Yasuhiko Fukuda
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese producer, arranger and keyboardist.
in 1978. Around this time, he won a prize for excellence in the Yamaha-sponsored band tournament EAST WEST 78.
Graduating from Waseda in 1980, Fukuda went on to make his professional debut, playing keyboards in the band QUYS. The band was formed alongside bassist Yoshihiro Naruse (currently of Casiopea
) and drummer Okai Daiji (ex-member of Yonin Bayashi
). The following year marked his recording debut as a session musician on June Yamagishi
's 1981 solo album All The Same, along with his major debut with Hideo Saito in the band YOU. In 1982 he was a participating member of Bakufu Slump prior to their debut, and in 1983 played with Minami Kousetsu as a live tour musician.
Following these early exposures to the industry, Fukuda became a frequently employed studio musician - he went from playing for artists such as Kodomo Band, Shogo Hamada
, Kozo Murashita
, Yoshiyuki Ohzawa to then-contemporary pop figures such as Shibugakitai, Seiko Matsuda
and Ryoko Sano. As a studio player, he has participated in the recording of over a thousand songs. Also during this period, he collaborated with fellow synthesist Noritaka Ubukata in the development of a sound patch for the Yamaha DX7
digital synthesizer called "Shofuku", which was released in 1984. Shofuku later became the name of a recording unit featuring the two musicians in 1988. Fukuda also penned books documenting the DX7's programmable synthesis, one of which, "Yamaha DX7 Digital Synthesizer", was translated and sold in the West.
He is perhaps most well known for his video game and anime soundtracks. He has worked for Hudson Soft
, and is perhaps best known for his soundtracks to various games from the Bomberman franchise. He is currently the keyboardist in the Japanese jazz-funk
and fusion
band BeatNuts, and has played in numerous other bands, such as YOU, QUYZ, and Kodomo Band. He is often credited as "Hirohiko Fukuda".
History and career
Born in Tokyo's Itabashi prefecture, Fukuda began playing piano at the age of 4, and while at school became interested in anime ("We were the first anime generation"). He graduated from Takeheya Senior High School in 1976 and began attending the department of literature at Waseda UniversityWaseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
in 1978. Around this time, he won a prize for excellence in the Yamaha-sponsored band tournament EAST WEST 78.
Graduating from Waseda in 1980, Fukuda went on to make his professional debut, playing keyboards in the band QUYS. The band was formed alongside bassist Yoshihiro Naruse (currently of Casiopea
Casiopea
, named as a misspelling of the constellation Cassiopeia, was a Japanese jazz fusion band that was formed in 1976 by guitarist Issei Noro, bassist Tetsuo Sakurai and keyboardist Hidehiko Koike. In 1977, keyboardist Minoru Mukaiya and drummer Takashi Sasaki joined the group, leaving Hidehiko out of...
) and drummer Okai Daiji (ex-member of Yonin Bayashi
Yonin Bayashi
is an influential Japanese progressive rock group that was formed in 1970.Originally known as "The San Nin" which means "The Three Piece band" in 1970, with Katsutoshi Morizono , Shinichi Nakamura and Daiji Okai . In 1971, keyboardist, Hidemi Sakashita joined and they became 'Yonin-Bayashi' which...
). The following year marked his recording debut as a session musician on June Yamagishi
June Yamagishi
June Yamagishi is a Japanese guitarist based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the guitarist for bands Papa Grows Funk and the Wild Magnolias.-History:...
's 1981 solo album All The Same, along with his major debut with Hideo Saito in the band YOU. In 1982 he was a participating member of Bakufu Slump prior to their debut, and in 1983 played with Minami Kousetsu as a live tour musician.
Following these early exposures to the industry, Fukuda became a frequently employed studio musician - he went from playing for artists such as Kodomo Band, Shogo Hamada
Shogo Hamada
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and former member of the group Aido. He is a part of Sony Music Japan's SME Records division. He was born in Takehara City in Hiroshima Prefecture, and graduated from Kuremitsuta High School...
, Kozo Murashita
Kozo Murashita
Kōzō Murashita was a singer-songwriter who was born in Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan...
, Yoshiyuki Ohzawa to then-contemporary pop figures such as Shibugakitai, Seiko Matsuda
Seiko Matsuda
is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter. Due to her popularity in the 1980s and her long career, she has been dubbed the "Eternal idol" by the Japanese media.- Biography :...
and Ryoko Sano. As a studio player, he has participated in the recording of over a thousand songs. Also during this period, he collaborated with fellow synthesist Noritaka Ubukata in the development of a sound patch for the Yamaha DX7
Yamaha DX7
The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s...
digital synthesizer called "Shofuku", which was released in 1984. Shofuku later became the name of a recording unit featuring the two musicians in 1988. Fukuda also penned books documenting the DX7's programmable synthesis, one of which, "Yamaha DX7 Digital Synthesizer", was translated and sold in the West.
He is perhaps most well known for his video game and anime soundtracks. He has worked for Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
, and is perhaps best known for his soundtracks to various games from the Bomberman franchise. He is currently the keyboardist in the Japanese jazz-funk
Jazz-funk
Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers...
and fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
band BeatNuts, and has played in numerous other bands, such as YOU, QUYZ, and Kodomo Band. He is often credited as "Hirohiko Fukuda".
Video games
- Download (1990) – composer
- Smart BallSmart BallSmart Ball is an Action-adventure game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, known as in Japan. A sequel called was in production, but was never actually released.-Gameplay:...
(1991) – composer with Manabu Saito and Akira YamaokaAkira Yamaokais a video game composer, sound designer, sound director, and video game producer who worked for Konami since 1993 until his resignation in 2009. He is best known for creating the music in the Silent Hill series; he also worked as a sound director and producer on the series as well as serving as a... - Tengai Makyō II: ManjimaruTengai Makyo II: Manjimaruis a role-playing video game and the second game in the Tengai Makyō series. It was first released in 1992 for the PC-Engine Super CD-ROM² by Hudson Soft and developed by Red Entertainment. It was remade in 2003 by Hudson for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2, and a later version was released...
(1992) – composer - Emerald Dragon (1994) – composer
- Super Bomberman 2Super Bomberman 2Super Bomberman 2 is the second of five video games in the Bomberman series developed by Hudson Soft to be released for the Super Nintendo. In North America it was released on December 12, 1994 and in Europe on February 23, 1995. The original release in Japan on April 28, 1994 for the Super Famicom...
(1994) – composer - Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!, known in Japan as , is a Game Boy game published in 1994 by Nintendo and developed by Hudson Soft. It is a crossover between Nintendo's Wario franchise and Hudson's signature Bomberman franchise. It is much more of a Bomberman game than a Wario game despite Wario...
(1994) – composer - Bomberman GB (1995) – composer
- Bomberman GB 3 (1996) – composer
- Super Bomberman 4Super Bomberman 4is a multiplayer action-party video game, developed by Produce and published by Hudson Soft for the Super Famicom, released on April 26, 1996. It is the fourth installment of the Super Bomberman franchise for the console....
(1996) – arranger - Super Bomberman 5Super Bomberman 5Super Bomberman 5, released by Hudson Soft in early 1997, was the final Bomberman game to grace the Super Famicom. The game was released in two variations: a standard cartridge and a gold cartridge, which was sold exclusively through CoroCoro Comic...
(1997) – composer with June Chikuma - Pop'n Music 2Pop'n Music, commonly abbreviated as Pop'n, PM or PNM, is a music video game in the Bemani series made by the Konami Corporation. This game is known for its bright colors, upbeat songs, and cartoon character graphics...
(1999) – composer - Over the Monochrome Rainbow (2003) – composer, game supervision
Anime
- They Were ElevenThey Were Elevenis a manga by Moto Hagio which ran in Shōjo Comic for three issues from September through November 1975. It was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen in 1976, and a sequel Horizon of the East, Eternity of the West was produced in 1976. It was published in English as part of the anthology...
(1986) – composer - K.O. Beast (1992) – composer
- Mobile Suit Victory GundamMobile Suit Victory Gundam, is a 1993 Japanese science fiction anime television series. It consists of 51 episodes, and was directed by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. The series was first broadcast on TV Asahi and later by the anime satellite television network, Animax, across Japan and later its respective networks...
(1993) – theme song arrangement - Kocchi Muite! MiikoKocchi Muite! Miikois an ongoing shōjo comedy manga series by Eriko Ono. It has been published by Shogakukan in Ciao since 1995 and collected in 20 bound volumes as of July 2008. It is a sequel to an earlier series, , and depicts the home and school life of a cheerful and energetic fourth-grade girl named Miiko. The...
(1998) – composer
Other works
- "New Season (Long Version)" (1987) – keyboards
- "Chikyu-no Kiki" (1990) – composition/arrangement
- "FUTARI-KOIBITO (Remix)" (1995) – piano
- Ultraman TigaUltraman Tigais a Japanese tokusatsu TV show and is the 11th show in the Ultra Series. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Ultraman Tiga was aired at 6:00pm and aired between September 7, 1996 to August 30, 1997, with a total of 52 episodes with 4 movies After a franchise hiatus of over 15 years, set in a...
(1996) – ending song arrangement - "Mirage" (1996) – arrangement
- RoboGeishaRoboGeishais a 2009 Japanese sci-fi action B movie written and directed by Noboru Iguchi, visual effects directed by Tsuyoshi Kazuno, and special effects directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura. All three had previously worked together on The Machine Girl, and Nishimura worked on Tokyo Gore Police. The film...
(2009) – composer
External links
- Yasuhiko Fukuda Laboratory
- Yasuhiko Fukuda Profile on the BeatNuts Homepage
- Over the Monochrome Rainbow FSX, Yasuhiko Fukuda blog
- BeatNuts on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Comprehensive interview