Shinobu Tanaka

	Instruments:	Piano
	Joined Nintendo:	2001
	Company Role:	Composer
	Game Works:	Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart Series, Wii Play

Biography

Note: This biography was written exclusively for Square Enix Music Online by Chris and is under copyright.

Shinobu Tanaka has been a composer at Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development since 2001. Though still a relative newcomer to the company, she has been assigned several important scores, notably for the Mario Kart series. Tanaka made her debut with the GameCube launch title Luigi's Mansion. While Kazumi Totaka produced most of the thematic material, she added to the dark atmosphere of the game through subsidiary themes for certain events and areas. Like most of the company's most recent scores, no soundtrack was released. On her subsequent effort, Animal Crossing, she was assigned to compose the event music while Kazumi Totaka, Toru Minegishi, and Kenta Nagata scored the rest. Her eccentric Christmas and Happy New Year music for the game was featured in the 'Nintendo Sound Selection' series, some of the few albums released that feature her work.

In 2002, Tanaka scored the additional music for Super Mario Sunshine while Koji Kondo produced most of the memorable themes. Her responsibilities included the event themes, which were low-key but necessary. She also provided the unusual music for most of the latter stages, adding colour to the score with exotic instrumentation use and jazz references. No soundtrack was released, though some themes from the game were included in the compilation Happy! Mario 20th ~ Super Mario Sound Collection. The following year, she scored Mario Kart: Double Dash!! with Kenta Nagata, leading a prodction for the first time. Uniquely styled music accompanied each of the race tracks, enhancing their individuality, while a more frantic atmosphere to its predecessor was created through more bombastic harmonisation and the inclusion of faster variations of each race track for the final lap.

The success of Double Dash inspired Nintendo to assign Tanaka to score Mario Kart DS in her first solo project. Supported by some of the most technologically commanded use of the DS' synth, she created memorable original themes that were often a step above Double Dash's and also arranged a variety of other themes for the series to accompany the retro tracks. Affirming her status as the face of Mario Kart music, Tanaka scored the Namco-produced Arcade GP, creating another solid but little-known score. With newcomer Ryo Nagamatsu, she created the score for Wii Play. The music provided a subdued and catchy accompaniment to nine mini-games intended to demonstrate the capacity of the WiiMote. Tanaka is believed to have left Nintendo EAD shortly after her score for Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, having neither scored Mario Kart Wii or had direct involvement in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, though official confirmation awaits.

List of Game Projects

List of Covered Albums