In 2011, I started an ambitious project: to collect every audio CD published by the developer/publisher CAVE (Deathsmiles, Dodonpachi, Espgaluda, Mushihimesama, etc). I completed this project earlier this year.
And now, even as I face the dreaded possibility of having to sell that very collection, I was able to glean so much knowledge and enjoy so much great music from a bevy of amazing Japanese composers. The man who introduced me to the quality of music from CAVE, Don Kotowski, joined me in a 3-hour audio recording wherein we listen to two songs from each album and give our commentary. My commentary tends to be focused around critique of the music, while Don has tons of expert knowledge about the music’s origins, having interacted with many of the musicians who worked on these albums.
It’s taken me 4 months since the audio recording with Don took place, but I’ve put together an eight-part YouTube video series (playlist here) corresponding with that audio recording for a full-on A/V experience to learn about this game company and their music. Most of their games are “bullet hell” shmups, though they stray into other, even more niche territory (such as the visual novel Instant Brain).
Don and I wanted to provide this video series as a method for game music fans to get up to speed on one very specific set of music, one whose fans tend to be even more hardcore than, say, fans of Nobuo Uematsu or Falcom Sound Team jdk.
Video embeds after the jump! (more…)
