Underappreciated Composers Appreciation Thread

Oh, I could go on and on with a plethora of composers out there who are underappreciated and overshadowed. Here are a couple that I feel fit that mold:

SuperSweep (Shinji Hosoe, Ayako Saso, Nobuyoshi Sano and Takayuki Aihara)
This crew has put out some incredible stuff over the years but not many people know it. Shinji Hosoe has gotten a bit more fanfare lately with his work on stuff like Ibara and Xenosaga Ep. II, but those largely pale in comparision to his early work at Namco. Peruse through the Namco GSE's and you'll hear some great things from these composers. Driving Emotion Type-S has an excellent soundtrack as well.

Gamadelic / Data East Sound Team
Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, does chiptune music better than these guys. If you're into chiptune music, and haven't checked these guys out, you're cheating the hell out of yourself.

Hidenori Shoji
This guy's resume isn't that long, but it's impressive, nonetheless. Fighting Vipers 2 and F-Zero AX/GX both have great scores. Also, the soundtrack set for Ryu ga Gotoku & Ryu ga Gotoku 2 is one of my top 3 favorites of the year so far. It bleeds awesomeness.

Hideyuki Fukasawa
Chaos Legion. Shin Onimusha. Mobile Suit Gundam Target in Sight. Listen to those... NOW!

Daisuke Nagata and Kou Hayashi
These two have a short resume too but are worth mentioning. The soundtracks for Chaos Field and Radirgy both rock, and they have another project coming out soon (the name of the game escapes me right now). Looking for great shooter music, these two are right down your alley.


Well, those are some composers that I think are really underappreciated and don't get as much recognition as they should. I also agree with Yasuhisa Watanabe (Yack.) as well. I'm sure I'll have some more later.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Toma

Are there any works in particular that you would recommend? I'd be interested in checking them out.

Oh yes! I have plenty to recommend. Magical Drop 1, 2 and 3, Fighters' History, Skull Fang: Avengers in Galactic Storm and WOLF FANG + TUMBLEPOP are all good places to start. They are all full of chiptuny goodness.

Originally Posted by Toma

As for mine:

Tamayo Kawamoto - I've just been getting into Zuntata again, and while most people think of Yack. or OGR, I've always been drawn to Tamayo's music from the Ray series. Some cool electronica with a bit of a jazzy tinge to it that fits very well with the games. In fact, I'm listening to the Ray Storm soundtrack right now. I don't know what else she has done, though there was that porno music from the 1998 Zuntata concert.

Definitely have to agree with you on Kawamoto. The Ray series has great music, especially Raystorm. I also enjoy the soundtrack for Bujingai, which she co-composed with Hideki Takahagi, another very underated comopser.

There's nowhere I can't reach.