december 22, 2018 soyo oka 岡素世
The word “hidden” is used a lot in gaming. Hidden gems, hidden easter eggs, etc. But what about in video game soundtracks? One example is Soyo Oka, hiding under some classic 90’s Nintendo games is an underrated composer. But despite that you may recognize her work, as she is the composer for games such as Super Mario Kart, Pilotwings, and did the arrangement for Super Mario All Stars! On the second issue of FBoGCaTW, we’ll go over Soyo Oka!
history
Soyo Oka was born on April 9th, 1964 in Nishinomiya City, Japan. Soyo’s first experience with music was at a very early age, when she was 2 and toyed with her mom’s xylophone, and enjoyed playing the toy piano. It was at age 4 when she started playing classical piano, and during then, she had a neighbor who was a piano teacher. Soyo would occasionally go over there and play piano with the neighbor’s son. Due to her enthusiasm with the piano, the neighbor helped teach her.
While Soyo was still in elementary school, she had moved from Tokyo to Kansai because of his father’s job. When she moved there she saw classmates play the electone, and compose music, too. Soyo described that discovery as “By example” in an interview with SquareEnixMusic. This inspired her, and on one Christmas eve, she wrote a letter to Santa in search for an electone of her own. She kept it a secret to her parents, and thus she didn’t receive an electone on her bedside the following morning. But when she started getting a job, she finally worked for the instrument of her dreams. She played it non-stop for about a year and a half, and then got bored with it. It was when she was in middle school when she started creating and sharing, rather than playing.
When it was time to go to college, Soyo attended a music school and majored in composition. (It really shows, doesn't it?) Her first discovery of computer music was at college, too. It was a music making program developed by yamaha that she installed on her MSX. Along this, she also used her drum machine, and a bunch of empty cat food cans that produced some sound.
After graduation, she got a job at nintendo, where she worked there for 8 years from 1987 to 1995. She’s come a long way since then, producing music for plenty of games, and now usually makes music for commercials. To help show some of her work, here are some personal favorites of mine!
music showcase
Alright. First song. Y’all might know this. This is the Light Plane theme from pilotwings! It’s quite a popular track for Nintendo fans, as it’s appeared in games in the smash series.
“Light Plane”
This one may be Soyo’s most famous piece as a video game composer, and for a reason. Not just because it’s been featured in other games, but because the song itself is pretty damn catchy and pleasant (you’ll notice that with a lot of her work.) It’s the kind of song that you really get the feel of when you’re on a sandy beach, with a cold one in one hand and a game boy in the other. Or like in the game where it’s the opposite. Nevertheless, this song is a classic and is apart of one of my favorite SNES soundtracks. If you enjoyed this track, check out the smash bros remix of it.
“Vanilla Lake”
This one, along with Light Plane, is apart of some of my favorite SNES soundtracks. Super Mario Kart is home to many, upon many beautiful compositions such as this, and really proves the mini-MIDI-game console what it’s worth when it comes to music. Soyo Oka states that one of her inspirations in music making is Chopin. And some of the Super Mario Kart soundtrack bleeds that baroque/classical composition and some songs could fit as classical if you did some arranging (I mean that’s the point of arranging music, right?)
“In Game Theme - Ice Hockey”
This one is pretty fast paced, especially for NES music. And for a game like Ice Hockey, it needs that, really. A good soundtrack (including sound design) to any type of media, whether that’s movies, shows, or games, should tie in to what the original source is about, along with bringing something new to the table. This track is a good example of that, and it’s what help makes Soyo a good composer! Think about it. The last time you played a game like Resident Evil or Silent Hill, part of that ominous, creepy aesthetic is thanks to the sounds of the game. Replace those sounds with duck quacks. Pretty fucking funny, but the atmosphere of the game is ruined.
“VS Mode - Wario’s Woods”
This track does a great job of hyping you up, and this kind of music is what Soyo is also good at. Wario’s Woods was a late release for the NES, so you may not have heard of it. By the time the SNES was in the middle of of its heyday, developers already knew the ins and outs of the NES hardware, including Nintendo! This game’s ost is quite good both on a composition end of the stick and in terms of technological ability. The same could be said about our next track, except for the fact that it was released in the late 80’s.
“Monster Dance - Famicom Grand Prix II”
I’m especially impressed with this one, mostly because of that weird bass twang going on. It’s somewhat comparable to the SEGA Master System’s FM capabilities. Overall the original game looks and sounds great, and I give Soyo a round of applause for the score. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks of hers due to its high funk levels.
“Goodnight, See You Soon!”
Of course, we end all of these by showing off (what I think) the composer’s best work is. Like it's Mario Kart younger brother, SimCity’s soundtrack is beautiful and deserves all the love it can get. What I imagine going along well with this is a lullaby, or maybe something like a music box cover. Or maybe it’s been a long night at work, you just got home and you dress down to your pajamas. You may have some spreadsheets to fill, but who cares at this point? You cook some leftovers, sit down on the couch and watch TV until you fall asleep. It gives off this weirdly nostalgic feel that I just love so much! It’s so gentle, soft, easygoing, and everything in between.
sources (in order of appearance)
Please look through some of these yourself, these interviews/articles are all way more informative than this blog!
vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/Soyo_Oka
squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/soyooka.shtml
nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Soyo_Oka