Susumu Hirasawa- An Enigma Of Electronic Music

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For anyone who hasn't heard of the enigma that is Susumu Hirasawa, then I will say 'your welcome' in advance. The man in question makes unique, mysterious, and even strange electronic music. The former band member, solo artist, and soundtrack composer, music takes various consequential ideas such as analytical psychology, advances in digital technology, the philosophies of yin and yang, and principles of nature versus machines. He blends components of progressive rock, spacy new age atmospheres, and electro-pop to create his distinctive sound, which has etched him into Japanese musical folklore. 

Susumu Hirasawa's first significant foray into the music industry was with the electronic rock band "P-Model", forming in 1979; they released a dozen albums through the 80s and 90s, including the 1980 album, 'Lansdale', their only number 1 record. 

In 1989, Hirasawa launched his solo career, and with more creative freedom and control, it allowed him truly come into his own; this is especially apparent in his live concerts. As for every solo album he releases (14 to date), Hirasawa also stages an accompanying "Interactive Live Show", which fuses computer graphics with his music to tell a story, adding exciting visual elements to his music. The shows even have alternative storylines determined by audience participation, with management through the internet and phones. Hirasawa's live music is created through samples with numerous hand-crafted machines and pre-recorded tracks without vocals. Here is an example of the innovative and astonishing visual and audial live performances by Susumu Hirasawa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgNqRJTw6WY

But perhaps Susumu Hirasawa's most recognized achievements (especially globally) are with his soundtrack work, notably in the anime sector. He created works for anime series, such as 'X-Bomber' and 'Detonator Orgun'. But probably his most acclaimed work to date is for Kentaro Miura manga series 'Berserk', starting with the 1997 film. His music perfectly matches and superbly sets the dark tone of the series with his intense and spirited scores. And thanks to this, his contribution has become synonymous with 'Berserk', and he has also composed the video game 'Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage' (1999), three 'Berserk' films and the 2016 TV series. Here is an example of the importance of Hirasawa; work in 'Berserk'.  You can really hear how much his musical input empowers the show and, as a result, has embedded Hirasawa into anime legendary status :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1O5us-PLc0

At the time of writing this article, Susumu Hirasawa is 67 years of age, and I sincerely hope he continues to create stunning soundscapes and visuals for people to enjoy, as the world is a better place thanks to his idiosyncratic artistic contributions over the last five decades.  

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