LMH Mixtape #88: Konami 2

Konami, Round 2.  Yes, you're going to get your face melted off -- but there’s a lot of other Konami moods represented on this mixtape, too.  Whether it's quirky or mysterious, lovesick or homesick, this setlist may take you to some excellently unexpected places.

Download and listen NOW

KEYGLYPH'S AWARDS & COMMENDATIONS, JUST BECAUSE

Instant new favorite: Laser Invasion - Equipment Select
Other instant new favorite:  Ganbare Goemon 3: Shishijyuurokubei no Karakuri Manji Katame - Stage 5 Part Two
Brewed new favorite: Mouryou Senki Madara - Symphony of Destruction

Face Melter Award:  Crisis Force - Stage 4: World of Fire


Track listing and original episode:

http://legacymusichour.blogspot.com/2012/07/legacy-music-hour-episode-88-konami-2.html

LMH Mixtape #87: Norio Hanzawa

Adequately describing Norio Hanzawa's complicated compositional style is a challenge.  Intricate and futuristic, sometimes frenetic, occasionally high-octane, yet always memorable, these tunes have sweeping narratives that convey much more than generalized emotions or simple environments.  Not sure what that means?  Listen to the mixtape and find out.  NOTE: In the intro to the episode, Brent refers to the composer as Kazuo Hanzawa, because at the time, the composer was known as such, but now, it has been confirmed that his name is actually Norio.

Download and listen NOW

KEYGLYPH'S AWARDS & COMMENDATIONS, JUST BECAUSE

Instant new favorite:  Alien Soldier - Oblivious Past
Other instant new favorite:  Alien Soldier - Runner/AD2025
Other other instant new favorite:  Gunstar Heroes - Last Party on the Moon
Brewed new favorite:  Quarth - BGM 1


Track listing and original episode:

http://legacymusichour.blogspot.com/2012/06/legacy-music-hour-episode-87-kazuo.html

LMH Mixtape #23: Konami

Ah, that Konami sound.  You know it, you love it... and now you have a mixtape of it.

Download and listen NOW

KEYGLYPH'S AWARDS & COMMENDATIONS, JUST BECAUSE

Instant new favorite:  Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge - Praying Hands (Cloud Castle)
Other instant new favorite:  Double Dribble: The Playoff Edition - Victory Theme

Brewed new favorite:  Sparkster - Stage 1 (Lake Side)
Other brewed new favorite: Operation C - Ending

Somebody please expand these lyrics:  Castlevania - Out of Time (Stage 6)*

*The freestyling begins at the 00:50:14 mark of the original episode.  Get on it!

Track listing and original episode:

http://legacymusichour.blogspot.com/2011/04/legacy-music-hour-episode-23-konami.html

Episode 116: Boss Music 2

Boss Music is the focus of Episode 116, as it was for Episode 42.  Konami kind of dominates this episode and Brent hums along to the music with his fingers.  Full track listing below.

Download and listen NOW

 

Game - Composer - Track - Company - Console - Year (North American release unless otherwise indicated)

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse - Jun Funahashi, Yukie Morimoto, Hidenori Maezawa - Big Battle 1 (Dracula's 2nd Form) - Konami - NES - 1990

Chrono Trigger - Yasunori Mitsuda - Last Battle - Square - SNES - 1995

Wolfchild - Matt Furniss - Stage 5 Boss - JVC/Core Design - Genesis - 1993

Pop'n TwinBee - Kazuhiko Uehara, Masahiro Ikariko, Tomoya Tomita, Nobuyuki Akena, Saiko Miki, Masae Nakashima, Harumi Ueko, Yukie Morimoto, Michiru Yamane - Big Boss Battle - Konami - Super Famicom - 1993

Bucky O'Hare - Tomoko Sumiyama - Boss - Konami - NES - 1992

Ghostbusters - Kazuhiko Nagai (Nav.) - Boss Theme - Sega - Genesis - 1990

Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar - Takeshi Yoshida - Simmer Down (Stage 3 Boss) - Technosoft - Genesis - 1992

Mouryou Senki Madara 2 - Tappi Iwase, Miki Higashino, Hirofumi Taniguchi - Triumphal Return of the Beast - Konami - Super Famicom - 1993

King Kong 2: Ikari no Megaton Punch - Shinya Sakamoto (Rusher Shinya), Satoe Terashima (Brilliant Satoe), Kinuyo Yamashita (Yamako), Kiyohiro Sada (Charley-Sada) - Boss Theme - Konami - Famicom - 1986

Contra: Hard Corps - Hiroshi Kobayashi (H. Devi Kobayashi), Akira Souji (Akiropito), Kenji Miyaoka, Michiru Yamane (Chiru2 Yamane), Akira Yamaoka (Gajokai), Hirofumi Taniguchi (Nitachigu) - A Spirit of Bushi - Konami - Genesis - 1994

Body Count - Steve Collett - Stage 4 Boss - Probe Software - Mega Drive (Europe) - 1994

Crisis Force - Kenichi Matsubara, Yasuhiko Manno, Jun Chuuma - Boss 1 - Konami - Famicom - 1991

Mighty Final Fight - Setsuo Yamamoto, Yuko Takehara - Mad Belger (Final Boss BGM) - Capcom - NES - 1993

Little Nemo: The Dream Master - Junko Tamiya - Nightmare King Battle - Capcom - NES - 1990

Pokémon Red Version - Junichi Masuda - Battle (VS Gym Leader) - Game Freak/Nintendo - Game Boy - 1998

Episode 88: Konami 2

Brent and Rob take another look at the legendary company Konami, originally focused on in Episode 23, but this time digging much deeper in to the Konami library and discovering their more obscure titles such as Mouryou Senki Madara, Wai Wai World, and Gradius.  Just kidding on that last one.  Great, great music in this episode.  Konami is one of the best companies to explore when it comes to video game music.  Find out why on Episode 88 of the Legacy Music Hour.  Full track listing below.

Download and listen NOW

Game - Composer - Track - Company - Console - Year (North American release unless otherwise indicated)

King Kong 2: Ikari no Megaton Punch - Shinya Sakamoto (Rusher Shinya), Satoe Terashima (Brilliant Satoe), Kinuyo Yamashita (Yamako), Kiyohiro Sada (Charley-Sada) - Main Theme - Konami - Famicom - 1986

Crisis Force - Kenichi Matsubara, Yasuhiko Manno, Jun Chuuma - Stage 2: Land and Sea - Konami - Famicom - 1991

Crisis Force - Kenichi Matsubara, Yasuhiko Manno, Jun Chuuma - Stage 4: World of Fire - Konami - Famicom - 1991

Bucky O'Hare - Tomoko Sumiyama - Green Planet - Konami - NES - 1992

Getsu Fuuma Den - Hidenori Maezawa - Final Battle - Konami - Famicom - 1987

Mouryou Senki Madara - Konami Kukeiha Club - Symphony of Destruction - Konami - Famicom - 1990

Mouryou Senki Madara - Konami Kukeiha Club - Reparable Gimmick - Konami - Famicom - 1990

Rollergames - Norio Hanzawa, Katsuhiko Suzuki, Atsushi Fujio, Shigemasa Matsuo - The Worst is Yet to Come... (Zone 6) - Konami/Ultra Games - NES - 1990

Super Castlevania IV - Masanori Adachi, Taro Kudou - The Cave - Konami - SNES - 1991

Mouryou Senki Madara 2 - Tappi Iwase, Miki Higashino, Hirofumi Taniguchi - Homesick~Her Beloved Flowers - Konami - Super Famicom - 1993

Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai: Taisen Puzzle-dama - Kenichi Matsubara, Hideto Inoue, Masahiro Ikariko, Harumi Ueko, Kazuhiko Uehara - Title - Konami - Super Famicom - 1994

Laser Invasion - Shigeru Fukutake, Atsushi Fujio, Tomoko Sumiyama, Shigemasa Matsuo - Equipment Select - Konami - NES - 1991

Dragon Scroll: Yomigaerishi Maryuu - Kouji Murata - Desert - Konami - Famicom - 1987

Contra Force - Kenichi Matsubara, Yasuhiko Manno, Tomoya Tomita, Jun Funahashi, Jun Chuuma - Level 2 - Konami - NES - 1992

Yume Penguin Monogatari - Katsuhiko Suzuki (Suzuki the Enigma), Atsushi Fujio (Sukenomiya Fujio) - Stage 1 - Konami - Famicom - 1991

Ganbare Goemon 3: Shishijyuurokubei no Karakuri Manji Katame - Kazuhiko Uehara, Yukie Morimoto, Noriko Takahashi, Jun Funahashi, Tomoya Tomita, Nobuyuki Akena - Stage 5 Part Two - Konami - Super Famicom - 1994

Batman Returns - Jun Funahashi, Harumi Ueko, Kazuhiko Uehara - Meeting Selina Kyle - Konami - SNES - 1993

Konami Wai Wai World - Shinya Sakamoto, Shigemasa Matsuo, Atsushi Fujio - TwinBee/Gradius Stage - Konami - Famicom - 1988

The Lone Ranger - Yoshinori Sasaki (Moai Sasaki), Kenichi Matsubara, Kozo Nakamura (La Nakamur), Tomoya Tomita (Gorgeous Tomita), Kenji Fukui, Satoko Minami - Shop - Konami - NES - 1991

Episode 36: Kinuyo Yamashita

Brent and Rob focus on famed Castlevania composer, Kinuyo Yamashita.  Through an exclusive interview with Yamashita-san herself, the Legacy Music Hour reveals some very interesting information regarding the composer credits of Castlevania.  Special thanks to Kinuyo Yamashita for taking the time to do this interview and prepare her answers in English.  Text version of the interview and track listing below.

Download and listen NOW

Game - Composer - Track - Company - Console - Year (North American release unless otherwise indicated)

Castlevania - Kinuyo Yamashita - Heart of Fire (Stage 5) - Konami - NES - 1987

Arumana no Kiseki - Kinuyo Yamashita - Stage 5 - Konami - Famicom Disk System - 1987

Mega Man X3 - Kinuyo Yamashita - Opening - Capcom - SNES - 1996

Castlevania - Kinuyo Yamashita - Walking Edge (Stage 4) - Konami - NES - 1987

Power Blade - Kinuyo Yamashita - Sector 7 - Taito - NES - 1991

Esper Dream - Kinuyo Yamashita - Main BGM - Konami - Famicom Disk System - 1987

Medarot: Kabuto Version - Kinuyo Yamashita - gameplay - Natsume - Game Boy - 1997

Medarot: Kabuto Version - Kinuyo Yamashita - gameplay - Natsume - Game Boy - 1997

Mega Man X3 - Kinuyo Yamashita - Gravity Beetle - Capcom - SNES - 1996

Power Blade - Kinuyo Yamashita - Sector 5 - Taito - NES - 1991

Power Blade - Kinuyo Yamashita - Stage Select - Taito - NES - 1991

Medarot: Kabuto Version - Kinuyo Yamashita - gameplay - Natsume - Game Boy - 1997

Arumana no Kiseki - Kinuyo Yamashita - Stage 1, 4, and 6 - Konami - Famicom Disk System - 1987

Power Blade - Kinuyo Yamashita - Sector 1 - Taito - NES - 1991

Interview with Kinuyo Yamashita:

Brent: At Konami, you were given the alias "James Banana."  Do you know why Konami picked that name for you?

Kinuyo Yamashita: No, I don't know why they chose the name James Banana.

Brent: Aliases for video game music composers were common in the 1980s, especially at Capcom.  Why did video game music composers use aliases for the credits instead of their real names?  How come there wasn't better record keeping when it came to crediting composers?

Kinuyo Yamashita: The Japanese style is very different from the USA.  They are a lot more reserved and don't want to give away their secrets.  So I guess they felt like they had to protect their talent.  And so they used fake names.

Brent: Looking at video game music from the 80s and early to mid-90s, there were so many prominent female composers.  It seems like at least half of my favorite composers are women.  In comparison, there aren't really any prominent female composers in film music.  Why do you think that is?  Why were there so many female composers working on video games during the 8-bit and 16-bit era?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Haha, I don't know the answer to those questions.  But I would like to compose music for films!

Brent: Who are some of your favorite composers from the 8-bit and 16-bit era?  Were there any composers or soundtracks that were an influence on you?

Kinuyo Yamashita: No, I don't really have any influences.  And I don't know all the composer's names.  I played the game called "Mother" in Japan.  I thought that game had great music.  And Mario and Megaman I like as well.

Brent: During the 8-bit and 16-bit era, did you compose on real instruments and then adapt it to the hardware, or did you compose the music from the hardware itself?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Yes, I would compose the music on a keyboard first.  Then I would have to convert the notes to hex numbers.  And program them into the computer.

Brent: Did you play the game first without sound?  Or did you compose the music from storyboards, screen shots, and/or illustrations?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Usually I can't play the game first.  I am given a story or screen shots like you said.

Brent: As someone who was active in the mid-80s and is still active today, how has technology influenced the way you compose?  Has your compositional technique evolved over time as a result of technology?  Has it evolved as a result of something else?  Or is your approach the same as it has always been?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Technology has greatly changed my composition technique.  With 8-bit music, the sounds had to be programmed.  And I could only use 4 sounds at one time.  So the hardware had a lot more limitations.  Now it's more simple.  I can just play the music on the keyboard.  And have it record directly into the computer.  Now it's a lot more user friendly.  Software allows me to sequence everything easily.  There are almost no musical limitations.

However, with all the advancements in technology.  The arrangement of music became more complex.  Because there are endless possibilities.  So I sometimes get help arranging my music now.

Brent: With regards to the level design, how much did the visual setting of the level factor into the music composition?  For example, the first level of Castlevania takes place in a house.  Does the "house setting" factor into the composition at all?  When you composed the music for that level, were you specifically writing something that you thought would fit a house environment?  Or for the third level, did you write something that you thought would fit an outdoor/balcony/patio-type environment?  Or was this stuff irrelevant?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Yes, I would see the image of the stage.  For example, the stage that has water.  I try to put the the water atmosphere into the music.  And the stage that near the final stage.  I give the music a more tense feeling.  The music is matched with the intensity of the game.

Brent: Did you ever think that the music for Castlevania would become as popular as it is today?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Honestly, no I never thought it would be so popular.  It was a very busy time.  So I was working on a lot of games.

Brent: When you were composing music for earlier video games, did you ever think the music was too good for a video game?  In other words, were you ever discouraged that only a relatively small amount of people would be hearing music that you put so much work into and were proud of?

Kinuyo Yamashita: No, it didn't matter how many people heard my music.  I was glad to work on all the games.

Brent: What was Satoe Terashima's involvement with Castlevania?  Did she
compose any of the music?  Or did she only do sound effects and programming?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Terashima-san composed some music from Castlevania.  She didn't make the sound effects.  We didn't collaborate, we made songs separately.  So all the music from Castlevania is from Terashima-san or me.

Brent: Can you list the songs you composed for Castlevania?  And can you list the songs Terashima-san composed?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Terashima-san composed Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 6, and Ending.  I composed Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Boss, Dracula, and Dracula 2.

Brent: After working at Konami, why did you decide to go freelance? Were there things at Konami that you didn't like?

Kinuyo Yamashita: When I worked at Konami, the expectations were very high.  The long hours were too difficult for my body.  So I had to leave.  I went to another smaller company working on video game projects.  When that ended, the people I worked with wanted me to work at Taito.  But it was in Tokyo, and I didn't want to move there.  So I became freelance by default after that.

Brent: What was it like working freelance in comparison to working at Konami?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Freelance composing is good becaue I can work at home.  But it's inconsistent work.  So that part is a challenge.

Rob: In another interview, you mentioned that you wanted to work on Castlevania II, but were removed from Castlevania to work on other stuff.  Who was the superior that removed you from Castlevania II?  Has he worked on other games?

Kinuyo Yamashita: I don't remember the superior's name.  He directed me to work on other games.  And, I don't remember who composed music for Castlevania II.

Rob: Hideo Kojima was working on Metal Gear around the time you were employed by Konami.  Were you ever asked to participate in the composition of that soundtrack?

Kinuyo Yamashita: He was a peer of mine at Konami.  But I have never composed music for Metal Gear.  But I would love to work on one of the new Metal Gear games.

Brent: Aside from the technical and synthetic aspect, do you think that there is a difference between video game music and non-video game music?  In other words, is there something compositionally and structurally unique about music made for video games?

Kinuyo Yamashita: I think that video game music is similar to film music.  It's different from popular music with singers.  Music doesn't usually stand out in video games.  It's made to go along with the movement of the characters.  But some important scenes from the game make it memorable.

Brent: Did you play video games during the 8-bit and 16-bit era?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Yes, I played some video games.  Usually I played the games I composed music for.  I would have to check the game for bugs.

Brent: What are your favorite games?

Kinuyo Yamashita: I once played "Mother" in Japan.  I thought the story, music and program were good.  And "Medarot" in Japan, which is "Medabots" in the USA.  I beat the game many times to watch the ending, haha.

Rob: What's your favorite Chopin piece?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Nocturne.  Mainly the 3/4 rhythm music, etc.  Also, I like the intense Beethoven.

Rob: Do you think 8-bit and 16-bit music can be romantic?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Yes, it can be romantic.  PSG is inorganic.  But the sound becomes sharp and soft by changing its data.  I liked to make that data.  Also, I think it depends on the listener.  If the music is heard while having a romantic experience, it can take them into it.  But haha, I don't usually think romantically about it.

Rob: Are you married?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Yes.

Brent: Why did you move to the United States?  More specifically, why New Jersey? 

Kinuyo Yamashita: I moved to New Jersey because that's where my husband lives.

Brent: Well, that's about all the questions we have for you.  Is there anything you would like to mention or promote?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Please donate to Japan!

Episode 23: Konami

Episode 23 is a focus on the wonderful music from Konami (and Ultra Games).  Brent and Rob share their favorite tracks from titles such as Contra, Sunset Riders, Metal Gear and more!  Full track listing below.

Download and listen NOW

 

Game - Composer - Track - Company - Console - Year (the version we played was released)

Contra - Kazuki Muraoka, Hidenori Maezawa (arr.) - Stage 5: Snow Field - Konami - NES - 1988

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge - Hidehiro Funauchi - Praying Hands (Cloud Castle) - Konami - Game Boy - 1991

Super C - Kazuki Muraoka, Motoaki Furukawa, Hidenori Maezawa (arr.) - Stage 5: Perilous Cliff - Konami - NES - 1990

The Adventures of Bayou Billy - Atsushi Fujio, Hidenori Maezawa, Kiyohiro Sada, Tsutomu Ogura - BGM A - Konami - NES - 1989

The Legend of the Mystical Ninja - Harumi Ueko - King Ryukyu's Castle (“Burning Thieves”) - Konami - SNES - 1992

Metal Gear - Kazuki Muraoka - Intruder Detected - Konami/Ultra Games - NES - 1988

Sparkster - Akira Yamaoka, Michiru Yamane, Kazuhiko Uehara, Masahiro Ikariko, M. Matsuhira - Stage 1 (Lake Side) - Konami - SNES - 1994

Double Dribble: The Playoff Edition - Miki Higashino (M. Yanagisawa), Masanori Adachi - Victory Theme - Konami - Genesis - 1994

Contra III: The Alien Wars - Miki Higashino, Masanori Adachi, Tachihi Iwase, Aki Hata - Nesting in the Sands “Hell Messenger” (Stage 5) - Konami - SNES - 1992

Contra - Kazuki Muraoka, Hidenori Maezawa (arr.) - Stage 2: Base 1/Stage 4: Base 2 - Konami - NES - 1988

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game - Mutsuhiko Izumi, Miki Higashino, Y. Manno (arr.), Kozo Nakamura (arr.) - Skate On! (Scene 4 part 1) - Konami/Ultra Games - NES - 1991

Lethal Enforcers II: GunFighters - Tsuyoshi Sekito, Yuichi Sakakura - Saloon Showdown (Stage 3-2) - Konami - Genesis - 1994

Castlevania - Satoe Terashima - Out of Time (Stage 6) - Konami - NES - 1987

Operation C - Hidehiro Funauchi - Ending - Konami/Ultra Games - Game Boy - 1991

Life Force - Miki Higashino, Hidenori Maezawa (arr.), Shinya Sakamoto (arr.), Satoe Terashima (arr.), Atsushi Fujio (arr.) - Starfield (Stage 2) - Konami - NES - 1988

Junction - unknown - Sound Test 2 - Micronet (dev.)/Konami (pub.) - Genesis - 1990

Sunset Riders - Motoaki Furukawa, Masahiro Ikariko (arr.). Hideto Inoue (arr.) - Butch Cassidy and Sunset Riders (Train Stage 1) - Konami - Genesis - 1993

Sunset Riders - Motoaki Furukawa, Masahiro Ikariko (arr.). Hideto Inoue (arr.) - The Big Win (Staff Roll) - Konami - Genesis - 1993

Rocket Knight Adventures - Masanori Oouchi, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Masanori Adachi, Aki Hata, Michiru Yamane - Stage 5-1 - Konami - Genesis - 1993

Nemesis - Michiru Yamane, Tomoya Tomita - A Fighter - Konami - Game Boy - 1990

Axelay - Taro Kudou - Unkai - Konami - SNES - 1992