Journey

Game Music, Indie Music

L’Orcheste De Jeux Video’s Next Concert Features Only Indie Game Music!

May 3, 2018 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on L’Orcheste De Jeux Video’s Next Concert Features Only Indie Game Music! Share this

Based in Montreal, L’Orchestre de Jeux Vidéo has been around since 2008. They are a non-profit organization, dedicated to video game music. Their goal has been to give their musicians the ability to play in a rich musical environment and also to make symphonic music more accessible to general public. Their next concert is on June, 16, 2018 and dedicated solely to indie game music. The concert will also feature music by composer Antoine Vachon from his soundtrack to Mages of Mystralia, which we reviewed last year.

For the first time in its history, the OJV invites you, on June 16th, to a concert entirely dedicated to the music of independent video games! A unique opportunity to come and hear favorite games such as Shovel Knight, Undertale and Ori and the Blind Forest, Yooka Laylee … and discover new ones! Indie games have a special place in the heart of the OJV. Propelled by the passion of the studio’s employees and offering immersive environments that are often surprising, they are jewels to discover!

The program for the evening will include music from: Ark: Survival Evolved, Ori and the Blind Forest, Super Meat Boy, Cold blood, Owlboy, Shovel Knight, Mages of Mystralia, Don’t Starve, Journey, Cuphead and Undertale.

L’Orchestre de Jeux Vidéo

Tickets for the concert are available from L’Orchestre de Jeux Vidéo’s website. You can also read about their past concerts that have included numerous classic video game franchises. They also have tickets on sale for their June 2019 concert Hero of the Past dedicated to the music of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

I plan on attending this event, I hope to see some of you there!
Events, Game Music, Indie Music

AUSTIN WINTORY Launches A Light in the Void Concert on Kickstarter!

March 15, 2018 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on AUSTIN WINTORY Launches A Light in the Void Concert on Kickstarter! Share this

On March 14, 2018, composer Austin Wintory (Journey, The Banner Saga Trilogy, and Abzu), revealed at last the Kickstarter project he has been teasing on Twitter for some time. The project is called A Light in the Void and is described as the first-of-its-kind. A live concert experience meant to inspire and sustain a life-long love affair with science through the emotional power of music and storytelling. You can view the video detailing the project below:

A Light in the Void tells the story of science itself through sweeping cinematic music, real-life scientists speaking on-stage (accompanied by the orchestra!), and wildly entertaining theatrics, video packages, and animations… all performed LIVE and broadcast globally for the entire world to experience. To put it simply: amazing scientists tell unforgettable stories in an audio/visual spectacular! Our goal is singular: elicit the profound, life-affirming joy of scientific discovery. This isn’t a show about teaching nifty science trivia … it’s about enriching life itself.

Austin Wintory will compose the music for the event which will feature three acts delivered live on-stage (with full orchestral score) by three of the world’s greatest living scientists.

You can read more and back the project over on its Kickstarter page. Check it out, for music and science’s sake!
Doujin, Game Music

Materia Collective & Multiplayer Release SPIRIT VGM Charity Album

October 5, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Materia Collective & Multiplayer Release SPIRIT VGM Charity Album Share this

Game music label Materia Collective along with Multiplayer charity organization have come together to help produce an entire EP of arranged and remixed video game music to help raise funds for aiding Hurricane Harvey victims, as well as draw attention to other recent victims of hurricanes in Florida and Puerto Rico.

SPIRIT is a fully licensed EP features four tracks of arranged game music from UNDERTALE, Final Fantasy VII, Journey and Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire, with proceeds from sales going to Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund at the Greater Houston Community Foundation to assist with relief efforts. Game artists and arrangers Braxton Burks (Pokémon Reorchestrated), Laura Intravia (Video Games Live), StringPlayerGamer (Strings of Determination), Loudr co-founder Jesse Budington, Sean Schafianski (Video Game Music Reorchestrated), and others have donated their time in order to put the album together for the charity effort.

We started working on SPIRIT almost immediately after Harvey, since many Materia Collective members are from Houston and wanted to contribute to the rebuilding process. There was a great outpouring of support in the immediate aftermath of this disaster; however, the need is ongoing, and we hope that our EP can contribute. In the time since we started this project, other hurricanes have affected other areas, including Florida, the Virgin Islands, and most recently, Puerto Rico. While all SPIRIT proceeds will go towards the Greater Houston Community Foundation, we also want to raise awareness for these other areas that badly need support. – Emily McMillian, Director

<a href="http://multiplayercharity.bandcamp.com/album/spirit">SPIRIT by Multiplayer Charity</a>

The album is currently available on Bandcamp, iTunes and Spotify. Donation links for charities in other areas can be found on Bandcamp and Materia Collective’s official website.
Featured, Game Music, Indie Music, Reviews

An Immersive Oceanic Ballet: ABZU Original Soundtrack (Review)

September 15, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | 1 Comment Share this

Austin Wintory has done it again. That’s it, review over. That’s all you need to hear right? Well at this point when it comes to video games scores you know that Austin Wintory is going to provide an exceptional score. Abzu is 505 games next game following the critically acclaimed Journey, which Austin Wintory also scored.

I took time to listen to the soundtrack to Abzu and was swept away by it’s beautiful melody and reoccurring theme. So come read about my thoughts on the album and why thoughts of ballet sprung to my mind with this soundtrack.

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Game Music

ABZÛ Original Soundtrack Releases August 2, 2016, Pre-Order Now

July 28, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on ABZÛ Original Soundtrack Releases August 2, 2016, Pre-Order Now Share this

On August 2, 2016, Austin Wintory will be releasing the Original Soundtrack to ABZÛ. On the album’s bandcamp page Austin Wintory provides some insight into the soundtrack’s creation.

On the heels of JOURNEY’s release in 2012, thatgamecompany’s Art Director Matt Nava showed me some concept art he’d been making for a new game he was dreaming up: Gorgeous underwater landscapes that straddled the line between being realism and fantasy. Not long after, the studio Giant Squid was founded and he invited me to join him in the creation of ABZÛ.

The overall progression was not unlike our prior collaboration on JOURNEY. I started with a theme (“To Know, Water”) very early in the process and then spent the next 3 years developing that material in tandem with the game. Both game and music went through many iterations and conceptual shapes before arriving in what you hear and see now. As always, that process of discovery was challenging and often filled with self-doubt.

The resulting score is one I can definitely say pushed me into territory I’d never been. The odd combination of large harp ensemble, semi-traditional orchestra and chamber choir, led by a slew of delicate oboe solos by Kristin Naigus, gave me ingredients for experimentation that were simultaneously great fun and deeply intimidating. All the performers brought incredible magic and I’m eternally grateful for their artistry.

Austin Wintory, Composer

<a href="http://austinwintory.bandcamp.com/album/abz">ABZÛ by Austin Wintory</a>

You can listen to the first official track “To Know, Water” which you will receive early if you pre-order the album. This track has been available previously and was used for the original E3 trailer in 2014, which we previously reported on following E3 2016. Although there have not been any announcements about a physical release yet I’m hoping to see a CD and Vinyl release. Stay tuned to Original Sound Version for a full soundtrack review and details on physical releases ‘if’ they are announced. You can pre-order the digital version for $7 on Austin Wintory’s Bandcamp page.

Will you be pre-ordering the ABZÛ Original Soundtrack? What do you think of the first track?
Game Music

Listen to a splash of Austin Wintory’s score to ABZÛ

June 23, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | 1 Comment Share this

I didn’t get to attend E3 2016 this year, but I have been following all the coverage and saw a few posts about 505 Games upcoming underwater game ABZÛ. After being blown away by the stunning visuals I checked out the official game site to learn that Austin Wintory would be handling the music. Austin Wintory composed the music for Journey also released by the same studio. Details of the ABZÛ soundtrack have not been announced yet but you can listen to some of it below.

This first piece “To Know, Water” was used in the trailer for the game at E3 2014. And the most recent trailer below also features some wonderful music.

ABZÛ will be released on Steam and PS4 on August 2, 2016. OSV will be sure to post the full details of the soundtrack once they become available. Is ABZÛ a game you’re looking forward to?
Featured, Game Music, Indie Music, Reviews

Tranfiguration (Review)

July 11, 2014 | Richard McDonald | Comments Off on Tranfiguration (Review) Share this Tranfiguration (Review)

I feel that I must get one thing very clear before you continue to read this review. My speciality is piano music. I am a pianist, I listen to a lot of piano music, from Mozart to Debussy, and I go to piano concerts in London. I’m also as close to an expert on the use of the piano in games as you might get, from the triumphant fanfare like riff from Halo 3 to the myriad of Final Fantasy Piano albums. As a result, my standards may be unrealistically high. I also have a confession to make: I’ve never played Journey! I know I know, it’s on my to-do list. This is particularly heinous of me as not only is the game supposed to be amazing, but the soundtrack is said to be excellent as well. However, this might not be a bad thing for this review, as I will not be influence by the game or the original soundtrack. I will take the music at face value, in its own right, separate from its related media.

It’s interesting to note that the composer, Austin Wintory, seems to have had little to do with this album. Transfiguration has been arranged by the Laura Intravia, the singer in the last track, and performed by Robert Thies. In general I think this is a good thing because, as a composer myself, I know how hard it can be to separate myself from my own compositions. I prefer to arrange for other people so I can focus on the advantages and disadvantages of the instrument, rather than being influenced by my own work. So with that said, let’s take a look at Transfiguration. (more…)