Koji Sakurai
From Sega Retro
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| Koji Sakurai |
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| Place of birth: Tokyo, Japan |
| Date of birth: 1971-06-02 (age 53) |
| Role(s): Musician |
Koji Sakurai (櫻井 浩司) is a sound composer known for his work in games (particularly for mobiles) and a collaborator for artists such as Masayuki Chiyo, Takayuki Hattori and Yuko Fukushima. In 1991 he formed the techno unit Mind Design (under the Transonic Records label) with future Sega sound composer Tomonori Sawada in the midst of the Japanese techno movement and college education. Renowned tracks from the group include "Phonetic," "Spiritual" (Sakurai's composition) and "Skywalk" (Sawada's composition), the lattermost of which saw a remix by techno DJ Ken Ishii. The group disbanded in 1994, though both artists remained with the label in their own way.
Following graduation Sakurai was hired by Taito as a sound creator for both arcade and console titles and also as a member of its in-house band, Zuntata. Sometime later he left the company and opened Cubisme, his own private office.
Through Cubisme Sakurai has had the opportunity to arrange music for J-Rock group Super Soul Sonics on their 2nd album (Hoop) and vocalist aoi ("Happy Pearl March"). Additionally, he collaborated with Daisuke Asakura on the anime adaptation of the manga Gravitation. Work in the video game industry includes Sega (Shenmue II, Rez, Sonic Free Riders), a re-acquaintance with Taito (Energy Airforce series, Space Invaders Extreme 2, Qix++), as well as Sony (Arc the Lad series) and Namco Bandai Games (Tamagotchi series).
Contents
Production history
Games
- Shenmue II (Dreamcast; 2001) — Music Composers
- Rez (Dreamcast; 2001) — Assistant Sound Creator
Music
- Rez Gamer's Guide to... (CD; 2002) — Assistant Sound Creator
- Gekirindan (1995)
Song credits
- Main article: Koji Sakurai/Song credits.
Gekirindan
- Untitled Soldier (BGM 3 / A.D. 1999) — Arrangement
Sonic Free Riders
- Theme of Rocky Ridge — Music & Arrangement
- Theme of Metropolis Speedway — Music & Arrangement
- Theme of Magma Rift — Music & Arrangement
- Theme of Final Factory — Music & Arrangement