Hisayoshi Ogura Interview

Profile:

Date of Birth
April 2nd, 1959

Birthplace
Fukuoka Prefecture

First Game Music Work
The first game music work I did that had completely original songs was
"Outer Zone."

Favorite Drink
Coffee, Japanese tea, Pepsi Cola

Favorite Food
I don't like any foods in particular. I don't have much interest in it.
(laughs)

Favorite TV Program
My favorite programs are TV specials about magic tricks.

Favorite Game
I liked the games made 20 years ago by Atari that were original and had a
world vision. For example, "Marble Madness" and "I ROBOT."

Favorite Book
I enjoy reading psychology books. I'm more of a Jung follower than Freud.

Favorite Movie
You could say it's more than just my favorite. The movie that cut into my
young heart by making a powerful "impression" on me was director Stanley
Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Influence
What kinds of things did I receive influence from? I grew up receiving
influence from every possible thing. Toys, dramas, sci-fi novels,
philosophy books, and games, to name a few.

Hobby
My hobby since high school has been magic tricks. It may sound strange,
but I've learned a lot of amazing things through this hobby. Namely, "the
importance of stage direction." If you simply perform a magic trick from
memorization, it appears merely as a puzzle. But if you add stage
direction to that, it completes the entertainment value to 100%. You could
say this aspect of stage direction has commonalities within game music and
other kinds of soundtracks.

Well then, how and when did you become interested in music in general?

When I was about 13, there was kid in my class who could play the guitar.
Watching him play made an impact on me and I began learning the guitar
through self-study. Once I was good enough to play to a certain degree, I
began composing songs. Soon after that, I wanted to compose something more
authentic, so I began learning the piano. Sometimes I'd even practice for
12 hours a day. But I still wasn't good at performance.

So, how did you get involved in game music? And what is your current role
at Taito?

I got involved through an ad in the paper. The company wasn't recruiting
for any sound-related jobs at the time, but when I told them in the
interview I could compose music, it was decided in an instant that I would
compose music for games. Presently as well, I'm composing for as many
games as possible at Taito.

Tell us, what's the meaning of the word, "Zuntata," if any? What brought
it to mind?

It's a musical rhythm. It's something expressed in a Japanese way. This
name signifies the projects our company specializes in, and was thought up
by a friend of mine.

What particular style of music you do identify yourself with?

If there's one thing I consider important about style, it's composing music
based on "concept." Music is often composed with feeling alone. That is
in fact, one way to enjoy doing it I think, but I don't compose music from
just a vague image or sensation. Instead, I choose a keyword, then
contruct an outlook on the world for each game. Through this method, it
becomes possible to create a project with "intense meaning" and persuasive
power.

Next, would you mind sharing some memories or experiences working with the
following people?

Yasuhisa Watanabe
At the time he joined Taito, one could outright say he knew nothing about
compositional theory. So I gave him advice on composition "know-how," and
taught him through the help with practical projects. Fortunately, he
carried imaginative power, so his growth went well, I'd say.

Masahiko Takaki
Mr. Takaki and I always relied on each other during Zuntata's live events.
The reason being, seeing as though we were both working for this game
company Taito, we felt that if we couldn't perform what we specialized in,
we couldn't truly call ourselves musicians. So for us, making a
performance that wouldn't let down the fans was a difficult task. If it
wasn't for the cooperation and trust we had in each other, I don't think
our yearly live events would've been such a success.

Kazuko Umino
I occasionally received the help of Ms. Umino for album recordings since
her skill at playing piano was so excellent. In a single day, she could
master a complicated musical score I'd written, with only a few rehearsals.
Her piano playing was as accurate as data played through a sound
synthesizer.

Tamayo Kawamoto
Ms. Kawamoto had been a composer for another company before switching jobs
to Taito, so she already carried some compositional firepower, and she was
able to demonstrate that power to me quite well. During our live events, I
felt at ease just by her performing at my side. I was relaxed, as though
she'd be there to cover for me, even if I made a terrible mistake.

Norihiro Furukawa
His presence in Zuntata Live is unmistakable. We always play the song
"Daddy Mulk" for the encores of our concerts, a song that became the main
theme from the game Ninja Warriors. And, there's a solo performance in the
latter half of the song using the Tsugaru Shamisen instrument which no one
in the world can perform on a keyboard besides him. Therefore he always
stole the biggest moment of the shows. (laughs)

Hideki Takahagi
The first time I'd actually spent a large amount of time working with Mr.
Takahagi was during the recently released Zoids Infinity. I handled the
music production, and was considerate in letting him compose enough to make
the most of his best musical style. He had composed four songs, but when
the music clashed with the image I had for the game, I said to him in one
word on the phone, "No-good," and hung up. This may sound a bit harsh, but
doing so was what ultimately allowed for the job to end favorably. If you
ask me, there's no room to be cozy in the work place.

So, was it a difficult change going from the chaotic score of G-Darius, to
the more orchrestral sound of Zoids Infinity?

In the case of Zoids Infinity, the game already had an established vision
of the world, so it wasn't necessary to reconstruct a new world that could
be imagined from the music. So in that sense, it was easy going. However,
it was a struggle coming up with a keyword necessary for my composition.
But, once I homed in on the keyword "A Boy's Heroism," the composition was
a breeze. I'm always like that. Kneading over my conceptualization and
choosing a keyword, like in Zoids Infinity, usually ends up taking more
time than the composition itself.

What would you say were the prominent influences on your music?

I used to listen intently to the music of a man named Kyohei Tsutsumi, who
was a pop song writer in the 70's and 80's, and even composed for the game
company Hit Maker. I'd say it was him that had the biggest influence on
me. As for international musicians, Earth Wind & Fire made a huge impact
on me as well. In my opinion, their music is simply unforgettable.

What are your thoughts about music in shooting games? Would you like to
compose for a shooting game like Darius again?

To be extremely critical, shooting game music often ends up being
established with a fast tempo, no matter what kind of music it is. But I'm
not satisfied with just that, and I've considered that to be an incorrenct
method of writing for a long time now. The way I see it, the music must
have a narrative quality to it; a certain presence, as if each note is
converted into words and is conveyed to the player. This can be a very
complicated process, but at the same time, it can be a load of fun. If I
have the chance to compose for a shooting game like Darius again, I'd love
to, by all means. I'll just need a decent amount of time to finish it.
(laughs)

Then, how would you say your music has changed from the beginning of your
career to the present?

For two years after joining Taito, I was constantly composing music with
the mindset, "adjust to the game." As long as the music matched the game,
I felt good about it, even if it lacked any inspiration. However, my
outlook on game music changed after Darius. Rather than simply adjusting
"to" the game, I began adjusting "with" the game. By forming a clear-cut
concept, I began devising frameworks that were mixed with my own, personal
advocacy. Resultedly, the music I wrote began fusing together with the
games like a chemical reaction. Ever since then, I've constantly thought
about making my music evolve. In the beginning, I was bound to musical
theory, but around time of G-Darius, I felt I'd been liberated and began
composing "free music."

Next, could you please share some of your thoughts or memories regarding
the following works?

Legend of Kage
At first it seemed inevitable that this game was to be scrapped. But over
various circumstances, I was asked to do the music anyway. And, I fondly
remember composing it at ease. Those were the strange days when we'd do
things like transfer sound data from a KORG to the FM chip, and have a
song's data programmed into each and every sound source. So in reality,
two types of sound source data exist in this game. What everyone heard was
the FM sound version, but actually, there exist several other versions out
there.

Darius
For me, this was an unforgettable project. I would spare time from my
afternoon breaks to work on this game, doing data input while eating. My
heart raced when I came up with the main phrase of "Chaos," the BGM from
the Van Allen Belt Zone.

Arkanoid
One time when I was on the train commuting to work, I heard a high school
student humming the jingle that plays when you start the game. This made
me esctatic. I bet the kid had no idea the composer of that melody was
sitting right next to him.

Full Throttle
As far as this game goes, Masahiko Takaki was the composer, and I only
provided some advice and helped out a little with the sound effects.

The Ninja Warriors
We were thinking about using Hitler's voice in the opening song during the
planning stages of this game. But when we requested the authorization to
use it from the German Embassy, they told us they wouldn't allow it for
something that wasn't based on historical facts, so we had to abandon the
idea. Being that this was the first game I used the Yamaha 2610 sound
chip, my supporters, and of course myself, worked on it for three straight
days. Then, on the morning of the fourth day, we finally completed the
ROM. I clearly remember the person in charge of business-processing
presenting us with a Japanese rice ball that morning. It tasted quite
good.

Darius II
I'd never keenly felt the pain of composing for the second title in a
series like I did with this game. Struggling through Darius II's music
felt exactly like I was in the middle of giving birth the entire time. I
didn't want to make the music's atmosphere the same as Darius, so I was
lost and perplexed about how to go about it. On a last whim I finally came
up with the theme, "Bible," and decided to go in that direction. This was
how the Jupiter theme, "Say PaPa," came about, though it wasn't anything
religious, it was meant to invoke a feeling of hope.

Darius Gaiden
I wrote the main theme "Visionnerz" based on a tip I got from Jung
psychology. I was madly reading Jung's literary works...for the purpose of
game music! He uses the term "visual hallucination" in several of his
books, so I made this my keyword for Darius Gaiden. It seemed quite
applicable to something sci-fi oriented. In the latter half of Visionnerz,
a line of opera comes in that is sung in Italian. It says, "Don't believe
what you see before your eyes - the truth lies elsewhere." The song title
"Visionnnerz" is a word that I made up meaning, "people who see illusions."

G-Darius
It took some time coming up with a concept for this game too. What ended
up saving me from another painful experience of giving birth was a single
scientific experiment: When the DNA from a quail's brain is transplanted
to the fertilized egg of a chick, a creature bearing two types of features,
called a "chimera," is born. When the chimera hatches from the egg, it has
the body of a chick, but chirp's like a quail and has the fur of a quail
growing out around its neck. However, the chimera dies after only a few
hours, as if it went to sleep. Using this as an idea, I tried to express
the short-lived transience of Darius' characteristic fish-like bosses
(which are actually a living body made up of organic and inorganic parts,
having in other words, the extremely short life span of a chimera) through
the music. In my method of composing the music, I also mixed organic
qualities (instrumental sounds) and inorganic qualities (industrial
sounds), and in accordance with my concept, was able to come up with this
"chimera music." There's more to the story, but I'll leave it at this.

Zoids Infinity
Most Taito arcade games have a system where only one composer writes all
the music for a game, but Zoids Infinity was an exception. This was
because we didn't have very much time to do the composition. Therefore I
took the role of sound producer, and chose two other composers to complete
the soundtrack with. My keyword for this project was, "A Boy's Heroism,"
how the boy is immersed in heroics for the first time through the course of
him entering the war to put an end to it. Figuring out how to convey this
notion, along with the grief in the boy's heart, proved to be a task harder
than the composition itself. Again and again, I had to thoroughly explain
the concepts I'd written in my memos during our planning sessions. In the
end, I think our music, as a three man team, effectively accomplished its
respective goals and we were able to demonstrate each of our
individualities.

How about some memories of having you music performed live?

I'd say the first live event back in 1990 made the deepest impression on
me. It was only a short, one hour performance with about ten songs, but
the performers made a rare attempt at doing an instrumental concert with
dramatic elements and dancing. I loved the part during the song "Chaos"
(from Darius) when all the members faced the crowd and saluted them at the
same time.

What about any dream projects? Besides game music, what other types of
music would you like to create?

Of course I'd like to do TV shows or movies, but I'd also like to try
composing something dramatic for figure skating or synchonized swimming.

Do you have any advice for those who want to create music?

What I think is important about writing music is strongly envisioning what
you want to convey. By keeping this "image-inducing music" in mind, and
making the listener think for example, "this is something depicting the
terror on the battlefield," without any verbal explanation, you'll be able
to create music that's profound and won't deteriorate over time.

Lastly, how about some comments for your fans reading this around the
world!

Thank you all for reading my interview to the end. My music has grown and
become cultivated along with Taito games. If you happen across a Taito
title, please be sure to pay attention the music and its direction. You're
sure to discover a world you won't find anywhere else. The fastest short
cut there is to play Zoids Infinity. For those of you interested in
hearing more of my music, try typing "z-field" into a search engine like
yahoo or google. We at Zuntata, will be waiting for you.

We'd like to thank Mr. Ogura for taking the time out of his busy schedule
to complete this interview!

Questions: Anthony Farah
Translation: Justin Pfeiffer

Koji Hayama Interview

Profile:

Date of Birth:
8/4/1965

Birth Place:
Yokohama

Education:

First game worked on:
Gaia No Monshou (Crest of Gaia)

Favorite Drink:
Vegetable Juice-No Additives

Favorite Food:
Goya Champloos

Favorite TV:
News, Professional Baseball

Favorite Game:
Famista '95 (Super Famicom)

Favorite Book:
German Car Technician's Guide

Favorite Movie:
Kurosawa's "Yume" (Dream)

Influences:

Hobbies:
Car work, Fishing, Baseball, Planting Vegetables, Living

Sound Tools:

Studio Gear:

2. At what age and how did you become interested in music?

I suppose that would have been 7th grade in junior high school. I admired a folk group called "ALICE," and practiced the folk guitar day and night. During my school's annual cultural festival, I bathed in the stage light while playing in front of the entire school. I believe that's when I acquired my taste for music.

3. What was the first song you composed and who were some of your early influences?

Privately, when I was 19. Professionally, when I composed the music for the PC game "Gaia No Monshou" (Messiah) 18 years ago.

4. How did you get involved with the game music business?

I had a friend in the game industry. He listened to my original music and was very pleased with it. Even though I had no knowledge of music or a great amount of skill, my music was accepted quite well. My first company was Brain Grey. Up until then I didn't have any corporate experience, and had only worked as an outsourcing employee for a short time. I went freelance at the age of 25.

5. Please describe what a Koji Hayama concert like?

Rather than calling it a concert, it's something more extreme. Live underground? Sports? Pro Wrestling? That kind of feel. It's a performance intended to stimulate the audience, so I think both the performers and the watchers get tired. But I’ve been spending a longer amount of time talking lately. It's not just about music. There are a lot of fans who come out to meet Hayama.

6. What are the differences between your original music and your game music?

I think they are completely separate entities. With game music, a game maker gives you a request and you compose. It's business. With original albums, you're not restricted by anyone, so it's a personal challenge. Something that's not business.

7. Please describe your music style and philosophy?

Well, I don't have any problem talking about it, but it's not something that can be said in a single word. Don't flock with others, do it by yourself, I guess.

8. What is your greatest music accomplishment?

Well, having the first "Cho Aniki" album rank 16th on the hit chart was certainly great, but also having released 14 original albums in 12 years and going on to do live events, would be it I suppose.

9. What are your strengths and weaknesses as a composer?

In both senses, how the notion "Cho Aniki = Koji Hayama" has been too deeply fused into the industry and fans.

10. Why do you create music?

That's the only thing I don't understand. I have a feeling I'm not actually doing it for myself. Maybe it's for the fans that support me? Or my family perhaps? I imagine it's for people, at any rate.

11. How do you overcome the limitations of the various consoles?

These days, the majority of music requested is for raw sound, so we almost never have that kind of problem anymore. Even if we did, I myself, have never done any converting. But if I dare to comment on it, I suppose it would be about "division." To be honest, I resent the fact that there are a lot of developers out there who are willing to spare budget funds and capacity for graphics, yet always give music the shaft. The way I see it, because someone's always fretting, the predicament would probably be like, "Hey, make some more room for music!"

12. Please share your thoughts and experiences on the following :

Cho Aniki -Aniki no Subete-

It's "Cho Aniki," in both the good and the bad. Anyone out there who speaks of Hayama is probably speaking of "Cho Aniki." I'm probably gaining status in the "Screwball Entertainment" realm. I am in fact pleased with it, but it can be complicated.

Gran Chaser

This album is the masterpiece of my instrumental game music CDs. Personally I don't count game music as original albums, but I do treat this one in that way particularly.

Game Music is Dead

This one is...whatever. It's a "best?" I guess? album the record company selfishly made, which I wasn't too involved in. But hey, the CD cover is extremely gorgeous, so if you look at it objectively, at least it’s got that going for it.

Twinbee Paradise

Ah, then there was this phase. Well actually, the duets I did with Mariko Konda for two songs were very good, so it's permissible.

Koji Hayama & Shin-Brothers Live "KINZOKU" (The King Of Game Music Live)

This is the live video that came about after I started taking my own initiative. I was young and energetic, and it sounded good. It's a solid video, I'd say.

Front Mission 3rd

I took charge of half the music on this one, but the other half that had already been done by Mr. Matsuo was fantastic, and I remember thinking, "Man, I can't cope with people."

Ten Plants 2

"Boy-hood" was the only song I did, but I think it's a pretty good one.

Super Robot Taisen Alpha Original Score1 -Tenku no Shou-

There's a duet song recorded with the "King of Anime Songs," Ichiro Mizuki. *I* was the one who did everything, from composing, to arranging, to performing, to writing the lyrics, to doing the vocal sampling for this song. But that old bastard Mizuki got outraged selfishly, just because the vocals were sampled. It is a memento to have worked with such a prominent figure, but that's the extent of it. I'm not going to flatter him just because of his status. He didn't deserve respect.

Ashita wa Hareru

Looking back, now that I'm older, I sometimes think, "My life of music was for the purpose of this album." Even though the songs were poor and inexperienced, and the performance and mastering were both cheap. I wanted to make it without time restriction and what not, but still, it's probably the one album I'd like thrown in my casket if I died.

Genki o Daseyo!! (Cheer up!!)

"Cheer up," I said to myself as I did this project, yet I had no cheer at that time. It was tiresome creating it through independent distribution. This was my 13th original album.

Street Fighter Tribute Album

I don't know who the composer was, but I arranged someone's song. This was business.

Aniki Shin-Sekai

It seemed like I had quit after 13 albums, but finally a 14th one arrived. As for the contents, it was a forced, recurrent trip to the "Screwball Entertainment" realm, the origin of the first "Cho-Aniki." Silly, but philosophical. Furthermore, it seemed to be selling quite well. I was indeed happy with the attention it received after 13 years, but it was perceived simply as a "Screwball" based product. Being thought of as someone who only composes for that kind of stuff is...well, complicated indeed.

13. . Do you admire any game composers? Who and why?

Though it's a pity, no I don't. As for game music composers, I don't think there's anyone who casts away shyness and has more appeal power? than myself. It's a narrow world, but in the game music wrestling ring, I arrogantly consider myself the champion. It's me who, after doing ten years of live performances, enters the ring wearing the championship belt.

There's no one ballsy enough to come defy me and say, "Hey sit down!" Everyone just sits there with a cold? attitude and watches. If they do nothing but watch, then I'll just keep going and going. That's how I see it anyway. There do seem to be others who occasionally do live performances, but in those cases there's usually some female vocalist who does the main act, or the composer just stands in the center of the stage smirking under his/her good fortune. To anyone who thinks they're a match for me with their "face!" as the spotlight: you gonna let me get away with this?

That said, there isn't any stupendous composer out there who I respect, and no one can rival me. To say someone can rival me is, ridiculous. I say, "Try bringing out over ten albums under your own name without the backing of an enterprise and come bring it to the stage.”

14. If there's anyone you'd like to do a project with, who would it be?

As for people who sit at a desk and work only on the completion of games, no one. Even if I did, I have too much evil in me, so I think composing with someone would be frustrating.

Actually, I don't have many acquaintances in this profession, just Mr. Iwadare and Mr. Hosoe. Aside from them, I don't exchange information or anything with anyone else, so I always tend to be behind in the high-tech scheme of things.

15. What advice can you share with those who want to create music in the game business?

Wanting to do game music as a salary man. Is this type of person really a musician? I don't know about any company employees, so I'll avoid any references.

To the people who want to be free and self-reliant: "Music isn't the potential! It's about heart and soul!" Even if you have confidence in yourself, don't herd around others, don't ridicule others, and don't flatter others out of obligation. Hold on to your own original values and pride.

16. Any final thoughts for your fans around the world.

You guys! "Live your life seriously!!" Got it!?

Thanks for taking the time to complete this interview!

Questions: Anthony Farah

Translation: Justin Pfeiffer

Edited by: Kahori Ezaki

Yokko Kanno

Kenji Kawai