Dubbed "Japan's Beethoven," 50-year-old composer Mamoru Samuragochi suffered a disease that lead to complete deafness when he was in his 30's. Known mostly for his musical contributions to the popular video game Resident Evil, he has also worked on more than 20 pieces, including a routine for a figure skater in the coming Sochi Olympics, and "The Symphony No.1 Hiroshima," which was a tribute to victims of the atomic bombings. Oof.
Samuragochi's alleged ghost producer, Takashi Niigaki, claimed during a press conference a couple of days ago that he has been responsible for work that he's gotten no credit on for nearly two decades, and only saw around $70,000USD for his contributions. And while we saw this information on FACT, CNN went even further into Niigaki's claims, and noted that Samuragochi might not be deaf at all.
Niigaki also claimed that Samuragochi said he would commit suicide if compositions weren't handed to him. Samuragochi's solicitor said that "He is mentally distressed and not in a condition to properly express his own thoughts." We certainly hope he can hold it together.
In addition to no longer having Niigaki as a ghost producer, Nippon Columbia immediately stopped distribution of his CDs, downloads, and DVDs and dropped him from their roster. His publisher has also canceled a release of one of Samuragochi's scores that was slated to launch in Japan next week. Surely a sticky situation.
And while this isn't your run of the mill EDM news, it holds relevance. A ridiculous amount of DJs are riding to the top on the backs of young impressionable artists. The fall is harder when you're at the top. We applaud Nippon Columbia for their actions on this situation, and will keep our eyes on this situation as it continues to unfold. In the meantime, feel free to vibe out to Niigaki's work on Resident Evil.
