Composer Spotlight #3: Koichi Namiki

Alternate title: "Sales Pitch #2: Koichi Namiki"

Works featured in this post:

• Bakusou Dekotora Densetsu 2 (PlayStation)


• GuitarFreaks (PlayStation)


• Rail Chase (Arcade)


• Super Hang-On (Arcade)


• Thunder Blade (Arcade)

full list of works

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Koichi "Mickey" Namiki (who has also had the nickname "Pretty K.N") is an oddly system-specific composer. He's also old guard as far as video game composers go, starting in 1987 with the game Super Hang-On, which he composed with Katsuhiro "Funky K.H" Hayashi and Shigero "Recruit O" Ohwada. For eight years, he composed solely arcade games, mostly ones published by Sega.





"Winning Run"
Super Hang-On (Arcade)


"Type II (BGM2)"
Thunder Blade (Arcade)

The soundtracks to many of Namiki's older games have the same style: they're not the strongest in the melody department, but they have enough hooks to get through the song and just groove along. Rail Chase stands as the most notable exception with its almost adventure movie-style score.


"Stages 1 & 4"
Rail Chase (Arcade)

Starting with 3D Shooting Maker in 1996 and reaching until his most recent game credit, Akudaikan 2 in 2003, he composed solely for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 systems, with the exception of 2002's Magides Fight for the Xbox. Even though he composed more games during this second time period, fewer of those games were released in the U.S. or even had soundtrack releases.

Namiki was a member of the S.S.T. Band, Sega's official band composed partially of Sega composers who played rock arrangements of different songs from Sega games. He was one of two guitarists in the band (the other was Jouji Iijima, who composed the soundtracks to Galaxy Force II and Zero 4 Champ RR), and played for the full five years that the band was active. In some of his later compositions, Namiki wields his mighty axe.





"Dream One"
Bakusou Dekotora Densetsu 2 (PlayStation)
vocals by Shoji Koganezawa


"J-STAFF"
GuitarFreaks (PlayStation)

I did mention in the first line of this post that this should be called "Sales Pitch #2," so let's get to that. Over the past couple of years, Sega's Wave Master sound development studio has released soundtracks to classic Sega video games, such as the Monster World and Outrun series. They have also started the "SOUND!SHOCK SERIES" of albums, the first of which was released this month, SUPER HANG-ON 20th Anniversary Collection. In addition to the soundtracks of Hang-On and Super Hang-On (of which Namiki composed three tracks, including "Winning Run" above), the album also includes five new arrangements, one by Hiroshi "Hiro" Miyauchi and four by Namiki, all of which rock.

The second album in the series, Galaxy Force II & Thunder Blade Original Soundtrack, is set to be released on the 26th of this month. I mentioned Galaxy Force II and Jouji Iijima, its composer, earlier; its style of music is actually quite similar to Thunder Blade's. This album will have another four arrangements by Miyauchi and Namiki. Both albums are available from VGM World, along with the ten disc Game Sound Legend Series Box 2 ~Platinum Box~, which contains the soundtrack to Bonanza Bros. and many, many more games.

Play-Asia.com has the GUITAR FREAKS 2nd MIX ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK, which consists mostly of tracks from GuitarFreaks 2nd Mix, but also has three tracks from the original GuitarFreaks, all written by Namiki, as well as extended versions of each. Also available is SEGACON: The Best of SEGA Game Music - Vol. 1, which also contains the soundtrack to Super Hang-On, as well as those of other older Sega games.

Finally, CDJapan might have a copy of Bakusou Dekotora Densetsu 2 ~Otoko Jinsei Yume Ichiro~ Original Soundtrack. ("Usually ships within 3-7 days" means that CDJapan doesn't know if the distributor has any in stock, but if they do, it'll take about 3-7 business days to ship.) The tracks are all vocal like the sample above, and there are four vocalists other than Shoji Koganezawa.

Composer Spotlight #2: Saitama Saisyu Heiki (S.S.H.)

"Come on, CHz. What do you think you're doing, dude? Everyone knows who S.S.H. is. He's that badass doujin remixer dude from Japan who slings the best guitar synths in the business and totally rocks out VGM covers. You can't just talk about stuff that's not original game material."

That's why we're going to be talking about stuff that's original game material!

Works featured in this post:

• Lost Child (PC)


• Sixty Nine 2 (PC)

full list of works

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll just come clean and say that S.S.H.'s original game compositions sound, well, just like all his other songs: thrashing guitars, smooth synth melodies, etc. The difference is that, instead of having nostalgia for his tracks to rest their laurels on, they stand fully on original material.

And, of course, they still completely rock. This is S.S.H. we're talking about, after all.


"Fly High"
Sixty Nine 2 (PC)

Of course, in regard to both his remixes and original pieces, not all of S.S.H.'s tracks are synthrockin', high-flying (see what I did there) power extravaganzas. For example, "Crying" on LOST CHILD ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK FROM S.S.H SIDE-A and "Into the Noize Ocean" on Sixty Nine2 ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK FROM Saitama Saisyu Heiki are both slowly building tracks, "Crying" taking the rock ballad approach and "Into the Noize Ocean" featuring synth melodies, that only break out with guitaric ferocity after more than three minutes in. LOST CHILD ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK FROM S.S.H SIDE-B has the most variety, from the industrial-like "Amitto" to "Relieve," a piano version of the vocal opening theme composed by Soshi Hosoi.


"Amitto"
Lost Child (PC)

Currently, both SIDE-B and Sixty Nine2 are available for purchase at VGM World. If you've heard all of S.S.H.'s tunes on his web site Live House S.S.H and desperately need more, or just want some music to rock out to, both of these albums would be well worth your time and money.

VGM World has also stocked SIDE-A in the past, but they are currently out of stock (although the "Buy Now" button, which usually disappears when an album is sold out, is still there, so maybe they really have some...?). LOSTCHILD ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALTERNATIVE SIDE-X was a bonus single packaged with the limited edition version of SIDE-B, and LOST CHILD ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK FROM S.S.H THE FINAL SIDE-Z was only packaged with the 2006 re-release of Lost Child, you will likely have to check eBay or elsewhere.