Masashi Hamauzu: The Sounds of Fantasy - Page 2

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Masashi Hamauzu: The Sounds of Fantasy
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The development of Final Fantasy XII finally came to an end and your soundtrack was praised by critics. What made you leave Square Enix?

There was no certain reason for me to leave Square Enix, but when I thought about several situations, I believed it was the time to go. It was difficult for me to quit at Square Enix, because I have a strong emotional attachment to this company. I hesitated to leave, but in my opinion, I could improve my relationship with Square Enix if I have more possibilities. As a matter of fact, I had great luck as a freelancer with the project, which is currently in development at Square Enix.

So what is Masashi Hamauzu doing right now?

Currently, I am quite tentative and collect some piano arrangements.

Mina Sakai :: The former band leader of the Ainu Rebels now works on her solo career You also work as the producer of the artist called Mina. How did you get to know each other?

We got to know each other about three years ago. It began when I took over the role as a musical guide of a performance group called Ainu Rebels, which was led by Mina. After that I contributed some songs, too.

Mina also contributed to five songs in the Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack. Can you tell us more about it?

My musical concepts and her voice fit together perfectly. At first, it was planned to do one or two songs together, but then I asked Mina to sing a bit more. I realized that it sounded great, so we made a demo tape and in the end I used all of her recordings.

Please tell us something about your future plans with Mina.

Until now, I supported her with music for singing, for traditional Ainu instruments and for dance performances at live shows and such. But from now on, I want to invest more time into improvements and composition. I feel like the music I do with her might appeal to European listeners and it would be great if Mina can debut her music in Germany, too.

Mina was a member of the band Ainu Rebels before. Are there any differences between her music during that time and now?

There is no real big difference. It turned out that we don’t use the traditional Ainu elements as the main aspect of Mina’s music. I want to continue with what we did for Final Fantasy 13.

Since you left Square Enix, do you still keep in touch with some of your old colleagues?

It’s not just contact, we often meet each other. I still have a lot of work, which deals with Final Fantasy 13. I am still visiting Square Enix frequently. Recently, I have been to a launch party for Final Fantasy 13 and I talked to several Square Enix employees.

What are your plans for the next years?

I don’t know yet, I am still looking. I have got little work to do, but it’s something I could not fulfill without being a freelancer.

Do you plan to return to composing for video games? Are there any chances for e.g. Final Fantasy XV?

I don’t even think of stopping with video game composition. If someone needs me, I would love to work together again.

Johann Sebastian Bach :: His St. Matthew Passion is one of Hamauzu's all time favourites Please name five of your all time favourite songs. They do not need to be related to games or classic music.

I can’t decide, there are some many. Can I mention the first that come to my mind?

J. S. Bach - St. Matthew Passion
Koichi Sakata - Onna Taikoki + Inochi
Zoltán Kodály - Háry János Suite
Mathieu Boogaerts - Super

What kind of artists do you appreciate at the moment?

There are no modern artists, who I like. It’s more the case that if I listen again to older artists or composers, I know less, sometimes I discover a lot of fresh things and it’s a big surprise for me.

You are also a gamer. What games do you play at the moment?

Right now, I really have no time. I just play with my mobile phone or older games. I played Final Fantasy 13 quite intensively, though.

Are there currently games developed by Western studios, which you enjoy?

Sadly, there are nearly no European games that I play.

What are your opinions about motion controllers for consoles like Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360?

I don’t know anything about in terms of technical aspects, but I can imagine that it whets the customers' appetite.

Check the offical websites of Masashi Hamauzu, Mina and Sayuri Sugawara.


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