Yoshitaka Hirota
Yoshitaka Hirota | |
---|---|
Born | Kyoto, Japan | September 1, 1971
Genres | Video game music |
Occupations |
|
Instrument | Bass guitar |
Years active | 1994–present |
Labels | Dog Ear Records |
Yoshitaka Hirota (弘田佳孝, Hirota Yoshitaka, born September 1, 1971) is a Japanese video game composer and bass guitarist. His most notable works include the soundtracks to the Shadow Hearts series. Hirota was previously a sound effects programmer having worked on various Square titles. His first work as a video game composer was for the 1999 Nintendo 64 game Bomberman 64: The Second Attack.
Biography
[edit]Early works
[edit]As a teenager, Hirota's older brother would play covers of The Beatles and The Carpenters. Hirota composed his first song at the age of ten.[1] At the age of 20, unsure of his career path, Hirota was invited by composer Yasunori Mitsuda to work at Square, and was hired as a sound designer.[2]
Square
[edit]Hirota has a friendship from childhood with fellow composer Yasunori Mitsuda who he has worked with on Bomberman 64: The Second Attack, Biohazard 2 Drama Albums, Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts II. Under the direction of Mitsuda, Street Fighter Alpha 3 was to have a "hard" sound, and Biohazard 2 was to have an "ominous sound".[3]
Shadow Hearts
[edit]Kyoko Kishikawa has worked with Hirota on Shadow Hearts, Shadow Hearts II (although not Shadow Hearts: From the New World) and Rogue Galaxy Premium Arrange, providing eerie female scat vocals for a number of his tracks. Ryo Fukuda has been the sound manipulator for Hirota on the Shadow Hearts games as well as composing and arranging a few tracks for all three games. He also co-composed with Hirota on Sonic Shuffle. Kenji Ito worked with Hirota on the soundtrack of Shadow Hearts II.
Live performance
[edit]Hirota has performed bass guitar for Ito's live performance of Culdcept music during the Extra Live Concert.[4] and for Ito's vocal song for Lux-Pain,[5] Hirota frequently performs bass guitar with Kishikawa's band.[6] He is currently a member of Nobuo Uematsu's band, the Earthbound Papas.
Musical style and influences
[edit]Hirota's Shadow Hearts music is notable for its fusion of cultural music with Hirota's personal Industrial style. Although Hirota is primarily a bass guitarist, he is capable of playing a variety of other instruments: the Biwa, the Syami, the Alter Ego Figaro, the Saw Wo, the Son, the Khene, the Old Drum, the Madaru, the Gong, the Suzu, and the Kalimba.[7]
Works
[edit]Video games
[edit]- Composition
Title | Year | Notes |
---|---|---|
Bomberman 64: The Second Attack | 1999 | With Tomohiko Kira, Yasunori Mitsuda, Hidenobu Otsuki, Tomori Kudo, Hiroyo Yamanaka, and Kenji Hiramatsu[2] |
Dive Alert[3] | 1999 | |
Faselei![3] | 1999 | |
Sonic Shuffle | 2000 | With Hidenobu Otsuki, Ryo Fukuda, Takeo Suzuki, and Kazumi Mitome[3] |
Shadow Hearts | 2001 | With Yasunori Mitsuda, Masaharu Iwata, and Ryo Fukuda[1] |
Shadow Hearts: Covenant | 2004 | With Yasunori Mitsuda, Kenji Ito, Ryo Fukuda, and Tomoko Kobayashi[8] |
Shadow Hearts: From the New World | 2005 | With Tomoko Imoto, Ryo Fukuda, and Hirotomi Imoto[2] |
Fist Groove 2 | 2006 | |
Saint Seiya: Meiou Hades Juunikyuu Hen | 2007 | |
Hana Saku DS Gardening Life[2] | 2007 | |
DK: Jungle Climber | 2007 | With Yuichi Kanno and Takashi Kouga[2] |
Start Yoga with Tipness on your DS | 2007 | |
Maji de Manabu: LEC de Ukaru | 2008 | |
Glory of Heracles | 2008 | With Yuichi Kanno[9] |
D.Gray-Man Sousya no Shigaku | 2008 | |
Klonoa | 2008 | |
Half-Minute Hero: The Second Coming | 2011 | With various others[10] |
Saint Seiya: Sanctuary Battle | 2011 | |
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz | 2012 | With Saori Kobayashi |
UnchainBlades EXXIV | 2012 | With Tsutomu Narita, Nobuo Uematsu, and Michio Okamiya[11] |
Kakuriyo no Mon | 2015 | Only composed "其れでも先へ進む")[12] |
Egglia: Legend of the Red Cap | 2017 | With Yoko Shimomura[13] |
- Sound design
Title | Year |
---|---|
Final Fantasy VI | 1994[1] |
Live A Live | 1994[14] |
Chrono Trigger[2] | 1995 |
Seiken Densetsu 3[14] | 1995 |
Bahamut Lagoon[14] | 1996 |
Final Fantasy VII[2] | 1997 |
Front Mission 2[2] | 1997 |
Parasite Eve[2] | 1998 |
Chrono Cross[2] | 1999 |
Koudelka[2] | 1999 |
Other works
[edit]Title | Year | Notes |
---|---|---|
Talk While Asleep | 1995 | Co-remixer with Fumiya Tanaka[3] |
We are not alone ~Mou Hitori Ja Nai~ | 1998 | Co-composer with Kazumi Mitome[3] |
Biohazard 2 Drama Album: Chiisana Toubousha Sherry | 1999 | Co-Composer with Yasunori Mitsuda[2] |
Biohazard 2 Drama Album: Ikiteita Onna Spy Ada | 1999 | Co-Composer with Yasunori Mitsuda[2] |
Street Fighter Zero 3 Drama Album | 1999 | Co-Composer with Yasunori Mitsuda[3] |
near death experience, SHADOW HEARTS | 2005 | Arranger of 5 Tracks[2] |
Angelic Vale | 2005 | Arranger of 2 Tracks[3] |
Tsuki no Uta | 2005 | Debut Single of Saki Imozuki. Arranger of all tracks |
Yoruoto Hyouhon | 2005 | Debut Album of Noriko Mitose. Composer and arranger of 1 Track[15] |
Rogue Galaxy | 2006 | Arranger of 1 Track[16] |
Kinema in the Hall | 2007 | Rekka Katakiri Album. Composer and arranger of all tracks[2] |
Cotton | 2007 | Noriko Mitose Album. Arranger of 1 Track[17] |
Hareyaka naru Sora no Yukue | 2007 | Rekka Katakiri Album. Composer and Arranger of 1 Track[2] |
Struldbruggs ~Majin Kaikou~ | 2007 | Co-Composer |
Istoria ~Musa~ | 2007 | Akiko Shikata album. Composer and Arranger of 1 Track[18] |
Umineko no Naku Koro ni | 2008 | Akiko Shikata Single, Arranger of 1 Track[19] |
"message" | 2008 | Collaboration Album - Composer and Arranger of 1 Track[20] |
Griotte no Nemuri Hime | 2009 | Haruka Shimotsuki Album[21] |
SUZUNO=MIYA Ar tonelico III hymmnos concert side. Red | 2010 | Composer and Arranger of 2 Tracks[22] |
Guwange | 2010 | Arranger of 1 Track[23] |
yorlga | 2010 | Noriko Mitose album, Composer and Arranger of all tracks[24] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Interview with Yoshitaka Hirota (RocketBaby - January 2002)". Rocketbaby.net. 2002-01-01. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Jeriaska (2007-01-01). "Near Death Experience: an interview with Yoshitaka Hirota". Square Haven. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Chris Greening, Harry Simons (2005-11-01). "Interview with Yoshitaka Hirota (November 2005)". Square Enix Music. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
- ^ "Concert Information". Extra: Hyper Game Music Event 2007. Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- ^ "Album Information". Lux-Pain Original Soundtrack. Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- ^ Jeriaska. "Interview with Darumaya". Takahiro Yamamoto (trans.). RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2008-12-21. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- ^ "Instruments" (in French). Deep in Coma. Retrieved 2008-10-20.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "SHADOW HEARTS II Original Soundtracks". Video Game Music Database. June 18, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ Gann, Patrick (June 10, 2009). "E3 2009: New Game and Composer Announcement Highlights". Original Sound Version. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "Half-Minute Hero: The Second Coming - Original Soundtrack". Video Game Music Database. May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ "Unchainblades EXXIV Original Soundtrack". Video Game Music Database. September 27, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "かくりよの門 Original Soundtrack". iTunes. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ Yoko Shimomura [@midiplex] (April 13, 2017). "というわけで、本日、私と弘田佳孝氏(@kulko_yh)で音楽を担当している『エグリア』リリースされました!是非是非遊んで頂けると嬉しいです〜(*´◡'*)" (Tweet) (in Japanese) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c "Yoshitaka Hirota". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "Yoruotohyouhon". Video Game Music Database. April 14, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "ROGUE GALAXY Premium Arrange". Video Game Music Database. August 31, 2006. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "cotton". Video Game Music Database. December 24, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "Istoria ~Musa~". Video Game Music Database. January 13, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "Umineko no Naku Koro ni / Akiko Shikata". Video Game Music Database. August 15, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "コラボレーションアルバム メッセージ Collaboration Album "Message"". Video Game Music Database. November 6, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "Griotte no Nemuri Hime ~Fel Ary Lu En Tindharia~". Video Game Music Database. August 7, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "SUZUNO=MIYA Ar tonelico III hymmnos concert side. Red". Video Game Music Database. October 19, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "GUWANGE Arrange Album + Original Sound Track". Video Game Music Database. January 12, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "yorlga". Video Game Music Database. March 2, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
External links
[edit]- (in Japanese) Official website