TaQ

• Game Music, Reviews

  It’s Here: Granado Espada Renaissance OST Volume 3 (Review)

  December 6, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 7 Comments Share this It’s Here: Granado Espada Renaissance OST Volume 3 (Review)

  

  Finally, the day we’ve all been waiting for! Well, at least some of us. The original Granado Espada soundtrack is one of my favorites of all time as you can probably tell from our Soundtrack of the Month article, but I admit I was a bit disappointed by the licensed music featured on Volume 2. Hanbit and IMC Games have fortunately corrected this with the release of the Granado Espada Renaissance Special Limited Edition Original Soundtrack Volume 3 (yes, quite a mouthful).

  You saw our unboxing video last week and already know that there are two variations in the packaging, but join us as we dig into the 3-disc collection. Is it worth the wait, and will you be able to get your hands on it? Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)

• Featured, Game Music

  OSVchannel: Granado Espada Renaissance Soundtrack Volume 3 Unboxing Video

  November 30, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 6 Comments Share this OSVchannel: Granado Espada Renaissance Soundtrack Volume 3 Unboxing Video

  Continuing our series of unboxing videos, this time we’re looking at the highly anticipated Granado Espada Renaissance Original Soundtrack Volume 3 album that was released back in August. Yeah, it took us that long for us to get our hands on it. Apparently it’s not for sale (just like the original Volume 1 album), and the only way to get it is to purchase in-game items in Korea (and maybe Japan?) to get a copy of the limited edition set.

  We have Reinassaince Set A here, but there’s also alternate packaging for purchasing Renaissance Set B in the game. These are limited pressings, with 500-1000 copies produced for each. Not sure if it’s 500 each, or if one of the sets has 1000 and the other 500, but in any case, they didn’t make a whole lot of these. I recommend heading over to VGMdb to check out the differences between Set A and Set B. And watch for our review coming soon!

  Anyway, enjoy the video, and let us know what you think of the packaging. The magnet is pretty nifty. Which set would you prefer?

• Featured, Game Music

  Soundtrack of the Month 10/2010: Granado Espada OST Volume 1

  October 1, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this Soundtrack of the Month 10/2010: Granado Espada OST Volume 1

  

  This one has certainly been a long time coming.  Granado Espada Original Sound Track Volume 1 is an interesting release for a number of reasons, and is quite special to me in that it was the first album I reviewed for Music4Games.  I admit I’m using some of that writeup as my basis for this review, but it’s crazy how much has happened since 2006 that I’ve been able to expound upon!

  What has happened, you ask?  Well, just here on OSV, we’ve interviewed composer Osamu Kubota on two separate occasions about his work on the title, introduced fans to Korean composer Sevin, founding member of S.F.A. and former member of soundTeMP, talked to TaQ about his sole contribution to the game, uncovered the fact that all soundTeMP tracks on this album were actually written by Jinbae “ESTi” Park, and even reviewed the Granada Espada Original Sound Track Volume 2 digital release from Streamline Records.  Yeah, a lot of stuff, and what better time to have Granado Espada as our soundtrack of the month than with the announcement that a proper Volume 3 is now on its way!

  Hit the jump to find out why you need to hunt this one down. (more…)

• Film, Game Music

  GDC 2010: Osamu Kubota’s Past and Philosophy on Videogame Music

  June 3, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this GDC 2010: Osamu Kubota’s Past and Philosophy on Videogame Music

  

  Remember when I told you there was more to come from our busy time at GDC 2010 this past March? Well, this is the last of it! Sorry that it’s taken so long, but I think it will be worth the wait. We talked to Osamu Kubota a couple years back, where, yes, we ran that fateful photo of him wearing lipstick. When we saw him at GDC, however, he was without the lipstick, and looked rather professional.

  This time we sit down for a chat about his work on Granado Espada, his interactions with IMC Games director Kim Hakkyu, his philosophy on music in games, his history with a J-pop band in the 1980s, and what his plans are for the rest of 2010. He has a lot of interesting things to say, so join us in our interview with Osamu Kubota after the jump! (more…)

• Game Music, Interviews

  GDC 2010: From Beatmania to Carnegie Hall – An Interview with TaQ

  April 13, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this GDC 2010: From Beatmania to Carnegie Hall – An Interview with TaQ

  

  I thought I told you that we won’t stop! We still have a couple interviews to churn out from GDC last month, and they’re actually somewhat related. This time we have Taku “TaQ” Sakakibara, who is known mostly for his extensive work on the Beatmania series. His work was ported over to Dance Dance Revolution, and his name should look very familiar to series fans with hits like “Electro Tuned,” “Era,” and my personal favorite, “Holic.”

  It’s actually been a while since TaQ worked on a Bemani project, and we take this opportunity to talk about his time with the company, the retooling of his music for Dance Dance Revolution, how he came to work on a track for Granado Espada, and a 20-minute long symphony he wrote that debuted in the prestigious Carnegie Hall. While we realize TaQ isn’t a household name, we hope we can introduce you to him and his work!

  Hit the jump for our talk with TaQ! (more…)

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