Your (current) favorite composer?
 

Well, it seems very natural that taste of our interest will be definitely changed as we listen and explore more VGM albums. I remember that I was Uematsu fanboy long-long time ago, afterward, I was crazed by Sakimoto's composition on FFT, and then blown off by Hamauzu's classical style on Saga Frontier II. I also had moment when there were nothing but tracks composed by Sugiyama in my playlist.

At the moment, I dont have much favorite composer, at least specifically. Nowadays I only listen albums two or three times, identifying my most favorite tracks, and then creating a private compilation afterward.

Right now I enjoy compilation of jazz pieces mainly consist of Shoji Meguro and Isamu Ohira (and other game tracks with unknown composer). How about you? Do you have some specific composer you are currently in favour with? Or perhaps, you dont really care which composer compose the tracks you are listening at the moment?

(this is very general discussion, and for some reason, I suggest it being sticky-ed, to avoid creation similar topics arise. Just for your consideration though)

I don't usually go in for this sort of thread, but what the hell, I'll bite.

In terms of Japanese game music, I started out as an Uematsu nut, as I suspect many, if not most, of us did. I then moved through the Square pantheon, going through periods of admiration for most of the major composers (except Hamauzu, who's always left me cold). Right now, I look forward to Sakimoto and Shimomura the most, so I suppose that makes them my favorites, but a lot of composers that I enjoy (like Sasai and Kikuta) aren't working anymore.

As far as Western game music goes, Jeremy Soule was my gateway drug; I really enjoyed his early work and (to an extent) that continues today, though I fear that he's working into a rut. Chance Thomas has done some wonderful stuff as well (loved King Kong), and I wish that Steve Burke would get more work.

That's just a rough guesstimate; it's really easier to say who I don't like now than who I do.

I've been a Shimomura's fan for a long time now. And I've been listening to Pink Sweets music lately and Natsuko Naitou's work is incredible. I would have said SSH too, but he's more an arranger than a composer. Lost Child is pretty much his only original stuff I know him for. I was browsing his website the other day and because I don't know japanese, I didn't recognize most of the tracks, I thought there were all SSH originals..... hehe..

My tastes might change someday. But those are the composers I'm digging more lately.

I've got a somewhat lesser-known composer as my current favourite: Yasuhisa Watanabe AKA Yack. His compositions are always full of enjoyment, and I haven't come across a soundtrack by him which I didn't like/love. His style is unrivaled <3.

Also at the top of my list of favourite composers are:
- Nobuo Uematsu (=O shock)
- Gust Sound Team (Akira Tsuchiya, Ken Nakagawa, Daisuke Achiwa, Miyoko Kobayashi)
- Yasunori Mitsuda
- Yoko Shimomura
- Konami Kukeiha Club (especially Miki Higashino)
- Leaf Sound Team (Kazuhide Nakagami, Shinya Ishikawa, Naoya Shimokawa)
- Tenpei Sato
- (Falcom) Sound Team JDK

*cough* Well, that's quite a list there.

That's a really hard question :)

I guess, if you're one of those FF-music types, you'll probably be able to say Uematsu.

But I'd say the composers I've had the consistent most respect for over the years (as opposed to say, a flash in the pan or once-off great score) would be the Falcom musicians (Sound Team JDK). It may sound like a copout, but they've covered nearly every genre with their arranges, and shown (for my money) that VGM doesn't have to fit any stereotype or particular genre. I love that.

At the moment, I've been listening to some once-off's, like Inca 1/2 (Gilles Douieb), Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (David Kneupper), and others. Those guys are scary talented. Sadly they didn't do much game music.

Oh, of course, Motoi Sakuraba deserves a mention. Geez, I've played so many games he's worked on. Even if I don't like the game (Star Ocean), I love the music!

Regards,
- Spike

I was never crazy for Uematsu as much as I was just crazy for all things Square at one point, though I do think that SNES era Uematsu is as good as anything else, especially with Final Fantasy VI (my all time favorite game score) in the mix. Right now I don't really have any "current" favorites. Just my all time favorites. Those being Sakimoto followed by Sakuraba. Who would come third and so forth is something I'd have to think about for a while. Anyways, I have a lot of favored soundtracks that aren't by the aforementioned composers and that can't usually be grouped together under any one composer. Stuff like Tenchu, Soul Edge, Gate of Thunder, Castlevania IV, DKC2, SoR2, Grandia, Suikoden, etc. As for current listening, I'm surely behind on that, as my interest in gaming has dwindled over the past few years.

First strike is Uematsu. He brought me to VGM world (from Liberi Fatali).:)
Then Yasunori Mitsuda hit me with greatest VGM (at that time) in Xenogears.
At last, it is Yuki Hajiura with my most favorite VGM,"Xenosaga EP3 - Also Sprach Zarathustra", until these day I insanly search for every album of her work.:)

I'd just like to agree with Megavolt about this:
I still haven't heard the latest Ys albums :twitch:

- Spike

Some of my top CURRENT favorite composers include:

Hidenori Shoji
I've been wearing out the soundtrack for Ryu ga Gotoku & Ryu ga Gotoku 2 like an old slipper. It's one of my top 3 soundtracks of the year so far. I don't know what the rest of the year holds in store, but I don't see this gem falling out of the top 5 regardless of whatelse comes out.

Kow Otani
It's been almost 2 years since the OST for Shadow of the Colossus came out but I still love it. It still continues to get frequent plays on my computer and mp3 player. I'm chopping at the bit for a new game composed by this guy.

Yasumasa Sato
Without MASA being involved less, there was a huge dropoff between the soundtracks for Shin Sangokumusou 3 (Dynasty Warriors 4) and Shin Sangokumusou 4 (Dynasty Warriors 5). When the next installment was announced, Shin Sangokumusou BB, I was excited but feared the worst if MASA didn't have a major role. Well, MASA's involvment was sparse, but I still loved the album! Why? Because, Yasumasa Sato did a hell of a job as a substitute. If I hadn't known the guy's name beforehand, I would have thought it was MASA himself. This guy better be back for the next Shin Sangokumusou installment.

Namco Sound Team (Keiki Kobayashi, Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Junichi Nakatsuru, Hiroshi Okubo)
I can't get enough of this group. These guys have done amazing work on both the Ace Combat and Soul Calibur franchises. They've also put out a couple non-vgm albums that have been great. Also, Okubo's on the Ridge Racer games is fantastic.

I'm a hopeless case: I still adore music by Uematsu and Mitsuda. ;) And I'm very much in love with Sakimoto's FF XII soundtrack right now, but that's no doubt due to the fact that I'm hooked on the game. I find his music really difficult to appreciate if I haven't played the game.

Last year I was really impressed with Toshikazu Tanaka's KOF MI, Rage of Dragons and the latest Metal Slugs, but nowadays I think that I like Motoaki Furukawa the most. In the past I've loved Uematsu, Mitsuda and Iwadare as well.

Yuzo Koshiro is my new favorite with his Etrian Odessey score ^_^

But Sakimoto and Hamauzu would still remain as my favorite vgm composers.

If other soundtrack composers are included then it would be Sakimoto + Goldenthal + Elfman. ^_^

For me it would have to be Jim Dooley (for his work on the SOCOM series) or Harry Gregson-Williams (Metal Gear Solid series) mainly because I listen to film scores from the school of Hans Zimmer.

Michael Giacchino and Bill Brown would be up there too and are well played on my iPod but both have found Movie and TV land in recent years which I suppose will always be a problem when composers are as brilliant as they are.

Thankfully Jermy Seoule still does games he'd be my #5.

I'm hopeless for any of Junya Nakano's work, mainly Dew Prism and Musashiden II Blademaster. Other composers that I follow are:

• Kenji Ito
• Michiru Yamane
• Yasunori Mitsuda
• Shoji Meguro
• Motoi Sakuraba

Can't get enough of this team neither. Hopefully AC6 turns out having a great album like AC5 if this team is composing the soundtrack.

My current favorites:

Jesper Kyd
He's done some excellent work on the Hitman series and "Freedom Fighters". Hitman: Contracts was somewhat lacking.

Michiko Naruke
Composed the Wild Arms series. Her music really fit the games well, but I really hope her illness doesn't stop her from composing more projects.

Ryo Yonemitsu
Composed a lot of Falcom arrange albums until Ys IV I believe and then came back and did 4 tracks in "Wild Arms Music the Best -rocking heart-" album. Hopefully he does some more composing and doesn't disappear again :(

Noriyuki Iwadare
Composed the Grandia series, Langrisser series, Growlanser 1 & 2, Lunar The Silver Star, etc. After Grandia III though, hopefully he improves....

Honorable Mentions: Harry Gregson-Williams, Tommy Tallarico, Nobuo Uematsu, Akira Yamaoka

Naturally Hitoshi Sakimoto is still my top fav - especially after hearing RomeoXJuliet - DO MORE ORCHESTRA!!

I have taken a liking to the re-recorded Chain of Memories OST (more battle themes than reprises from KH1) so Yoko Shimomura is a fav at the mo.

I am esgerly awaiting more sounds from Noriyasu Agematsu as his contribution to Wild Arms 5 was beyond expectation. Amazing work. Masato Koda is definatly worth his mention as well as it has revived a few devil may cry favs. Have to love the Voslung Battle Theme on WA5

I'll mention Motoi Sakuraba, though I'm patiently waiting for music from Eternal Sonata

For the sake of Nobuo Uematsu, I'm waiting for Lost Odessey

Yasunori Mitsuda. Xenosaga is my favorite video game soundtrack, and his work on Chrono Cross, using the same themes with different arrangements for the parallel worlds is just genius.

I'm hopelessly addicted with Falcom Sound Team JDK. The Legend of Heroes albums are just beyond terrific :D

Well I've been a sucker for Mitsuda since day one. I never grow tired of his wonderful mix of celtic hymns and soft guitar plucking.

Although recently I've been fairly into GUST Sound Team and their work on the Atelier Iris-games, which I do enjoy. I will probably check out some of their earlier work(any recommendations?).

At first there was Hiroki Kikuta (and Secret of Mana was my first VGM album I purchased yeeeears ago), afterward, during the time of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask Koji Kondo was on the top. Later, thanks to the Internet, I listened to pieces from Yasunori Mitsuda. And today? No special one is sitting on the throne because the throne is a wide couch. ;) Hidenori Iwasaki (Front Mission 5!), Akira Yamaoka, Jeremy Soule, Frank Klepacki, Hitoshi Sakimoto and many more has taken place.

Tim Follin, without hesistation. Easily the most consistently good compositions I've ever heard across a body of VGM work, his compositions were not only well-written but often pushed the perceived creative and functional limits of the mediums he worked in. His next-gen work on material like Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future and Lemmings for the PSP only proved to me that he wasn't just a talent at the 8- and 16-bit systems.

My second favorite would easily be Yasuhisa "Yack" Watanabe. He's more hit-and-miss, but when he hits he knocks it out of the park. Song of the Week first exposed me to him with his work on the Metal Black arrange soundtrack.

Third is probably Yuzo Koshiro just for the Streets of Rage series. With more time, I'd be able to think of others.

Currently, Jamie Christopherson with his Golden Compass game soundtrack. The game is decent for a movie tie-in, but the soundtrack really stands out.

david bergeaud of course

Kenji Ito - Really, nobody can do battle theme like him.
Toshikazu Tanaka - You can't go wrong with this guy. I loved all of his work!

Hamauzu and Shimomura currently dominate my brain right now.

Flavour of the month would be Eric Whitacre, Arvo Part, Mike Nock, Elena Kats-Chernin, Per Norgard and John Zorn.

Of the dead composers: William Alwyn, Arnold Bax, Percy Grainger, Gabriel Pierne, Carlo Gesualdo, Santiago De Murcia, Mateo Flecha, Cristobal De Morales, Guillaume Dufay, Jean-Marie Leclair, Dietrich Buxtehude and G. F. Handel (operas) are my most recent favourites, although it changes every week.

Michael Land

I was in love with the monkey island series for a long time

Then I moved onto Nobuo Uematsu for a long time

Until I hit Yasunori Mitsuda and Chrono Trigger

Then Hirokki Kikkuta for a long time for seikken 2

Then Back to Mitsuda as I fell in love with Chrono Cross

and then finally Koji Kondo for many of his wonderful games

to Ennio Morricone for a wee bit as I enjoyed a bunch of his osts (just heard the Mission) - great!

Now I'm kind of looking for something new

Nice selection, NinjaguyDan. I went through some of the same favorites (as far as game music is concerned), though in a different order.

I really fancy the music of Michael Land. Have you ever heard his music for for "The Dig"? It is lovely work, great in mood and atmosphere, slow and eerie. It blends in orchestral samples for a nice harmonious affect. Many prefer more tuneful, faster and less ambient music, but this is a little different. Definitely one to play in the background or something to drift off to. I know it may not be new to you, but if you haven't already, check it out: Michael Land - The Dig

My current favorite musician is Tor Lundvall, and I likely will remain so for a long time. He composes ambient music in a somewhat more melodious form that's always seemed, to me, to capture an underlying sense of menace and coziness.

Here, try a sample:

http://pixhost.info/avaxhome/f9/29/001629f9.jpeg

(listen -->) Tor Lundvall - Ice

pass: thedarkbluehours

P Haydn thank you so much for posting that. Ive only listened to the first few tracks so far but it's exactly the kind of stuff I'm really into right now.

Yeah I love the Dig, it's easily in my top 10 of greatest albums of all time. There's just something magical in the strings that takes you away.

I might have to get into Tor now, actually have you heard the 1000% slowed down jurrassic park? It's soo amazing.

I also just heard about Zoe Blade, this stuff is in a similar vein, very light.

Hello Calm | Zoë Blade

All the samples are full, but if you want the album lemme know

:DDD
 

Whoa thanks, Ninjaguy! Really, thanks for sharing Hello Calm. I'm listening to it right now (btw I love bandcamp.com) and it totally resonates with me.

This quotation of the artist embodies one of the aspects of ambient music that engrosses me so much:I know exactly what this means. Unfortunately, I am seldom able to capture this moment, but it is enthralling when I encounter it. The semblance is also captured by my enjoyment of Lundvall's craft.

I'm a huge fan of Lundvall. He's actually about to unveil a major release, a four CD set entitled The Seasons Unfold. Since you've had a positive reaction so far to Ice, please try the next album in line once you have the time for some sessions of entrancement. It's called The Mist.


http://i32.tinypic.com/2s0zkep.jpg

(download --> ) Tor Lundvall - The Mist
pass: thedarkbluehours

Here's a little ditty I wrote about a couple tracks from Ice:

Lundvall is also a amazing painter. Check out his gallery and discography at torlundvall.com. Here are a few pieces which strike me:


http://torlundvall.com/images/paintings/tl-moths.jpg http://torlundvall.com/images/painti...-i_see_you.jpg


As you can probably guess, he does his own CD cover artwork. Been intending on making a sig/avatar combo with these sometime. Anyways, always glad to share the Lundvall-love. Hope you enjoy, and please tell me about this 1000% slowed down Jurassic Park. Never heard of it.

For a while it was Masashi Hamauzu, but I haven't been truly impressed with one of his soundtracks since Unlimited SaGa, though Musashiden II and Sigma Harmonics were both great.

Currently, Yuzo Koshiro. Actraiser and Streets of Rage were good but didn't stand out to me. However, after hearing the Perfect Collection Sorcerian albums (of which he composed the source tunes), the Sekaiju no MeiQ albums, and the phenomenal Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 album, I got hooked. Right now, the only other person that can come close is Manabu Namiki, but I still gotta give it to Yuzo.

Currently my favorite composers are both females: Yoko Shimomura and Yuki Kajiura

I'd have to say Motoi Sakuraba, Yuki Kajiura and Yoko Shimomura. It's like they take you into this "world" when you hear their music.