and here's a sound I'm sure you all recognize.

This is the person behind that sound.

Yep, that's Yoko Kanno, and this is her work for Cowboy Bebop.

Having done the soundtracks for 35 anime so far,

Kanno is one of the most prolific composers in the anime industry

and it's no understatement that she's a genius.

Her work is multi-faceted, innovative, and always in fluid motion.

Spanning more than just anime, she's worked on films...and even commercials.

Each of her scores always having something unique and special about them.

All in all, she's the coolest woman in town.

But what is it that makes her music so great?

Now I'm not a musician, so I can't best explain how Kanno does it.

But what I can do is think about how the directors she's worked with

have allowed her work to shine on screen.

And the first thing to realize is that music is not prone to supporting the visuals.

Sometimes instead the visuals are made to fit the music.

For Shinichiro Watanabe in particular,

Yoko Kanno has repeatedly produced tracks he's never asked for.

But because of that, some of his scenes that stand out the most

work like music videos.

This isn't anything abnormal either,

plenty of times before directors have filmed scenes in accordance to certain tracks.

But when it comes to Yoko Kanno's spontaneity,

that all belongs to her.

Because when she writes music that inspires new scenes

in ways she's also actually co-directing the show.

For Cowboy Bebop, some of the music was composed a year before even the title was conceived.

And that's a level of involvement that's rare among composers.

Depending on the mood of her music, the tone of the visuals alter significantly.

Even if it's a mech series, if Kanno writes tribal music,

the colors and the shots will give off a religious feel.

And when she writes more experimental music for the same show

the scenes become more surreal and fragmented.

These scenes also work to emphasize the music because

they let it play for long intervals without much distractions.

When you're directing a scene where music takes the spotlight,

you have to ask what you're going to do with diegetic sound.

Sometimes in scenes we only hear the music,

so the moment extents reality, reflecting only a character's emotions.

Other times, you need dialogue or other sounds to keep the tension going.

This applies to the music alone as well.

One way to make a song more powerful is to start it in acapella,

then after the intro, slowly let the instruments seep in.

See how when Sheryl starts singing in acapella

the shots are generally simple.

But when the strings set it

the movements and lighting become more dynamic and everything feels epic.

This is something Kanno really loves

Having that jarring and surprising effect to her music

because even if she may start on a low note

she never hesitant to suddenly cut into a high one.

It's at these points where her music gets that "wow" effect.

And most of the directors she's worked with have realized this.

Which is why they've gone even further by having moments of silence...to

Or if the music itself goes from a soft to loud note,

the director may reflect this by going from simple images

to more theatrical ones.

But how do directors know what to put in and have it flow with the music?

Well it's really based off of intuition.

Sound and images are in conversation with each other.

So if a piece sounds rough and grainy,

support that with rough and grainy footage.

Or if a piece sounds nostalgic

maybe use it for the end credits.

It's hard to outline what kind of visuals fit what kind of music,

because it really all depends on the creator's vision and style.

However, unlike any other anime composer working today,

Kanno has gone beyond the point of just making music.

She alone, can set the tone for an entire show.

And what separates her from other composers

is that she's highly consistent and versatile in doing this.

Where two of her works in the same franchise, sound completely different from one another

and make both installments feel distinct.

In the end, it all falls down to Kanno's motto, which is “creating what you want.”

What's probably most defining about her career is the amount of creative freedom she gets.

She's not the type of composer who likes to take specific orders from directors,

preferring to work off of more vague ideas.

For example she composed her work for Stand Alone Complex

entirely off the single notion of “being human.”

Kanno doesn't like restrictions

and I think that's why her scores are never tied to a single genre.

Bebop's soundtrack goes from blues, to jazz, to psychedelic.

Not only is she a great musician, she's also a great music producer

having produced songs with multiple singers including May-n, Maaya Sakamoto, and the late Origa.

She even made her own jazz band for Bebop called The Seatbelts.

And she's the only anime composer I know

to have recorded a soundtrack in Iceland

mix it in England and master it in New York.

To be so signifcantly involved with the direction of an anime.

And to just do whatever she wants.

Personally, for those reasons alone

I think she's one hell of a lady.