is a Japanese

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

composer, best known for his work in the ''

Ape Escape ''Ape Escape'' is a series of video games developed primarily by Japan Studio and published and owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series incorporates ape-related humour, unique gameplay, and a wide variety of popular culture, pop cult ...

'' video game series. He started producing music in 1989 as well as remixing singers such as Nami Shimada. He and fellow producer

Shinichiro Yokota is a Japanese DJ and record producer known for his single "Do It Again," which gained significant attention due to an incorrect credit on YouTube that mistakenly attributed the track to Soichi Terada. His early exposure to music came in his chi ...

formed Far East Recording in 1990, releasing various albums and singles. After releasing the album ''Sumo Jungle'' in 1996, he composed the soundtrack for ''

'' in 1999. In 2014, "The Far East Transcripts" EP was released, sparking interest in Terada's work. A year after, the album ''Sounds from the Far East'' was released, which led to him touring and creating more music.

Biography

Early life and career

Terada was born on March 19, 1965, in Tokyo, Japan, playing the

electronic organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the pump organ, harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has si ...

when he was younger. He majored in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

and

at the

University of Electro-Communications The is a national university in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. It specialises in the disciplines of computer science, the physical sciences, engineering and technology. It was founded in 1918 as the Technical Institute for Wireless-Communications. H ...

. In 1987, he traveled to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

as a part of a three-piece band and "fell in love with the city and its distinctive sound." When he returned to Tokyo, he started producing

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

and trying to emulate the city's style, sending demos to labels like

Sleeping Bag Records Sleeping Bag Records was a New York City-based independent record label founded by musician Arthur Russell (musician), Arthur Russell and entrepreneur Will Socolov. It was active between 1981 and 1992, and specialized in dance music and hip hop. ...

but with no avail. That same year, Terada met

at a

Vestax Vestax Corporation was a Japanese musical instrument, turntable and audio equipment firm founded by Hidesato Shiino in 1977. The company started by designing and manufacturing electric guitar, electronic guitars. In the 1980s, Vestax produced mul ...

DJ Contest, where Terada introduced Yokota to house music

synthesizers A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

and letting him use his instruments. In 1989, he produced the song "Sun Shower" for singer Nami Shimada, which was remixed by

Larry Levan Lawrence Philpot (July 20, 1954 – November 8, 1992), known as Larry Levan ( ), was an American DJ best known for his decade-long residency at the New York City night club Paradise Garage, which has been described as the prototype of the moder ...

and

Mark Kamins Mark Kamins (April 11, 1950 – February 14, 2013) was an American record producer, remixer, and disc jockey famous for his role in the New York club scene. He is best known for helping launch the career of singer Madonna by bringing her to Sir ...

. A year after, he and Yokota formed the label Far East Recording after Terada graduated university, releasing their first album called ''Far East Recording'' in 1992. In 1997, he composed for the Japanese drama ''

Psychometrer Eiji is a Japanese manga series written by Yuma Ando and illustrated by Masashi Asaki. It was serialized by Kodansha in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1996 to 2000, with its chapters collected in 25 ''tankōbon'' volumes. A sequel, titled '' ...

'' alongside Chuei Yoshikawa and

DJ Krush , better known by his stage name DJ Krush, is a Japanese record producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature, and extensive use of jazz and soul samples. Early life Ishi ...

Video games and Omodaka

Terada started composing soundtracks for video games in 1998, with his first for ''Wangan Trial''. In 1999, Terada was given an opportunity to compose the music for

after a game director listened to his track "Sumo Jungle." When he learned what the game was about, Terada was "really excited" as he played on the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

and was shown demo footage of the game. A year after, he composed for the Japanese version of the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

game

Fantavision Fantavision is an animation program by Scott Anderson for the Apple II and published by Broderbund in 1985. Versions were released for the Apple IIGS (1987), Amiga (1988), and MS-DOS (1988). Fantavision allows the creation of vector graphics a ...

. In 2001, he created the project Omodaka while trying to create a "

boat racing Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water body, water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and ...

song." He released the first album, ''Cantata No. 147'', under the project in 2006. Japanese folk singer Akiko Kanazawa joined the project as the genre transitioned to

folktronica Folktronica is a genre of indie electronic music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica, often featuring uses of acoustic instruments—especially stringed instruments—deploying hip hop, electronic or dance rhythms, and ...

in 2009. That same year, he donned a white mask and a

Miko A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as Shamanism, shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained ...

outfit. Under the project, Terada writes about the prostitution during the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

and

gambling in Japan In Japan, most forms of gambling are generally banned by the Criminal Code chapter 23. However, there are several exceptions, including betting on horse racing and certain motor sports. Public sports, lottery, and toto (football pools) are held un ...

and starts with a

backing track A backing track is an audio recording on audiotape, CD or a digital recording medium or a MIDI recording of synthesized instruments, sometimes of purely rhythmic accompaniment, often of a rhythm section or other accompaniment parts that live m ...

s first instead of

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

Resurgence

In 2014, London-based Japanese label Hhatri released ''The Far East Transcripts'', an EP which included three of Yokota's tracks and one of Terada's tracks. The EP sparked renewed interest in Japanese house music, especially Yokota and Terada's works. In 2015, Dutch label Rush Hour reached out to Terada if he wanted to release a compilation album of his work, to which he agreed. They released a compilation album called ''Sounds from the Far East'', which was compiled by German-born Korean DJ Hunee. The album's release led to Terada producing more music and going on tours, including Europe and North America for the first time in 2016. In 2017, he toured with Nick Dwyer of Weird Together in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, which was hosted by the

Red Bull Music Academy The Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) is a world-traveling series of music workshops and festivals that was founded in 1998 by Red Bull GmbH. The main five-week event is held in a different city each year. The public portion of its program is a festiv ...

Artistry

Influences

Terada is influenced by

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

, as well as bands such as

RC Succession was an influential Japanese rock band from Tokyo, formed in 1968. One of Japan's longest-running bands, it went through many line-up changes over the years with front man Kiyoshiro Imawano and bassist Kazuo Kobayashi the only constant members, ...

Akiko Yano is a Japanese pop and jazz musician and singer born in Tokyo and raised in Aomori and later began her singing career in the mid-1970s. She has been called "one of the major musical talents of the Japanese popular music world", and her vocals an ...

and

Yellow Magic Orchestra Yellow Magic Orchestra (abbreviated to YMO) was a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals, occasional keyboards) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, ...

. He has since moved away from hip-hop to more sample-based and digital production. He is also influenced by foreign people, such as English singer

Sheila Chandra Sheila Savithri Elizabeth Chandra (born 14 March 1965) is a retired English pop singer of Indian descent. She began her career as an actress in the late 1970s before launching a music career in the early 1980s. Her career ended prematurely in 2 ...

Musical style

Terada's musical style focuses on house music and jungle. In an interview with

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

, he revealed that he uses the stereotypes of Asia when running the Far East Label, with Terada also saying that he is happy when someone tells him that he combines "Asian elements" with house music. As Omodaka, he is influenced by YMCK,

traditional Japanese music Traditional Japanese music is the folk or traditional music of Japan. Japan's Ministry of Education classifies as a category separate from other traditional forms of music, such as (court music) or (Buddhist chanting), but most ethnomusic ...

, and retro game sounds. He uses consoles such as the

Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

, PSP, and

Korg Kaossilator The Korg Kaossilator is a line of portable music synthesizers manufactured by Korg. Termed "dynamic-phrase synthesizers" by the manufacturer, Kaossilators are capable of producing a wide range of sounds, can produce a continuous music loop, and ...

Discography

Albums

As Soichi Terada

As Omodaka

As Far East Recording

Games

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Terada, Soichi 1965 births Composers from Tokyo Electronic composers Japanese house musicians Japanese male composers Japanese music arrangers Living people Japanese remixers Japanese video game composers