[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/241792781036914_png_2813.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:This picture shows the [[TheStoic entire range of his public facial expressiveness]].]]

Susumu Hirasawa was born on April 2nd, 1954, in Tokyo, Japan, and since then has gone on to become one of the premier composers and performers of the dubious genre of Technopop. His musical style is indescribable, and his distinctive voice is instantly recognisable. He has composed for anime by Creator/SatoshiKon, including ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'' and ''Literature/{{Paprika}}'', among other things.

In 1973, Susumu started a ProgressiveRock band called Mandrake. While obscure, the band was a pioneer of the genre in Japan, and his unique composition style can be heard even back then. When the band split up, he took 3 of his former bandmates and created a [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] band, P-Model. Their first album, ''In A Model Room'', was released in 1979, and it and its single "Art Mania" had a punkish, energetic sound that made the band quite popular. If you need a comparison, think Music/{{Polysics}}. After their second album, ''Landsale'', P-Model began to become DarkerAndEdgier, releasing ''[[NewSoundAlbum Potpourri]]'', consisting mostly of Sound Collage -type song construction, bright guitar riffs, and [[CarefulWithThatAxe Susumu screaming his head off]]. This didn't last for long, however, and their sound evolved over the next few albums, keeping the bright riffs, using way more synth, and introducing Susumu's more well-known singing style. The album ''Karkador'' is generally the point where P-Model started sounding like themselves.

The band had been changing members about every album, and the only original member left at this point was Susumu. The album ''One Pattern'' was created in a cloud of bad inter-band relations, and has since [[CreatorBacklash become Susumu's least favorite album]] as a result. P-Model became dormant at this time, and Susumu released his first solo album, ''Water In Time and Space''.

After two more albums on Hirasawa's own, P-Model came together once again and released a self-titled album, in which they changed genres to a more conventional techno sound, in contrast to Susumu's stranger solo material. During this period, both P-Model and solo albums were being made. In 1995, P-Model's ''Fune'' and Susumu's ''Sim City'' were released, widely considered to be their best albums, respectively. Fune involved being on a journey, and ''Sim City'' centered around a ScienceFiction story set in Thailand.

In 1997, Susumu composed some music for the anime ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'', including [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWfrDG0nmlk Forces,]] which is likely one of his best known songs outside of Japan, and P-Model's sound grew even harder to pinpoint as 2 [=EPs=] and an album ''Enola'' were completed. As you would expect, P-Model had fallen out of the mainstream a while ago. Susumu focused on his solo work more, and after 1999's album ''P-Model Or Die'', P-Model officially disbanded.

Susumu continues to make fantastic albums and soundtracks, and in 2010 celebrated the 30th anniversary of P-Model and the 20th anniversary of his solo career with remix albums of his past songs in a more orchestral style.

!! Mandrake discography:

* ''Unreleased Materials Volumes 1 and 2'', 1997 (these songs were recorded in the 70's, but not released until then)

!! P-Model discography:

* ''In A Model Room'', 1979
* ''Landsale'', 1980
* ''Potpourri'', 1981
* ''Perspective'', 1982
* ''Another Game'', 1984
* ''Scuba'', 1984 (Sort of a multimedia type thing)
* ''Karkador'', 1985
* ''One Pattern'', 1986
* ''P-Model'', 1992
* ''Big Body'', 1993
* ''Fune'', 1995
* ''Rocket Shoot'', 1996 (EP)
* ''Ashura Clock'', 1997 (EP)
* ''Layer-Green'', 1997 (EP)
* ''Denshi Higeki/~ENOLA'', 1997
* ''Music Industrial Wastes ~P-Model or Die'', 1999

!! Solo discography:

* ''Water In Time And Space'', 1989
* ''The Ghost in Science'', 1990
* ''Virtual Rabbit'', 1991
* ''Aurora'', 1994
* ''Sim City'', 1995
* ''Siren'', 1996
* ''Technique of Relief'', 1998
* ''Philosopher's Propeller'', 2000
* ''Solar Ray'', 2001 (a remix album, the concept being [[InTheStyleOf turning solo releases into P-Model sounding songs]], done with solar powered technology)
* ''Blue Limbo'', 2003
* ''Switched-on Lotus'', 2004 (a remix album with some original tracks)
* ''Vistoron'', 2004 (released under the name Kaku P-Model, but still a solo album, harder and faster songs than usual)
* ''White Tiger Field'', 2006 (Some of the songs on this album were used in the soundtrack for ''Paprika'')
* ''Tetragrammaton'', 2008 (A collaboration with metal/noise artist InhVman)
* ''Planet Roll Call'', 2009
* ''Totsu-Gen-Hen-I'', 2010 (Arrangements of P-Model songs focusing heavily on stringed instruments)
* ''Hen-Gen-Jizai'', 2010 (Similar to Totsu-Gen-Hen-I, except with solo work)
* '' BERSERK『Aria』'', 2012
* ''The Secret of the Flowers of Phenomenon'', 2012
* ''Gipnoza'', 2013 (Released under the name Kaku P-Model)
* ''The Man Climbing the Hologram'', 2015
* ''KAI=KAI'', 2018 (Released under the name Kaku P-Model)
* ''BEACON'', 2021

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!!Tropes:
* BizarreInstrument: Has made use of laser harps, zeusaphones, kinetic energy-powered samplers and ...[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp6ApVhab68#t=01m40s this thing]] in his live shows.
* CallAndResponseSong: Fulu-Re-He-He *clap-clap clap*
* CallBack: You can hear part of the P-Model song "Monster A Go Go" at the end of "[[Literature/{{Paprika}} Parade]]".
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: His bizarre twitter messages about a Susumu Hirasawa copycat breaking into his studio, which likely was just himself [[TrollingCreator trolling his fans.]]
** In one music video he [[MindScrew talks into a fish]] as if it was a telephone.
* CreepyCircusMusic: He did some of this on his early albums but eventually brought back the sound this past decade, most notably on "Parade".
* DontLookAtMe: The [[Manga/KOn "I'm not Yui Hirasawa!"]] incident.
* DumbAndDrummer: Quite literally; in 1997 P-Model replaced its drummer with TAINACO, "the virtual drummer".
* EchoingAcoustics: It's all over the P-Model album ''Perspective'', which compared to the 'gated' reverb technique favoured by other musicians, was achieved naturally by recording the drums in the studio hallway, resulting in a rawer and more punchy sound.
* EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes: "Caravan".
* EvilLaugh: At the end of "Quit." If you're used to him being TheStoic, it can be [[NightmareFuel rather jarring]].
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Because of this he's a vegetarian.
* GenreBusting: Big time with this guy. Music nerds all over the planet fail to sort him into a particular genre, the closest we can get is "Technopop".
* GenreRoulette: The music of P-Model was notorious for this, and while his solo career achieved a higher blending of styles, songs like ''Solar Ray'' change genres quicker than you could list them.
* GreenAesop: ''Solar Ray'' - an album about recycling, recorded entirely with solar energy, featuring (you guessed it) recycled material.
* GratuitousEnglish: Sometimes as a chorus, sometimes as the title, such as ''Niwashi [-KING-]''.
* HiddenHeartOfGold
* HitlerCam: For some reason many of his live performances are filmed from that angle.
* HumbleHero
* IAmTheBand: With Kaku P-Model, this is literally true.
* InHarmonyWithNature: His studio is designed to use only sustainable energy and resources.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Most of his friends are in their 20's.
* LargeHam: He certainly likes playing with this. He was quite hammy during the first years of P-Model but hammed down a lot over the years so that he is TheStoic since the mid-80s. His music on the other hand is just as hammy as electronic music can get. He is able to combine TheStoic persona with a unique hammy delivery in his most bombastic songs like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkYYYew8CUI Forces]]. Yes, he's a ColdHam.
* LoudnessWar: Unfortunately, his albums are mixed loudly and even clipping is common.
* LyricalDissonance: "Genshiryoku," a darkly sarcastic ProtestSong about Japan's nuclear energy policy set to an upbeat, triumphant-sounding tune.
* OneManBand: During his live performances; He also uses some playback tracks.
+ OlderThanTheyLook: Hirasawa is currently in his sixties, but one could almost mistake him for middle-aged man.
* ProtestSong: "Genshiryoku" against Japan's nuclear energy policy, "High Minded Castle" and "Love Song" against the war in Iraq.
* RearrangeTheSong: Done many times throughout his career; he's dedicated entire albums to this concept (usually updating his past works into his current style).
* RedOniBlueOni: P-Model with its aggressive rock style is the Red Oni to the Blue Oni of the more intellectual nature of his solo work.
* RevisitingTheRoots: Most notably on P-Model's self-titled 1992 album, which was in essence a more modern and insane take on ''In a Model Room'''s sound, sometimes literally (see "No Room").
* TheStoic: Try to find a live video (made after his early days) where he shows emotion. We'll wait.
* TitleOnlyChorus: “Homo Gestalt,” “Kaji wo Tore,” “[[{{Manga/Berserk}} Forces]],” “Rocket Shoot,” “Sekai Turbine,” “Mother,” “Seiren,” “Russian Tobiscope”
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Ginger tea and bagels.
* VocalEvolution: During the early P-Model years, his vocals were far more [[CarefulWithThatAxe extravagant]] but he gradually developed the clear tenor singing style we know him for.
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