Haruomi Hosono

is a Japanese popular musician, best known internationally as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra.

Hosono first came to attention in Japan as the bass player of the psychedelic rock band Apryl Fool, who released the album "The Apryl Fool" in 1969. Members from this band (including Hosono) then formed the influential folk-rock group Happy End. After "Happy End" disbanded, Hosono worked with a loose association of artists making "exotica"-style music under the title "Tin Pan Alley". He also made an innovative electronic soundtrack for the film "Cochin Moon", together with artist Tadanori Yokoo.

In 1978, Hosono formed the Yellow Magic Orchestra with Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The "Yellow Magic Orchestra" (a.k.a. YMO) released a number of albums in the late 70s and early 80s to considerable acclaim both inside and outside Japan. After YMO disbanded in 1984, Hosono released a number of solo albums covering a variety of styles, including film soundtracks, and a variety of electronic ambient albums.

He was one of the first producers to recognize the appeal of video game sounds and music. YMO's self titled debut in 1978 continued substantial game sounds and after YMO disbanded an early project was an album simply titled "Video Game Music" containing mixed and edited Namco game music and sounds. In the late 80s and early 90s the influence of world music on his music deepened, and he worked with international singers and musicians such as Amina Annabi.

As well as recording his own music, Haruomi has done considerable production work for other artists such as Miharu Koshi, Sheena and the Roketts, Sandii and the Sunsetz, Chisato Moritaka and Seiko Matsuda.

He's produced a number of short term band projects as a band member. His first post-YMO band was Friends of Earth. As with most of his projects he combines musical styles he's interested in. F.O.E. seemed to be a combination of Funk and Techno and included a collaboration with James Brown and Maceo Parker for a remake of the song "Sex Machine". Another notable band project was 1995's Love, Peace & Trance. Members were Mimori Yusa ("Love"), Miyako Koda ("Peace"), Haruomi Hosono ("&") and Mishio Ogawa ("Trance").

In the 1990s he started the Daisyworld label to release a wide range of experimental artists from Japan and the rest of the world. Hosono collorated on many of the releases, such as World Standard, a trip into Americana; HAT, a supergroup (the acronym stands for Hosono, Atom Heart, Tetsu Inoue),and "Quiet Logic", by Mixmaster Morris and Jonah Sharp. The Orb also paid tribute with a series of remixes including the notorious "Hope You Choke On Your Whalemeat".

In 2002 Haruomi formed the duo Sketch Show with his YMO band-mate Yukihiro Takahashi. They have released two albums, one of which, "Loophole", has received a UK release. When the third former YMO member, Ryuichi Sakamoto deepened his involvement it was decided to bill those collaborations as Human Audio Sponge.

In 2007, his fellow YMO members and other artist paid tribute to Haruomi with a 2-disc album titled "Tribute to Haruomi" in Spring of 2007. Also, that same year, the animated film "EX MACHINA" (Appleseed) which will be released worldwide will feature a soundtrack performed and supervised by Haruomi Hosono.

Trivia

*Hosono's grandfather, Masabumi Hosono was the only Japanese passenger on the Titanic and one of the survivors.
*Hosono plays a small supporting role as a Japanese school teacher in the 1985 film Paradise View. One of the characters, his student, has a YMO shrine in her room.
*Recorded backing vocals behind Kylie Minogue on Towa Tei's 1998 song "GBI".

Discography

* Hosono House (1973)
* Tropical Dandy (1975)
* Bon Voyage (1976)
* Paraiso (1978)
* Pacific (with Shigeru Suzuki and Tatsuro Yamashita) (1978)
* Cochin Moon (1978)
* The Aegen Sea (with Takahiko Ishikawa and Masataka Matsutoya) (1979)
* Philharmony (1982)
* Kaze no tani no Nausicaä (image song) (1984)
* S.F.X (1985)
* Mercuric Dance (1985)
* Nokto de la galaksia fervojo (1985)
* Coincidental Music (1985)
* Paradise View (1985)
* The Endless Talking (1985)
* Music from The Tale of Genji (1987)
* Omni Sight-Seeing (1989)
* Medicine Compilation (1993)
* Mental Sports Mixes (1993)
* LOVE, PEACE & TRANCE (1995)
* N.D.E. ("Near Death Experience") (1995)
* Good Sport (1995)
* Naga (1995)
* Why Dogs Don't Talk Anymore (1996)
* (KOTOSHI-NO NATSU-WA) More Better (This Summer Will Be More Better)(producer)(with Chisato Moritaka)
* Hosono House (2005)
* Maison de Himiko (2005)
* Tokyo Shyness (2006)
* Harry Hosono Crown Years 1974-1977 (2007)
* Tribute to Haruomi Hosono (2007)
* EX MACHINA Original Soundtrack supervised by HARUOMI HOSONO (2007)
* STRANGE SONG BOOK - Tribute to Haruomi Hosono 2 (2008)

External links

* [http://www.music-city.org/Haruomi-Hosono/discography/ Haruomi Hosono discography, news, and general informations at Music City]
* [http://www.avexnet.or.jp/sketchshow/ Official Sketch Show website (Avex)]
* [http://nippop.com/artist/artist_id-79/artist_name-sketch_show/ Nippop Profile | Sketch Show]