JDK Band

Game Music, Reviews

First Steps Towards Falcom: Ys I & II Chronicles Musical Selections (Review)

March 23, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on First Steps Towards Falcom: Ys I & II Chronicles Musical Selections (Review) Share this

Ever since XSEED picked up publishing rights to Nihon Falcom’s wares, we’ve been getting a slew of Ys titles on the PSP. We loved Ys SEVEN last year, and I think Oath of Felghana is a favorite for a lot of fans out there. Most recent, however, was the release of Ys I & II Chronicles, remakes of the first two games in the series with a killer arranged soundtrack.

The single disc release comes with the Premium Edition of the game in the United States, and features a “selection” of tracks from the bigger 2-disc official soundtrack release that came out in Japan in 2009. Yeah, I know it sucks to get only half of the music, but if you look at the Japanese Ys I & II Chronicles Original Sound Track mini album, it only featured 8 tracks, so be happy that you’re getting a full disc of music here!

Are the arrangements any good? Hit the jump to find out. (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Out Of The Box: jdkthx Bye!… Wait, Buy What?

November 11, 2010 | Wes Chung | 12 Comments Share this

It’s been said that if OSV were a band, I’d be the backing singer. So it is with due amusement and pleasure that I want to introduce a new feature to the site, one that might add ‘back up singers’ to your playlist. ‘Out Of The Box’ takes a much-loved game soundtrack and attempts to find other albums fans of that music might like. In my case, I’ve tried to go outside anything we’d normally cover here, but that’s just my take on it. Rather than trying to match tracks, I’m ultimately aiming to pinpoint or at least isolate what it is about this soundtrack that we love, and to discover if some of that can be found elsewhere, either from before or after. It’s not about accusations of plagiarism so much as the idea of shared tastes and inclinations, and perhaps an acknowledgment that game music doesn’t exist in a bubble, and neither, I think, should we.

Since I’m introducing the feature, I get to pick an easy one. The Oath in Felghana, with Falcom Sound Team jdk as a natural extension. A refresher on the album is highly recommended, because I’m going to launch right into it… right after you click… here. (more…)
Game Music

Watch JDK Band Live 2010, Live!

August 20, 2010 | Justin Pfeiffer | 7 Comments Share this Watch JDK Band Live 2010, Live!

That’s right. Last minute update: Falcom just announced that their JDK Band summer concert on August 21st, 2010 at Liquid Room in Tokyo will be broadcasted live for everyone around the world via USTREAM. Lucky you! I’ll be there in person for both shows of course.

The first stage is a dramatic performance by the voice actresses from Sora no Kiseki set to BGM played live by JDK Band. [Update: Apparently the first stage will not be streamed, but at least you can catch the second stage from all around the globe. Our apologies!]

The second stage is JDK Band’s live performance. The big one. Expect to hear lots of songs from Falcom’s latest game Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki: Alternative Saga (which is mainly JDK Band remakes of previous Falcom themes anyway), as well as some old favorites from previous performances. Be sure to check that one out at 6:00PM Japan Standard Time.
Game Music

JDK Band 2010 Concert Date Announced

April 16, 2010 | Justin Pfeiffer | 2 Comments Share this JDK Band 2010 Concert Date Announced

Yay, Japan gets a concert! It’s been a while since we heard anything new from Falcom. In our last Falcom post, we talked about the jdk Special CD included with the PSP version of The Oath in Felghana, which comes out next week on April 22nd. Falcom has uploaded some clips to from the album to Felghana’s official site here (you have to click on the lower-right blue banner). They’re quite good so be sure to check them out.

Now then, Falcom just updated their site announcing that there will be a Summer JDK Band concert in Tokyo at the Liquid Room on August 21st. Their last concert (which we also covered) was in June of 2009, meaning they’ve started spreading out their concerts a bit. I suspect JDK Band will be playing new songs from their arrangements on the jdk Special album and perhaps give us a sneak preview of Legend of Heroes VII’s music. As of now, we only know the date and the venue of the Tokyo show, but Falcom will be announcing band members, other details, and perhaps an additional show in Osaka (please?) in the near future. For the time being, and to get you in the Felghana spirit for its PSP release next week, enjoy this clip of Valestine Castle from last year’s show.
Game Music

Ys III: Oath in Felghana is Back for the PSP With a JDK Band Bonus CD

January 22, 2010 | Justin Pfeiffer | 5 Comments Share this

Heads up Ys fans. Ys III remake for Windows, The Oath in Felghana, is being ported to PSP in Japan on April 22, 2010 and first-print editions will include a bonus CD called Ys: The Oath in Felghana jdk Special. Despite the nostalgic “jdk Special” title, a term that was formerly reserved for Sound Team jdk in-house arrangement albums and should bring back Soundboard II memories to old Falcom fans, this disc is set to include themes chosen and arranged by JDK Band. The bonus CD is being included with the first pressings of both the regular edition and the limited edition, with the limited edition to include a Felghana drama CD as well.

In addition to this news, Falcom has announced that the PSP version of Felghana will (in Falcom remake tradition) feature an option to choose 3 different BGM types: Felghana original (Windows), PC-8801, and X68000. Now you can play the game in two different styles of chip tunes! Actually, the PC-8801 version and the X68000 version weren’t all that different, aside from the stronger drum sampling in the X68000 version, so it would’ve been nice to get something more interesting like the PC Engine Super CD version, but I suppose that’s asking too much. Normally I would say, “Get over to Falcom’s page and reserve it right now!” but as of today, Falcom has yet to list it on their order page. They are instead referring to Japanese electronic store, Sofmap, as SofMap is running a promotion to include two different Felghana telephone cards with the order. Unfortunately SofMap doesn’t appear to ship internationally, so keep an eye on Falcom’s order page or seek it elsewhere.

Are you looking forward to playing Felghana on the PSP? What’s your favorite version of Ys III’s soundtrack?
Game Music, Reviews

Ys SEVEN Original Soundtrack: Kicking 7 Shades of… (Review)

December 9, 2009 | Wes Chung | 7 Comments Share this

In 1987, Nihon Falcom released a simple action-RPG with genre-defining music called Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished. 22 years, over ten games, and almost a googolplex of arranged CDs later, the franchise continues to adhere to these two elements. From rock-synth and memorable MIDI ditties to full orchestral arrangements, Ys will likely be remembered far more for its music than any other aspect, so we won’t open this review with any sort of query or cliff-hanger.

Ys SEVEN’s soundtrack is great, and after the jump we’ll tell you why. (more…)
Game Music

Catch a Glimpse of Ys SEVEN – Falcom JDK Band Live Summer Festival 2009

September 15, 2009 | Justin Pfeiffer | 7 Comments Share this

[Editor’s note: Here we are again with an amazing concert writeup from Justin Pfeiffer, one of our correspondents from Japan. He previously brought you some lengthy impressions from EXTRA – Hyper Game Music Event 2008, and now has impressions from Falcom’s JDK Band Live Summer Festival 2009. It’s a great read, so check it out!]

Ys SEVEN is almost upon us. Have you preordered your copy? (If not, get to falcom.com now!) The best action-RPG series ever continues on the PSP and Falcom’s JDK Band was alive this summer to kick off Ys I&II Chronicles and Ys SEVEN. I was on the scene with some of my Falcom maniacs in Japan to get our fix of JDK Band rockage.

Check out OSV’s concert report and take a peek into Falcom mania in Japan after the jump. (more…)