Soyo Oka
Background information
Also known as	DJ Alice
Born	April 9, 1964 Hyogo, Japan
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, performer
Instrument(s)	Piano
Years active	1987 - present
Website	http://www.dj-alice.com/

Soyo Oka (岡 素世 (おか そよ) Oka Sóyo, b. April 9th 1964) (also known as DJ Alice) is a Japanese composer and musician, most recognised for her video game soundtracks during the 1980s and 1990s. April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Hyōgo Prefecture (兵庫県 Hyōgo-ken) is located in the Kinki region on Honshu island, Japan. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... The performing arts include theater, motion pictures, drama, comedy, music, dance, opera, magic and the marching arts, such as brass bands, etc. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... A grand piano, with the lid up. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music. ... This article is about computer and video games. ... Soundtrack refers to the recorded sound accompanying a visual medium such as a motion picture, television show, or video game. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the symbol of the cold war divide falls down as the world unites in the 1990s. ...

Biography

Oka was born in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo, Japan. She first started learning to play the piano in 1970 when she was six years old, and she started composing music nearly a decade later in 1979, when she was fifteen. Nishinomiya (西宮市; Nishinomiya-shi) is a city located in Hyōgo, Japan, between the cities of Ōsaka and Kōbe. ... Hyōgo Prefecture (兵庫県 Hyōgo-ken) is located in the Kinki region on Honshu island, Japan. ... A grand piano, with the lid up. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ...

Oka attended the Osaka College of Music in Osaka, Japan, majoring in Composition. During her time as a student, she began studying the music of Koji Kondo, and started composing music for video games, feeling that composing video game music would be a promising career. She was later hired by Nintendo as an inhouse composer in 1987, and had the opportunity to work on a game score with Koji Kondo (whom she still holds in high esteem to this day). View on downtown Osaka from Umeda Sky Building Osaka )   is the capital of Osaka Prefecture and the third-largest city in Japan, with a population of 2. ... Musical composition is: an original piece of music the structure of a musical piece the process of creating a new piece of music // A musical composition A piece of music exists in the form of a written composition in musical notation or as a single acoustic event (a live performance... Koji Kondo , b. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Having left Nintendo in 1995, she has worked and continues to work as a freelance musician, including work as a producer, composing scores for television, radio, software, websites and CD-ROMs in Japan. She also performs on piano for various events and projects. Companies she has worked for include Sony, Mitsubishi, Seiko, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Yamaha and Toshiba, amongst others. It is unconfirmed whether she has worked on any more video game soundtracks since 1997, although in 2000 as part of her RocketBaby interview, she mentioned that she may be working on some game soundtracks for Sony Playstation 2 and Sega Dreamcast. Whether these projects came to pass or not is unknown. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A freelancer or freelance worker is a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer. ... Computer software (or simply software) refers to one or more computer programs and data held in the storage of a computer for some purpose. ... This page as shown in the AOL 9. ... The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Mitsubishi Logo The Mitsubishi Group ), Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies, all refer to a large grouping of independently operated Japanese companies which share the Mitsubishi brand name. ... Seiko Corporation ) (TYO: 8050 ) is a Japanese watch company. ... For the district in Saga, Japan, see Fujitsu, Saga. ... It has been suggested that Hitachi Works be merged into this article or section. ... The Yamaha Corporation (ヤマハ株式会社; TYO: 7951 ) is a Japanese company with a large number of product areas. ... Toshiba Corporations headquarters in Hamamatsucho, Tokyo Toshiba Corporation sales by division for year ending March, 31 2005 Toshiba Corporation ) (TYO: 6502 ) is a Japanese high technology electrical and electronics manufacturing firm, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... The two versions of the PS2 with an Eye Toy camera The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, after the PlayStation. ... The Sega Dreamcast (Japanese: ドリームキャスト; code-named Dural and Katana during development) was Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ...

Musical Style

A large amount of Oka's music is fairly liberal and distinctly jazz based, often making use of irregular time signatures and uneven phrase lengths. More commonly heard are musical traits such as syncopation, changes in tonality (modulations) and a wide selection of modern jazz chords and voicings, of which are perhaps the largest staple of her music. Considering the limited sound capabilities of the NES and SNES Nintendo consoles she composed for (particularly in terms of polyphony), this was quite an accomplishment. However, even though much of her music has a modern sound, the majority of her work is still consonant and thematic, and frequently utilises melodic lines and hooks. Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans at around the start of the 20th century. ... The time signature (also known as meter signature) is a notational device used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each bar and what note value constitutes one beat. ... In music a phrase is a section of music that is relatively self contained and coherent over a medium time scale. ... In music, syncopation is the stressing of a normally unstressed beat in a bar or the failure to sound a tone on an accented beat. ... Tonality is a system of writing music according to certain hierarchical pitch relationships around a key center or tonic, thus establishing tonality as relational at its core. ... In music, modulation is most commonly the act or process of changing from one key (tonic, or tonal center) to another. ... This article is intended to describe and explain some of the chords and chord symbols which are commonly found in Jazz music. ... Nes is: A municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway, see Nes, Akershus. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ... Polyphony is a musical texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony). ... In music, a consonance (Latin consonare, sounding together) is a harmony, chord, or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance, which is considered unstable. ... In music, a theme is the initial or primary melody. ... A hook is a musical idea, a passage or phrase, that is believed to be catchy and helps the song stand out, it is, meant to catch the ear of the listener (Covach 2005, p. ...

The majority of her work shows clear influence taken from Koji Kondo's music, and as a result, occasionally her soundtracks are confused for having been written by him (particularly Super Mario Kart). Additionally, she has cited Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Debussy, Stravinsky, John Williams, Lyle Mays, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Queen, and Chick Corea as some of her musical influences. Super Mario Kart is the first video game in the Mario Kart series, released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. ... Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Серге́й Серге́евич Проко́фьев) (April 271, 1891 – March 5, 1953) was one of the Soviet Unions greatest composers. ... Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff, also Sergey Rachmaninov or Serge Rakhmaninov (Серге́й Васи́льевич Рахма́нинов), (April 1, 1873 – March 28, 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist... Frédéric François Chopin as portrayed by Eugène Delacroix in 1838. ... Claude Debussy Claude Achille Debussy (August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918), composer of impressionistic classical music. ... Igor Fyodorovitch Stravinsky () (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a composer of modern classical music. ... John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is one of the most widely recognized composers of film scores. ... Pianist Lyle Mays Lyle Mays, born 1953 in Wausaukee, Wisconsin, USA, is a jazz pianist. ... Yellow Magic Orchestra were a Japanese electropop band, formed in 1978. ... Queen are an English rock band formed by Brian May, Freddie Mercury, and Roger Taylor in London, England in 1970 from the remains of Smile, with John Deacon completing the lineup the following year. ... Chick Corea on the cover of sheet music book Chick Corea Collection Armando Anthony Chick Corea (born June 12, 1941) is a multiple Grammy Award winning American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer. ...

Works

Approximately half of the games Oka has worked on have not been released outside of Japan. These have been denoted with a "(J)".

Nintendo Entertainment System

• Ice Hockey (1988): composer
• Wario's Woods (with Shinobu Amayake) (1994): composer

It has been suggested that NES Zapper be merged into this article or section. ... Ice Hockey is an NES video game developed by Nintendo and published in 1988, based on the sport ice hockey (as the name implies). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Warios Woods (ワリオの森 Wario no mori) is a puzzle game made by Nintendo for the Super NES in 1994, and then later released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994 and the Satellaview BS-X in 1997. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ...

Famicom Disk System

• Famicom Grand Prix: F-1 Race (J) (with Nigeno Kanazashi) (1987): composer
• Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally (J) (with Hiroaki Suga and Hideki Kanazashi) (1988): composer
• Vs. Excitebike (J) (1988): composer
• Famicom Mukashi Banashi - Yuu Yuu Ki (Zenpen) (J) (1989): composer
• Famicom Mukashi Banashi - Yuu Yuu Ki (Kouhen) (J) (1989): composer

The Famicom Disk System, attached to a late-model AV Famicom The Family Computer Disk System (FCD) was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral to their overwhelmingly popular Family Computer (Famicom) console in Japan. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Excitebike for the Nintendo Family Computer. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

• Pilotwings (with Koji Kondo) (1990): composer
• Sim City (1991): composer
• Super Mario Kart (with Taro Bando) (1992): composer
• Super Mario All-Stars (1993): composer and arranger*
• Wario's Woods (with Shinobu Amayake, Hiroaki Suga and Tadashi Ikegami) (1994): original composer**

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ... Pilotwings is a Nintendo video game for the Super Famicom and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, originally released in 1990, and included with the system in some early packages. ... Koji Kondo , b. ... This article is about the year. ... A SimCity 4 high-rise SimCity is a real-time strategy/simulation computer game (or software toy). It is game developer Maxis flagship product. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Super Mario Kart is the first video game in the Mario Kart series, released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Super Mario All-Stars, known in Japan as Super Mario Collection ), is a video game that was developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Warios Woods (ワリオの森 Wario no mori) is a puzzle game made by Nintendo for the Super NES in 1994, and then later released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994 and the Satellaview BS-X in 1997. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ... Tadashi Ikegami is a Japanese video game music composer who is best known for his assistance work on Super Smash Bros. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ...

Sony Playstation

• Lagnacure (J) (1997): sound effects
• Battle Bugs (J) (1997): composer

*Most of the material on this score was originally composed by Koji Kondo for the Super Mario Bros. series of games on the NES, and as a result, Oka predominantly worked as an arranger for this project; only two of the pieces of music are original and entirely unique to the game. The original PlayStation was produced in a light grey colour; the more recent PSOne redesign sports a smaller more rounded case. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Koji Kondo , b. ... Super Mario Bros. ... Nes is: A municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway, see Nes, Akershus. ...

**The SNES version of Wario's Woods has a largely different soundtrack, though a small amount of Oka's music is used. It is likely that she had no direct involvement with this project. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ...

Notes and References

This article is about the year 2000. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External Links

• (Japanese) DJ Alice - Soyo Oka's Homepage
• Interview with Soyo Oka at RocketBaby
• Composer profile at OverClocked Remix

OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix or OCR, is a website dedicated to reviving computer and video game music from the past and re-interpreting it with new technology and software, as well as various traditional means. ...

Related Music Releases

• Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally - contains original and arranged music from 3D Hot Rally.
• Nintendo Super Famicom Game Music - contains original and arranged music from Pilotwings and Sim City.
• Nintendo Super Famicom Game Music ~ Fun Together With Beyer - contains piano arrangements of music from Pilot Wings and Sim City.
• Nintendo Sound Selection Vol. 2: Koopa ~ Loud Music - contains one original track from Super Mario Kart.
• Game Music Concert 2 ~ The Best Selection - contains two arranged tracks from Sim City, performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.
• Yuyuki Arranged Sound - contains arranged music from Yuu Yuu Ki.
• Toy Music: Dancing Super Mario Brothers - contains an arranged track from both F-1 Race and 3D Hot Rally.
• Toy Music 2 - Fire Emblem - contains arranged music from Yuu Yuu Ki.
• Super Famicom New Game Sound Museum Vol. 5 - contains original music from Super Mario Kart.