Experimental
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Experimental, Game Music
Turrican Series Gets a New Conceptual Soundtrack with “Rise Of The Machine “
December 12, 2018 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Turrican Series Gets a New Conceptual Soundtrack with “Rise Of The Machine “ Share this
“What would a Turrican 4 Soundtrack on the Amiga have been like in 1994?”. This is literally the first sentence of the newest release by Turrican II composer Chris Huelsbeck as a bonus stretch goal from his “Turrican – Orchestral Selections” Kickstarter-funded project. Huelsbeck took the ambitious challenge of creating a whole new conceptual Turrican soundtrack, as if it was still the mid-90s and the Commodore Amiga was still fighting the good fight among gaming platforms, and made it a reality.
Turrican – Rise of the Machine is a 19 track album that features a slew of brand new music, made tailored to the imaginary idea of a new Turrican sequel. Although basically a “fan album”, Huelsbeck and Thomas Boecker made sure that this new bonus album was in every way created as if it were specifically for the long-past Commodore computer.
Created with Chris Huelsbeck’s original TFMX Sound System on the Amiga and recorded on real hardware, this labor of love is meant as the soundtrack for a virtual and imaginary successor to one of the most beloved game series of the era. No detail was spared, even down to the memory and CPU limitations of mid 90s. But now it’s 2018 and time for “Rise Of The Machine”!
Huelsbeck as done a fine job in resurrecting the Turrican series in the past few years, first with the Turrican Soundtrack Anthology and then with the Turrican II: The Orchestral Album. With the addition of Rise of the Machine, the Turrican series composer provides a fresh offering of familiar Amiga sounds for fans. We may never get a Turrican 4 game, but at least we can enjoy some series successor music.
Turrican – Rise of the Machine is currently available on Bandcamp for $15USD.
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Experimental, Game Music
Listen to Vocalist Emi Evans Sing on My Brother Rabbit OST
Vocalist Emi Evans has been spreading her talents since her work on Dark Souls and Nier:Automata. She’s provided her vox for the soundtrack to the puzzle adventure game My Brother Rabbit that was released September 21st. Composed by Polish musician Arkadiusz Reikowski, My Brother Rabbit tells the tale of young siblings invoking a fantastic universe filled with bizarre objects and wonderful creatures to deal with the harsh realities befalling them in real life (and the game’s whimsical cover looks like something released by The Birthday Massacre).
“Because there are no voiceovers in the game, we knew from the very beginning of the project that the audio and music is going to be of the utmost importance, practically a separate layer of the game world. One of the greatest highlights of the score is the performance of a very famous singer, and my friend, Emi Evans.” – Arkadiusz Reikowski, Composer
“When I read the story about My Brother Rabbit it really connected with me. I spent lots of my childhood making up imaginary games, and the piece composed by Arkadiusz is really haunting, but also simple in the most wonderful way possible.” – Emi Evans, Vocalist
Last month, Arkadiusz traveled to London to meet Emi and recap the project that was captured in the documentary, which you can watch on Youtube.
My Brother Rabbit is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The song “Dreams”, which features Evan’s vocals, is available for free on Bandcamp, Soundcloud and Youtube, soon on Spotify and iTunes
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Experimental, Game Music
Rhythm Game Just Shapes & Beats Now Out for Nintendo Switch
June 1, 2018 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Rhythm Game Just Shapes & Beats Now Out for Nintendo Switch Share this
Publisher and developer Berzerk Studios have finally released their rhythm game Just Shapes & Beats for the Nintendo Switch and Steam, featuring a ton of chiptune and EDM artists including those from the VGM community. The game is exactly what is on the label; a fast-paced SHUMP featuring shapes (both you and your enemies) all moving to ridiculously speedy beats as you struggle to stay alive. (fyi, you won’t for very long in most cases)
“Just Shapes & Beats” is a trippy couch-coop musical bullet-hell based on two simple things, there’s going to be Shapes, and some kick-ass beats, and you are going to die a lot. Wait, that’s three things, just go back and edit the first part to “three simple things” in your head.
The game won accolades at PAX East and South 2015 as well as Game Developer’s Conference 2015 for its simple entertainment as a rhythm game. It also features the musical talents of familiar faces in the chiptune and EDM scene, including Danimal Cannon and Zef, Big Giant Circles, Kubbi and more. There’s also teasing of additional tracks being added by more artists in the near future.
The game is currently on Steam for $17.99 and the Nintendo Store for $19.99. Check it out and be sure to tell us what you think!
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Experimental, Game Music
Music-Powered Beat ’em Up Game TERRORHYTHM Releases This Week
April 2, 2018 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Music-Powered Beat ’em Up Game TERRORHYTHM Releases This Week Share this
A new rhythm-based action game will be releasing this week courtesy of Moscow-based indie developer EvilCoGames. TERRORHYTHM, much like similar games such as Crypt of the Necrodancer, bases its beat ’em up gameplay on the rhythm of the music played.
In the middle of the 25th century the world has plunged into a totalitarian system of sound isolation that made the world absolute muted. In the world where silence is the only antheM, you should break the law to bring back the sound and the music to humanity.
The visual style of the game is very cyber-punk and reminds me of a similar style used in Furi, while the beat-based action looks similarly intense. Beyond using the music provided within the game, there is also a custom music mode for players to import and use their own music to play through the game’s multiple difficulty levels. EvilCoGames also promises future music-based achievements and rank challenges., as well as additional improvements.
TERRORHYTHM is currently in Early Access on Steam, and fully releases on April 6th.
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Demoscene, Experimental, Game Music
Grab some free Soundtracks from the PlayStation Store
December 28, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Grab some free Soundtracks from the PlayStation Store Share this
While keeping an eye out for PlayStation Store deals over the holidays, I decided on a whim to search for “soundtrack” and sort by “price: low to high”. Surprisingly, I turned up a handful of free albums that anyone can grab right now as long as you’ve got a PlayStation 3 or 4.
From 2012 is the 18-track soundtrack from Datura, Sony’s trippy PlayStation 3 experiment that came out of the Polish demoscene. From 2013 there’s the massive (and massively chill) soundtrack from Knytt Underground on PlayStation 3. To celebrate the launch of inFAMOUS Second Son in 2014, Sucker Punch released the game’s 29-track soundtrack from Marc Canham (Far Cry 2), Nathan Johnson (Looper, Brick) and Brain (Tom Waits, Primus) as a free app on PlayStation 4. And most recently in 2016, 505 Games released the 7-track soundtrack to Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf from Francesco Libralon and Lorenzo Scagnolari on PlayStation 4.
The search page also makes for a handy reminder for anyone who pre-ordered Bloodborne or The Order: 1886 as they both came with free soundtracks that you can still download. Ndreams’ The Assembly also has a free 13-track album waiting for anyone who purchased the PlayStation VR game since its release in 2016.
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Experimental, Indie Music
Switched on SNES Returns with more Zelda Tapes, Secret of Mana Teaser
December 15, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Switched on SNES Returns with more Zelda Tapes, Secret of Mana Teaser Share this
If you missed grabbing a cassette copy of Switched on SNES’s analog synth rendition of A Link to the Past, they’ve got a little Christmas miracle for you. There are only 100 cassettes up for sale after filling the second round of pre-orders so if Zelda, synths, or cassettes fit the bill for you or someone on your shopping list, hop to it!
Alongside the new cassettes, Switched on SNES has released a preview track from their next album that focuses on another beloved SNES RPG, Secret of Mana. I wasn’t sure how Hiroki Kikuta’s score would sound with the analog synth treatment but “Into the Thick of It” definitely benefits from the extra boost of melancholy that the Switched On SNES style brings. Check it out, grab a tape of Zelda, and look for the Secret of Mana album to hit Bandcamp in January.
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Chip Music, Experimental, Indie Music
Brave Wave Announces First Solo Album by Mega Man Composer Manami Matsumae
December 12, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Brave Wave Announces First Solo Album by Mega Man Composer Manami Matsumae Share this
Sometimes our favorite game composers release little original treats for us to chew on inbetween games or after a long hiatus, such as Hip Tanaka’s recent release of his original chiptune album. Now it’s Mega Man composer Manami Matsumae’s turn to release her own original tunes.
Matsumae, in collaboration with music label Brave Wave Productions, unveils her first-ever original solo album THREE MOVEMENTS, which celebrates her thirty years of working as a composer in the video game industry. Matsumae’s career began in 1987 when she graduated from the Osaka University of Arts and joined Capcom’s Sound Production Department that same year. With THREE MOVEMENTS, she ventures into a new batch of chiptunes, trance and orchestral compositions, all stretched across three distinctive parts.
“By this point, I’ve created music for a number of video games. These songs come in a variety of genres, and I want everyone to listen to the different styles I’ve experienced throughout the years, which is why I ended up creating my album in this fashion.” – Manami Matsumae
The album is also inspired by a trip Matsumae and Brave Wave producer Mohammed Taher took to the Swiss Alps, using imagery captures by photographer Bao Hgo during the trip to influence the segments of the album itself.
“Unlike the typical solo album, this isn’t a genre album. Manami crosses chiptunes with everything from classical piano and SNES-inspired beats to melodically vague soundscapes and orchestral numbers. The music influenced our photography, and we toured around the Swiss Alps looking for the perfect shots.” – Mohammed Taher, Album Director
The solo album will be released on December 17th, thirty years after the release of the original Mega Man, and is currently available for pre-order on Bandcamp. The CD and vinyl will also be available to purchase on December 17th from the Brave Wave stores at Fangamer and Big Wax. The 2xLP vinyl gatefold is limited and individually signed by Manami Matsumae, and will include three exclusive tracks.
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