Video Game Grooves Video Game Grooves

Show notes and gallery: http://videogamegrooves.com/2020/07/25/episode-66-alex-brandon-system-shock-deus-ex-human-revolution



In our newest podcast about the intersection of new and old things, we are joined by Alex Brandon, composer of (among other things) the original Deus Ex, to discuss some of his past and present work, including new releases you can buy right now over at his Bandcamp page!



We open this show with a discussion of System Shock, from Limited Run Games. We go (Jeremy goes) into exhaustive detail about the context of the game's release from a technology, narrative, and musical standpoint, and we explore some of the history of composer Greg LoPiccolo and how some of what was seeded in this game grew to fruition in future video games. We then go back to the future with Deus Ex: Human Revolution to discuss Alex's history with the franchise, the interrelationship between the musicality of the original games and the newer prequel, and the exquisitely-conceived (but somewhat surface-noisy) vinyl release. We did ask for this.



Finally we talk to Alex about his new project, Conspiravision: Deus Ex Remixed from Materia Collective, and how the work on the series and this project has been divided with his contributing partner Michiel Van Den Bos, his own history in game music development (sound cards!) as well as the musical theory behind something that "you can't really hum."



https://alexanderbrandon.bandcamp.com/



Twitter – @vg_grooves, @jeremy_lamont, @ajohnagnello, @funkyrustic







Links:

Iron Harvest (Game-Legends)

Tekken 3 (Laced Records, Limited) (Standard)

Tekken 3 (Light in the Attic)

The Dark Pictures: Little Hope (Bandai Namco EU)

Metroid: Resynthesized (One Run Records) (sold out)

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (Laced Records)

Deliver Us the Moon (Wired Productions)

The Essential Games Music Collection Vol 1 (Diggers Factory)

Horizon: Zero Dawn repress (Townsend Music)













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Show notes and gallery: http://videogamegrooves.com/2020/07/13/episode-65-ultimate-chicken-horse-minecraft



In the land of oddities that is video game music on vinyl records, we like to think that we highlight the special ones, or highlight the special elements in the things you might otherwise overlook, and today we have a bit of both! We're joined this time around by Debug Records' Caleb Denney, primarily to allow us an excuse to highlight hidden gem Ultimate Chicken Horse, from his label. Jeremy divulges some intimate personal secrets about his listening habits, and how it relates to the super-eclectic flavor of the overlooked party game. We reckon with both the high-quality production and variety of UCH, and also the high-quality raccoon action.  We move on to Caleb's guest-feature for Minecraft, which, although the world knows the game, we may not have spent a lot of time listening to the music. Composer Daniel Rosenfeld aka C418 has one cardinal rule in the laid-back score, and it's some music to make memories to for sure.



We continue with the new releases, of which there are quite a few, as well as a few important represses and last-chance grabs, as well as some now-shipping vinyl you can get your hands on now.



In our final segment, Jeremy and Caleb ruminate on our interest (and buying habits) for soundtracks from "old games" versus soundtracks for "new games" on vinyl. Our personal collections, clamorings, and actual spending habits go under the microscope, along with the viability of those products for labels like Debug.



https://www.debugrecords.com/



Twitter – @vg_grooves, @jeremy_lamont, @ajohnagnello, @debugrecords

Instagram: @debugrecords

Facebook: Debug Records



Links:

Minecraft Volume Beta (Ghostly)

Virtuaverse (Blood-Music) (sold out)

Wave Break: High Tides (NewRetroWave Bandcamp)

Outer Wilds (iam8bit)

Conspiravision: Deus Ex Remixed (Materia Collective)

CrossCode (Materia Collective) (Bandcamp)

The Keyblade War (Materia Collective)

Wai Wai World 1+2 (Ship to Shore) (Black Screen Records)

Mega Man X 1-8 (Laced Records) (sold out)

Mega Man X 1-8 (Light in the Attic)

Devil's Crush & Alien Crush (Enjoy the Ride)

Röki (Black Screen Records)

Beyond Blue (Vinyl Me Please)













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Show notes: http://videogamegrooves.com/2020/06/22/episode-64-nier-automata-nier-gestalt-replicant



What is Video Game Grooves? Is it a perfect circle, destined to have no beginning or end? Is it a planar spiral, swirling against entropy ever inward toward an imperfect concentric point of consciousness? No. It is a podcast about video game soundtracks on vinyl that you will make a part of you, forever. This week we dive very deep into the NieR: Automata  / NieR Gestalt & Replicant box set from Square-Enix. Paul and Anthony take the lead on this millennia-spanning endeavor, plumbing the depths of meaning from Yoko Taro's inscrutible oeuvre. We take meaning from the music and from the story, exploring themes of consciousness of communication, and we mispronounce ALL of it.



Next we keep you in the know about the new releases and crowdfunding efforts in the world of vinyl. You might say that we keep your heart and mind rich, but your wallet poor. Sorry about that.



Finally we discuss our relationship with video game music, or soundtracks in general, and what it means for us when we do or don't have a personal context with the music. There may or may not be a rant about "VGM." Anime fans and VGM community, direct your angry letters to Jeremy Anthony and Paul [-ed.]



Twitter – @vg_grooves, @jeremy_lamont, @ajohnagnello



Links:

A Short Hike (Stumpy Frog Records)

Twilight Princess Arrangement (sold out) (Respawned Records)

Vib-Ribbon (Minimum Records)

What The Golf? (iam8bit)

Grandia Memorial Soundtrack Edition (Wayo Records)

Control (Laced Records) (Light in the Attic)

Dishonored: The Soundtrack Collectio (Laced Records)

The King of Fighters '98 (Limited Run Games) (Bigwax)

Evoland (Red Art Games)

Evoland II (Red Art Games)

Blaster Master Zero 1 (Limited Run Games)

Blaster Master Zero 2 (Limited Run Games)

Skelettack (Mondo)

***Crowdfunding***

Across the Worlds (Chrono Cross Piano Collections (Wayo Records)

Space Quest III Reorchestrated (Qrates)

SID Anthology: To Be On Top (Qrates) (relaunched)













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Show notes and gallery: http://videogamegrooves.com/2020/06/07/b-side-knight-of-the-round/



A new B-Side is fresh from the boat, and this time we're summoning Knight of the Round for a discussion of their newest release, Seven. Band promoter Kyle Gaddo joins Anthony and Jeremy to explore the phenomenon of Final Fantasy cover music, and heavy metal game cover music in general. Band frontman Justin Taylor gives some insight into the composition process for Seven and provides details about the creation of the album and the process of making a vinyl release happen. We also have a chance to listen to a ton of heavy / pensive / outrageous / stompy / portentous metal. The band is looking to tour again soon when conditions allow, but you should consider supporting them so that you know the lyrics to One-Winged Angel to sing along when Knight of the Round comes to your town!



Twitter: @kotrmetal, @kylegaddo, @ajohnagnello, @jeremy_lamont, @vg_grooves



Knight of the Round can be found on:

Knight of the Round website

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook













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It's been a while since you've had a dose of that ancient far-east fare, so we are bringing it back in style in another great episode. This time we are joined again by Frederik Lauridsen of Blipblop.net to feature some of the very earliest video game music on vinyl record with Namco Game Music Vol. 2, one of those good old G.M.O. Records releases. Specifically we focus on a little-known game called Youkai Douchuuki, and hear a number of selections from a hell-themed arcade game and talk about how the earliest game music came to turntables in Japan. Next, we have a very special fulfillment of Anthony's long-time dream to feature Suite Dragon Quest II, also a Japanese oldie, but it's specifically the B-side we want. We sit down for a truly mammoth 25 minute listening session for the entire reverse side of the Dragon Quest album which features an arranged "sound story" of the Famicom game from beginning to end. We spend some time talking about the kinds of creativity in arrangements like this that we just don't see these days, although a glimmer of it exists in recent performances and upcoming releases.



We move on to those new releases and announcements with trepidation. It's been an expensive couple of weeks for some of us... how about you? Links below in case you need to catch up on some of those soon-to-be-hard-to-find items. A vinyl collector's work is never done, it seems.



Outro: Gameplay from Youkai Douchuuki - Namco Game Music Vol 2



Blip Blop website

Twitter – @blipblopwax, @vg_grooves, @jeremy_lamont, @ajohnagnello



Links:

Fatal Fury (Limited Run Games US, Bigwax EU)

Chex Quest (Limited Run Games)

Ape Out (iam8bit)

Wilmot's Warehouse (Ship to Shore)

PLOK (Respawned Records)

Sea of Stars (Backerkit)

Hessian (Crowd Ox)













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Rotating like the seasons in the ambiguous and overwrought ending of Mega Man 2, the turntable has again come round to another episode of Video Game Grooves. No reason to despair, we're not dead (unlike Mega Man at the end of Mega Man 2), but rather we're here for another episode of our famously overwrought podcast for you to enjoy!  This time we get equipped with guest host Brock Wilbur, as he takes a breather from releasing his new book in the Boss Fight Books series, this time about Postal!



In this episode we take a new tack with our feature as we devote our entire session to Mega Man 1-11: The Collection from Laced Records. We get to take our time and get out into the weeds with some of the more admirable traits of a "full series" musical take on Mega Man, but of course there are always some oddball robot masters in the attic, and we trot them out for all to see. We discuss the breadth of the iconic series and delve into some of the more obscure areas of the series, developmentally and musically. Anthony, Brock, Paul and Jeremy all have their particular spins on the records AND the robots of one of Capcom's flagship series... we just hope we're doing it all in the right order.



After the feature, we head into news and new releases, deftly getting you the info you need to justify your expenses to whatever degree you choose or don't... it's enabling behavior, we know, but it's just one more service we provide to you. Finally, we get out of robot mode and sit down to talk about our feelings, and just what (emotionally-speaking) draws us to our record shelf instead of other outlets for passing time. We learn a lot about life, love, and each other. And we hope you do too.



Outro: "Staff Roll" - Mega Man 10



Brock Wilbur's website: http://brockwilbur.com/

Postal (Boss Fight Books) by Brock Wilbur & Nathan Rabin



Ultimatemavrickx (Deviant Art page)



Twitter – @vg_grooves, @jeremy_lamont, @ajohnagnello



Links:

Freedom Finger (Rhymesayers)

Minecraft Volme Beta (Amazon US)

Death Stranding: songs from the Video Game (Mondo)

Resident Evil 4 (Laced Records, Limited, Standard)

Ultimate Chicken Horse (Debug Records)

Void Bastards (Ghost Ramp)

Chex Quest (Limited Run Games)

Osamu Sato Collected Ambient Grooves (Mentalgroove Bandcamp)













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