Sound Bytes: “Timeless” by PrototypeRaptor

Timeless is the first track on PrototypeRaptor’s sophomore album, Nostalgiarithm.

The album spans multiple genres at around a 70 minute runtime, including 130 bpm electro house like this track, old school prog house, experimental dubstep, ambient works, and includes most of the track IDs I’ve been playing out/putting in sets here on SC.


If you enjoyed the track, you can buy Nostalgiarithm on Bandcamp, as well as check out his remixes on OCRemix.

Sound Bytes: “Just Hold On – zircon (Flexstyle’s Chilloniq Mix)”


Just a quick Sound Bytes feature highlighting Flexstyle‘s mix of zircon‘s original track “Just Hold On”, featuring vocalist Jillian Aversa:

Anyone who’s used FL Studio in the past year or so should probably recognize this song. Made by producer, composer, and sound designer extraordinaire Andrew Aversa, alias zircon, and featuring the gorgeous vocals of his wife Jillian, “Just Hold On” is the demo song in FL Studio 10. I decided to take it warp it into more of a hip-hop/trancey number. This is what I came up with–enjoy!

If you like what you hear, you can also download “Just Hold On (Flexstyle’s Chilloniq Mix)” for free here.  Check out more of what we think are some great electronic tracks from Flexstyle on his Soundcloud.

Sound Bytes: Dj RoboRob’s “A Daughters Revenge (Chun Li’s Theme)”


Like them womp womps? We definitely do when not overdone. This week’s Sound Bytes features yet another unassuming hard-hitter from Dj Roborob with his tribute to one of the leggiest women in gaming history, Chun Li. Just a warning though… hit the brief drop and frenetic wobbles may send your headphones/speakers/ears into a fantastic rhythmic frenzy for awhile. Listen at your own discretion!

Originally experimenting with chip music and eventually progressing through various genres such as house and dubstep, Dj Roborob is no stranger to mixing scene. You can hear more of his fantastic mixes on both Bandcamp and Soundcloud.

Sound Bytes: Dj CUTMAN’s “Transformation (Little Nemo)”

Yeah, yeah. We’re huge Dj CUTMAN fans here at ThaSauce. But can you blame us? With his charismatic presence on-stage, rad live sets that mash up everything from dubstep to hip-hop to chiptunes, and extensive knowledge of the video game music (or even electonic music overall, to which we entertain ourselves with his frequent Facebook updates), Dj CUTMAN really has us going on. This time around, this captivating DJ takes his proficient skills in audio engineering up a notch to remix music from the NES platform Little Nemo: The Dream Master. “Transformation (Little Nemo)” is an intriguing yet nostalgic take on Junko Tamiya’s classic work, adding a more upbeat, house-y vibe that just begs for some rhythmical head-bobbing while listening.

Check out his Soundcloud page to get your quick fix of more Dj CUTMAN goodness. Not enough? For more catchy tunes, you can also explore more similar styles of music on his newly established game music and chiptune netlabel, Gamechops.

Sound Bytes: beek’s “Kip’s Isle”

 

We really can’t say much about the new ‘chippage’ that beek has released, except that we expect nothing less from this chiptune veteran. While we’ve praised his recent work before, beek stylishly hones his own retro influences and alters the chip genre to be something everyone can enjoy without discrimination.  Peep his peppy, fun new tune above. “Kip’s Isle” is available to download for free right here.

Sound Bytes: Joshua Morse’s “Subwoofer Lullaby”

Here at ThaSauce, we’ve been fans of creating and destroying decadent pixellated block worlds since 2009. But we’re even bigger fans of the aural pleasures that Joshua Morse tends to induce on us lowly humans who are only capable of discerning what good VGM music is while tirelessly mining for ore and crafting cool new blocks that make our castles that much better. If you are confused about which Minecraft Servers to play on, you can check out here to choose your favorite server from the variety of Minecraft categories.

To celebrate Joshua Morse’s latest album Waveform 3, to be released on April 24th, we have included a lovely arrangement from the indie sandbox phenomenon Minecraft that has sweeped the world by storm one block at a time. Morse’s take on C418’s original”Subwoofer Lullaby” tends to inspire a more upbeat mood of relaxation and tranquility, yet maintains further dramatic interpretation at 1:33 of the serenity that C418 tends to stick with throughout. Overall, very much an enjoyable adaptation of one of Minecraft‘s more sought-after tracks.

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.

Sound Bytes: Danimal Cannon’s “Roots (IRL Mix)”

Along with his illustrious credentials as the monumental guitarist in not one, but two, of the most popular bands in VGM history, Daniel Behrens has made quite a name for himself. This reputation may be punctuated by the fact that Behrens’ solo work as Danimal Cannon, with his latest album Roots, has taken the VGM community by storm. This may prove one of two things: Danimal Cannon is incredibly talented artist or Danimal Cannon is actually a Norse god sent down by the heavens to teach us the ways of both epic shredding and chiptunes indelibly made into a staunch configuration of a human being. While I would agree with the former, Danimal Cannon’s “Roots (IRL Mix)” may have most acquiesce to the latter. “Roots (IRL Mix)” takes orchestral metal to the next level, proving that Daniel Behrens is indeed a metal Thor incarnate.

Peep his latest song above and let us know what you think. While you can cop Roots for a mere ten dollars, Danimal Cannon’s “Roots (IRL Mix)” is available for free on Bandcamp.

Sound Bytes: Shnabubula Covers Double Dragon’s “Title” Theme


Okay, so we might have a habit of hyping up NYC-based remixer and piano prodigy Sam Ascher-Weiss, also known by the moniker Shnabubula. But can you blame us? With over 1,200 subscribers and over 326,000 views on YouTube now, Shnabubula’s reputation for piano improvisation and insane productivity still cannot be denied.

Even with his wonderful Free Play album recently released (which you can preview all for free on his Youtube page), Shnabubula has just put out a new teaser for yet another upcoming album to be released in March, featuring music covers that will only utilize live piano and NES/Famicon samples. We are happy to report that if this teaser is a just sign of things to come, NES Jamz  will absolutely be off the hook. In this video, Mr. Ascher-Weiss really shows off his talent with some good ol’-fashioned Double Dragon. We seriously implore you to give this video a quick listen and see, truly, what the hype is all about.


Sound Bytes: Blake Robinson’s “Morrowind Theme” Orchestra Arrangement


If you haven’t heard the orchestral works of Blake Robinson, you’re in for a special treat. Self-described as a “nerd for hire”, Blake Robinson may be seen as a true jack-of-all-trades. While maintaining his chief occupation as a game developer at both Electronic Arts and Outplay Entertainment, Mr. Robinson spends most of his free time freelance composing for several high-profile indie games. However, we just couldn’t resist not showing you how utterly epic his work can truly be.

We would say that Mr. Robinson has a history of taking old video game compositions and making spectacular orchestral arrangements. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind theme is the first time the modern Elder Scrolls series was heard, and to anyone familiar with the game it is particularly memorable. Jeremy Soule’s original title theme vivaciously captures the spirit of adventure that immerses you a foreign world the moment you enter the game. Over the years, the theme has gone through a number of changes, some of the most drastic of which can be heard in the Skyrim version, but to this day the Morrowind version still stands on it’s own. This arrangement captures that atmosphere and feeling that just hasn’t been felt again since the original Morrowind, despite how amazing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s soundtrack is.

You can preview more of his work on The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra, a newly formed collection of his orchestral music, covers, and remixes. We truly applaud Mr. Robinson for going above and beyond most of his orchestrated pieces and invite you to experience the awe of such an extraordinary piece.

 

Sound Bytes is a recent feature to ThaSauce that focuses on showcasing exemplary VGM songs that we find to be more than exceptional. Want to send us some songs that can be featured on Sound Bytes? Shoot an e-mail to [email protected].