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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!
Game Music

New Super Meat Boy Soundtrack Released Across 3 Albums

October 15, 2015 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on New Super Meat Boy Soundtrack Released Across 3 Albums Share this

For those interested in last week’s Super Meat Boy soundtrack shake up, here’s a little recap and follow up. After Danny Baranowsky refused to license his original Super Meat Boy soundtrack for use in the new Fifth Anniversary release on PlayStation platforms, Team Meat had some work to do. Collaborating with Ridiculon, Scattle and Laura Shigihara, they created a new soundtrack to the game which Tommy Refenes from Team Meat elaborated on in a blog post.

“Thank you all so much for filling some pretty big shoes when it came to replacing the old sound track. Your work is amazing and I love you all. Your soundtrack helped breathe new life into the game and I’m proud of the work you’ve done. […] Like always, we pay for these tracks to be made but we also make sure that the artists retain the rights to sell their work.”

As part of the game’s debut on PlayStation 4 and Vita it’s “free” for PlayStation Plus subscribers for the month of October so you can play AND listen to the new music. If you’re not a subscriber or don’t own either PlayStation product you can still check out the music on Bandcamp. Laura Shigihara, Ridiculon and Scattle have each released their own contributions to the game as individual albums. You can even queue up Danny B’s original soundtrack on Bandcamp to compare.

Now that the new soundtrack has been out for over a week (or if you just started listening to it), what do you think of the change?
Game Music

Danny Baranowsky Denies Licensing of Super Meat Boy OST for PS4/Vita

October 5, 2015 | Brenna Wilkes | 3 Comments Share this

Super Meat Boy may be releasing on Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita this Tuesday, October 6th; but it will be sounding markedly different than the versions people have come to know and love. Danny Baranowsky, original composer of Super Meat Boy, has denied the use of his original soundtrack to be used with the PS4 and Vita versions of the game. Baranowsky parted ways with Team Meat a few years back, and ended up not being the composer for The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth despite being the composer of the original game. He cites the reason for the split as having nothing to do with creative differences, though declines to go into detail.

“I own all the rights to my music, and Team Meat approached me to license the music for the PS4 and Vita versions. I didn’t feel like the license fee and exposure through PSN they offered was enough to make me seriously consider accepting the deal. I decided to decline their offer. I wish them and the new artists the best of luck with the game.” – Danny B

Composition of the PS4 and Vita port will now be done by Ridiculon (The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth), David “Scattle” Scatliffe (Hotline Miami), and Laura Shigihara (Plants vs. Zombies). The game will be available on PSN for free for Playstation Plus members.

This lends a bit of timely weight to my recent article about game composer’s rights with regards to control over their music, and the need to be savvy with said control for the good of the composer and their livelihood. In this case, it sounds like Danny’s not out to screw Team Meat or fans, but is making the choice to keep a firm grip on his property for his own sake, which seems like a good call for indie composers these days.

Source: dannyBstyle
Chip Music, Game Music, Indie Music, Reviews

Diagnosis? Rhythmortis: Crypt of the Necrodancer Original Soundtrack (Review)

May 25, 2015 | Ryan Paquet | 2 Comments Share this

The Original Soundtrack to Crypt of the NecroDancer is my first experience with music composed by Danny Baranowsky who has composed the music for Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac and who has also worked on some excellent arrangements including Super Metroid: Relics of the Chozo.

The soundtrack contains 42 tracks and is a blend of chiptune rock and electronic melodies with a runtime of just under two hours. I listened to the soundtrack through at least three times and was blown away with the blood pumping beats and pleasant repetition and alternate versions of tracks. My first play through of the album was during a drive from Ottawa to New York State to camp over the Victoria Day long weekend in Canada. If you’re in the USA you can look forward to Memorial Day weekend next week. Read on to find out if you should pick up this soundtrack to kick off your weekend.

(more…)
Game Music, Indie Music

One Musician To Another: Danny Baranowsky Interview

December 12, 2012 | Brad Dyck | 1 Comment Share this

Every once in a while an artist comes along who presides over a subsection of music with a staff, a crown, a throne, a cape, a sequencer and a legion of followers. It is in this fashion that Danny Baranowsky has conquered the world of indie game soundtracks. With thunderous power chords of which arpeggios sometimes flee from and tubular bells that ring out with a sonic plasma shock wave, Danny B has established himself as nothing less than the supreme chancellor of indie game composers. On December 4th, 2012 at 20:30 Pacific Time, Danny B graciously decided to sit down with us and discuss his past and current projects. Join us below! (more…)
Game Music

Danny B’s Top 5 Video Game Music Picks

April 8, 2012 | Brenna Wilkes | 3 Comments Share this

Anthony Carboni of Revision3 Games recently had the pleasure of sitting down and interviewing Danny Baranowsky in there studio and picking his brain a bit. Don’t know who Danny Baranowsky, or “Danny B” is? Maybe you’ve heard of the games he has composed music for, such as Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac, and Canabalt. Perhaps you have a better idea now.

Anthony poked and prodded Danny B. into submission in order to divulge what his personal top 5 video game music tracks of all time, and the results might surprise you. They might also give you a better appreciation for some tunes you either may not be familiar with or might not have given the time of day beforehand.

So do you agree or disagree with Danny’s B.’s list?

Be sure to check out Baranowsky’s Bandcamp for a full list of his works and other tasty tidbits and musical samplings.
Game Music, Indie Music, Reviews

A Sacrificial Offering: The Binding Of Isaac Soundtrack (Review)

November 4, 2011 | Patrick Gann | 1 Comment Share this

Over at my personal-ish blog, I’ve been going on and on about a new indie game released exclusively via Steam. The $5 roguelike, from members of Team Meat, is called The Binding of Isaac. And if you haven’t heard of it, we’re clearly not running in the same circles. I suggest you join my circle.

Part of what makes Isaac so Meat-y is that its soundtrack comes from the same composer that did the music for Super Meat Boy: Danny Baranowsky (aka “dB Soundworks”). What makes the soundtrack noteworthy? Well, I happen to think it’s deceptively awesome because of its earworm-grade melodies, but even if it weren’t so wonderful, there’s the price point.

I’ll give you more about the quality of the soundtrack, and its fantastic price point, after the jump. (more…)