Akira Yamaoka hosted a guest show on 11 January 2021. Akira Yamaoka has been played on NTS over 130 times, featured on 89 episodes and was first played on 30 October 2015.

Akira Yamaoka (born February 6, 1968) is a Japanese composer and sound designer. He is best known for his work on the "Silent Hill" video game series by Konami, for which he composed the majority of the soundtracks beginning in 1999. In addition to composing, he contributed to sound design and production on several entries in the series and worked on music for its film adaptations. He has served as sound director at Grasshopper Manufacture since 2010 and has held roles as director and sound designer at Supertrick Games since 2018.

Yamaoka was born in Niigata, Japan. He initially intended to pursue a career in design, studying product design and interior design at Tokyo Art College, but developed an interest in music during his studies and shifted his focus accordingly.

He joined Konami on September 21, 1993, where he began working on video game titles including "Contra: Hard Corps", "Sparkster", and "Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2". He later contributed music to the PC Engine and Sega CD versions of "Snatcher". When development began on "Silent Hill", Yamaoka volunteered to compose its score and became involved in the broader sound design of the game. He later identified "Silent Hill 2" as a personal favorite among his compositions.

In December 2009, Yamaoka left Konami. In February 2010, he joined Grasshopper Manufacture, where he collaborated with Goichi Suda and Shinji Mikami on the game "Shadows of the Damned". Initially appointed chief sound officer, he also contributed to other aspects of game production.

In 2012, Yamaoka announced plans to release a second solo project distinct from his work on "Silent Hill". Later that year, he introduced the Spanish-language EP "Revolución" during a live performance. In 2014, he expressed interest in composing for the planned game "Silent Hills", which was subsequently canceled.

From October to November 2015, Yamaoka and his band toured the United Kingdom as part of the Silent Hill Live tour, performing music from the series in several cities. In July 2016, he performed at the BitSummit indie game festival in Kyoto.

Yamaoka has cited Goichi Suda as a preferred game creator and "No More Heroes" (2007) as a favored video game. He has also identified "Suspiria" (1977), directed by Dario Argento, as a favorite film. Among musical influences, he has cited artists including Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Angelo Badalamenti, and bands such as Depeche Mode and Metallica. He has also referenced the influence of baroque music traditions.

Yamaoka has described his approach to composition as combining elements of visual art and music, drawing inspiration from artists such as Mick Karn and Steve Strange, as well as groups like Visage. He has also noted specific songs that influenced him, including "Moon Over Moscow" by Visage, which he has identified as an early inspiration, and "The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone, which he has stated he would like played at his funeral.

Smart Ball (1991, with Yasuhiko Fukuda and Manabu Saito)

Contra: Hard Corps (1994, with several others) Sparkster (1994, with several others) Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 (1994, with Michiru Yamane) Snatcher (1994, PC Engine / Sega CD / PlayStation / Sega Saturn versions)

Gradius Deluxe Pack (1996, with Miki Higashino, Kiyohiko Yamane, and Motoaki Furukawa) Ganbare Goemon: Uchū Kaizoku Akogingu (1996, with several others) Road Rage / Speed King (1996, PlayStation version) Lightning Legend: Daigo no Daibouken (1996, "Spring's Undersea Walking Hurricane (Rankerk Hatred)")

Moon: Remix RPG Adventure (1997, "Tears of Machine" and "TILT") International Superstar Soccer Pro 98 (1997, with several others) Nagano Winter Olympics '98 (1997, with Soshiro Hokkai and Keiko Fukami)

Poy Poy 2 (1998) NBA In The Zone '98 (1998, with Yuichi Asami, Ryuichi Inoue, and Nobuhiko Matsufuji) Kensei: Sacred Fist (1998, with Kyoran Suzuki and Norikazu Miura)

Silent Hill (1999) ISS Pro Evolution (1999, with Shinji Enomoto, Kosuke Soeda, and Hideki Kasai) Bemani series (1999–2012)

Gradius III and IV (2000) ESPN MLS GameNight (2000, with Shinji Enomoto, Kosuke Soeda, and Hideki Kasai)

Silent Hill 2 (2001)

Contra: Shattered Soldier (2002, with Sota Fujimori)

Silent Hill 3 (2003)

Rumble Roses (2004, with several others) Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004)

Rumble Roses XX (2006, with several others)

Silent Hill: The Arcade (2007, with Masayuki Maruyama and Jun Ito) Silent Hill: Origins (2007) Silent Hill: The Escape (2007)

Silent Hill: Homecoming (2008) Otomedius Gorgeous! (2008, arrangements)

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (2009)

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (2010, with several others)

Shadows of the Damned (2011) Rebuild of Evangelion: Sound Impact (2011, arrangements)

Sine Mora (2012) Liberation Maiden (2012) Lollipop Chainsaw (2012, music director) Silent Hill: Book of Memories (2012, guitarist on "Love Psalm (Book of Memories)") Black Knight Sword (2012)

Rotolla (2013) Killer Is Dead (2013, music director)

Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day (2014) Murasaki Baby (2014, "Neeko")

Persona 4: Dancing All Night (2015, "Time To Make History" remix)

Puzzle & Dragons X (2016, with Kenji Ito, Yuzo Koshiro, and Keigo Ozaki) The Silver Case (2016, arrangements, "WHITEOUT") Let It Die (2016, music director)

Astro Boy: Edge of Time (2017) World of Tanks (2017, "Battle in Japan" with Andrius Klimka)

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case (2018, with Baiyon, Erika Ito, and Masafumi Takada)

Dead by Daylight (2020, Chapter XVI: Silent Hill) Ninjala (2020, with several others) World of Tanks (2020, "Mirny-13 – Hangar Theme" with Aleksandr Khilko and Aleksey Vanchuk)

The Medium (2021, with Arkadiusz Reikowski)

Deathverse: Let It Die (2022)

Decarnation (2023) Stray Souls (2023)

Silent Hill: The Short Message (2024) Silent Hill 2 (2024, Remake) Slitterhead (2024)

Silent Hill f (2025, with Kensuke Inage, Dai, and Koichi "Xaki" Sakita) Let It Die: Inferno (2025, Sound Director) Total Chaos (2025, with several others; theme and end credits)

Pathologic 3 (2026, composer of an original track)