If you dig way back into the annals of OSV, you’ll find a review of The Outer Rim’s self-titled debut album. For the promotion of the album and the band, the four members took a photo together in the woods, and I noted how distinct each of the member’s hairstyles were.
Well, gone is the emphasis and hairdos, and in fact, gone are saxophone player Norihiko Hibino and piano player Hakui Kim. We mentioned a year ago that the group had relaunched with new members Gustavo Anacleto on sax and Frederic Viennot on keys, and even linked you to some new performances by the group which appear here on this album.
So, how does the band’s second effort fare? Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
It’s that time again! You should know by now that Outer Rim has brought on some new members and has been performing at the monthly Tokyo Groove Nights in Japan (for more info, be sure to check out our chat with band leader Jeff Curry on Episode #004 of our podcast). We just got word that the group has a new track from their latest show available for your streaming pleasure. Titled another rant, “Another Rant,” the live recording starts by combining their spacey jazz stylings with a distorted radio transmission before exploding into a saucy lounge piece. This is the first time that we see what the newly added synthesizer, performed by Frederic Viennot, brings to the group, and I say it sounds good!
Unfortunately I couldn’t link directly to the piece, so feel free to navigate to “Another Ran” in the songs section above and let us know what you think. Does the synthesizer add to the group? Any thoughts as to which game music tracks the group should tackle?
We’re back once again with another episode of Original SoundCAST, and this week we’re bringing some extra muscle. In addition to our usual discussions we have a special guest interview with Jeff Curry: Bassist, composer and founder of Jazz/Rock group The Outer Rim and former bandmate of Metal Gear Solid composer Norihiko Hibino. We get to pick his brain what it’s like being a gaijin musician living in Japan as well as what the future holds for him in terms of game music-related projects. Also, Gideon makes a movie reference that no one understands.
Click the download link below to hear all of this, plus our unresearched and possibly offensive thesis on the country of Norway.
Intro/outro music this week is by Battle Lava from Montreal, Quebec!
We just received an interesting newsletter update from The Outer Rim founder and Metal Gear Solid series bass player Jeff Curry. Apparently The Outer Rim has some shows lined up, and I was immediately curious as I know the group had been on somewhat of a hiatus due to saxophonist Norihiko Hibino and keys player Hakuei Kim’s availability. As it turns out, the two have stepped down from the band to make way for Gustavo Anacleto (saxophone), Hiroya Morooka (keys), and an entirely new addition, Frederic Viennot on “synth and stuff.” The group has already hit a couple of venues this month, and is set to perform at the Tokyo Groove Nights Vol. 1 event on April 30, 2010 at the Kick Back Cafe in Tokyo, Japan.
I think most of us are wondering what the group sounds like without Hibino and Kim, and the answer is pretty much the same. They’ve posted a new video on YouTube (update: the above video is old… their new video, which you can find on their website, was breaking the site!) featuring the new band members. In fact, “Island Body” sounds great. It’s been too long since we’ve heard new music from the group (they were featured last on the Ninja Blade soundtrack), so this is good news even though I’ll miss Norihiko Hibino and Hakuei Kim. I hope this doesn’t mean the end of videogame tie-ins for the group, though!
Feel free to check out the band’s website for more information.
What do you think of the change of roster? Is it worth swapping out members in exchange for a more productive band?
I’m an honest guy, so let me just tell you something right up front before we get into this album – up until recently, I wasn’t a huge Norihiko Hibino fan. I was familiar with his work on the Zone of the Enders and Metal Gear Solid series and appreciated whatever music of his I had heard in-game, but until I had the pleasure of checking out The Outer Rim album I was merely a spectator to his work. As I listened to the spacious jazz of The Outer Rim my curiosity was piqued and I became more eager to learn more about Hibino and his musician friends at GEM Impact.
A couple of weeks ago I heard the Ninja Blade Main Theme and was completely floored. Where had I been while Hibino and the GEM Impact team were making such great music? As I thought about it, songs like “Yell ‘Dead Cell'” and “Twilight Sniping” from MGS2 came rushing back to the forefront of my memory and I realized that I had been here all along, and as such I had lots of music to search out and enjoy. And the first album up? The Ninja Blade Original Soundtrack, composed by Hibino and the rest of the GEM Impact team. And, believe you me, this is an excellent soundtrack.
Join me after the jump as I pull my head out of the sand and take a closer look at the Ninja Blade Original Soundtrack. (more…)
What’s sure to be one of the coolest game concerts of the year is right around the corner, coming in the form of EXTRA – HYPER GAME MUSIC EVENT on October 13, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The show was announced last month, and will feature performances by Yasunori Mitsuda, Yuzo Koshiro, and Hirokazu “Hip” Tanaka just to name a few. I’ve already talked to many game music fans who are as jealous as I am that this awesome event is only going on in Japan.
We’ve actually had the pleasure of speaking with Masatoshi Nakamura, a producer at 5pb Records who was responsible for starting the EXTRA event last year. In this exclusive interview, Nakamura discusses how he came up with plans for the event, what his thoughts are about composers performing their music live in front of their fans, and even how he came up with the super-energetic title of the event. Lastly, he tell us that he hopes to bring the event overseas.
Do you agree that the EXTRA – HYPER GAME MUSIC EVENT is a great idea? Would you travel across the United States to attend a show if they were to put one on over here?
Well, here it comes, another reason to be jealous of gamers in Japan. The EXTRA – HYPER GAME MUSIC EVENT 2008 has been announced. The show celebrated it’s inaugural performance last year, featuring a long list of game music celebrities performing live for fans. Last year they had a DJ stage and a live stage with names like Hip Tanaka, The Outer Rim, Yasunori Mitsuda, and Yuzo Koshiro. There will even be a performance using three linked copies of KORG DS-10. Most of these guys will be hitting the stage once again a day after the Tokyo Game Show on October 13, 2008, so if you’re lucky enough to be in town, be sure to hit this one up.
I do find it somewhat odd that they’re announcing the event only a month before it’s set to take place, but given it’s proximity in both time and location to TGS, I’m sure it will be packed. I’d be super stoked to meet Hip Tanaka. If we’re lucky, maybe Dale will grace us with his impressions of the show. Check the official website for more information regarding attendees and ticketing.
Anyone extra that you’d like to see at the show next month? Wish they’d put on a show like this in the United States?
