Dungeon Synth Bangers

Are you aware of the musical genre Dungeon Synth?

While the easiest comparison is video game music from 8-bit and 16-bit console RPGs and CRPGs of the 80’s-90’s, it also encapsulates old-school TTRPG milieus and non-game influences such as Tolkien and other fantasy literature and art.

It is a varied genre that obviously has a lot of source influence and there is a significant range in music, from harsh to soothing. From these various accounts I have selected some of my favourite Dungeon Synth Bangers.

Gollum (Demo) by Grimdor

If the inspiration for this one is not obvious, I seriously wonder why you are looking at this list at all.

Regardless, let me laud praise on this track.

This hazy, Korg tune is able, within a few minutes and without any lyrics, able to tell a story that goes from mysterious, to frightening, and into a subtle denouement. To me, this track conjures adventure and peril and I totally recommend listening to it while drawing a map (yes, for the fun of it).

Don’t Fuck with Batspike by Batspike

Something that is almost universal for the genre is that it goes without lyrics, often as it is intended to be used as background music for actual (or fantasy/rpg) dungeon-delving. Due to the lack of lyrics, there is a large worldwide pool of artists and fans that share their music that can be fully appreciated by anyone regardless of their language or culture.

Anyway…

This album, while aggressively titled, is a slow-burn synthesizer grind through bleak land(sound)scapes and, to me, makes me think of the toils of slaves in a mine, a wizard working on some unknown alchemical tincture, or a party of nervous adventurers stumbling into the chambers of a long-forgotten cult.

The Dead Man’s Journal – eponymous

Wow. Just the title of this one is enough to inspire me, but actually listening to this album is a real adventure.

To me this evokes feelings of 70’s Italian gothic horror movies combined with the absolute terror of a player’s first dungeon-delve while player Second Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons – but maybe that is just my experience.

This is another slow, subtle set of music that feels like a journey fraught with peril and the unknown and you have to keep listening to it because you need to know how it resolves… What a fantastic album, in any genre.

Sidequest – eponymous

These are some subtle, warm synths. The chip-tune inspiration is glaringly obvious and it is glorious.

When you listen to this you will find yourself on an uncomfortable wooden chair in front of the glare of a 15″ CRT monitor, the only light in the room. Your hands will rest on a yellowed, mechanical keyboard; absent is a mouse, for it doesn’t exist on this setup. Near the monitor rests a spiral-bound graph-paper notebook filled with maps and notes, a half-filled bottle of Pepsi gently fizzes. PC-speaker sounds and music grate on your senses but it doesn’t matter, because you are absorbed in adventure.

Empyreal Forest by Lost Horizons

I love this album and as dungeon synth, it is absolutely fantastic. I find the title fitting, and the clean, mysterious sounds are really evocative. The, hollow, distant sounds make it seem like this is played in a vast underground chamber, filled with treasure and danger.

When you listen to this album, you are listening with the elves.

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I hope you liked these dungeon synth selections, maybe you opened up to some new musical horizons. Let me know your favourite album from this list, or otherwise, in the comments.

The one day Vacation

Recently I took a short vacation, in scheduled and it took place instead of a stream. It was an outing that I did not know that I needed. And I am grateful.

Top 10 Video Game Music Remixes

I guess I play a lot of video games, and yeah, they have had an influence on my life. One aspect in particular that has been influenced are my musical preferences – I like video game music.

Video game music used to be beeps, boops, and other strange machine sounds; now it is a big deal with high-quality versions of popular “traditional” radio music. Well, my preference is usually for the earlier stuff, I don’t mind when video games use popular music, but for me it has to be appropriate, like the use of “normal” music on the radio stations in Grand Theft Auto. In a similar vein with a weird twist, I also like when video games (or movies for that matter) don’t have music unless there is a reason, the scene takes place at a concert, a radio is playing, for instance – it’s a thing, btw.

Anyway, as part of liking video game music, I also like remixes of that music, which is likely something you already knew based on the title of this article. Moving on, here are my top ten video game music remixes, in no particular order.

DuClare Chateau (Wine for two mix)
Deus Ex (2000)
Auteur Theory

This is an amazing track.

Yeah dog, I don’t know what you know about music, but I do know that if you don’t like this, then you probably have terrible taste. This remix is of one of the best original pieces of music from the source game and is somehow an improvement in every way. The original song, due to the constraints of the game, was designed to be looped, but this version adds in a progression and pleasant conclusion. The somewhat sedate and depressed nature of the track is accented further by the fact that the group who made the remix are no longer producing music, which is authentically sad.

Little Mac’s Confession
Punch-Out!! (1987)
Game Over

An amazing evolution and development.

Wow, this track is an evolution, a quantum leap, if you will. The original track, while cool enough, really gets development with this remix and even features lyrics that match with the material and theme of the game. Like the above track from Deus Ex, the original was meant to be looped, so this song adds in a conclusion.

Luther Broad Motel
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)
Yung Scrolls

This is perfect.

I could easily make a list of my ten favourite Yung Scrolls tracks (and I might) but for me, this is easily the best of them all. Wow, a smooth jazz with gangster movie influences for a usually sedate medieval-themed instrumental? This is objectively fantastic. I know this is about the music, but even the “track art” really nails the mood. I have listened to the track on repeat for up to an hour at times and I do not regret a single second of that.

Mercenary Boxing
Street Fighter II (1991)
Malcos

It’s Mike Bison.

This song is taken from a larger complete work known as Blood on the Asphalt which is a remix album of every song in the Streetfighter II franchise. This particular song impressed me because it is fairly sedate and understated, especially in comparison with the music in the game and in the genre in general.

Mute City
F-Zero (1990)
Mitch Murder

This is one of the best compilation videos ever made.

Okay, first of all, anything Mitch Murder makes could be mistaken as video game music, and the artist does a lot of video game covers/remixes, but man, this particular one caught me by surprise. It is light, springy, and upbeat in the most positive of ways. I will note that the one thing that made this particular song my choice ahead of other really great Mitch Murder video game covers is the above video. Deal with it.

Phantom Train
Final Fantasy III/VI
LZLS

Skip to 7:20 if to hear the specific song, or listen to the whole album, it’s good!

My dude, if you expected this entire list to go by without a v a p o r w a v e song, you are mistaken, sort of. I would consider this to be more of a chillwave rendition, but I mean, it is good either way. Also, there are not too many vapor songs that heavily draw melody or sample from video games that are, in my opinion, all that fantastic. Most of the good vaporwave music in connection with video games involves fictional games, make that make sense. Anyway, this track is sedate, and probably the best on the album, and while it explores new sensations, it remains true to the source.

I Want Love (Studio Mix)
Silent Hill 3 (2003)
Akira Yamaoka / Mary Elizabeth McGlynn

Wait a second…

Okay, you are going to tell me that this isn’t a “remix” because it is on the official soundtrack, but, I will argue that it is not the version that appears in the game, and is therefore a remix, even if it is made by the original creators. Whatever. This song is absolutely awesome, and aside from some weird lyrics at spots, it is a truly great piece of music, much better, in my opinion, than the original.

バラムガーデン
Final Fantasy VIII (1999)
Cinctulan

I always thought that the Balamb Garden music would make a great sample for a vaporwave song, but I guess I must be wrong, because I have never found one. This one is pretty good, and I think you may like it.

The Dragonborn Comes
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
Malukah

The original and best.

If you have ever listened to the actual source song in the game, you will have to agree that this is better in every way, and if you don’t you are trying to be a contrarian and you are a bad person.

Ashes to Ashes
Super Metroid (1994)
Zircon

Remember dubstep?!

I guess I am one of the few people that still enjoy dubstep, so well, here is a dubstep remix of an iconic piece of music from Super Metroid. I never really got into playing this game, but I always enjoyed the way it sounded. Like a lot of earlier pieces, this remix breaks the loop of the original and gives it a much better progression, the dubstep influence is subtle, and I think an overall improvement.

There you go, my ten of my favourite video game music remixes! Be sure to let me know how wrong I am in the comments!

Top 10 Halloween Albums

Not this kind of spooky. Source.

If you haven’t already, you really should get rid of your “Spooky Sounds” CD (surely I can’t be the only one that still has CDs?) from 1996 (maybe you should also think about getting rid of your well-worn copy of “Now That’s What I Call Music!” also?).

Anyway, the “Monster Mash” isn’t really compelling Halloween music unless you have a real thing for campy trash or you run a daycare (in which case, uh, okay, I guess). There is a ton of truly excellent Halloween/Horror Movie (I mean, aren’t those two almost synonymous?) music that has been made that doesn’t make you want to rip off your face so that you can die and simply become another tacky piece of Halloween décor.

I am listing this in no particular order, but they are my ten favourites of this year!

Slasher Dave – Tomb of Horror

If you have ever seen an 80’s horror movie, (and you really should if you haven’t) then this music should really conjure up those same feelings. The production quality on this album is truly excellent and considering how atmospheric the album is, the consummate professionalism of this album really makes it an experience to remember.

Recommended Listening: during a fall drive, a night of (preferably horror-themed) gaming, or listen with headphones as you deliriously stumble around in the dark in a perpetual state of terror.

Acid Witch – Evil Sound Screamers

This album is a bit more on the intense side of things, a bit more horrific, and pretty pulse-pounding. I don’t think it is possible to have a relaxing night at home while listening to this, the paranoia that it causes leads to frenzied fits of screaming.

Recommended Listening: driving on the freeway without headlights or for being alone in the dark being pursued by a relentless murderer.

Goblin – Suspiria

A classic, and let’s just underline this, not the new one, with that guy from Radiohead. Goblin is an Italian prog-rock band that, due to cosmic powers, were unable to stop making excellent soundtracks for numerous Italian horror movies. The title track from the Suspiria album is delirious and infectious, the quick pace really amps up the intensity.

Recommended Listening: I mean ideally listen to the soundtrack while watching the eponymous source movie.

Hollywood Burns – Invaders

Cinematic is the best way to describe this album, and the cinema that it draws its influence from are thrillers and horror films of the 80’s and 90’s. Every track is able to bring you to a faraway time and place, and once there, drive you to the edge.

Recommended Listening: waiting for the bus, in the office, or when you are running through a parking garage with a horde of undead chasing you.

Gost – Possessor

This album is filled with intensity. Each track has a creepy intro followed by a driving beat that hearkens to intense chases.

Recommended Listening: while going for a personal best time running or biking, trying to stay awake during a never-ending night, or when working on a spreadsheet or essay.

John Carpenter – Lost Themes

So, John Carpenter has been responsible for a host of fantastic horror movies, but not everyone knows that he often does his own music for his films. This album is a collection of songs that he made for the sheer pleasure of making them, none of them are tied to a specific film or franchise.

Recommended Listening: sitting alone in the dark crying because you will never get to watch The Thing for the first time ever again.

Carpenter Brut – Blood Machines OST

So basically the movie that this album is the “Official Soundtrack” to is a glorified 50-minute music video, which, considering how music videos have died, is fairly neat in a retro-sense. The music is, like many of the other synthwave/darkwave albums on this list, driving, intense, and evocative of an era gone by.

Recommended Listening: for when trying to make minute rice in less than a minute.

Blood Lord – Unwelcome Guests

If you have ever had the nightmare of being trapped in a vampire-themed videogame from the late 1980’s, then this would have been the soundtrack. If the scenario described in that sentence doesn’t appeal to you, I have to wonder about what kind of inane preferences you have.

Recommend Listening: being trapped in a vampire-themed videogame from the late 1980’s.

b l a c c l o d g e – the back wards

A vaporwave entry on the list, this is a much slower, relaxed, and atmospheric album. Like a lot of vaporwave, this involves a lot of samples, most of which have been significantly distorted or manipulated.

Recommended Listening: like most ambient albums, this one pairs best with reading; or, if you are in the mood to be driven permanently insane, you might consider listening to this while you sleep, but don’t blame me for the agonizing metamorphosis that you will go through.

Wolfmen of Mars – The Spectral Sounds of Space

Of all of the albums on this list, this is certainly the “spookiest” of them all. It is a strictly ambient album without the typical musical progression of a traditional “song” or you know, something like that.

Recommended Listening: exploring a haunted house, hiding in your basement during an alien invasion, or hiding in your basement from your friends and family.

Well, that’s my list. Let me know in the comments what your favourites are!

Front Page

So there I was, Front Page of DLive, that is a feeling that I love. My stream, which is just at the time, streaming music, was front page of a popular streaming website. I feel super stoked about it.

I stream music from my house on DLive because my work has blocked Youtube, so this is how I can get music into my work which is otherwise very quiet.

This has been a wild ride! I am now over 80 followers! I gained 30 yesterday!

But to see my page had so many views on it (30 viewers yesterday) as well as being front page. I am simple awe-struck by that and couldn’t be happier.

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I am a small time video game streamer, but this gives me hope for the future of my streaming career.

I am simply stoked for everything that is coming with all the work I am putting in to developing my stream futher, which is why I haven’t been posting on here as much. I have been putting time/effort in to building my UI for my stream and developing stuff that I need to be able to put the best foot forward for that stream experience.

I hope to someday have hundreds if not thousands of followers someday.

If you want, you can join me on my journey and give me a follow over on DLive by clicking Here!