鷺巣詩郎
Grand orchestral sweeps meeting aggressive jazz fusion and apocalyptic choral arrangements. High-stakes music for moments of intense focus and cinematic drama.
Grand orchestral sweeps meeting aggressive jazz fusion and apocalyptic choral arrangements. High-stakes music for moments of intense focus and cinematic drama.
Shiro Sagisu creates music that feels like the weight of the world is resting on a single moment. It is a massive, maximalist sound where a hundred-piece choir might suddenly be interrupted by a funky, slap-bass jazz breakdown or a searing heavy metal guitar solo. His work is defined by its scale; it never settles for 'background' music, instead demanding the listener's full emotional engagement through soaring melodies and complex, layered arrangements.
What truly sets Sagisu apart is his ability to bridge the gap between high-brow classical tradition and the slick, polished world of J-pop and fusion. You can hear his history as a pop producer in the way his drums are mixed, punchy and forward, and in the way he treats voices as powerful, textured instruments. Whether he is writing a quiet, contemplative piano piece or a bombastic battle theme, there is a distinct 'gloss' and precision to the sound that feels both futuristic and ancient.
For the uninitiated, his work on the Evangelion series is the essential starting point. It showcases his full range, from the iconic 'Decisive Battle' with its rhythmic tension to the haunting, ethereal choral pieces that defined a generation of anime aesthetics. It is music for the bold, the focused, and those who want their life to feel like a high-budget cinematic event.
Shirō Sagisu (鷺巣 詩郎, Sagisu Shirō; born August 29, 1957) is a Japanese composer, arranger and music producer. With a career spanning over 40 years (beginning in the late 1970s), he is best known for his works as a record producer for acts including various choir members Mike Wyzgowski, Misia, Satoshi Tomiie, and Ken Hirai. Sagisu has also worked as a film composer for several anime and films, being well known for his collaborations with Gainax, especially in the soundtrack of Hideaki Anno's series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Sagisu's career in music started in 1977, when he became one of the members of jazz fusion band T-Square. He made three albums with the group before becoming a full-time composer and writer in 1979. By 1997, he had composed over 2,000 songs, advertising jingles and TV and movie pieces. Sagisu won the Tokyo Anime Award for "Best Music" in 2010 for Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. Sagisu arranged a rendition of the Japanese national anthem, "Kimigayo", performed at the 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony by Misia.
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