Yuzo Koshiro (古代 祐三 Koshiro Yūzō, born December 12, 1967 in Hino, Tokyo) is a Japanese video game music composer, electronic music producer, and audio programmer. He is regarded as one of the most influential innovators in chiptune music and video game sound design. He has produced music in a number of genres, including various electronic genres (such as breakbeat, electro, hardcore, house, jungle, techno, and trance), experimental, classical, hip hop, jazz, and synth-rock.
According to Nintendo Power, Koshiro was "arguably the greatest game-music composer of the 16-bit age" and created "some of the most memorable game music of the late '80s and early '90s." According to 1UP, he was the "king" of FM synthesis chiptune music. He has produced some of the most influential role-playing video game scores, for titles such as Nihon Falcom's Dragon Slayer and Ys series, as well as ActRaiser (1990) and Eye of the Beholder (1994). According to GameAxis Unwired, his "progressive, catchy, techno-style compositions" for games such as The Revenge of Shinobi (1989) and Streets of Rage series were "far more advanced than what players were used to" and set a "new high watermark for what music in games could sound like." The Streets of Rage soundtracks are considered ahead of their time, featuring a "blend of swaggering house synths," "dirty" electro-funk, and early trance elements.
His influence also extends to the popular music industry, particularly electronic dance music. His work remains highly regarded within the chiptune community, and has influenced artists outside of it, including electronic artists such as Ikonika, BT, Labrinth, Martyn, Joker, Darkstar, and Danger. Koshiro's Streets of Rage soundtracks in particular have been compared to later electronic dance music, and have influenced electronica, grime and dubstep producers.
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