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    Koji Kondo

    Person » credited in 94 games

    A prolific composer of many of Nintendo's key franchises, Koji Kondo is best known for writing overworld themes for Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. In contrast to his peers at Nintendo, he is classically-trained in orchestral composition, and a proponent of live instrumentation.

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    Overview

    Koji Kondo is a well-known Japanese composer and musician, known for his works on various Nintendo games. His work is very popular among both fans and critics alike, mainly due to his ability to compose a catchy theme.

    He was born in Nagoya, Japan, and started to play his first instrument as a five year old. The instrument was the electric organ, and was the start of a long process that would decades later result in the composition of what is now some of the most recognisable video game tracks throughout the world, such as the Super Mario Bros. theme and the Legend of Zelda theme.

    During the development of Nintendo 3DS, he served as a sound consultant, helping design the speaker layout and construction.

    Career

    During Koji Kondo's senior year at the Art Planning Department of Osaka University of Arts, Nintendo announced at the University that they were interested in recruiting people dedicated to composition and sound programming. This caught his attention, and he successfully applied for the job in 1984.

    Albums

    Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack (1996)
    Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack (1996)
    • Super Mario Bros. Original Soundtrack (1986)
    • Super Mario Bros. ~Mario Syndrome~ (1986)
    • Famicom Music (1986)
    • Nazo no Murasame-jou / The Legend of Zelda (1986)
    • Famicom Music Vol. 2 (1987)
    • Toy Music: Dancing Super Mario Bros. - Akihabara Electric Circus (1988)
    • Super Mario Bros. 3: G.S.M. (FC) Nintendo 1 (1988)
    • Fantastic World of Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
    • Super Mario Bros. 3 ~ Akihabara Electric Circus (1988)
    • Super Mario Bros. 1.2.3.: Hop! Step! Jump! (1989)
    • Super Mario Bros. Special (1990)
    • Game Music Graffiti (1990)
    • Super Mario World (1991)
    • Game Music Concert ~ The Best Selection (1991)
    • Nintendo Super Famicom Game Music (1992)
    • Famicom Music ~ Best Selection (1992)
    • Nintendo Super Famicom Game Music ~ Fun Together With Beyer (1993)
    • Super Mario Compact Disco: Ambassadors of Funk Featuring M.C. Mario (1993)
    • The Legend of Zelda: Sound and Drama (1994)
    • Game Music Concert 4 - Live Best Collection (1994)
    • Yoshi's Island Original Sound Version (1995)
    • Game Music Concert 5 - Live Best Collection (1996)
    • Super Mario RPG Original Sound Version (1996)
    • Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack (1996)
    • Star Fox 64 Original Soundtrack (1997)
    • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Original Soundtrack (1998)
    • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Original Soundtrack Vol. II ~ The Lost Tracks ~ (1998)
    • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Hyrule Symphony (1999)
    • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Re-Arranged Album (1999)
    • N64Y2K: Millennium Trax (1999)
    • Nintendo All-Star Dairanto Smash Brothers (2000)
    • The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Original Soundtrack (2000)
    • The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Orchestrations (2000)
    • Smash Brothers DX Orchestra (2002)
    • The Legend of Zelda: Takt of Wind Original Soundtracks (2003)
    • PEACH - Healing Music (2003)
    • Mario & Zelda Big Band Live (2003)
    • Famicom 20th Anniversary Original Soundtracks Vol. 1 (2004)
    • Famicom 20th Anniversary Arrange Soundtracks (2004)
    • Famicom 20th Anniversary Original Soundtracks Vol. 3 (2004)
    • Game Sound Museum ~Famicom Edition~: 01 Super Mario Bros (2004)
    • Game Sound Museum ~Famicom Edition~: 10 The Legend of Zelda (2004)
    • Game Sound Museum ~Famicom Edition~: 11 Nazo no Murasame-jou (2004)
    • Game Sound Museum ~Famicom Edition~: 14 Shin Onigashima - Part 1 (2004)
    • Game Sound Museum ~Famicom Edition~: 15 Shin Onigashima - Part 2 (2004)
    • Game Sound Museum ~Famicom Edition~: S-3 Mario Bros. / Super Mario USA (2004)
    • Famicom Sound History Series: Mario the Music (2004)
    • Nintendo Sound History Series: Zelda the Music (2004)
    • Super Mario Galaxy: Original Soundtrack (2007)
    • Super Mario Galaxy: Original Soundtrack Platinum Version (2008)
    • Super Mario Galaxy 2: Original Soundtrack (2010)

    Themes

    Theme NameGame
    Powerful InfantSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island/ Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
    Metallic MarioSuper Mario 64/ DS
    Map BGMSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island/Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
    StarmanVarious Mario Games
    Powerful MarioSuper Mario 64/DS
    Star Catch FanfareSuper Mario 64/DS
    Koopa's Road (Bowser's Road)Super Mario 64/DS/Galaxy/Galaxy 2/ Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
    Bonus GameSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island/Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
    Bob-omb BattlefieldSuper Mario 64/DS/ Super Smash Bros. Brawl
    Hyrule TempleZelda Games
    Koopa ClearSuper Mario 64/DS
    Underground ThemeVarious Mario Games
    Overworld ThemeVarious Mario Games
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