The Most Cyberpunk Soundtrack of Them All - Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence OST by Kenji Kawai
Few anime movies, or even movies in general, come close to Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence written & directed by Mamoru Oshii when it comes to quality.
Everything about the film, the production, the graphics, the story, were all so ahead of its time of release back in 2004. But today we focus on another core element that elevated the flick's legendary status: the soundtrack.
Composed by the legendary Kenji Kawai, if you've seen the movie, you know how good the music is. Even if you haven't seen the movie, take one look at the official trailer, and the sounds will shock you. But the recording techniques and background story might shock you even more.
One of the most distinctive features of the Innocence soundtrack is the Japanese "Minyoh" vocals, heard in "The Ballade of Puppets" songs. The chorus sounds of something from another planet, but this was achieved by gathering 75 members of "Nishida Kazue Shachu" to perform on it, resulting in a 14-hour recording. Compare this to the first Ghost In The Shell film also composed by Kawai, where there were 3 members in the chorus. On top of that, the chorus was recorded 4 times and played on top of each other to add even more depth.
Another unique fact about the sounds were the music box tones used throughout the film. To add a spacious feel to them, the music box notes were first recorded in the studio, and then re-recorded the playback in an underground space of a stone quarry in Ohya, Utsunomiya, with two subwoofers, four speakers, and eight microphones.
The results of all these crazy recording techniques is one of the most diverse soundtracks ever, with tense, yet somehow relaxing sounds blended with the cyberpunk craze that is Innocence.
