Actually, DJMAX Technika had me at hello. The first Technika soundtrack was probably my favorite to date, and we’ve covered a lot of DJMAX over the years. The unique blend of K-pop, electronic music, and contributions from Korean composers ESTi, Nauts, Diny, and Shinji Hosoe made for a unique experience that ranks among my favorites in the rhythm game genre.

DJMAX Technika 3 was recently released (it was actually at MAGFest X, but due to the line that persisted even at 4:00 AM, I never got to play it), and the limited edition soundtrack enjoyed a general release in North America as well as Japan and Korea. While it’s sold out now, I still wanted to delve in and give my impressions.

Does it live up to the DJMAX name, or is this franchise getting stale? Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)

I saw Paul “Chipocrite” Weinstein multiple times at MAGFest X. He’s part of a chip-ish collaborative band called AutoScroll (it’s Chipocrite + Animal Style). He’s also a new/touring member with Cheap Dinosaurs. But my favorite experience with this man was seeing him perform his solo set live at the Saturday noon chiptune show. It was so good that I decided to pick up a physical copy of his album “Hit and Run” (released last year) even though I had the digital version already (note the digital version has two bonus tracks not found on the CD).

After seeing the live show, I figured it was about time I spoke up about Chipocrite’s album of chippy goodness on OSV. So, here goes. After the jump, that is. (more…)

They had me at “Suikoden.” Unsung Heroes is one of the best album concepts to come out of the OCR community as an arrangement album dedicated entirely to games that have received minimal attention from arrangers over the years. I first caught a glimpse of the album at MAGFest X earlier this month, and when it was released yesterday on OverClocked ReMix, I immediately ran over to check it out.

Titles arranged include the previously-mentioned Suikoden as well as Persona 3, Faxanadu, Legacy of the Wizard, Willow, and Secret of Evermore. Oh, and there’s singing if you couldn’t guess from the title of this post.

Did this ambitious effort pay off? Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)

You may remember all the way back to 2008 when we featured an interview with Eminence founder and talented violin player Hiroaki Yura about his contributions to SOULCALIBUR IV. With the release of SOULCALIBUR V on the horizon, Yura and Eminence have enjoyed an even larger role, both coordinating talent and performing more pieces of music. With Yura’s establishment of the Creative Intelligence Artists (CIA), he’s managed to bring in Hiroki Kikuta, Inon Zur, Cris Velasco, Andrew Aversa (along with Jillian Aversa), and others to create what should be an impressive soundtrack which you can pre-order here.

We’ve taken the time to profile each of the artists involved, including commentary on the work they’ve created for the game. It’s a slightly different approach than our traditional Q&A, so let us know what you think of it.

Hit the jump to read more. (more…)

We’ve already told you how impressed we were with A_Rival’s 3:30 AM performance at MAGFest X earlier this month. He somehow managed to pack a room full of people with his previously-unannounced performance so early in the morning, and by the end of his set he had nearly everyone on stage jumping up and down and pumping their fists with his heavy 8-bit/electro remix of the TMNT theme.

For those who weren’t there (shame on you!), A_Rival has fortunately decided to release the TMNT 2012 EP featuring this excellent remix alongside a short rap about wanting to be a teenage mutant ninja turtle when he grows up. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s available via his Bandcamp page with name your own price. I know I have strong memories from that magical morning, but I still think it’s worth checking out and throwing a few bucks his way.

Let us know what you think of A_Rival’s antics and his TMNT remix.

It goes without saying (although I’m saying it now) that the Symphonic series is probably the best concert production in the world focusing on game music. Not only are they impressive feats of arrangement and orchestral performance, but Thomas Boecker and crew managed to pull off two such shows in 2011: Symphonic Legends focusing on the music of Nintendo and Symphonic Odysseys, a concert dedicated to Nobuo Uematsu, not to mention a repeat production of Symphonic Fantasies in Japan that just took place a couple weeks back.

While it’s unlikely that we’re see Symphonic Legends on CD given Nintendo’s track record with licensing music (a real shame), we do have Symphonic Odysseys courtesy of Dog Ear Records, and it’s just as good if not better than previous Symphonic efforts.

Hit the jump for more. (more…)

Navi says to LISTEN! But if you know you hate dubstep, you’ll want to ignore her.

Okay, now that the haters are gone, that leaves two groups of people: those who know and understand what dubstep is (and are either into it or are apathetic) and those who don’t quite grasp the term yet.

For the two groups left, let me ask you this: wanna hear The Legend of Zelda in a way you’ve never heard it before? Good! Follow along on this bandcamp page and read about Ephixa’s fantastic dubstep release Zelda Step from 2010… post-jump. Jumpstep? Dubjump? Double jump? I love puns. (more…)

Anyone notice that Square Enix’s entire catalog of music is no longer available on iTunes? Not a single Final Fantasy or SQ album in sight. Apparently there was a reason for it, and Square Enix has offered the following statement regarding the recent disappearance:

“Currently, official Square Enix soundtracks are temporarily unavailable for sale due to the changes we are going through with the iTunes North American service. The items will be available as soon as the preparations are in place. We hope to resume availability of these items by March.”

I know many of us import music from Japan because we like the packaging, but I’m sure this has impacted some. In the meantime, Square Enix recently added the Final Fantasy XIII-2 soundtrack to their North America store for $34.99 (down from $39.99) which is an approximate $10 discount compared to the Dollar-to-Yen import price.

Feel free to chime in and let us know what you think and whether their iTunes service is an important avenue for you to acquire their music.

[Thanks Sam and Robby!]

Square Enix has been doing some pretty neat stuff with Village/Vanguard stores throughout Japan with the release of their SQ series albums. Customers who’ve picked up their copies at these stores have received a neat little cardboard case for More SQ, a customer bonus disc containing several exclusive tracks for SQ Chips, and now more exclusive music for their most recent release, Café SQ.

You can read our review of the entire album here, but what makes the customer bonus discs for Café SQ even more interesting are the fact that there are two: one for customers who picked up their copy at Village/Vanguard stores, and another for those who shopped at Tower Records.

As you’re not likely going to be able to get your hands on these outside of Japan, are they even worth worrying about? They just might be! Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)

“Wow, it’s been ages.” That’s what we wrote when introducing episode 10 of the show. Saying it again would just be silly. So let’s try something more festive.

“Rise from your grave!!!” There, that feels better.

After a fantastic MAGFest, Jayson and I thought it best that we bring back the ol’ podcast. We’re kickin’ it off right in 2012, as our featured guest for this episode is Mustin (OneUps, Bad Dudes, etc)! We talk for over an hour about our favorite MAGFest memories, our favorite music, and more. At one point I veer off into this tangent about why I love LiveALive so much. Jayson runs from his computer as I spoil the game’s ending (you’re given fair warning in case you want to run too). But there’s plenty more to the episode than that. For example, does Mustin have a favorite band from MAGFest? He’s not quick to admit it, but you’ll probably find the answer if you listen the whole way through this episode!

If you listen closely, you’ll hear a total of 16 pieces of music cut into the episode. It’s a lot of music, but we keep it down below the talking. Our intro music is The OneUps’ Intergalactic Redux version of Contra, and the outro is the “Castle Rock” track off of the Bad Dudes’ Chrono Trigger album CHRONOTORIOUS. Get on it!

Download: Original SoundCAST Episode #011

Well, oops. We had a lot of coverage of Contra 4: Rocked ‘n’ Loaded on OSV leading up to the album’s release back in March 2010, but it somehow managed to slip through the cracks when it came to a review. Well, after seeing and talking to many of those involved this past week at MAGFest about the status on their Rockman X arrange album and realizing our boo-boo with the Contra 4 album, I was determined to go back and review it.

And here it is! (more…)

We were able to catch some time with the Earthbound Papas after their Saturday night concert to ask them a few questions about their thoughts on MAGFest, some details on the band, and whether or not they were considering the creation of the Earthbound Mamas.

The responses are surprising!

Read more after the jump. (more…)