Hip-hop

• Game Music

  Pimptacular Interview With MadWorld Composer Naoto Tanaka

  May 12, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this Pimptacular Interview With MadWorld Composer Naoto Tanaka

  Yeah, that’s right. Naoto Tanaka apparently ordered rapper Sick-YG to write “pimp-themed” rhymes for the game’s final battle, and it sounds awesome. For those who weren’t aware, MadWorld’s soundtrack was a collaboration between PlatinumGames composer Naoto Tanaka and eight different hip-hop and rap artists, and Tanaka has generously taken time away from his next project to talk with us about his unique score for MadWorld.

  Topics include his inspiration for the game’s unique sound (Linkin Park & Jay-Z?), the lack of a soundtrack release in Japan and the United States, and Tanaka’s past works that was credited to his secret alias. Tanaka also reveals that he’s an oldschool game music fan who used to recreate chiptunes in his free time, which definitely makes him a cool dude in my books.

  Hit the jump for our exclusive interview with PlatinumGames’ Naoto Tanaka. (more…)

• Game Music

  Team Teamwork’s “The Ocarina of Rhyme” – Explicit Lyrical Content Ahead

  March 18, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 5 Comments Share this Team Teamwork’s “The Ocarina of Rhyme” – Explicit Lyrical Content Ahead

  

  Mashups are always fun to listen to. Remember when everyone in the world was taking Jay-Z’s “Black” album and mixing it with other famous works? There was the Gray album (Beatles’ “White” plus Jay-Z’s “Black”), or Jay-Zeezer’s “Black & Blue” (using Weezer’s “Blue” album). Those were hip albums, right?

  Earlier this week, a collaborative group called “Team Teamwork” released a ten-track digital mashup using music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and a variety of mainstream and indie hip-hop artists. The results are surprisingly enjoyable. Replacing the original samples with newly-crafted sample loops from the classic 64-bit Zelda soundtrack makes these hip-hop works, which I would normally loathe, into something I can definitely enjoy. Artists represented include Aesop Rock, Common, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z (of course), and many others.

  Head over to 8tracks.com to check it out for yourself! But please take note, there is no censorship on this album, so be ready for some vulgar language mixed in with “Lost Woods,” “Goron Village,” “Great Fairy’s Fountain,” and others. Now if only they had mashed something up with Gerudo Valley. That would’ve been beautiful, ne? Or maybe not! How do you feel about having classic Zelda tunes “mashed” with a genre of music you may or may not like? Does it bastardize the value of the song, or does it show the power and versatility of music in general?

• Game Music, Reviews

  MIRROR’S EDGE THE REMIXES (REVIEW)

  November 11, 2008 | David Bruno | 4 Comments Share this MIRROR’S EDGE THE REMIXES (REVIEW)

  

  It’s a rare occasion when I am hit with a “music chill.” Now, I don’t think that I can write a concise definition for the term, but I can attempt to describe it for those of you who are unfamiliar with it. And for those of you who have experienced the music chill, you should know exactly what I’m talking about. In short, the music chill is a sensory thrill ride. It starts off with a sharp and tingling sensation that sweeps down your entire body like an avalanche. Your muscles contract and freeze up leaving you tense and chilled. The fine hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, immediately preceded by goose bumps that blanket your arms and legs. While this feeling only lasts for a very short period of time (upwards of 30 seconds), the experience is pleasantly overwhelming.

  It is only suiting for a visually stunning and down-right gorgeous videogame like Mirror’s Edge to have an equally impressive theme song. After all, audio is 50% of the overall experience. So with that said, publishing powerhouse EA and Swedish based developer DICE (a subsidiary of EA) turned to Swedish pop star Lisa Miskovsky to score the theme song for Mirror’s Edge, and the result is “Still Alive.”

  I was fortunate enough to check out the six-track remix album in advance, before its digital release which is now available through all digital service providers. Hit the jump to hear what I have to say about the Mirror’s Edge The Remixes album. (more…)

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