| Akira Takasaki | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | February 22, 1961 Osaka, Japan |
| Genres | Rock, Heavy metal |
| Occupations | Guitarist, Musician, Songwriter, Record Producer |
| Instruments | Guitar, Bass, Drums |
| Years active | 1980–Present |
| Associated acts | Loudness |
| Notable instruments | |
| ESP Signature Series [1]
Killer Guitars |
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Akira Takasaki (高崎 晃 Takasaki Akira, born February 22, 1961, in Osaka, Japan) is the lead guitarist and founding member of the Japanese heavy metal band, Loudness.
He started his career as a guitarist, winning a TV contest for young music talents at the age of 14. He was rapidly put under contract to be part of the pop-rock band Lazy, which drummer Munetaka Higuchi was also a member of[1]. Lazy produced five successful albums at the end of the 70's, but Takasaki's musical style, oriented towards hard rock and heavy metal, didn't gel with the band and in 1981 he decided to make his original band, Loudness, alongside bandmate Higuchi. The many heavy metal albums produced by Loudness brought him international fame and vast critical acclaim. He is the only member of Loudness that has been in the band since its inception, producing more than 20 studio albums in 25 years. Takasaki has also continued the production of solo works, starting with Tusk of Jaguar in 1982 and is now committed to a new side project called Ji-Zo[2]. In 1998 and in 2002 he was also directly involved in the reunion of Lazy, for the release of two new studio albums and for a tour. He's had time to start Killer Guitars, a company founded and managed with fellow guitarist George Azuma. Takasaki is responsible for several of the guitar designs[3]
His guitar playing style is characterized by complicated heavy metal riffs executed at great speed and with extreme precision, often using alternate picking technique and little vibrato. His compositions are usually filled with melodies and hooks, in order to make well-constructed songs, instead of long neo-classical themes like some of his peers do[2]. His shred guitar work has attracted many fans over the world and his musicianship has often been compared to the ability of guitarists of his age like Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Steve Vai, David Chastain and others[4]. In 1986 he declared that the main influences for his compositions and guitar solos came from the work of Deep Purple’s guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and from Japanese music for koto.[5]
His guitars include ESP Signature Random Star guitars[6] and several Killer guitars[3], mostly the KG Prime model. He has also used Marshall Amplifiers in the earlier years and later years of Loudness, along with Metaltronix Amplifiers near the end of the 1980's and the beginning of the 1990's. He has also used Roland JC-120 combo amplifiers. His equipment in the 80s was completed by Boss, Guyatone and Ibanez effects and Harmonizer, Roland delays, Mesa Boogie amps and Celestion speakers[7].
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