Japan, North America, and Europe. It takes place 20 years after the second Shining series game, and is the direct predecessor to the fourth...
(Game GearSega Game GearThe was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
) - (1993) Shining Force II: The Sword of Hajya (Game GearSega Game GearThe was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
) - (1993) Aguri Suzuki F-1 Super Driving (Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
) - (1994) Road Blaster (Mega LD)
- (1994) Shining Force II: The Ancient SealShining Force II, is a tactical role-playing game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console developed by Sonic! Software Planning in 1994. The storyline is not directly connected to the original Shining Force, although a Game Gear title Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict links the two games' plots.The game is much...
(Mega DriveSega Mega DriveThe Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
) - (1995) Shining Force Gaiden: Final ConflictShining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict, the third of the Gaiden sub-series, is a 1995 tactical role-playing game for the Sega Game Gear, and is both a sequel to the original Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention, and a prequel to Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing. It was released after both games, with the intention of...
(Game GearSega Game GearThe was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
) - (1995) Shining Force CDShining Force CDShining Force CD is a 1994 remake of the Game Gear RPGs Shining Force Gaiden and Shining Force Gaiden II for the Sega Mega-CD console. The game is divided into four Books that can be played sequentially or separately. The first two Books contain adapted versions of the original Game Gear games...
(Mega-CDSega Mega-CDThe is an add-on device for the Mega Drive video game console, designed and produced by Sega and released in Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The device was also released in North America under the name Sega CD, for the Sega Genesis...
) - (1995) Shining WisdomShining Wisdomis an Action-adventure game released for the Sega Saturn video game console. It is a part of Sega's Shining series of video games.- Gameplay :Shining Wisdom differs from its predecessors in the Shining series in that it was the first to employ an Action-adventure style of gameplay...
(SaturnSega SaturnThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
) - (1995) Granhistoria: Genshi SekaikiGranhistoria: Genshi Sekaikiis a Super Famicom role-playing video game that was released exclusively for Japan in 1995.-Summary:This video game is about alternate universes and time travel. Toru is about to marry his lover Lu when he is attacked and thieves and killed. After being transported a few hours before his death and...
(SNESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
) - (1995) Gamera: Gyaosu Gekimetsu Sakusen (SNESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
) - (1996) Gungriffon: The Eurasian ConflictGungriffonGungriffon is a series of video games developed by Game Arts and designed by the late Takeshi Miyaji. Gungriffon and Gungriffon II originally appeared for the Sega Saturn console in 1996, with more recent appearances in Gungriffon Blaze for the PlayStation 2 and Gungriffon: Allied Strike for the...
(SaturnSega SaturnThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
) - (1996) SD Gundam Over Galaxian (PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
)
Other
- (1993) G.T.R - "Gosling"
- (1993) Great Wall - "Delirhythm E-BB1"
- (1994) T·O·U·R·S - "Unparalleled"
- (1996) Cho Aniki Show II - "Sak-kwa DANCE"
External links
- TAKE'S MUSIC FACTORY (Official Site)
- Profile on MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Artist profile at VGMdb Game Music Composer List - TA
- Composer profile at OverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...