Geinoh Yamashirogumi - Osorezan-dounokenbai (1976)[japan]

Geinoh Yamashirogumi is known for both their faithful re-creations of folk music from around the world, as well as their fusion of various traditional musical styles with modern instrumentation and synthesizers. For example, in the 1980s, MIDI digital synthesizers could not handle the tuning systems of traditional gamelan music, so the group had to teach themselves how to program in order to modify their equipment. The album that followed, Ecophony Rinne (1986) was a new direction for the group : they had not previously incorporated computer-generated sounds into their work. The success of this album brought them to the attention of Katsuhiro Otomo, who commissioned them to create the soundtrack of Akira. The soundtrack is built on the concept of recurrent themes or "modules". Texturally, the soundtrack is a mix of digital synthesizers (Roland D-50, etc), Indonesian chromatic percussion (jegog, etc.), traditional Japanese theatrical and spiritual music (Noh), European classical, and progressive rock.
Geinoh Yamashirogumi has reproduced over eighty different styles of traditional music and performances from around the world, but despite having performed internationally to a high degree of critical acclaim, they remain relatively unknown.
It has been written that Yamashiro took his inspiration from a postwar 1950s group of similar characters that lived as a commune, but this could be apocryphal.

Discography

Studio albums

Chi-No-Hibiki Higashi Yu-roppu Wo Utau (Echoes Of The Earth Sing Eastern Europe) (1976)

Osore-zan / Doo No Kenbai (1976)

Yamato Gensho (1977)

Shonentachi Eno Chikyu Sanka (In Praise Of Earth‚ To Boys) (1979)

Ecophony Rinne (1986)

Ecophony Gaia (1990)

Ougonrin Sanyo (2000)

Soundtracks

Symphonic Suite AKIRA (1988)

Akira: Original Soundtrack (1990)

Live albums

Geinoh Yamashirogumi Live (1978)

Compilations

Nyumon (1994)