Akira Yamaoka
Master of aural gloom and suspense, the Japanese musician and composer Akira Yamaoka is best-known for his work on the soundtrack for the Silent Hill video game series, where he used a mixture of ambient, trip-hop, rock, and industrial to chilling effect. The Niigata-born Yamaoka, who names Depeche Mode, Metallica, and Angelo Badalamenti as his influences, initially wanted to be a designer, and graduated from Tokyo Art College, but fell under the sway of artists such as Mick Karn of Japan and Steve Strange of Visage, who, in Yamaoka's words, "combined the notions of Art and Music with their own new style." He debuted in 1991 with the soundtrack to Smart Ball game, done with Yasuhiko Fukuda and Manabu Saito; in 1993, he joined Konami and continued to work on game soundtracks, keeping a relatively low profile through most of the ‘90s. His big break came in 1999, when he convinced the producers that he was the man to score the first Silent Hill game. It was a best-seller, and Yamaoka became the main composer for the whole franchise (excluding two minor spin-offs), adding duties as the producer of the game after Silent Hill 3 (2003); since the third installment of the series he also began working with vocalists Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and Joe Romersa. Music from Silent Hill 2 was performed at the Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig in 2005, and in 2006, some compositions from the series were included in the "Play! A Video Game Symphony" live performance, Yamaoka with a seven-string guitar sharing the stage with an orchestra at its world premiere in Chicago. His music for the games was used in the 2006 movie adaptation of Silent Hill, which also included work by Jeff Danna; the same year Yamaoka released his debut album, the electronica-leaning iFUTURELIST, and then did soudntracks for the two next Silent Hill games, Origins and Homecoming, which followed in 2007 and 2008 respectively.
© TiVo
Similar artists
Discography
13 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (Original Series Soundtrack)
Akira Yamaoka, Marcin Przybyłowicz, P.T. Adamczyk
Originele soundtracks - Released by Milan on 27 okt. 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Medium (Original Game Soundtrack)
Akira Yamaoka, Arkadiusz Reikowski
Originele soundtracks - Released by Black Screen Records on 27 jan. 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cauchemar (Decarnation Original Soundtrack)
Akira Yamaoka, Corentin Brasart, ALT 236
Originele soundtracks - Released by Two Kings on 23 jun. 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtracks - Released by Lakeshore Records on 30 okt. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I've Been Losing You
Electronic - Released by Avith Ortega on 10 feb. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Silent Hill: The Headphones (Covers)
Electronic - Released by Avith Ortega on 4 dec. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Silent Hill (Piano Themes Collection)
The Pink Rabbit, Akira Yamaoka
Originele soundtracks - Released by White Gaming Rec on 26 jul. 1999
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Safe Haven (From "World of Tanks")
WoT Music Team, Akira Yamaoka, Andrius Klimka, Andrey Kulik
Divers - Released by WoT Music Team on 15 jul. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mirny-13 (From "World of Tanks")
Divers - Released by WoT Music Team on 23 okt. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beloved Melodies
Wereldmuziek - Released by Soundless Records on 20 apr. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Peace and Serenity
Ambient - Released by Avith Ortega on 4 jan. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Theme of Laura
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Soundless Records on 26 apr. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo