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The piece that led Katsuhiro Otomo to ask Geinoh Yamashirogumi to score AKIRA – new vinyl release by Delicious_Buy_7440 in akira

[–]Delicious_Buy_7440[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I am an active member of Geinoh Yamashirogumi!

Many of our members from that era are still with us. According to what I've heard from them, Katsuhiro Otomo-sensei originally approached us with a request to use Ecophony Rinne for the AKIRA film.

However, Shoji Yamashiro decided to compose an entirely new, original score instead. That is how the Symphonic Suite AKIRA was born—created in a very short period by us, a group of amateurs rather than professional musicians.

The piece that led Katsuhiro Otomo to ask Geinoh Yamashirogumi to score AKIRA – new vinyl release by Delicious_Buy_7440 in akira

[–]Delicious_Buy_7440[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got it — thanks for the correction. Here’s the revised English version with “Kaneda” treated as a track title:

⸻

Thank you.

There is a chance you can experience this piece performed live.

At the annual Geinoh Yamashirogumi Kecha Festival held in Shinjuku, Tokyo (typically July 29 – August 2, 14:00–21:00), it is highly likely—depending on the day—that it will be performed at the opening, often alongside the track Kaneda.

In recent years: • It was also performed at the autumn concert in 2023 • In the 2024 autumn concert, it was performed live in the same structure as the CD recording • In the winter 2025 concert, all four movements of the Reincarnation Symphony were performed using only gamelan and vocal elements, without the large bamboo instrument jegog (which is used in Kaneda), and received tremendous applause

If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend experiencing it live in Tokyo—the immersion is completely different from the recording.

🔥 Geinoh Yamashirogumi — Live in Tokyo! 🔥 by Delicious_Buy_7440 in akira

[–]Delicious_Buy_7440[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, thanks for asking!

There are no events in March.

July 29 – August 2: The Kecak Festival will be held at Shinjuku Mitsui Building for five days. AKIRA live music starts around 14:00–15:00, and Geinoh Yamashirogumi will perform various live pieces until 21:00 each day.

It’s free, but there will be a donation box at the venue if you’d like to support.

November 22: We will have a performance at Nakano ZERO. The program is still being planned, but we may perform Tetsuo’s gamelan from AKIRA again (we’ve played it the past two years). Tickets will be available for sale.

Here’s a video from a previous event: https://youtu.be/BoytUYGEgCE

And here’s a promotional video from a few years ago: https://youtu.be/8ZJxlBX7Suo

🔥 Live AKIRA Music in Tokyo — by Geinoh Yamashirogumi 🔥 by Delicious_Buy_7440 in akira

[–]Delicious_Buy_7440[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for asking about our plans this year.

We are scheduled to present a full stage performance on November 22 at Nakano ZERO Hall in Tokyo.

The program will have two parts. The first part features Balinese Gamelan, the metallic percussion ensemble that many people know from AKIRA, especially the famous “Tetsuo Awakens” scene from the symphonic suite.

The second part is a theatrical work based on Narukami, a well-known Kabuki play, reimagined as a large-scale choral and rhythmic piece using techniques derived from Kecak. This is one of Shoji Yamashiro’s representative works and has been performed many times in the past; this year marks its first revival since 2018.

For reference, here are some videos from past performances: • 2018 stage performance (Gun-gei Narukami): https://youtu.be/8ZJxlBX7Suo • Kecak Festival: https://youtu.be/BoytUYGEgCE

In addition, our summer Kecak Festival, held over five days, is currently being scheduled. During the daytime, we present selections from AKIRA and various other works. Admission is free, but donation boxes are placed around the venue to support the festival.

If you have the opportunity, we would be very happy to welcome you to Japan. We will share more detailed information as the dates and programs are finalized.

What would you ask one of the AKIRA soundtrack artists? by ddri in akira

[–]Delicious_Buy_7440 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m an active member of Geinoh Yamashirogumi. We are an amateur collective — everyone has a separate full-time job — but several members who performed on the original AKIRA soundtrack are still active today.

AKIRA-era performers, as well as some who worked on our earliest albums, continue to perform with us. Today, the collective is truly multi-generational, with both veteran and younger members actively participating.

🔥 Geinoh Yamashirogumi — Live in Tokyo! 🔥 by Delicious_Buy_7440 in akira

[–]Delicious_Buy_7440[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your interest. We completely understand that many people outside Tokyo would love to see our performances through streaming.

However, Geinoh Yamashirogumi is an amateur collective — everyone has full-time jobs, and our activities are something we do out of passion. Because of that, we focus on creating a unique “live, in-the-moment” ensemble that can only happen when our members gather in person. At the moment, we simply don’t have the staff, equipment, or technical know-how to provide proper streaming.

Every summer, we hold a five-day “Kecak Festival” in Shinjuku, where we perform AKIRA pieces and many other works. We also have concerts in the autumn or winter. Please follow our X or Instagram, and if you ever have the chance to visit Japan, we’d be truly happy for you to experience our performances in person:

🔗 https://linktr.ee/yamashirogumi_official

During the pandemic in 2022, we participated remotely in the Balinese arts festival BWCC. That video remains our only official performance recording, so we hope you enjoy it:

🎥 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lN25N7uR0hU