Dreamcast game Cosmic Smash has VR revival on PS5 featuring Ken Ishii and Danalogue

Some quotes about their experience making the soundtrack for C-SMASH VRS for PS5

Dreamcast Hub Take on the Quotes from Danalogue and Ken Ishii for the "C-SMASH VRS" Soundtrack:

• Danalogue expresses his enthusiasm for the game's setting on a space station, pondering the technical advancements required to build a squash court in space. - "I love the idea of the game being on a space station, and I was thinking: ‘how far away we are from not just having a space station that’s practical for scientific things, but where you’ve got enough technical prowess to build this huge squash court in space?’" (Danalogue laughs down a phone line to NME.)

  
  

• He also talks about his excitement about composing music for a game soundtrack, fueled by his love for video games and the opportunity to combine his passions. - "It was really exciting to me because I’d never thought about releasing music as a game soundtrack. But given I have this massive history of playing video games as a kid, we both really clicked and when he asked me to write music for the game it was a complete no-brainer."

  
  

• He highlights a departure from his usual style, mentioning that most of the soundtrack consists of electronic elements rather than live drums. - "That’s the main departure, really. There’s only one track on the soundtrack I did with live drums."

  
  

• Revealing his creative process, sharing that he went above and beyond by composing five tracks for each level, resulting in a total of 25 tracks for the game's soundtrack. - "Every level I’ve been writing music for, I’ve written five tracks... I went a bit overboard with it – instead of just writing one track and building up the drums I’ve essentially ended up with 25 tracks!"

  
  

• Ken Ishii reflects on the connection between club music and video games, attributing his early exposure to video games as a catalyst for his interest in electronic music. - "I think [club music and video games] are like twins in a way... I was seriously into that first generation of video games in my childhood, and I had an implanted conception, like ‘video games equal electronic music.'"

  
  

• He (Ken Ishii) then discusses the creative process for the game's soundtrack, noting that the director's requests led to unique and diverse results, deviating from his typical techno style and presenting a welcomed challenge. - "He didn’t always want a typical techno style so the results are unique and more diverse. It wasn’t easy sometimes but I did enjoy all aspects of the process and saw this as a new challenge."

  
  

• Danalogue shares his approach to composing the game's score, aiming to evoke specific emotions tied to gaming experiences and capture the essence of "C-Smash VRS," including triumph, competition, and athleticism. - "Rather than trying to write music around a specific genre, Danalogue wanted to capture three specific emotions that reflect the enjoyment of his own gaming experiences and best capture the essence of the C-Smash VRS: the courageous and hopeful aspect of triumph, the high-stakes intensity of competition, and the upbeat energy of athleticism."