This video, via Great Big Story, is a profile of composer Minoru Mukaiya, who has created electronic sound signatures for 110 train stations in Japan.
Video Summary:
While most train stations alert passengers with basic dings and dongs, metro riders in Japan are treated to uniquely crafted melodies.
Minoru Mukaiya is the mastermind behind these jingles—he’s made around 200 distinct chimes for over 110 stations. For Minoru, there’s no greater joy than bringing a little bit of music to millions across Japan every day.
memories… i remember attending a casiopeia concert in the early eighties at the north sea festival in the hague, the netherlands. they played cutting-edge fusion at the time. it was a couple of years before chick corea launched his elektric band that turned jazz rock upside down…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH12eN8tCzw#t=1m53
Good find.
Living the dream.
what a wonderful everything about this
I lived in central Tokyo for 6 years and have these melodies ingrained in my psyche. Even have them on a genuine CD from JR (Japan Rail).
I always thought they were performed on Yammy DX synths.
Denki-teki : legendary
what i don´t like about japan: it is one of the most homogenous countries in the world. they don´t like ethnic minorities. that is why prime minister shinzo abe and trump are best buddies. sad.
They love needless, off topic, generalisations about their whole country being made by screen fetishists of course 😉
you shot yourself in the foot. re screens we–the japanese people and myself–are on the same page. we are aficionados, actually…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YxWQqknmoQ
Not super accurate FYI: the melodies that everyone knows and loves were written by a lot of other people. He’s only been responsible for some of the newer ones. Train melodies are a really big deal among train otaku. The classics date back to the late 80’s/early 90’s and are absolutely brilliant.