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Haruomi Hosono (細野 晴臣, Hosono Haruomi ^?, born July 9, 1947 in Minato, Tokyo), also known as Harry Hosono, is a Japanese popular musician, best known internationally as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra.

Hosono first came to attention in Japan as the bass player of the psychedelic rock band Apryl Fool, who released the album The Apryl Fool in 1969. Members from this band (including Hosono) then formed the influential folk-rock group Happy End. After Happy End disbanded, Hosono worked with a loose association of artists making "exotica"-style music under the title Tin Pan Alley. He also made an innovative electronic soundtrack for the film "Cochin Moon", together with artist Tadanori Yokoo.

In 1978, Hosono formed the Yellow Magic Orchestra with Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The Yellow Magic Orchestra (a.k.a. YMO) released a number of albums in the late 70s and early 80s to considerable acclaim both inside and outside Japan. After YMO disbanded in 1984, Hosono released a number of solo albums covering a variety of styles, including film soundtracks, and a variety of electronic ambient albums.

He was one of the first producers to recognize the appeal of video game sounds and music. YMO's self titled debut in 1978 continued substantial game sounds and after YMO disbanded an early project was an album simply titled "Video Game Music" containing mixed and edited Namco game music and sounds. In the late 80s and early 90s the influence of world music on his music deepened, and he worked with international singers and musicians such as Amina Annabi.

As well as recording his own music, Haruomi has done considerable production work for other artists such as Miharu Koshi, Sheena and the Roketts, Sandii and the Sunsetz, Chisato Moritaka and Seiko Matsuda.

He has produced a number of short term band projects as a band member. His first post-YMO band was Friends of Earth. As with most of his projects he combines musical styles he's interested in. F.O.E. seemed to be a combination of Funk and Techno and included a collaboration with James Brown and Maceo Parker for a remake of the song "Sex Machine". Another notable band project was 1995's Love, Peace & Trance. Members were Mimori Yusa ("Love"), Miyako Koda ("Peace"), Haruomi Hosono ("&") and Mishio Ogawa ("Trance").

In the 1990s he started the Daisyworld label to release a wide range of experimental artists from Japan and the rest of the world. Hosono collorated on many of the releases, such as World Standard, a trip into Americana; HAT, a supergroup (the acronym stands for Hosono, Atom Heart, Tetsu Inoue),and "Quiet Logic", by Mixmaster Morris and Jonah Sharp. The Orb also paid tribute with a series of remixes including the notorious "Hope You Choke On Your Whalemeat".

In 2002 Haruomi formed the duo Sketch Show with his YMO band-mate Yukihiro Takahashi. They have released two albums, one of which, Loophole, has received a UK release. When the third former YMO member, Ryuichi Sakamoto deepened his involvement it was decided to bill those collaborations as Human Audio Sponge.

In 2007, his fellow YMO members and other artist paid tribute to Haruomi with a 2-disc album titled "Tribute to Haruomi" in Spring of 2007. Also, that same year, the animated film Appleseed Ex Machina was released featuring a soundtrack performed and supervised by Haruomi Hosono.

Bands and Collaborations

• Apryl Fool
• Happy End
• Tin Pan Alley
• Yellow Magic Orchestra
• Friends Of Earth (F.O.E) (with Eiki Nonaka)
• HIS (with Kiyoshirō Imawano and Fuyumi Sakamoto)
• Love, Peace & Trance (Mimori Yusa, Miyako Koda and Mishio Ogawa)
• Swing Slow (with Miharu Koshi)
• HAT (with Atom Heart and Tetsu Inoue)
• Harry & Mac (with Makoto Kubota)
• Tin Pan (with Tatsuo Hayashi and Shigeru Suzuki)
• Sketch Show (with Yukihiro Takahashi)
• HASYMO (previously Human Audio Sponge) (Sketch Show and Ryuichi Sakamoto, with Keigo Oyamada, Hiroshi Takano, Christian Fennesz, Tomohiko Gondō and Ren Takada as live support)

Discography

Albums

• Hosono House (1973, Bellwood)
• Tropical Dandy (1975, Nippon Crown/Panam)
• Taian Yōkō (泰安洋行 ^?) - Bon Voyage Co. (1976, Nippon Crown/Panam)
• Paraiso (はらいそ, Haraiso ^?) (1978, by "Harry Hosono and The Yellow Magic Band", Alfa)
• Cochin Moon (コチンの月, Kochin no Tsuki ^?) (1978, by Haruomi Hosono and Tadanori Yokō, King Records)
• Philharmony (1982)
• S·F·X (1984, by "Haruomi Hosono with Friends Of Earth", Teichiku/Non-Standard)
• Coincidental Music (1985)
• Mercuric Dance (1985, Teichiku/Monad)
• The Endless Talking (1985, Teichiku/Monad)
• Omni Sight Seeing (1989)
• Medicine Compilation (1993, Epic Sony)
• Mental Sports Mixes (1993, Sony Tristar)
• Good Sport (1995, Clock)
• Naga (1995, FOA)
• N.D.E. ("Near Death Experience") (1995, Mercury)
• Interpieces Organization (1996, by Haruomi Hosono & Bill Laswell, Teichiku)
• Road to Louisiana (ルイジアナ珍道中, Ruijiana Chindōchū ^?) (1999, by "Harry & Mac" (Makoto Kubota), Epic)
• Flying Saucer 1947 (2007, "Harry Hosono & The World Shyness", Victor/Speedstar)

Soundtrack Albums

• Nokto de la galaksia fervojo (銀河鉄道の夜, Ginga Tetsudō no Yoru ^?) (1985, movie soundtrack, Teichiku/Non-Standard)
• Paradise View (1985, movie soundtrack, Teichiku/Monad)
• The Tale of Genji (源氏物語, Genji Monogatari ^?) (1987, movie soundtrack, Epic Sony)
• La Maison de Himiko (2005, movie soundtrack, Warner Music Japan)
• Ex Machina Original Soundtrack/Original Soundtrack Complete Edition (soundtrack surpervision, composition of some tracks) (2007, Commmons)

Compilation Albums

• Hosono Box 1969-2000 (2000, Daisyworld)
• Harry Hosono Crown Years 1974-1977 (2007)

Tribute Albums

• Tribute to Haruomi Hosono (2007, Commmons)

Featuring: Van Dyke Parks, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takako Minekawa, Miharu Koshi, Little Creatures, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Hiroshi Takano, Towa Tei, Akiko Yano, Rei Harakami, Yukihiro Takahashi, Cornelius, Jim O'Rourke, Kahimi Karie

• Strange Song Book - Tribute to Haruomi Hosono 2 (2008, Commmons)

Featuring: Señor Coconut, Van Dyke Parks, Dr. John, Sheena & The Rokkets, Buffalo Daughter, Thurston Moore, Miu Sakamoto, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Fennesz

Contributions

• CBS/Sony Sound Image Series:
  • Pacific (with Shigeru Suzuki and Tatsuro Yamashita) (tracks 1, 4 and 8 composed and performed by Hosono) (1978)
  • The Aegen Sea (with Takahiko Ishikawa and Masataka Matsutoya) (tracks 3 and 4 composed and performed by Hosono) (1979)
  • Vol. 1 - Island Music (tracks 1, 7, 9 and 10 composed and performed by Hosono) (1983)
  • Vol. 2 - Off Shore (tracks 1 and 2 composed and performed by Hosono) (1983)
• Love, Peace & Trance (1995)

Composition Work

• Imokin Trio (イモ欽トリオ ^?):

High School Lullaby (1981)

Teardrop Tanteidan (ティアドロップ探偵団 ^?) (1982)

Teenage Eagles (1983)

• Apogee & Perigee (Jun Togawa, Yuji Miyake and other artists):

Getsusekai Ryokou (月世界旅行 ^?) (1984, Alfa)

Shinkuu Kiss (真空キッス ^?) (1984, Alfa)

• Seiko Matsuda:

Tegoku no Kiss/Wagamama na Kataomoi (天国のキッス／わがままな片想い ^?) (1983)

Glass no Ringo (ガラスの林檎 ^?) (1983)

Pink no Mozart (ピンクのモーツァルト ^?) (1984)

• Akina Nakamori: Kinku (禁区 ^?) (1983)
• Yoshie Kashiwabara: Shiawase Ondo (しあわせ音頭 ^?) (1982)
• Shin'ichi Mori:

New York Monogatari (紐育物語 ^?) (1983)

Whiskey Ira no Machi de (ウイスキー色の街で ^?)

• Miki Fujimura:

仏蘭西映画

夢・恋・人 (1983)

妖星傅

春 Mon Amour

• Kumiko Yamashita: 赤道小町ドキッ (1982)
• Narumi Yasuda: Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä (風の谷のナウシカ, Kaze no Tani no Naushika ^?, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) (image song for the film) (1984)
• Chisato Moritaka: Miracle Light (ミラクルライト ^?) (1997)
• Mitsuko Horie: Kiteretsu Daihyakka no Uta (キテレツ大百科のうた ^?) (1987, Kiteretsu Daihyakka 90 minute special opening theme)
• Mika Matsubara: Paradise Beach (Sophie's Theme) (パラダイス ビーチ（ソフィーのテーマ）, Paradaisu Biichi (Sofii no Teema) ^?)
• Starbow: Heartbreak Taiyōzoku (ハートブレイク太陽族 ^?) (1982)
• Kuniko Yamada: Tetsugaku Shiyō (哲学しよう ^?)
• Kawakamisan to Nagashimasan: きたかチョーさんまってたドン(1983)
• Masatō Ibu: Datte, Hormone Love (だって、ホルモンラブ ^?)
• Jun Togawa: 玉姫様 (1984)
• "NHK News Today" opening theme (1988, NHK TV)
• Chappie: Tanabata no Yoru, Kimi ni Aitai (七夕の夜、君に逢いたい ^?) (1999)

External links

• Haruomi Hosono discography, news, and general informations at Music City
• Official Sketch Show website (Avex)
• Nippop Profile | Sketch Show

Notes and references