Geinoh Yamashirogumi
Geinoh Yamashirogumi is a Japanese musical collective founded on January 19, 1974 by Tsutomu Ōhashi, consisting of hundreds of people with different occupations.
They are known for both their re-creations of globally-known folk music, along with music combining traditional and modern elements. Some fusions include an electronic recreation of traditional Indonesian gamelan music, due to MIDI digital synthesizers not being able to handle such tuning systems. Their 1986 album, Ecophony Rinne, introduced these computer-generated sounds. The success of this album brought them to the attention of Katsuhiro Ōtomo, who commissioned them to create the soundtrack of Akira. The soundtrack is built on the concept of recurrent themes or "modules". The soundtrack is a mix of digital synthesizers, Indonesian bamboo percussion, traditional Japanese theatrical and spiritual music, European classical, and progressive rock.
The group's name uses Ōhashi's pseudonym, Shoji Yamashiro, and translates roughly to "Yamashiro Performing Arts Collective". Ōhashi took his inspiration from a postwar 1950s group of similar characters that lived as a commune.
Discography
Studio albums
Osorezan / Do No Kenbai Chi no Hibiki: Geinoh Yamashirogumi Tō-Yōroppa wo Utau Yamato Gensho Ougonrin Sanyo Shonentachi Eno Chikyu Sanka Selections From Folk Music On Silkroad Selections From African Folk Music Ecophony Rinne- ''Ecophony Gaia''
Soundtracks
Symphonic Suite Akira- ''Akira: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''
Remix albums
- ''Akira Remix''
Live albums
- ''Geinoh Yamashirogumi Live''
Videos
Akira Sound Clip Laserdisc/DVD ReissueCompilations
- ''Nyumon''
Singles
- "Theme of Akira"