Back in the early to mid-1990’s, re-compositions or different renditions of game-based music was still a relatively new concept. Composing remixes of game music through the use of live instruments or orchestras and not through the limitations of sound cards and board synths was a whole new idea that was gaining steam and was considered a rare treat for any fans of the particular series that were being given the honor. These were the days before game music was considered it’s own genre, and therefore wasn’t given the symphonic treatments we’d begin seeing a decade later with things like Video Games Live or Play!, and thus it was up to independent musicians with a dedicated enough love of game music to shower the fandoms with their own renditions of popular game tunes in a grandiose fashion.
Enter Naoto Shibata and his posse, Naoto Shibata PROJECT in 1994.
By 1994, many of what can be considered the “Classic” game series by today’s standard were enjoying their glory days, not the least of which was Konami’s whip-toting action sidescroller – Castlevania. (more…)
