He first came to international prominence in the 1990s as the leader of the experimental rock group Ground Zero, and has since worked in a variety of contexts, ranging from free improvisation to noise, jazz, avant-garde and contemporary classical. He is also a pioneering figure in the EAI-scene, and is featured on important records on labels like Erstwhile Records. He has composed music for many films, television dramas, and commercials. In 2017, Otomo became the 2nd Guest Artistic Director of The Sapporo International Art Festival 2017.
Biography
Early years
Otomo was born in Yokohama in 1959, but due to his father's job, moved to Fukushima when he was nine years old.[3] In high school, he frequented jazz cafés and started his own band.[3] After entering university, he began studying under the improvisational jazz guitarist, Masayuki Takayanagi.[3] He began performing around the world and released his first album in 1991 in Hong Kong.[3] It was when the music he composed for a 1994 Hong Kong film was well received at the Cannes Film Festival that he also began to work as a composer.[3]
Film and television
Otomo has composed music for a number of films and television programs,[4] including Naoki Kato's Abraxas,[5] Tsuyoshi Inoue's The Town's Children,[6] and Ryuichi Hiroki's Yellow Elephant.[7] He composed the music for the 2013 NHK morning television dramaAmachan and it became his most commercially successful work up to that point. The soundtrack for Amachan reached number 5 on the Oricon Albums Chart,[8] and Kyōko Koizumi's version of the song Shiosai no Memorī from the drama, composed by Otomo, reached number 2 on the Oricon Singles Chart.[9] He performed live on New Year's Eve at the 2013 Kōhaku Uta Gassen.[10]
Selected discography
Studio albums
Otomo Yoshihide (1987)
Problem (1988)
Duo (1989) with Junji Hirose
Silanganan Ingay (1989) with Junji Hirose
No Problem (1990) with No Problem
Who Is Otomo Yoshihide? (1991)
Visions of Japan (1991) with Yuji Katsui and Hiroshi Higo
Ground-0, No. 0 (1991)
Terminal-Zero (1991)
We Insist? (1992)
Turntables Solo (1992)
Memory Disorder (1993)
Peril (1993) with Peril
The Night Before the Death of the Sampling Virus (1993)
^"PROFILE" (Archive). Otomo Yoshihide Official Website. Retrieved on May 30, 2015. "When you write your Japanese name in English alphabet[...]For this reason, I would like to continue using the notation "Otomo Yoshihide" as before."
^"...Yoshide is largely known for his innovative works in the avant-garde electronic music world as well as his collaborations on drone pieces, creative methods on the turntables [...His guitar playing] sounds like a cross between Hendrix and Zappa, and at other times Tony Iommi." Rob Theakston, review of Episome (2006) for Allmusic.com, retrieved 30 Jan, 2018
^ a b c d e大友良英さんプロフィル. Asahi Digital (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
^"Otomo Yoshihide o kaibai suru: Yasuo Ozawa x Yoshihide Otomo". 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
^"Sundance Review: Punk Rock Meets Buddhism in Naoki Kato's Exquisitely Crafted Debut Feature 'Abraxas'". The Hollywood Reporter. 26 January 2011.
^"The Town's Children". Special Broadcasting Service.
^"'Kiiroi Zo'". The Japan Times. 8 February 2013.
^連続テレビ小説「あまちゃん」オリジナル・サウンドトラック (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
^潮騒のメモリー (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
^"Yoshihide Ōtomo – Amachan Theme: New music from Japan". The Guardian. 13 January 2014.
^"Miliyah Kato, Kazunobu Mineta Perform Live-Action Piece of Cake Film's Theme". Anime News Network. April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
^"夕方のおともだち". eiga.com. Retrieved November 19, 2021.