Norihiko Hibino

Norihiko Hibino
File:Norihiko Hibino.jpg Norihiko Hibino at Video Games Live in 2009
Background information
Born	(1973-09-03) September 3, 1973 Osaka, Japan
Genres	Jazz, electronic, video game music
Occupation(s)	Composer, saxophonist
Instruments	Saxophone, guitar, piano, tuba
Years active	1999–present

Norihiko Hibino (日比野 則彦, Hibino Norihiko, born September 3, 1973) is a Japanese video game composer and saxophonist.

Biography

After graduating from Berklee College of Music, he moved to Kansas City to start a career as a solo jazz musician. He later relocated to Japan to work for Konami, where he became known his work on Konami's Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders video game series.

After working with Konami, Hibino started his own company, GEM Impact, which is a studio consisting of composers Takahiro Izutani, Yoshitaka Suzuki, Takahide Ayuzawa, and himself. An additional part of GEM Impact is GEM Factory, an in-house record label which has put out the debut album of The Outer Rim and the Ninja Blade soundtrack.

Through GEM Impact, Hibino and his team have been able to work on games, anime, websites, and other projects that require music. While their involvement with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was not publicized by Konami, Hibino divulged in an interview with Original Sound Version that GEM Impact in fact provided approximately 90 minutes of music for the game's cinematic sequences. On September 2, 2008, Hibino and GEM Impact were announced to be the composers for the action title Ninja Blade on the Xbox 360 developed by FromSoftware.

In 2009, GEM Impact's in-house label, GEM Factory released the 2-disc Ninja Blade soundtrack, and Hibino went on to found Hibino Sound Therapy Lab, a venture that explores the therapeutic applications of music. His first project under this company was Prescription for Sleep, an iPhone and iPod touch application that attempts to lure users to sleep with 20 minutes of soothing, live-recorded music. The application has topped the Japanese iTunes Store Health and Fitness section since its March release.

Hibino also teamed up with a Chinese producer to create Gentle Love, a light smooth jazz arrangement album of pop hits from China, Japan, and the US. Other activities included a panel at GDC 2009 about the game music business in Japan, two performance at the 2009 GANG Awards, performances of "Snake Eater" at Video Games Live in Singapore and Brazil, and a live performance of Gentle Love. It has also been announced that GEM Impact will be contributing to the score for the highly anticipated Bayonetta, due out at the end of the year from SEGA. He was also awarded the Berklee "Distinguished Alumni" award for his entrepreneurial spirit and use of music in unconventional ways to reach a new audience.

Discography

Video games

• Metal Gear: Ghost Babel (2000) - in-game music
• Zone of the Enders (2001) - cut scenes, in-game music
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) - in-game music
• Beatmania 6th Mix + Core Remix (2002)
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 7: The Duelcity Legend (2002) - in-game music
• The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 (2002) - opening theme
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (2002) - all additional in-game music
• Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (2003) - cut scenes, in-game music
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 8: False God of Destruction (2003) - in-game music
• Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand (2003) - in-game music
• Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (2004) - cut scenes
• Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn of Destiny (2004) - opening movie, in-game music
• Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django (2004) - in-game music
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004) - in-game music, some cut scenes, opening theme
• Elvandia Story (2006) - in-game music
• Rumble Roses XX (2006) - in-game music
• Rogue Galaxy Premium Arrange (2006)- "The Ghost Ship" (Track #6)
• Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (2006) - in-game music
• Yakuza 2 (2006) - in-game music
• Etrian Odyssey Super Arrange Version (2007) - arranger, producer
• Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (2007) - in-game music
• 1942: Joint Strike (2008) - in-game music
• No More Heroes Sound Tracks: Dark Side (2008) - arranger
• The Outer Rim (2008) - arranger, performer, producer
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008) - cinematic music
• Sho Chiku Bai (2008) - composer
• Otomedius G (2008) - composer, producer
• Ninja Blade (2009) - in-game music, main theme, ending theme
• Live Music by Piano and Strings: 7th Dragon Super Arrange Version (2009) - arranger, producer, performer
• Bayonetta (2009) - in-game music
• Otomedius Excellent (2011) - composer
• Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (2011) - composer
• Go Vacation (2011) - composer, performer
• Shinobi 3D (2011) - composer
• The Wonderful 101 (2013) - composer
• Bayonetta 2 (2014) - composer
• Persona 4: Dancing All Night (2015) - remixes

Anime

• Blassreiter (2008) - various background tracks

Albums

• Now I'm Here to Hear... (2000)
• AKASHI (2005)
• Message (2008)
• Etrian Odyssey II Super Arrange Version (2008) - arranger, producer
• Live Music by Piano and Strings: Sekaiju no MeiQ I & II Super Arrange Version (2008) - arranger, producer
• Gentle Love (2009)
• Hibino Sound Therapy Lab Sound Library (2009)
• Gentle Love Vol. 2 (2010)

External links

• Official website