Yuji Takenouchi Explained

Yuji Takenouchi
Native Name:竹ノ内 裕治
Native Name Lang:ja
Alias:TECHNOuchi
Birth Date:25 February 1969
Birth Place:Kyoto, Japan
Years Active:1989–present

, also known as TECHNOuchi, is a Japanese composer, sound designer, and musician.

Career

Takenouchi began his career in the game industry at Konami in 1989, which proved to be challenging as he had no formal musical training. Takenouchi wanted to compose music for the NES, but was assigned to work for PC. He composed for multiple games, most notably SD Snatcher and . Takenouchi considers 1989's Space Manbow to be his best MSX-era work.[1] Takenouchi also worked on multiple arcade games, including X-Men. He found arcade game music and sound design to offer different challenges as arcades are a crowded environment. In 1996, Takenouchi left Konami to join Sony Computer Entertainment after participating in the project "Let's Play Games" ("Game Yarouze"), which Sony hosted.[1]

In 1996 Takenouchi composed the soundtrack for Circadia for the PlayStation, which was his first project for the platform. While unsatisfied with the final product, the soundtrack was positively received, and Takenouchi would arrange songs from the soundtrack 10 years later. In the same year, Takenouchi composed for TomaRunner, drawing inspiration from various genres including techno, rock and roll, and baroque.[1] In 2002, Takenouchi composed the soundtrack of ChainDive with Hideyuki Eto, who previously contributed music for Circadia and sound design for Sky Gunner. After leaving Sony, Takenouchi was approached to compose music for . Takenouchi was managing a school at the time, leading to hectic schedule. He suggested Akira Yamasaki as a composer, acting as a supervisor instead.[1] Takenouchi later joined FromSoftware, where he worked on sound design for Demon's Souls with Hideyuki Eto, marking their fourth collaboration.[2] As Takenouchi was inexperienced with orchestral scores, he brought Shunsuke Kida to compose the soundtrack.[1] Takenouchi would then work on sound design for the game's 2011 spiritual successor Dark Souls. Takenouchi contributed to the Monster Hunter 10th Anniversary Compilation Album, which released in October 2014.[3] After working on sound design for Dark Souls II, Takenouchi left FromSoftware.[4]

Takenouchi later joined Access Games, after a conversation with producer Nobuo Tomita.[5] Takenouchi served as sound director and composer for , working on sound direction from the second episode onwards. The sound team was given reference material by Hidetaka Suehiro and Hiroyuki Saegusa through existing songs from various dramas and movies.[5] In 2016, Takenouchi left Access Games to join iNiS.[6] A compilation of Takenouchi's three house-inspired extended plays, Brand New Day, Southern Paradise, and Parfum was released in March 2017 by Apollo Records and titled after the first EP.[7] Takenouchi contributed to KE-TSU-I kizunajigokutachi, an arrangement album of music from , which released in August 2020.[8] Takenouchi produced Saki Hayash's mini-album, TESTAMENT, which released in May 22, 2021.[9]

Works

Video games[10] !Year!Title!Notes
1989Gekitotsu Pennant Race 2
Space Manbowwith Tsuyoshi Sekito and Michiru Yamane
1990Quarth
Nemesissound design
SD Snatcherwith various others
with various others
1992Namachūkei 68
X-MenSeiichi Fukami, Junya Nakano, and Ayako Nishigaki
Hexionwith Junya Nakano and Satoko Miyawaki
1993Gaiapoliswith Seiichi Fukami and Satoko Miyawaki
Polygonet Commanderswith Junya Nakano
Mystic Warriors
1994Golfing Greats 2
1995Crypt Killerwith Mutsuhiko Izumi
Tokimeki Memorial Taisen Puzzledamawith Yoshihiko Koezuka and Kazuhiro Senoo
1996Road Rage/Speed Kingwith Akira Yamaoka and Mutsuhiko Izumi
1999Circadiawith Mayuko Kusaka, Hideyuki Eto, and Jun Chuma
TomaRunnerwith various others
2000sound producer
2001Sky Gunnersound design with Hideyuki Eto
Mad Maestro!with Jun Chuma and Mayuko Kageshita
2003ChainDivewith Hideyuki Eto
2006music supervisor
2007composer
2009Demon's Soulssound director
2010composer
2011composer
Dark Soulssound designer, character creation music
Instant Brain with Keishi Yonao, Hideki Higuchi, Ryu Umemoto, Tadayoshi Moriya, and Tetsuro Sato
2012sound design with Hideyuki Eto and Koichi Suenaga
2014Dark Souls II sound design with Koichi Suenaga and Kota Hoshino
with Tomomi Teratani, Rio Okano, and Atsushi Yamaji; also sound director
2015Project X Zone 2arrangements
2018with kidlit and Keisuke Morita; also sound director
2019Evangelion Battlefieldssound design / sound director
Touhou Genso Mahjongarrangements
2021Tetote x Connectcomposer / sound director
Dragon Quest Keshi Keshi!sound design / sound director
2022Compass Live Arenaarrangements/ sound director
CancelledProject Rap Rabbitlead sound designer[11]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Greening. Chris. Game Music: Interview with Yuji Takenouchi (October 2009). Square Enix Music Online. 27 November 2021.
  2. Demon's Souls. FromSoftware. February 5, 2009. Credits. Lead Sound Designer: Yuji Takenouchi / Sound Staff: Hideyuki Eto.
  3. 『モンスターハンター 10周年 コンピレーション・アルバム』なるけみちこ氏や山根ミチル氏などが手がけた楽曲の試聴用音源が一部公開. Famitsu. August 2014 . ja. 27 November 2021.
  4. Web site: Greening. Chris. Dark Souls sound director to leave FromSoftware. Video Game Music Online. March 25, 2014. 28 November 2021.
  5. Web site: Greening. Chris. Yuji Takenouchi Interview: New Ventures After Dark Souls. Video Game Music Online. June 13, 2015. 27 November 2021.
  6. Web site: Greening. Chris. Yuji Takenouchi jumps ship to rhythm game developer iNiS. Video Game Music Online. July 22, 2016. 28 November 2021.
  7. Web site: Wilson. Scott. Dark Souls sound designer Yuji Takenouchi's '90s house tracks reissued on new compilation. Fact. January 31, 2017. 28 November 2021.
  8. 『ケツイ~絆地獄たち~』3アルバム9月30日まで期間限定配信! 新デザインのTシャツも発売. Famitsu. ja. 28 November 2021.
  9. Web site: ゲーマートランペット奏者の林沙希さんが,TECHNOuchi氏プロデュースのミニアルバムをリリース. 4Gamer.net. ja. 27 November 2021.
  10. Web site: GameAudio Index. ja. May 5, 2024.
  11. Web site: 『パラッパラッパー』松浦雅也 ×『押忍!闘え!応援団』矢野慶一の最強タッグで完全新作音楽ゲーム『PROJECT RAP RABBIT』を始動!!Kickstarterでクラウドファンディングスタート!. PR TIMES. 16 May 2017 . ja. January 2, 2022.