Takahito Eguchi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese video game composer and arranger
. He is best known for collaborating with fellow composer Noriko Matsueda
on numerous soundtracks, most notably The Bouncer
and Final Fantasy X-2
. He became interested in music when he was six years old after hearing his neighbor playing the piano. He attended the Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi where he acquainted Matsueda.
Employed at Square Enix
from 1998 to 2003, Eguchi is currently working as a freelance composer; he has since had various minor roles on video games and has also scored three anime series. In addition, he performed the piano on Yoko Shimomura
's album Murmur. Eguchi creates mostly electronic music.
, Japan, Takahito Eguchi became interested in music at the age of six when he heard his neighbor playing the piano. While his father, a judo athlete, initially tried to push him into pursuing sports, he eventually agreed to let him take piano lessons, as long as he agreed to study with his sister. Eguchi enrolled at the Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi, where he met long-term composing partner Noriko Matsueda
. After graduating from the conservatoire, he produced numerous compositions, joined a band as a keyboardist, and worked as a software design
er. He also gave Matsueda advice on music manipulation during her first game project, Front Mission
, in 1995. At her request, he also arranged
and orchestrated
"Theme of Bahamut Lagoon ~ Opening" for the bonus disc of the original soundtrack to Bahamut Lagoon
(1996).
Eguchi joined Square
(now Square Enix
) in 1998; his first job was composing the 1999 title Racing Lagoon
alongside Matsueda and synthesizer programmer
Ryo Yamazaki
. Although his role was minor compared to Matsueda's, he was responsible for the opening and ending themes, the majority of the battle themes, and the bonus track "Taiman Battle Remix". Eguchi and Matsueda collaborated once again in 2000 on the PlayStation 2
game The Bouncer
. He created a lot more music than on previous soundtracks; a large amount of the music produced was not used in the game and there were also many post-production demands. He composed the pop ballad "Forevermore", which was arranged and provided lyrics by Narada Michael Walden
and Sunny Hilden and performed by Shanice
in "Love Is the Gift", the ending theme to the English-language versions of the game. The song was also sold as a single and featured in a promotional album. In 2002, Eguchi arranged the track "Hand in Hand -Reprise-" for Yoko Shimomura
's score to Kingdom Hearts
.
Eguchi reunited with Matsueda to compose Final Fantasy X-2
(2003). Despite being panned by critics and fans alike and having a low budget, the soundtrack was commercially successful. He was also the game's orchestrator and the composer of the love ballad "Real Emotion/1000 no Kotoba". In 2004, Eguchi and Matsueda composed Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission and arranged three pieces in the Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection album. The Piano Collections album was their final project at while at Square Enix, which they both left afterward. Since his departure, he has been involved in several anime projects; he was the co-composer of D.N.Angel
(2003) and Rental Magica
(2007) and the sole composer of Trinity Blood
(2005). He has also mixed Shimomura's arrangements for the Dark Chronicle Premium Arrange album and performed piano on her vocal album Murmur. In 2006, he contributed three compositions and two arrangements to the Xbox 360
game Sonic the Hedgehog; he also worked on the 2008 follow-up Sonic Unleashed
.
tracks for the scores they have collaborated on; Eguchi is credited for most of the electronic music. The soundtrack to The Bouncer, of which Eguchi and Matsueda co-composed a lot of the pieces, featured among other genres rock, electronica
, and jazz fusion
. A professional pianist, Eguchi often utilizes the piano in his compositions. He has stated that most of the time he composes and arranges music is at his home studio, where his friends help out by recording acoustic instruments
; if the quality of these recordings are not adequate, however, Eguchi replaces them at the company's studio. He has said that by the time he is finished creating the music, he is only sleeping three to four hours a week.
He cites Igor Stravinsky
, Ryuichi Sakamoto
, and Miles Davis
as musical influences. When asked about which musicians he would like to collaborate with, he replied, "A musician who has passed away, Miles Davis. There are too many living musicians to talk about. A few are Herbie Hancock
, Aretha Franklin
, and Ryuichi Sakamoto." His interest in composition came about after being inspired by a variety of jazz, electronic, modernist
, and pop musicians.
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
. He is best known for collaborating with fellow composer Noriko Matsueda
Noriko Matsueda
is a Japanese former video game composer. She is best known for her work on the Front Mission series, The Bouncer, and Final Fantasy X-2. Matsueda collaborated with fellow composer Takahito Eguchi on several games. Composing music at an early age, she began studying the piano and electronic organ...
on numerous soundtracks, most notably The Bouncer
The Bouncer
is a beat 'em up for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console. It was co-developed by Square and DreamFactory. The game features character designs by Tetsuya Nomura and music by Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi....
and Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy X-2
is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in 2003 and is the sequel to the best-selling 2001 game Final Fantasy X...
. He became interested in music when he was six years old after hearing his neighbor playing the piano. He attended the Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi where he acquainted Matsueda.
Employed at Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
from 1998 to 2003, Eguchi is currently working as a freelance composer; he has since had various minor roles on video games and has also scored three anime series. In addition, he performed the piano on Yoko Shimomura
Yoko Shimomura
is a Japanese video game composer. She has been described as "the most famous female video game music composer in the world". She has worked in the video game music industry since graduating from Osaka College of Music in 1988...
's album Murmur. Eguchi creates mostly electronic music.
Biography
Born in NagasakiNagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
, Japan, Takahito Eguchi became interested in music at the age of six when he heard his neighbor playing the piano. While his father, a judo athlete, initially tried to push him into pursuing sports, he eventually agreed to let him take piano lessons, as long as he agreed to study with his sister. Eguchi enrolled at the Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi, where he met long-term composing partner Noriko Matsueda
Noriko Matsueda
is a Japanese former video game composer. She is best known for her work on the Front Mission series, The Bouncer, and Final Fantasy X-2. Matsueda collaborated with fellow composer Takahito Eguchi on several games. Composing music at an early age, she began studying the piano and electronic organ...
. After graduating from the conservatoire, he produced numerous compositions, joined a band as a keyboardist, and worked as a software design
Software design
Software design is a process of problem solving and planning for a software solution. After the purpose and specifications of software are determined, software developers will design or employ designers to develop a plan for a solution...
er. He also gave Matsueda advice on music manipulation during her first game project, Front Mission
Front Mission (video game)
is a tactical role-playing game developed by G-Craft and published by Square Co., Ltd., and was released in Japan on February 24, 1995 for the Super Famicom. Front Mission is the first main entry and the first entry overall in the Front Mission series...
, in 1995. At her request, he also arranged
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
and orchestrated
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
"Theme of Bahamut Lagoon ~ Opening" for the bonus disc of the original soundtrack to Bahamut Lagoon
Bahamut Lagoon
is a Japanese tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Super Famicom on February 9, 1996.It was never officially released outside of Japan, but it was unofficially translated into English...
(1996).
Eguchi joined Square
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
(now Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
) in 1998; his first job was composing the 1999 title Racing Lagoon
Racing Lagoon
is a 1999 video game developed and published by Square. The game is unique in that it combines street racing with role-playing elements. The game's story follows a new member of a street racing team in 1999 Yokohama, Japan as he tries to learn about his forgotten past and a mysterious race that...
alongside Matsueda and synthesizer programmer
Synthesizer programmer
In video game music, a synthesizer programmer - or a manipulator - helps a composer by choosing the right instruments to play the music inside the video game....
Ryo Yamazaki
Ryo Yamazaki
is a Japanese synthesizer programmer and occasional composer of video game music currently working at Square Enix.-Biography:Yamazaki has created several compositions for Front Mission 4, Front Mission Online, and Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII...
. Although his role was minor compared to Matsueda's, he was responsible for the opening and ending themes, the majority of the battle themes, and the bonus track "Taiman Battle Remix". Eguchi and Matsueda collaborated once again in 2000 on the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
game The Bouncer
The Bouncer
is a beat 'em up for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console. It was co-developed by Square and DreamFactory. The game features character designs by Tetsuya Nomura and music by Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi....
. He created a lot more music than on previous soundtracks; a large amount of the music produced was not used in the game and there were also many post-production demands. He composed the pop ballad "Forevermore", which was arranged and provided lyrics by Narada Michael Walden
Narada Michael Walden
Narada Michael Walden is an American producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter. He was given the name Narada by guru Sri Chinmoy in the early 1970s and his musical career spans three decades, in which he was awarded several gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards...
and Sunny Hilden and performed by Shanice
Shanice
Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox , better known as Shanice, is a Grammy-nominated American R&B/soul singer-songwriter. She scored two Top 5 Billboard hit single's "I Love Your Smile" in 1991, and "Saving Forever for You" in 1993. In 1999, Shanice scored another top hit song, "When I Close My Eyes"...
in "Love Is the Gift", the ending theme to the English-language versions of the game. The song was also sold as a single and featured in a promotional album. In 2002, Eguchi arranged the track "Hand in Hand -Reprise-" for Yoko Shimomura
Yoko Shimomura
is a Japanese video game composer. She has been described as "the most famous female video game music composer in the world". She has worked in the video game music industry since graduating from Osaka College of Music in 1988...
's score to Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
.
Eguchi reunited with Matsueda to compose Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy X-2
is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in 2003 and is the sequel to the best-selling 2001 game Final Fantasy X...
(2003). Despite being panned by critics and fans alike and having a low budget, the soundtrack was commercially successful. He was also the game's orchestrator and the composer of the love ballad "Real Emotion/1000 no Kotoba". In 2004, Eguchi and Matsueda composed Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission and arranged three pieces in the Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection album. The Piano Collections album was their final project at while at Square Enix, which they both left afterward. Since his departure, he has been involved in several anime projects; he was the co-composer of D.N.Angel
D.N.Angel
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yukiru Sugisaki. The ongoing manga premiered in Japan in the Kadokawa Shoten shōjo magazine Monthly Asuka in November 1997. The series went on an extended hiatus after the August 2005 issue, returning in the April 2008 issue...
(2003) and Rental Magica
Rental Magica
is a Japanese light novel series by Makoto Sanda, with illustrations by Pako. It is currently in the midst of serialization in The Sneaker magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten...
(2007) and the sole composer of Trinity Blood
Trinity Blood
is a series of Japanese light novels written by Sunao Yoshida with illustrations by Thores Shibamoto and originally serialized in The Sneaker. Set 900 years after an apocalyptic war between humans and vampires, the series focuses on the on-going cold war between the Vatican, the human government,...
(2005). He has also mixed Shimomura's arrangements for the Dark Chronicle Premium Arrange album and performed piano on her vocal album Murmur. In 2006, he contributed three compositions and two arrangements to the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
game Sonic the Hedgehog; he also worked on the 2008 follow-up Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Unleashed , is a video game and the 11th installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for multiple platforms...
.
Musical style and influences
Eguchi and Matsueda are noted for creating mainly jazzy and electronicElectronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
tracks for the scores they have collaborated on; Eguchi is credited for most of the electronic music. The soundtrack to The Bouncer, of which Eguchi and Matsueda co-composed a lot of the pieces, featured among other genres rock, electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, 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,...
. A professional pianist, Eguchi often utilizes the piano in his compositions. He has stated that most of the time he composes and arranges music is at his home studio, where his friends help out by recording acoustic instruments
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
; if the quality of these recordings are not adequate, however, Eguchi replaces them at the company's studio. He has said that by the time he is finished creating the music, he is only sleeping three to four hours a week.
He cites Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, 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...
, and Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
as musical influences. When asked about which musicians he would like to collaborate with, he replied, "A musician who has passed away, Miles Davis. There are too many living musicians to talk about. A few are Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, and Ryuichi Sakamoto." His interest in composition came about after being inspired by a variety of jazz, electronic, modernist
Modernism (music)
Modernism in music is characterized by a desire for or belief in progress and science, surrealism, anti-romanticism, political advocacy, general intellectualism, and/or a breaking with the past or common practice.- Defining musical modernism :...
, and pop musicians.
Discography
| Video games | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Co-worker |
| 1999 | Racing Lagoon Racing Lagoon is a 1999 video game developed and published by Square. The game is unique in that it combines street racing with role-playing elements. The game's story follows a new member of a street racing team in 1999 Yokohama, Japan as he tries to learn about his forgotten past and a mysterious race that... |
Composition/arrangement | Noriko Matsueda Noriko Matsueda is a Japanese former video game composer. She is best known for her work on the Front Mission series, The Bouncer, and Final Fantasy X-2. Matsueda collaborated with fellow composer Takahito Eguchi on several games. Composing music at an early age, she began studying the piano and electronic organ... and Ryo Yamazaki Ryo Yamazaki is a Japanese synthesizer programmer and occasional composer of video game music currently working at Square Enix.-Biography:Yamazaki has created several compositions for Front Mission 4, Front Mission Online, and Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII... |
| 2000 | The Bouncer The Bouncer is a beat 'em up for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console. It was co-developed by Square and DreamFactory. The game features character designs by Tetsuya Nomura and music by Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi.... |
Composition/arrangement | Noriko Matsueda |
| 2002 | Kingdom Hearts Kingdom Hearts is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney... |
Arrangement | Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura is a Japanese video game composer. She has been described as "the most famous female video game music composer in the world". She has worked in the video game music industry since graduating from Osaka College of Music in 1988... , Kaoru Wada Kaoru Wada is a Japanese music composer, music arranger, conductor, music orchestrator and pianist from Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. He studied at the Tokyo College of Music. He is popularly known for his work on anime soundtracks. He became known to the West through his work on 3x3 Eyes and Battle... , Russell McNamara, Kei Kawano, and Hikaru Utada |
| 2003 | Final Fantasy X-2 Final Fantasy X-2 is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in 2003 and is the sequel to the best-selling 2001 game Final Fantasy X... |
Composition/arrangement | Noriko Matsueda |
| 2004 | Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission | Composition/arrangement | Noriko Matsueda |
| 2006 | Sonic the Hedgehog | Composition/arrangement | Tomoya Ōtani, Mariko Nanba Mariko Nanba is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring many recent Sonic the Hedgehog games, as well as her work on Panzer Dragoon Saga.-Scores composed:* Knuckles' Chaotix - with Tatsuya Kousaki and Junko Shiratsu... , Hideaki Kobayashi Hideaki Kobayashi Hideaki Kobayashi is a game music composer for Sega. He is perhaps best known for his music for the massively multiplayer online title Phantasy Star Online.-Works:*Phantasy Star Online — Sound Creator... , Yasutaka Kume, Seiro Okamoto, and Jun Senoue Jun Senoue is a video game composer and musician from Wave Master, well known for some of his contributions in many Sonic the Hedgehog games. He is also the guitarist for the band Crush 40, which also contributes to many Sonic the Hedgehog games.-Biography:... |
| 2008 | Sonic Unleashed Sonic Unleashed Sonic Unleashed , is a video game and the 11th installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for multiple platforms... |
Composition/arrangement | Tomoya Ōtani, Mariko Nanba, Hideaki Kobayashi, Kenichi Tokoi, and Fumie Kumatani |
| Anime | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Co-worker |
| 2003 | D.N.Angel D.N.Angel is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yukiru Sugisaki. The ongoing manga premiered in Japan in the Kadokawa Shoten shōjo magazine Monthly Asuka in November 1997. The series went on an extended hiatus after the August 2005 issue, returning in the April 2008 issue... |
Composition | Tomoki Hasegawa Tomoki Hasegawa is a Japanese composer and arranger of music, best known for his work on anime soundtracks, born on 19 July 1957 in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He has also done sound production work on albums for Mayumi Iizuka.-Anime:... |
| 2005 | Trinity Blood Trinity Blood is a series of Japanese light novels written by Sunao Yoshida with illustrations by Thores Shibamoto and originally serialized in The Sneaker. Set 900 years after an apocalyptic war between humans and vampires, the series focuses on the on-going cold war between the Vatican, the human government,... |
Composition | |
| 2007 | Rental Magica Rental Magica is a Japanese light novel series by Makoto Sanda, with illustrations by Pako. It is currently in the midst of serialization in The Sneaker magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten... |
Composition | Jun Ichikawa |
| Other works | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Co-worker |
| 1996 | Bahamut Lagoon Original Soundtrack Bahamut Lagoon is a Japanese tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Super Famicom on February 9, 1996.It was never officially released outside of Japan, but it was unofficially translated into English... |
Arrangement | Gizaemon de Furuta |
| 2002 | Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection | Composition | Noriko Matsueda, Yoko Shimomura, Naoki Masumoto, Takeharu Ishimoto Takeharu Ishimoto is a Japanese video game composer, synthesizer programmer, and musician currently working at Square Enix. He joined Square Enix in 1999 as a synthesizer programmer on Legend of Mana, and worked for them on several games. In 2002 he moved to become a composer, beginning with World Fantastista... , and Nobuo Uematsu Nobuo Uematsu is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community... |
| 2004 | Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection | Arrangement | Noriko Matsueda, Hiroko Kokubu, Masahiro Sayama, and Febian Reza Pane |
| 2009 | Sanctuary | Arrangement | Masakazu Sugimori, Masato Koda, and Naoshi Mizuta Naoshi Mizuta is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on Final Fantasy XI , but has also composed music for Mega Man & Bass, Street Fighter Alpha, and Parasite Eve II... |