Keiichi Suzuki | Artist

Keiichi Suzuki is a Japanese musician, singer and record producer born 1951 in Tokyo. Suzuki co-founded Moonriders in 1975, a group that became one of Japan's most innovative rock bands, and in later years formed The Beatniks alongside former Yellow Magic Orchestra member Yukihiro Takahashi. He is known to audiences outside Japan for his musical contributions to the video games EarthBound Beginnings/Mother (1989) and EarthBound/Mother 2 (1994), both of which have been released on several soundtracks. More recently, he has composed film scores including The Blind Swordsman: Zatōichi (2003), Tokyo Godfathers (2003), Uzumaki (2000), Chicken Heart (2009), as well as Takeshi Kitano's Outrage trilogy. Suzuki's debut solo album was Science Fiction from 1978. This overlooked classic concept album, performed under the alien-sounding pseudonym Uchuu Kara no Buttai X ("The Thing from Outer Space"), was recorded by Suzuki alongside bandmates from his former outfit Moonriders. The record serves as a bridge between vintage progressive rock, early Japanese synth-pop, and the quirky, nostalgic musical style Suzuki would later immortalize in Nintendo’s Mother (EarthBound) series. In his discography comprising 27 studio albums, some standouts include Science Fiction (1978), Mother (1989), Mother 2 (1994), and Zatoichi (2003), and In Retrospect (2011). Also recommended is the excellent compilation Music for Films and Games / Original Soundtracks from 2010. Suzuki cited John Lennon of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Van Dyke Parks, Andy Partridge of XTC, Godley & Creme, Miklos Rozsa, and Harry Nilsson as influences, particularly on the tracks he composed for the Mother series. As an actor, Suzuki appeared in the 1980s films; Body Drop Asphalt, Shunji Iwai's Swallowtail, and Love Letter, as well as other films from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Artist Website: keiichisuzuki.com

Featured Albums: Keiichi Suzuki

Related Artists: The Beatniks, Moonriders, Yukihiro Takahashi