Sound Bytes: Indie Mashup EP: Sharing is Caring

Can we just say two words? Mashup. Galore. Mixed by the amazing Chris Geehan, Indie Mashup EP: Sharing is Caring attempts to take a rather ‘modern’ take on classic indie music from such games as Aquaria, Sword and Sworcery, To the Moon, Jamestown, Shatter, Tower of Heaven, and more. With solid remixes from reputed artists within the community like A_Rival, Module, & Disasterpeace, we’d say that this 11-track EP succeeds at showcasing the vast reach of creativity within the VGM scene. Francisco Cerda’s “DARK STAR” provides a particularly haunting, yet amazing orchestral rendition Jim Guthrie’s original “Lone Star” while Module’s “Mutant Jazz Space Babies Remix” proves to be the ultimate groovy, chill-out session of a Sword and Sorcery original.

While we’ve embedded the album above to give you a quick preview, Indie Mashup EP: Sharing is Caring is available exclusively on Game Music Bundle in a Pay-What-You-Want format.

Howard Drossin Backs Splatterhouse Remixes

Thanks to a tip from the amazing Jeriaska of the VGM-based community Nobuooo, we’ve been on a huge Howard Drossin kick lately. I mean, come on – what is there not to like about this man’s talent? Known for his seemingly random (albeit kickass) collaborations with top honchos like jazz composer Terence Blanchard and hip-hop producer RZA, Drossin is especially known in the VGM scene for his continued participation in the Sonic franchise over the years along with an impressive number of other notable scores as Sega’s former music director. If that doesn’t spark your fancy, the fact that Drossin’s work has been subjected as  one of the best OverClocked Remix albums of 2006 definitely should.

Anyway, enough fanboy talk. Even with his limited involvement within the video game industry lately, Drossin has done it again and released not one, but THREE amazing albums on Bandcamp. What really stands out for us, however, is Drossin’s open invitation for other independent game score composers to ‘butcher’ his music from the 2010 Splatterhouse remake. Appropriately titled Butchered by Various Artists, this remix album features several notable musicians like Chris Geehan, winner of Microsoft’s ‘Dream.Build.Play’ Challenge and Crashfaster, composer of the incredibly addictive Knifetank series. Independent Games Festival nominee Mattias Häggström Gerdt and “Make Something RADD” winner Tony Dickinson also make an epic appearance on the release.  In other words, brace yourself for free impressive remixing goodness. Yes, this album also happens to be obtainable for  free download. What are you waiting for?

Butchered by Various Artists as well as Drossin’s other phenomenal Splatterhouse albums (here and here) are available on Bandcamp now for download. Congratulations to everyone involved in the album, as well as Jeriaska for his own involvement in such an inspiring project.