Taku Inoue

, stylized as TAKU INOUE, is a Japanese composer, lyricist and singer. He was employed at Bandai Namco Entertainment from 2009 to 2018, composing music for series such as The Idolmaster, Tekken and Ridge Racer. He has been signed to the label Toy's Factory since 2019, and has written songs for artists such as Daoko and Akari Nanawo. He also formed the duo Midnight Grand Orchestra with virtual YouTuber Hoshimachi Suisei in 2022.

Early life Inoue's interest in music began when his mother taught him to play piano as a child, but shifted his interest towards learning the guitar, and also joined a band. His parents bought a PC with music software bundled, which he used to analyse and cover music by his favorite bands. He listened to rock bands X Japan and Luna Sea. After listening to Björk's remix album Telegram, as well as visiting Belgium and discovering club music, he became inspired to create his own electronic music.

During his time studying at University of Tsukuba, he founded the unit applebonker with three friends at the same university. They released original music, remixed tracks by other artists, and participated in live events. They did not aim to conform to a particular genre of music. Following graduation from university, he initially intended to find a job related to his academic background, but ultimately decided to pursue music composition professionally. He sent a demo tape to Bandai Namco, who made his favorite game Katamari Damacy, and joined as a composer and sound designer in 2009.

While working at Bandai Namco, he was given freedom to pursue work activities outside the company. He also composed the ending song for the anime Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul, along with Koichi Tabo and the performer Daoko, but arranged the track on his own. Although initially nervous to compose a track with two other people, he ultimately enjoyed the experience. but felt leaving would open him up to a wider range of opportunities. after having previously been offered to do so earlier in the year.

Although he was not initially interested in being a solo artist on Toy's Factory, he was eventually eager to create a music project of his own, as his work with the company usually involves taking orders from clients. Also in 2021, he served as the lead composer of the anime The Dungeon of Black Company, with additional contributions from several other composers.

Following his previous collaboration with Hoshimachi, he formed the unit Midnight Grand Orchestra with her in 2022. They released their first album Overture in July of that year. This was followed by the release of Starpeggio in December 2023. Inoue included references to spy and sci-fi films throughout the album, such as "Nikita" being a reference to the film La Femme Nikita.

In 2025, he composed the track "Unstoppable Generation" for New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, collaborating with Taku Takahashi. The two musicians created the song together in-person within a day, taking turns on adding parts.

Works

Games EP Released: December 22, 2021 Label: Toy's Factory (TFCC-86794) EP Released: June 25, 2025 Label: Toy's Factory (TFCC-81126) Formats: CD, digital download48—

As part of Midnight Grand Orchestra