Motoaki Takenouchi

Motoaki Takenouchi (武内 基朗) is a Japanese composer, most recognized for his video game soundtracks during the 1990s, particularly for the Shining series of games. He has worked for companies such as Sega, Enix, Climax Entertainment, and Game Arts. Takenouchi studied music at the Tokyo University of the Arts, where he and fellow composer Hayato Matsuo were classmates. Around this time, he was involved with several projects, including arrangement under the supervision of Koichi Sugiyama.

Takenouchi's compositional approach often encompasses elements of progressive rock, jazz fusion, and symphonic, frequently making use of odd time signatures, virtuosic musical lines, syncopation and dissonance. He cited King Crimson, Yes, Frank Zappa, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer as some of his influences. In addition to his work on video game soundtracks, Takenouchi also composed music for some of the early releases on Shinji Hosoe's Troubadour record label. In 2000, he composed and arranged the song "Shower" for Rina Chinen. He also plays keyboards for "Autumn-River Willow" under the pseudonym of "dj".