While I never got to see one of the EXTRA events live, I’ve always been intrigued by the so-called “Hyper Game Music Event” in Japan. You may recall Justin Pfeiffer’s lengthy impressions of the EXTRA event in 2008, and our interview with the event’s organizer and 5pb Records producer Masatoshi Nakamura, but 2007 marked the launch of the concert series, and with it came a number of album releases that are worth taking a look at.
The first album that was released after the 2007 concert was the EXTRA -Official Compilation- album, which, while not a live recording, did feature a number of remixes and live performances that were pieced together to represent what the show was all about. A strange approach for sure, but it does work, and a number of the tracks from the DJ side were actually played at the show, so in that sense, it is a piece of the event in your home. The album features arrangements from Rally-X, Dragon Spirit, some of the Basiscape composers’ early works, and Norihiko Hibino, with a taste of both electronic music and live performance.
Join us as we take a look back at the Extra -Official Compilation- album after the jump! (more…)