is a Japanese video game music composer. He is known for his work on

Tecmo , was a Japanese video game corporation founded in 1967. It had its headquarters in Kudankita, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its subsidiary, Tecmo Inc, was located in Torrance, California. Tecmo was formerly known as Tehkan. Tecmo is known for ...

's late 1980s and early 1990s

NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

titles, such as ''

Ninja Gaiden is a series of action video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American ''Ninja Gaiden'' title means "side story" in Japanese. The o ...

''. Yamagishi has been considered a pioneer of chiptune music, producing the soundtracks of numerous titles in the 8 bit era.

Career

Yamagishi's first musical experiences came from a band he joined in high school; when applying to Tecmo in 1987 he had no intention of becoming a professional composer. When his experience with music was raised during the job interview, he accepted the role. In addition to composition, he worked on sound programming and sound effects, spending six months learning the programming side after taking the job. Yamagishi's first title with Tecmo was ''Tsuppari Ozumo'', and he would go on to work on critically acclaimed title ''

'' the following year. He composed for numerous NES titles over his tenure with Tecmo, concluding in the early 90s with the release of the

Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in E ...

. Yamagishi has referred to '' Radia Senki: Reimeihen'' (1991) as his greatest NES composition. Yamagisihi stopped working on games as they began to move away from the

chiptune Chiptune, also known as chip music or 8-bit music, is a style of synthesized electronic music made using the programmable sound generator (PSG) sound chips or synthesizers in vintage arcade machines, computers and video game consoles. The t ...

style, stating that he felt his music was "no longer needed". His last title of the era was '' Onimusha Tactics'' on the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

in 2003. He instead began working on ringtones for phones. In 2013, Yamagishi joined the record label

Brave Wave Productions Brave Wave Productions is a Japanese-based record label founded in 2013. It specializes in video game music artists, often those who were active during the chiptune era of the 1980s and 1990s. One of the stated goals of the label is to bridge the ...

, which specialises in the music of chiptune pioneers. Brave Wave would go on to support the release of his debut solo album ''Retro-Active Pt. 1'', with many other artists from the label such as

Stemage Grant Henry (born April 3, 1979), better known by his stage name Stemage, is an American guitarist and composer. He is known for his video game and television soundtracks, including Cartoon Network's animated series ''Steven Universe''. He is a ...

and

Manami Matsumae is a Japanese video game music composer. She previously worked for Capcom in the 1980s, writing music for games such as '' Dynasty Wars'', '' Mercs'', '' Magic Sword'', and the original '' Mega Man''. Career She previously worked for Capcom, ...

collaborating on the project. In 2014 he returned to writing original video game soundtracks, working on several retro and indie titles such as ''Exile's End''.

Style and influences

Yamagishi has described his music as having a "comical, Japanese style", and has cited several influences such as

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

and

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

Works

* ''Tsuppari Ozumo'' (1987) * ''

Tecmo Bowl is an American football video game developed and released by Tecmo. Originally released as an arcade game in 1987, the game features a large dual screen cabinet with up to four players between two fictitious teams. A port for the Nintendo Entert ...

'' (1987) * ''

'' (1988) * '' Bad News Baseball'' (1989) * '' Captain Tsubasa Vol. II: Super Striker'' (1990) * '' Radia Senki: Reimeihen'' (1991) * ''

Tecmo Super Bowl ''Tecmo Super Bowl'' is an American football video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) that was released in December 1991. Developed by Tecmo, it is the first sports video game that was licensed by both the National Football League ...

'' (1991) * ''

Tecmo Cup Soccer Game ''Tecmo Cup Soccer Game'', known as ''Captain Tsubasa'' in Japan and ''Tecmo Cup Football Game'' in Europe, is an association football sports video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1992 by Tecmo, the objective of the game ...

'' (1992) * '' Onimusha Tactics'' (2003) * '' Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom'' (2014) * ''Exile's End'' (2015) * '' The Messenger'' (2018, bonus tracks only) * '' Streets of Rage 4'' (2020, with many others) * ''Oppaidius Desert Island!'' (2021, with many others)

Solo discography

* ''In Flux'' (2014, with many others) * ''Retro-Active Pt. 1'' (2015) * ''Retro-Active Pt. 2'' (2016) * ''The Retro-Active Experience'' (2019)

Guest appearances

– ''World 1–2'' (2017)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamagishi, Keiji Year of birth missing (living people) Japanese composers Japanese male composers Japanese music arrangers Living people Video game composers