Masaya Matsuura

Events, Game Music

All Your Bass, Game Music Festival Debuts in England in 2018

November 20, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on All Your Bass, Game Music Festival Debuts in England in 2018 Share this

The National Videogame Arcade in Nottingham, England has announced the debut dates and details for its new game music and audio festival All Your Bass. Taking place January 19th and 20th, 2018, All Your Bass will bring performances, talks, and more to The National Videogame Arcade and the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham.

Masaya Matsuura will be on hand to talk about his pioneering work in the “rhythm action” genre that brought us PaRappa the Rapper, Um Jammer Lammy, and more. The National Videogame Arcade will also be presenting the unique soundtrack for its building which was commissioned by Matsuura. On more hometown turf, legendary British game music composer, Rob Hubbard, will present a “director’s commentary”, a behind-the-scenes discussion of his musical influences and the technology he used through the heyday of the UK’s classic computer game era.

The announced performances will bring unique experiences to the concert hall setting. Friday evening closes with a special edition of the recently announced Dear Esther Live tour. The Liverpool Philharmonic and Thomas McMullen will be joined by Dear Esther composer Jessica Curry to perform, play, and narrate the experience followed by a post-show discussion with Curry.

Later in the weekend, classical music composer Maria Kallionpää and the University of Nottingham’s Mixed Reality Lab will present ‘Climb!’. A virtuoso piece composed for ‘Live Pianist, Disklavier and Interactive System’, tests the skills of the performer with the interactive system mimicking an invisible chamber music partner. This “partner” presents the challenge by jumping to different points in the score, keeping the performer and audience on their toes.

Check out the NVA’s site for updated ticket and event info or use our handy new Events Calendar to keep tabs on All Your Bass and other game music performances.
Doujin, Experimental, Japanese, Music Production

Rap Rabbit from PaRappa, Gitaroo Man Creators launches on Kickstarter

May 16, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Rap Rabbit from PaRappa, Gitaroo Man Creators launches on Kickstarter Share this

Two of the most well known forces in rhythm gaming teased a collaborative new title called Project Rap Rabbit late last week. Now they’ve pulled the wraps off of their pitch and launched its kickstarter campaign, shedding more light on the game and those involved.

Fronted by Masaya Matsuura and Keiichi Yano, Rap Rabbit will also include their respective studios: Nana-OnSha of PaRappa the Rapper fame for Matsuura, and iNiS J for Yano, best known for Gitaroo Man and the Ouendan series. The pedigree is obviously there, they just need the funding and support to create what the pair defines as “rhythm-action 2.0”.

As Matsuura explains in the kickstarter video, he got some flack for referring to PaRappa the Rapper as a hip hop or rap game back in the 90’s. Sure, PaRappa had some opportunities to freestyle but the game really only required the precise, “Simon Says” callback of patterns to succeed. What rap fans wanted was a game where they could change the lyrics while playing, and that’s what Rap Rabbit hopes to offer. Drawing inspirations from both RPG dialog wheels and the YouTube series Epic Rap Battles of History, combined with the back-and-forth gameplay of both PaRappa and Gitaroo Man, you can start to picture what the game might play like.

Based on their past works, it’s probably least surprising to hear that the game’s story trades on finding the strength to do what’s right and conquering adversity; only this time it’s set against traditional Japanese art and folklore. Inspiration here comes from 16th Century Japanese picture scrolls all the way up to films like Spirited Away, Tekkonkinkreet and Kung Fu Panda.

That leaves only the music to address which Matsuura himself is heading up as Music Director and core composer. Despite the traditional look of the visuals we’ve seen so far, the music hopes to fuse Japanese and Western styles while incorporating the Epic Rap Battles mix of beats, unexpected encounters, and comedy. Obviously, music is the most important part of a rhythm game and as a fairweather fan of Matsuura’s work in the past, this is the part that really determines where I fall on Rap Rabbit.

As of this writing the project is nearly $100,000 of the way towards a $1.1 million goal with initial releases on PlayStation 4 and Steam. Some lofty stretch goals would see the inclusion of more content and eventually ports to Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. No estimated release window has been mentioned so far but it looks like European publisher PQube is already on board to ship the game when it reaches its goal.

Take a look at the campaign video and kickstarter page and let us know in the comments if you’re already on board or patiently waiting for more details to emerge.
Game Music, Japanese

PaRappa the Rapper OST sees Digital Release this Week

April 8, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on PaRappa the Rapper OST sees Digital Release this Week Share this

Despite my pessimistic expectations last week, Sony has seen fit to bring the original PaRappa the Rapper OST out of Japan and direct to the PlayStation Store. Released this week alongside the remastered edition of the game is the same 44-track album that will be reprinted on CD in Japan next month.

In the same vein as recent soundtrack releases the PaRappa OST comes in the form of a music app for PlayStation 4. There’s the standard playback controls, a no-frills slideshow and the ability to export the songs to a USB device in MP3 format. If you’ve been holding onto dubious and scuzzy MP3s from the late 90’s this is a great way to update your collection while showing support for the classic franchise.

Unfortunately, the soundtrack isn’t bundled with the game this time around. The PaRappa the Rapper OST is $11.99 while PaRappa the Rapper Remastered is priced at $14.99 on the U.S. PlayStation Store.
Game Music, Japanese

1996 PaRappa the Rapper OST Getting a Reprint in May

March 30, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on 1996 PaRappa the Rapper OST Getting a Reprint in May Share this

First announced back at PlayStation Experience in December, PaRappa the Rapper Remastered on PlayStation 4 is now nearly upon us. For a change, the HD treatment is kind of a big deal here. Due to the differences between the CRT televisions of the 90’s and our modern digital screens this landmark rhythm game hasn’t been easy to pick up and play in years. Sharper visuals, enhanced audio with new alternate tracks, and display modes to make the game more approachable are all in store when it launches in the U.S. on April 4th.

For the game’s Japanese release Sony is bringing one more part of the original PaRappa experience back to life: the music. The game’s 44-track album, originally released in December of 1996, is being reprinted by TEAM Entertainment in its entirety. To be sold on disc for around $20, the album will go on sale May 24th, about a month after the remastered game’s release in Japan.

I’m not holding out much hope but there is a possibility we may see the album released as one of Sony’s music apps on the PlayStation 4 outside of Japan. Right now the only bonus we’ve got is a pre-order discount for PlayStation Plus members and a boring static theme. There is a demo you can play right now though, so if this post stirred up your PaRappa nostalgia you can get a quick hit for free right here.
Game Music

Holiday Update for Harmonix Music Game, Beat Sports

December 18, 2015 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Holiday Update for Harmonix Music Game, Beat Sports Share this

If you’re an owner of an Apple TV, then maybe you’ve already bought and played through Harmonix music game Beat Sports. Beat Sports is a collection of high-score-fueled, music-infused mini-games drawing from familiar sports like tennis, volleyball and golf. It features adorable characters from across the cosmos and original tracks composed by Harmonix and PaRappa the Rapper creator Masaya Matsuura.

A new holiday update was just released for the game, featuring nine new levels within three new mini-games and new songs for each level, with a bonus song available for multiplayer mini-game “Buddy Ball”.

You can listen to some of Matsuura’s previous music from the game to get an idea of what to expect from these new holiday tunes.

Beat Sports is available exclusively for Apple TV on the App Store for $9.99 with no in-app purchases.
Game Music

M’s Galore: Major Minor’s Majestic March Interview with Masaya Matsuura

March 26, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

Major Minor’s Majestic March is finally out next week. We loved this game when we saw it last at E3 2008, and were disappointed when it didn’t make it in time for Christmas. I suppose “March” is a better month for the game’s release, and you know what’s even more great? Matsuura himself has been calling the game M4 in magazine articles I’ve read since this interview… pretty cool!

Anyway, we’ve been fortunate to catch up with Masaya Matsuura regarding his latest project. We talk about the game, why it’s different, Matsuura’s take on current rhythm games and music in games, and even discuss the music that Matsuura creates outside of games.

Read our majestic interview with Masaya Matsuura after the jump. (more…)