A crack of thunder. Pulsing polyrhythmic percussion. The roar of a passing motorcycle. A haunting symphonic chorus.

Once you've heard the soundtrack to "Akira," the anime classic that turns 30 years old this month, it's almost impossible to forget it.

Like every other aspect of the film, the soundtrack seemed to mark an impressive departure from most anime. And to create the epic sonic world of his cyberpunked Neo-Tokyo, director Katsuhiro Otomo turned to composer Tsutomu Ohashi, also known as Shoji Yamashiro, and his musical collective, Geinoh Yamashirogumi.