Susumu Hirasawa

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| Kai=Kai Album - 2018 |

Basic Introduction

Susumu Hirasawa (平沢進, Hirasawa Susumu, born April 2, 1954) is a Japanese musician and composer. He is best known for his work for the films of director Satoshi Kon and the anime adaptations of the Berserk series, as well as his work as a solo artist.

Since childhood, Hirasawa had an interest in machinery, and thought of himself as an engineer. He was an RC plane enthusiast, wanting to be a pilot, and repaired broken devices like radios and flashlights given to him by his parents. He studied in the electronics department of Honjo Technical High School, where he was the first to finish the graduation project, which was the construction of a TV, even though he didn't fully understand the circuits.

In his fifth year of elementary school, Hirasawa learned to play the electric guitar, inspired by the surf and instrumental rock bands he heard on the radio and on TV, later joining his junior high school's band. In 1973 he formed Mandrake, a progressive rock band that used elements from heavy metal and krautrock together. Being one of the few Japanese progressive rock bands of its time, Mandrake achieved little success and released no albums during its lifetime.

After discovering punk rock and working on synthesizer-heavy projects, Hirasawa decided to change the band into the electronic rock band named P-Model in 1979. Initially met with success, they changed to the unpopular post-punk and experimental rock genres after Hirasawa went through an adverse reaction to his fame. With Hirasawa at the forefront, the band went through many lineups and achieved some popularity in the Japanese independent music scene.