Norihiko Hibino

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norihiko Hibino
Hibino in 2023
Born (1973-09-03) September 3, 1973 (age 50)
Osaka, Japan
Alma materOsaka University
Berklee College of Music
Occupation(s)Composer, saxophonist
Years active1999–present
Musical career
GenresJazz, electronic, video game music
Instrument(s)Saxophone, guitar, piano, tuba
LabelsScarlet Moon Records

Norihiko Hibino (日比野 則彦, Hibino Norihiko, born September 3, 1973) is a Japanese video game composer and saxophonist.

Biography[edit]

Hibino was born in Osaka.[1] He graduated from the Osaka University School of Human Sciences in 1996.[2] After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1997,[1] he moved to Kansas City to start a career as a solo jazz musician. He later relocated to Japan to work for Konami, where he became known for his work on Konami's Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders video game series.

After working with Konami, Hibino started his own company, GEM Impact, which is a studio consisting of composers Takahiro Izutani, Yoshitaka Suzuki, Takahide Ayuzawa, and himself. An additional part of GEM Impact is GEM Factory, an in-house record label which has put out the debut album of The Outer Rim and the Ninja Blade soundtrack. Through GEM Impact, Hibino and his team have been able to work on games, anime, websites, and other projects that require music. While their involvement with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was not publicized by Konami, Hibino divulged in an interview with Original Sound Version that GEM Impact in fact provided approximately 90 minutes of music for the game's cinematic sequences.[3] On September 2, 2008, Hibino and GEM Impact were announced to be the composers for the action title Ninja Blade.

In 2009, GEM Impact's in-house label, GEM Factory released the two-disc Ninja Blade soundtrack, and Hibino went on to found Hibino Sound Therapy Lab, a venture that explores the therapeutic applications of music. His first project under this company was Prescription for Sleep, an iPhone and iPod touch application that attempts to lure users to sleep with 20 minutes of soothing, live-recorded music.[4] Hibino also teamed up with a Chinese producer to create Gentle Love, a light smooth jazz arrangement album of pop hits from China, Japan, and the US. Other activities included a panel at GDC 2009 about the game music business in Japan, two performance at the 2009 GANG Awards, performances of "Snake Eater" at Video Games Live in Singapore and Brazil, and a live performance of Gentle Love. GEM Impact also contributed to the score for Bayonetta. He was also awarded the Berklee "Distinguished Alumni" award for his entrepreneurial spirit and use of music in unconventional ways to reach a new audience.[5]

Hibino performing in 2023

After 2009, Hibino worked on fewer game projects and focused his energies on the therapeutic applications of music being explored through Hibino Sound Therapy Lab. He began recording material under the GENTLE LOVE moniker, featuring himself on saxophone and pianist Ayaki Sato (AYAKI) on piano. Several albums were recorded, including the Hibino Sound Therapy Lab Sound Library and Prescription for Sleep Volume 2. Over the next several years, Hibino would record solo harp,[6] chamber groups, and more GENTLE LOVE to amass a library for his new therapeutic sound system called the RINSHU, which is a hand-carved sound system crafted by woodworkers in Japan in the likeness of a yacht.[7] The system was released in Japan in 2014 and was patented and released in the United States in 2015.

After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, Hibino and AYAKI toured the affected areas, performing free concerts to promote healing for those in need. This resulted in the creation of the Music in Heaven spiritual care events which have taken place all throughout Japan, combining musical performances, conceptual footage displayed on a large screen above the stage, and a wellness event. Music in Heaven, which began in 2013, celebrated 50 performances in 2015, and is still being regularly scheduled throughout Japan.[8]

Hibino continued to maintain his ties with the game industry starting in 2014 with the launch of Prescription for Sleep: Game Music Lullabies, produced and published by Scarlet Moon Records.[9] The series features Hibino and AYAKI teaming up as GENTLE LOVE to perform popular video game music to sleep and relax to. The series expanded to include Prescription for Sleep: Game Music Lullabies Volume II in 2015, a tribute to former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and Hibino's mentor Eiki Oshiimi titled Prescription for Peace: A Tribute to the Departed, and a third full-length album titled Prescription for Sleep: Lullabies of Mana, dedicated to Secret of Mana.[10] A fourth Prescription for Sleep album, announced on November 2, 2016 and released on December 1, 2016, featured arrangements from Undertale.[11] In 2016, Hibino co-wrote the score for the animated short, Sinmara Saga, with composer Dale North.[12]

Works[edit]

Video games
Year Title Notes
2000 Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
2001 Zone of the Enders with Maki Kirioka, Akihiro Honda, Toshiyuki Kakuta, and Shuichi Kobori
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty with Harry Gregson-Williams
2002 Beatmania 6th Mix + Core Remix
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 7: The Duelcity Legend
The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 opening theme
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance additional in-game music
2003 Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner with Maki Kirioka, Akihiro Honda, and Toshiyuki Kakuta
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 8: False God of Destruction
Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand with Kazuki Muraoka, Masashi Watanabe, and Shuichi Kobori
2004 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes with Steve Henifin, Toshiyuki Kakuta, Shuichi Kobori, and Waichiro Ozaki
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn of Destiny with Waichiro Ozaki, Toshiyuki Kakuta, and Toshihisa Furusawa
Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django with several others
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater with Harry Gregson-Williams
2006 Elvandia Story with Noriyuki Iwadare
Rumble Roses XX with Sota Fujimori, Michiru Yamane, and Akira Yamaoka
Rogue Galaxy Premium Arrange "The Ghost Ship"
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops with Akihiro Honda and Takahiro Izutani
Yakuza 2 with Hidenori Shoji, Hideki Sakamoto, and Takahiro Izutani
2007 Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 with Yoshitaka Suzuki and Takahiro Izutani
2008 1942: Joint Strike
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots cinematic music
Sho Chiku Bai
Otomedius G also producer
2009 Ninja Blade with Yoshitaka Suzuki, Takahiro Izutani, and Takahide Ayuzawa
Bayonetta with several others
2011 Otomedius Excellent
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon with several others
Go Vacation with Taku Inoue
Shinobi 3D with Yoshitaka Suzuki and Takahiro Izutani
2013 The Wonderful 101 with several others
2014 Bayonetta 2
2015 Persona 4: Dancing All Night "Heaven (Norihiko Hibino Remix)"
2018 Oppaidius Summer Trouble! guest composer
Oppaidius Summer Trouble!
Tangledeep
2019 Stoneshard "Stoneshard"
2023 9 Years of Shadows with Miguel Hasson, Michiru Yamane
Albums
Year Title Notes
2000 Now I'm Here to Hear...
2005 AKASHI
2007 Etrian Odyssey Super Arrange Version arranger, producer
2008 Etrian Odyssey II Super Arrange Version
Live Music by Piano and Strings: Sekaiju no MeiQ I & II Super Arrange Version arranger, producer
No More Heroes Sound Tracks: Dark Side arranger
The Outer Rim arranger, performer, producer
2009 Gentle Love
Hibino Sound Therapy Lab Sound Library
2010 Gentle Love Vol. 2
Other
Year Title Notes
2008 Blassreiter
2016 Sinmara Saga with Dale North

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Norihiko Hibino". Berklee College of Music. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  2. ^ "13th Osaka University Homecoming Day held". Osaka University. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  3. ^ "Original Sound Version » Blog Archive » Metal Gear Solid 4: GEM Impact's Story". Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  4. ^ "Prescription for Sleep". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  5. ^ Bell, Karen (1 April 2009). "Alumni Beat". berklee.edu. Berklee College of Music. Retrieved 20 July 2022. On March 24, 2009, Laurie Cohen '75 and Norihiko Hibino '97 became the first recipients of the 2009 distinguished alumni awards under the new alumni nomination process.
  6. ^ "Harp Music for Spiritual Care". iTunes. 20 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-08-22. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  7. ^ "RINSHU". Archived from the original on 2018-03-24. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  8. ^ "HSTL: Norihiko Hibino Profile". Archived from the original on 2016-01-29. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  9. ^ "Prescription for Sleep: Game Music Lullabies". Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  10. ^ "Forbes: Prescription for Sleep: Lullabies of Mana". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2017-09-23. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
  11. ^ "Prescription for Sleep: Undertale". Archived from the original on 2016-11-06. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
  12. ^ "Sinmara Saga is an animated short directed and animated by Jason Hendrich". 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Norihiko_Hibino&oldid=1218367367"