Masakatsu Takagi Explained

Native Name:高木正勝
Birth Date:3 October 1979
Birth Place:Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Occupation:Musician, Composer, Visual Artist
Years Active:2001-present
Website:http://www.takagimasakatsu.com/

is a musician and visual artist from Kameoka, Kyoto, Japan.[1] He is well known for writing scores for director Mamoru Hosoda's films, alongside his solo work.

Career

Takagi's work as a visual artist has been showcased at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, and the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art.[2] [3] His work was noticed by Apple Inc., and he was featured in a 3-minute promotional video for the company about how Takagi creates his videos on a Macintosh system, and Apple Pro software, including Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. He also uses Adobe After Effects and Adobe Photoshop in his videos.[4]

From a period in 2003 to 2004 he toured with David Sylvian on the "Fire in the Forest" Tour, creating visuals to accompany the performances. The two later collaborated on the track "Exit/Delete" from Coieda (2004).[5]

In 2011, Takagi's song "Nijiko" was used in a video for an Intel's "Museum of Me".[6] [7] The video won six awards at the 2012 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.[8] [9]

He wrote the score for Mamoru Hosoda's films Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015) and Mirai (2018).[10] His score for Wolf Children was selected as "iTunes Best Soundtrack of 2012" in Japan.[11] He also wrote the music for the Studio Ghibli documentary The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013).

Shortly after moving to a small village in Hyogo, Japan, Takagi recorded Kagayaki (2014), blending his background in classical music with Japanese folk music. The album was recorded in nature and among the local villagers, who sing on the album. It is his most critically acclaimed solo work and is ranked number one on the website Rate Your Music's New Age charts.[12]

In 2018 he began the Marginalia series, a series of improvised piano performances from his private studio in Hyogo recorded with the windows open to capture the sound of the local nature and wildlife.[13] These recordings are released on Bandcamp and Spotify, and the works have resulted in five studio albums.[14]

Personal life

Takagi was born in Kameoka, Kyoto, Japan on October 3, 1979, and began playing music and creating visual art at an early age. As his interest in visual art grew, he began creating music videos for his musician friends, and video projections to be displayed in art galleries.[15] He later attended Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, graduating with English.

In 2013 Takagi moved to a village in Hyogo, Japan, where he lives with his wife and children. He spends his free time renovating old folk houses and cultivating his own vegetable garden.[16]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleYear
pia2001
opus pia2002
eating2002
JOURNAL FOR PEOPLE2002
eating 22003
rehome2003
sail2003
world is so beautiful2003
COIEDA2004
AIR'S NOTE2006
BLOOMY GIRLS2006
Private/Public2007
Tai Rei Tei Rio2009
Ymene2010
Niyodo2011
Tama Tama2011
Wolf Children[17] 2012
Omusuhi2013
Kagayaki2014
The Boy and the Beast2015
Mirai2018
Maginalia2018
Maginalia II2019
Maginalia III2021
Maginalia IV2021
Okaeri Mone2021
Maginalia V2023
Gifts From The Kitchen2024
Worlds Apart2024

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 山奥で暮らす高木正勝が届ける、人生を変える「感じ方」の授業. japanese. Cinra.net. 柴. 那典. October 28, 2014. August 20, 2018.
  2. Web site: Takagi Masakatsu . 2024-11-09 . www.takagimasakatsu.com.
  3. Web site: Anomaly . 2024-11-09 . anomalytokyo.com . en-US.
  4. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20070120000501/https://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/takagi/. January 20, 2007. Pro: Takagi Masakatsu. Apple Inc.. August 20, 2018.
  5. Web site: 2018-11-30 . Exit/Delete . 2024-10-14 . Vista . en.
  6. Web site: Takagi Masakatsu . 2024-11-09 . www.takagimasakatsu.com.
  7. The Museum of Me . 2011-05-31 . 2024-11-09 . YouTube.
  8. Web site: 2012 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Awardinners . November 8, 2024 . adforum.
  9. Web site: Intel’s Jayant Murty on the award-winning 'Museum of Me' Marketing . 2024-11-09 . Campaign Asia.
  10. News: July 16, 2018 . 映画「未来のミライ」劇中曲を高木正勝が生演奏、上白石萌歌&細田守のリクエストで . August 20, 2018 . . japanese.
  11. Web site: 2012-12-20 . 『おおかみこどもの雨と雪』サントラが"iTunes BESTof2012"ベストALに選出! . 2024-11-09 . マイナビニュース . ja.
  12. Web site: New Age Top-Ranked albums . November 8, 2024 . Rate Your Music.
  13. Web site: 2024-07-12 . A conversation With takagi Masakatsu - LibertyClub . 2024-10-19 . it-IT.
  14. Web site: Masakatsu Takagi . 2024-10-19 . www.takagimasakatsu.com.
  15. Web site: On communicating with nature through your art . 2024-11-02 . thecreativeindependent.com.
  16. Web site: 中津 . 海麻子 . April 14, 2017 . 「おおかみこども」の音楽が生まれるまで模索10年 高木正勝(前編) . August 20, 2018 . . japanese.
  17. Web site: March 2021 . おかえりモネ:音楽は「おおかみこども」高木正勝が担当 清原果耶主演の次期朝ドラ . March 2, 2021 . Mantan-web.