Akira Yamaoka

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Template:Nihongo is a Japanese composer, musician, producer, and sound designer who composed for Konami's Silent Hill video game series from 1999 to 2009,Template:Efn and 2024 onwards. He also produced many of its installments, and composed for its three film adaptations.

Yamaoka worked with Konami from 1993 to 2009. He has been the sound director at Grasshopper Manufacture since 2010. He has been a director and sound designer at Supertrick Games since 2018.

Life and career

Yamaoka attended Tokyo Art College,<ref name="spelmusik1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> where he studied product design and interior design. Before working as a video game composer, Yamaoka initially sought a career as a designer, but instead became a musician after studying product design at Tokyo Art College.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Yamaoka joined Konami on September 21, 1993.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Better source needed He immediately began to work on the games Contra: Hard Corps, Sparkster, and Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2. Shortly thereafter, he worked on the music for the PC Engine and Sega CD versions of Snatcher.

When Konami began searching for a musician to compose Silent Hill's score, Yamaoka volunteered because he thought he was the only one capable of making the soundtrack.<ref name="spelmusik1" /> Although initially hired as a composer, he soon became involved in overall sound design.<ref name="factmag.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His favorite of his own soundtracks is Silent Hill 2.<ref name="giantbomb1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On December 2, 2009, it was announced that Yamaoka was leaving his long term employer Konami.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On February 3, 2010, it was announced that Yamaoka had joined Grasshopper Manufacture and was working with Goichi Suda and Shinji Mikami on their action game, Shadows of the Damned.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was first appointed to the role of chief sound officer at Grasshopper, but became involved in aspects of game production as well.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On August 10, 2012, Yamaoka announced he would be releasing a second solo album in late 2012, one "different from the usual Silent Hill music."<ref name="musicjapanplus.jp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On October 31, 2012, he announced via Facebook, that the new three-track Spanish-language single "Revolución" would premiere at V-CON during a live performance.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014, he expressed interest in returning as a composer for Silent Hills, although the project was later cancelled.<ref name="factmag.com" />

In late October and early November 2015, Yamaoka and his band performed tracks from the Silent Hill series at nine live events in cities across the United Kingdom, titled "Silent Hill Live".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In July 2016, Yamaoka performed live at the BitSummit 4th indie game festival in Kyoto, Japan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Style and influences

Yamaoka stated some of his favorite songs to be "Der Mussolini" by D.A.F., "Amber" by Craig Armstrong, "Moments in Love" by Anne Dudley, "Moon Over Moscow" by Visage, and "The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He stated in 2009 that his favorite game creator is Suda51 and his favorite video game is No More Heroes.<ref>Nintendo Power, Volume 248</ref> In 2014, he stated his favorite film was Dario Argento's Suspiria.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

When asked what other artists influenced his work, Yamaoka cited Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails as his "main inspiration, both performing and in music style."<ref name="musicjapanplus.jp" /> Among his other influences are Angelo Badalamenti (best known for his soundtrack work with David Lynch), Metallica and Depeche Mode.<ref name="spelmusik1" />

When asked if his studies at Tokyo Art College had helped him in his musical career, he replied:<ref name="spelmusik1" /> "At that time, Mick Karn of Japan, Steve Strange of Visage, and a lot of other musicians combined the notions of Art and Music with their own new style. I got really influenced by that. Therefore, every time I write songs, I try to combine Art and Music." He has also stated that he derives much of his influence from baroque styles common throughout the 18th century.

Personal life

In March 2011, Yamaoka auctioned some of his musical instruments to raise charity funds for the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.<ref name="giantbomb1" /> He is married to Ai "Tamu" Murata, who is the drummer of the heavy metal band Nemophila. They have two daughters.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Works

Video games

Year	Title	Notes
1991	Smart Ball	with Yasuhiko Fukuda and Manabu Saito
1994	Contra: Hard Corps	with several others
	Sparkster	with several others
	Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2	with Michiru Yamane
	Snatcher	PC Engine version, Sega CD version, PlayStation version, Sega Saturn version
1996	Gradius Deluxe Pack	with Miki Higashino, Kiyohiko Yamane, and Motoaki Furukawa
	Ganbare Goemon: Uchū Kaizoku Akogingu	with several others
	Road Rage/Speed King	PlayStation version
	Lightning Legend: Daigo no Daibouken	"Spring's Undersea Walking Hurricane (Rankerk Hatred)"
1997	Moon: Remix RPG Adventure	"Tears of Machine" and "TILT"
	International Superstar Soccer Pro 98	with several others
	Nagano Winter Olympics '98	with Soshiro Hokkai and Keiko Fukami
1998	Poy Poy 2
	NBA In The Zone '98	with Yuichi Asami, Ryuichi Inoue, and Nobuhiko Matsufuji
	Kensei: Sacred Fist	with Kyoran Suzuki and Norikazu Miura
1999	Silent Hill
	ISS Pro Evolution	with Shinji Enomoto, Kosuke Soeda, and Hideki Kasai
1999–2012	Bemani series
2000	Gradius III and IV
	ESPN MLS GameNight	with Shinji Enomoto, Kosuke Soeda, and Hideki Kasai
2001	Silent Hill 2<ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2002	Contra: Shattered Soldier	with Sota Fujimori
2003	Silent Hill 3<ref name="auto"/>
2004	Rumble Roses	with several others
	Silent Hill 4: The Room<ref name="auto"/>
2006	Rumble Roses XX	with several others
2007	Silent Hill: The Arcade	with Masayuki Maruyama and Jun Ito
	Silent Hill: Origins<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Silent Hill: The Escape
2008	Silent Hill: Homecoming
	Otomedius Gorgeous!	arrangements
2009	Silent Hill: Shattered Memories<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2010	No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle	with several others
2011	Shadows of the Damned
	Rebuild of Evangelion: Sound Impact	arrangements
	Sdatcher
2012	Sine Mora
	Liberation Maiden
	Lollipop Chainsaw	music director
	Silent Hill: Book of Memories	guitarist on "Love Psalm (Book of Memories)"
	Black Knight Sword
2013	Rotolla
	Killer Is Dead	music director
2014	Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day
	Murasaki Baby	"Neeko"
2015	Persona 4: Dancing All Night	"Time To Make History" remix
2016	Puzzle & Dragons X<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	with Kenji Ito, Yuzo Koshiro, and Keigo Ozaki
	The Silver Case<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	arrangements, "WHITEOUT"
	Let It Die	music director
2017	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	World of Tanks	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2018	The 25th Ward: The Silver Case<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	with Baiyon, Erika Ito, and Masafumi Takada
2020	Dead by Daylight	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Ninjala	with several others
	World of Tanks	citation	CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>
2021	The Medium	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2022	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2023	Decarnation<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2024	Silent Hill: The Short Message
	Silent Hill 2	Remake
	Slitterhead<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2025	Silent Hill f	with Kensuke Inage, Dai, and Koichi "Xaki" Sakita
	Let It Die: Inferno<ref>https://www.4gamer.net/games/948/G094802/20250905052/</ref>	Sound Director

Films

Year	Title	Notes
2006	Silent Hill	with Jeff Danna, also executive producer
2011	Julia X	"Julia's Wish"
2012	Silent Hill: Revelation	with Jeff Danna
2014	Patema Inverted	sound director
2017	Kuso<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	with Flying Lotus, Aphex Twin, Thundercat, and various others
2026	Return to Silent Hill<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Anime/television

Year	Title	Notes
2022	Cyberpunk: Edgerunners	Anime series based on Cyberpunk 2077<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Other

Year	Title	Notes
2006	iFuturelist
2011	"Ex Animo" by Play for Japan: The Album	with various others
	Snatcher
2012	RevoluciónTemplate:Cn
	"Rinkaku (Eternal Slumber Mix)" by Dir En GreyTemplate:Cn
2013	"Rose Cat" by World 1-2	with various others
2014	"Sustain the Untruth (Remix)" by Dir En GreyTemplate:Cn
2016	En Mo Takenawa

External links

• Official website
• Archived Konami blog Template:In lang
• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 1168522

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