Joe Hisaishi—hailed by Pitchfork as “the most acclaimed Japanese composer to have ever worked in film”—has won countless awards for his achievements in composition and film scoring. He is the 8-time winner of the Japanese Academy Award for Best Music; he was awarded the Japan Medal of Honour award in 2009; and he has composed soundtracks for 2 Academy Award-winning films, “Departures” (2008) and “Spirited Away” (2002). Hisaishi’s body of work, comprised of nearly 100 film scores and solo albums, draws inspiration from the canon of American minimalist compositions, experimental electronic music, and European and Japanese classical music. He has scored all but one of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films, including 3 of the top 5 highest-grossing anime films (worldwide). Hisaishi, the celebrated Japanese composer known for his beloved film scores and his work with acclaimed filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli as well as 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano, releases a new 2-disc compilation album Dream Songs: The Essential Joe Hisaishi out February 21 on Decca Gold.