Brave Wave Turns 10 

In November 2011 I asked Keiji Yamagishi why he quit composing for video games, despite having worked on some of the most iconic NES soundtracks: Ninja Gaiden, Captain Tsubasa, and Tecmo Bowl. “After the PlayStation 2, in Japan, the direction for game music had changed, and if you were not into making music in the style of movie soundtracks, then a job wouldn’t come your way,” Yamagishi-san told me. “Unfortunately, that's not my style. I can't conduct an orchestra. I felt as if my music was no longer needed.”

His answer broke my heart. At the time I couldn’t understand how a talented artist, whose music has been influencing me since I was in elementary school, could end up in a situation like this. I started to ruminate on the circumstances that would lead such a skilled musician to lose confidence in their abilities, and what that shift in the industry must have been like for him. I eventually came to understand that this was a common experience for video game composers of that era. So, armed with nothing but a Bandcamp page I had set up to publish our first album World 1-2, and my personal savings, I asked Yamagishi-san to consider making a solo album with me. I proposed covering all the expenses myself, as well as figuring out publishing and a simple marketing strategy. He would get to focus his energy and time on making the music. Yama-san was on board. He decided to take a giant leap of faith with a virtual stranger.

That was more than ten years ago. During this past decade, Brave Wave went from nothing but a Bandcamp page to being established as a real company in Japan. Keiji Yamagishi released his first-ever solo album, attended gaming conventions and conferences all over the world, and supervised our release of the official, definitive soundtrack of Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden NES trilogy. He returned to composing music for games, contributing to The Messenger, Streets of Rage 4, Exile’s End, and several others. Our label went on to release more than 40 albums, we signed over 20 musicians, and worked with a diverse set of artists from all over the world.

When Alexander Aniel (my business partner), Marco Guardia (associate director and mixing engineer), and I decided to turn Brave Wave into a proper company, we had three goals in mind: Release solo albums by musicians from the NES era without the constraints of game development; increase the awareness of their significant contributions to video game history; and release their legacy game soundtracks, offering fans the opportunity to experience their favorite music on the terms of the original composers, in the most authentic way and the most pristine quality possible.

Over the years we’ve tried our hardest to achieve these goals. First there was Yamagishi-san’s acclaimed solo album The Retro-Active Experience, followed by Mega Man composer Manami Matsumae’s album Three Movements, released on her 30th anniversary as a game musician. Saori Kobayashi created her first solo album Terra Magica for us, one that draws inspiration from her vast work on the Panzer Dragoon series, and we also worked with her on the reimagining of her iconic Panzer Dragoon Saga album, giving her the opportunity to revisit this legendary soundtrack and taking it in a new direction. Eclectic artist and multi-instrumentalist Takahiro Izutani, known for his work on the Bayonetta and Metal Gear Solid franchises, joined us for a variety of projects, from his solo album Lingua Franca to numerous collaborations with other Brave Wave musicians.

A big moment for us was the formation of our in-house rock band Super Strikers. Our inspiration was Alph Lyla, Capcom’s 90s house band made up of members of their audio team, as well as similar in-house audio teams from established game companies of the era. Super Strikers performed Keiji Yamagishi’s solo album live in Washington D.C. at music and gaming festival MAGFest. They also wrote and arranged 5 tracks on our upcoming album GIANTS, in addition to guest starring on a number of other tracks across the album.

In 2015 we created and released a comprehensive restoration of the Street Fighter II arcade soundtracks, in collaboration with Capcom and original composer Yoko Shimomura. It was released digitally, on CD and on vinyl, selling so quickly and in such abundance, that it ended up climbing the American Billboard Soundtrack charts—a thrilling achievement for a tiny, independent record label. We would go on to release many more composer approved OSTs in the years to follow: From the Shovel Knight series’ expansive soundtracks (with cover illustrations by famous Mega Man artist Hitoshi Ariga) to the aforementioned Ninja Gaiden NES trilogy. It has been both a wonderful and overwhelming decade for us, and we already have big plans for the next one!

Our second decade begins with the release of GIANTS, a collaborative album in the making for the past six years. I have gained a lot of experience since the release of our first album, World 1-2, which GIANTS is a kind of spiritual successor to. Everything I learned and everything I ever wanted to create has been channeled into this album. GIANTS is a fantastic showcase for one particularly unique aspect of Brave Wave: our ability to bring together musicians from every background and every part of the world, with roots that span the entire history, palette and fidelity of video game music; from modest, but timeless digital 8 bit waveforms all the way to live orchestra, with every stop and many a fusion along the way. I’m incredibly proud of that. Naturally, ‘collaboration’ is the theme of this album then, reflected in nearly every track.

I always wanted to have a dedicated mixing engineer for a collaborative album of this magnitude. We have done this in the past with Keiji Yamagishi’s Retro-Active albums, which was mixed and engineered by my best friend and favorite collaborator, Zurich based Marco Guardia. Marco was also in charge of all of our soundtrack restorations. I wanted his involvement in GIANTS to strengthen the sound of the album, so his engineering would be the glue that holds the album together sonically. This is the simple secret to why GIANTS is the best sounding album we have ever released. I hope you find pleasure in losing yourself in the spectacular soundscapes that our musicians and engineers have created.

GIANTS is also an album of firsts. We have Takashi Tateishi’s first ever original composition since his Mega Man 2 soundtrack. He joined forces with Mega Man 3’s Harumi Fujita and Sonic Mania’s Tee Lopes to create Ultramarine, an exceptional collaboration that brilliantly and playfully incorporates the melodies and style of his iconic Mega Man 2 soundtrack. There’s the first ever collaboration between Harumi Fujita and Yasuaki Fujita, better known as Bun Bun. (Despite sharing a last name, the two are not related.) Harumi-san had to abandon her work on Mega Man 3 when she became pregnant with her son Ayato. Their brand new track Full Circle finally brings this duo back together, turning it into a trio with the additional help from Harumi’s son Ayato Fujita. Yes, the same Ayato she was pregnant with and had to leave Mega Man 3 for 23 years earlier. Talk about coming Full Circle!

GIANTS also features Lena Raine’s first appearance on a Brave Wave album, the brilliant composer of Celeste and Chicory. She worked with ABSRDST, Saori Kobayashi and Super Strikers on a variety of tracks and remixes. Then there’s Yoshitaka Suzuki’s Brave Wave debut with his remix of Mega Man 2’s Wily Stage, together with his longtime collaborator Takahiro Izutani. Suzuki's gripping, multi-layered compositions feature in the critically-acclaimed Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy XV, and the recently released Final Fantasy XVI.

With this being an album of unforgettable collaborations, Ronin is among the most notable ones, bringing the three composers of Ninja Gaiden together on a single track: Ninja Gaiden 1’s Keiji Yamagishi, Ninja Gaiden 2’s Ryuichi Nitta, and Ninja Gaiden 3’s Kaori Nakabai. This track is followed by Maxo’s The Amazing Ryu, a unique remix of the iconic Ninja Gaiden theme. He had the chance to listen to an old private cassette recording of the theme, which Keiji Yamagishi had made decades ago. Maxo based his arrangement and rhythms closely on the version on Yamagishi’s demo tape.

Every one of the 22 tracks on GIANTS has a story worth telling, born from a collaboration that showcases the unique potential of a label like Brave Wave. Many of these stories are explored in the pages of the album’s accompanying booklet. I worked with Caspian Whistler on the art direction and design of the album and its supplemental materials. He’s the creative director of the renowned independent magazine A Profound Waste of Time. Matt Cummings created the delightful illustrations that adorn the CD and vinyl booklets, in addition to the absolutely striking album cover.

Uniting artists and creative people is something we love bringing to brand new video game soundtracks as well. An early example of this was connecting Manami Matsumae to the team at Yacht Club Games, so her iconic Mega Man style could live on in a game that has now become a modern classic: Shovel Knight. For Streets of Rage 4 we had a number of Brave Wave musicians lend their touch to an already spectacular soundtrack led by French composer Olivier Deriviere. It features new music from Ninja Gaiden’s Keiji Yamagishi, Mega Man 3’s Harumi Fujita, Street Fighter II’s Yoko Shimomura, Sonic Mania’s Tee Lopes, and the original Streets of Rage composers themselves, Yuzu Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima. We’re also proud of the upcoming DLC for Koji Igarashi’s Bloodstained, for which our team created brand new music in the authentic style of Konami’s classic VRC-6 sound expansion chip, most famous for its use in the lush, legendary Japanese version of the Castlevania 3 soundtrack. This soundtrack features ap0c and Dino Lionetti from our band Super Strikers, as well as Octahedron’s Monomirror, Celeste’s Lena Raine, Sonic Mania’s Tee Lopes, Evanescence’s guitarist Tim McCord, and Brave Wave’s newest addition, the Japanese game musician mamomo.

It’s the start of a new decade for Brave Wave, and we’re excited to share more news with you throughout the year, with new projects from Keiji Yamagishi, Masashi Kageyama (of Gimmick! fame), Saori Kobayashi and many others on the horizon. I promise that our second decade will be as rich and diverse as our first.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the countless music enthusiasts who have supported us throughout this remarkable journey. Your enthusiasm and love have been our guiding light, especially when we visited your cities for expos and live performances, to connect with you and celebrate our music together. From the inception of our boutique record label, everyone at Brave Wave has witnessed extraordinary transformations in their lives. But this label is not just ours; it's a shared sanctuary of music and nostalgia, equally belonging to each one of you. As we embark on the next chapter with GIANTS, it's my sincere hope to continue touching your lives in profound ways.

Much love from the deserts of Arabia,

Mohammed Taher
Director and Executive Producer
Brave Wave Productions