Photo by Kali Speere Taniguchi

about

Shinya Sugimoto is a Japanese composer, keyboard player, and sound artist known for his classical crossover compositions and experimental live performances. Taking off his artistic journey in Brooklyn, his creative range spans from early music to Max/Python coding, integrating historical roots with computer-generated algorithms and textures to craft otherworldly soundscapes.

His works and performances have been showcased across Europe, the UK, the US, and Asia. He has collaborated with acclaimed international musicians and filmmakers such as Julia Kent, Sontag Shogun, Paul Clipson, and Anocha Suwichakornpong, continually pushing the boundaries of sonic and visual artistry.

Sugimoto was born into a musical family in Hyogo, Japan, in 1979. Classically trained in piano and composition, he also picked up drums and synthesizers, performing in a rock band during his teenage years. He enrolled Kwansei Gakuin University School of Humanities, majoring in art studies. Later, he relocated to Tokyo and studied audio engineering at a recording school. After working in supportive roles in Japanese music industry, he moved to New York City in 2006.

He co-founded a recording studio in Brooklyn, primarily engaged in Hip Hop/R&B music as a recording/mixing engineer and arranger/producer. Sugimoto also launched his career as a solo performing artist. Integrating his musical language with Max/MSP programming, he began exploring multi-media collaborative performing arts, leading to well-received debut concerts at Issue Project Room in 2009 and 2010.

In 2012, Sugimoto moved back to Japan and settled in Osaka, expanding his performing activities domestically. In 2015, his association with the Brooklyn-bred trio Sontag Shogun took off, frequently collaborating with the members in concerts and music productions. Featuring cellist/composer Julia Kent, Total Fiction, a collaborative album with Jeremy Young was released as an LP by Denmark-based label Phinery in 2017. To celebrate the release, Sugimoto and Young toured the UK and Europe, live-scoring Paul Clipson's film projection and performing 14 shows across six countries. Sugimoto also toured Japan and the US in collaboration with Jesse Perlstein, supported by the releases via Nara-based label Muzan Editions.

Sugimoto's career as a film composer embarked concurrently in New York, scoring several short films and art installations. This includes Anocha Suwichakornpong's film Lublae, commissioned for the 2013 International Film Festival Rotterdam. In 2020, Sugimoto contributed a score with Joseph Minadeo for Kyle Ruddick's short film Dream Mountain, showcased in numerous film festivals worldwide and received accolades such as the Best Mountain Film at the London Mountain Film Festival 2020.

Throughout his career, Sugimoto has also played a role as a social activist. In his early years in New York, he operated an independent record label MONKHAUS, centering on racial and gender diversity and abandoning copyrights, aiming to counteract the capitalism-dominated industry. He was also engaged in an art educational program at Brooklyn and the Bronx public schools, in which students learned self-expression through Hip Hop culture. Additionally, he has released a collaborative album titled Fukushima 2011, donating the earnings to support those affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Shinya Sugimotoは、兵庫県出身の作曲家、鍵盤楽器奏者、サウンドアーティスト。クラシックを基礎におきながらも多様なジャンルをクロスオーバーさせた作品と、実験的なライブパフォーマンスで知られている。古楽からMax/Pythonプログラミングに至るまで、ボーダーレスな技法・作風により独自の音響空間を創造している。 彼の作品とライブパフォーマンスは様々なコラボレーションを通じて世界中で評価されている。Julia Kent、Sontag Shogun、Paul Clipson、Anocha Suwichakornpongなど、著名なミュージシャンや映像作家との共同制作があり、音響、視覚芸術の新たな領域を追求している。

大阪市在住。