March 2009
1 post
Warlocked sound test recreated on youtube
I’ve been playing around with the idea of using annotated links to make browsing soundtracks uploaded to youtube more efficient. Clicking on a link when a youtube video is embedded anywhere, like here, forces your browser to open up a new window— but once that new window is open you can browse the whole soundtrack just by clicking within the video. So I’ve essentially recreated...
February 2009
1 post
brb (hiatus 2.0)
Hey everyone,
It must be apparent at this point that I’m a little behind with soundtrack rips. I’ve become increasingly busy with a couple musical endeavors, one of which is my new chiptune group autoscroll, as well as taking on the drums for cheap dinosaurs.
In the time that I HAVE been spending on VG soundtracks, it’s simply been tagging NSFE files for the meanwhile. All of...
December 2008
2 posts
Gun Nac / LED Storm / The Smurfs / ... Yu-No
Half a moment, folks! I’m a tad late with the update here, but at least you know what’s coming within the next day or so. There’ll be some new ground covered, music from two systems not yet featured. I’ll be editing these in one by one as soon as they’re ready.
-explod staff
GUN NAC (NES) - MP3 Download (ZIP)
18 tracks, 23:32. Samples-
Intro
Area 1
Area...
4 tags
Recovering from Blipfest 2008
Just letting you know I’ll be a week behind with my normal update update here, so expect four soundtracks up next Monday. I spent the weekend in New York attending Blip Festival, and that cut into time I would’ve spent ripping + uploading my normal selections.
It was an amazing weekend and I met like a million people, so I apologize if I leave anyone out in this name-drop of a post....
November 2008
2 posts
Snatcher / Tintin: Temple du Soliel / Warlocked /...
SNATCHER (MSX) - MP3 Download (ZIP)
45 tracks, 1:01:46. Samples-
Twilight of Neo Kobe
Theme of Metal Gear
Spreading Die Hard
Eternal Promise
Released in Japan in 1988, Snatcher is a cyberpunk / sci-fi themed adventure game written and directed by the man behind the Metal Gear series, Hideo Kojima.
The music in the MSX version makes use of an additional sound chip that was also used...
Atomic Runner / Axelay / Double Dragon 2 / Rod...
ATOMIC RUNNER (Sega Genesis) - MP3 Download (ZIP)
16 tracks, 25:09. Samples-
Game Over
Stage 1 (Chelnov Theme)
Ending Theme
The Sega Genesis port of this game was released in 1992. Also known as Chelnov, loosely and tastelessly inspired by the Chernobyl disaster, Atomic Runner is an action platformer whose protagonist is a former coal miner with radioactive super-powers.
This...
October 2008
3 posts
HALLOWEEN EDITION: Friday the 13th / Maniac...
Here’s a batch of horror-themed NES soundtracks, just in time for Halloween! I’ve replaced my normal write-up with haiku, since poetry is more spooky than information.
FRIDAY THE 13TH (NES)
(full cover)
5 tracks, 2:49. Samples-
Character Select / Room Theme
Walking Around
walking in the woods
the campers begin dying
cannot save them all
MANIAC MANSION (NES)
(full...
Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari (River City Ransom) -...
This week I’m posting a special guest contribution from Akumu. It is a complete collection of River City Ransom soundtracks, spanning four video game systems. The following write up was provided by him as well.
DOWNTOWN NEKKETSU MONOGATARI
(NES / PC Engine CD / X68000 / Game Boy Advance)
(full cover)
74 tracks, 1:57:36.
The Kunio series was one of the most popular and successful...
Bubble Bobble / Gordian Tomb / Halifax / Solstice
BUBBLE BOBBLE (NES)
(full cover)
12 tracks, 8:43. Samples-
Quest Begins / BGM
Boss Theme
Secret Room
This game had more than one song? You bet! Here is the complete soundtrack to Bubble Bobble, the 1988 NES game that featured every one’s favorite bubble blowin’ dino duo.
Ok, so there’s not really a whole lot to the soundtrack outside of the highly memorable BGM that...
September 2008
3 posts
Darxide / Fire 'N Ice / Mega Man / Werewolf: The...
DARXIDE (Sega 32X)
(full cover)
17 tracks, 47:02. Samples-
Sound Test 03
Sound Test 08
Sound Test 15
Released only in Europe in 1995, Darxide is a shmup for the Sega 32X. In this game you fly around space, clearing away asteroids and enemy ships from a 3d environment. I attempted to play through this game in emulation so I could tag the mp3s with something more detailed than...
WatchRunning a short loop of original music through my NES console.
Many thanks to my friend Animal Style, he was able to help me out with an easy set-up to run original compositions off of my powerpack cartridge.
This was recorded with a very old digital camera so don’t mind how ugly it looks.
Astyanax / Silver Surfer / Superfrog / Super Mario...
ASTYANAX (NES)
(full cover)
17 tracks, 17:37. Samples-
Introduction
Remlia Castle
Round 3 Cutscene
Astyanax. This is one of those games I could never really get into because I thought the controls were awkward. I couldn’t help but feel that the character’s sprite was “too big”, and as a result dodging all the crap that came flying at you was hard to deal with...
August 2008
3 posts
by some weird glitch...
After attempting to edit a small bit of information in an older post, my browser crashed whilst loading and that bumped the post up as if it were new. The Castlevania soundtracks? I posted those months ago, not yesterday. Just before anyone points out that they aren’t new…
It also cut out the part on Castlevania III. I’ll re-link and rewrite that stuff soon.
Weeks 20-21: Castlevania I, II, & III (Famicom +...
CASTLEVANIA (Akumajo Dracula)
(full cover)
14 tracks, 14:08. Samples-
Underground (name entry, FDS only) Vampire Killer Wicked Child Black Night
Originally released in 1986 for the Famicom Disk System as Akumajo Dracula, this is the soundtrack to the very first Castlevania game. The Japanese version included a name entry screen with a short tune titled “Underground”, which...
Deja Vu / Shadowgate / Uninvited, end of hiatus
DEJA VU (NES)
(full cover)
10 tracks, 9:35. Samples-
Title
Peoria Streets
Game Over
Originally released for the Macintosh in 1985 and then ported to the NES in 1990, Déjà Vu is the first title in what’s often considered a trilogy of adventure games for the NES.
This game puts you in control of detective Ace Harding, a man who is tasked with regaining his memory and proving his...
July 2008
2 posts
NES Template V1, a sample pack for trackers
I put together a comprehensive sample pack of NES sounds. It’s an .it file for use in sample based trackers, like modplug.
NES Template V1
Despite having nearly 100 samples, there’s still some more facets to the nintendo sound that I’d like to tackle eventually. There will be an update in the future, but this should be thorough enough for now if you’re interested.
For...
This is an older track of mine. It’s a cover...
June 2008
3 posts
Summer Hiatus... kind of
Whoops… it’s that time of the month again but I don’t have anything prepared!
I’ve been finding myself busy on nights where I’d normally spend time ripping soundtracks. Things like going out of town, working some more hours (thank god), and being glued to my friend’s TV set playing Metal Gear Solid 4… all add up.
For those who’ve been keeping up, I...
Weeks 22-23: Skate or Die! / Skate or Die 2 /...
SKATE OR DIE! (NES)
(full cover)
8 tracks, 10:37. Samples-
Title Screen
Skate Shop
Freestyle
Originally developed by Electronic Arts, Skate or Die! was ported to the NES by Konami in 1988. Series’ composers are credited as Rob Hubbard, Kyle Granger, and Christopher Grigg.
Wikipedia entry on Skate or Die!
SKATE OR DIE 2 (NES)
(full cover)
14 tracks, 27:49. Samples-
...
Hey! I finally broke my lazy-spell by writing a...
May 2008
2 posts
Weeks 18-19: Double Dragon / Jewel Master /...
DOUBLE DRAGON (NES)
(full cover)
11 tracks, 13:01. Samples-
Main Theme Mission Screen (extended) Abobo’s Theme
The Famicom/ NES version of Double Dragon was released in 1988. I can assume that everyone reading this blog remembers this game, if not the Main Theme at least. The theme was reused several times throughout the series, and it also made a surprise appearance in River City...
Red Max (C64) / Sprite Slowdown's cover
Here’s a little something to kill time in between weeks-
RED MAX (C64)
(full cover)
3 tracks, 2:47.
Sprite Slowdown: Red Max
This is a cover of the Main Theme, from Chromelodeon’s first Sprite Slowdown release. I was a member of Chromelodeon, although this track was recorded prior to me joining and I wasn’t involved. Asides from getting to play it live a bunch of times...
April 2008
2 posts
10 tags
WEEKS 16-17: Alien 3 / Contra / Gremlins 2 / P-47...
ALIEN 3 (NES) (full cover) 15 tracks, 20:19. Samples- Title Theme Missions 1 & 2 Ending Theme Marketed to follow up on the 1992 film, Alien 3 was released for multiple systems in the following couple years. The NES version was released in 1993 and features music by Jeroen Tel, a composer who is well known for his Commodore 64 soundtracks. Probably not by coincidence, you can hear...
10 tags
WEEKS 14-15: Abadox / Mega Turrican / Mitsume ga...
ABADOX (NES) (full cover) 10 tracks, 9:22. Samples- Intro Level 1/4/6 Ending Abadox was first released for the Famicom in 1989, and shortly after in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It’s a scrolling shooter in which the protagonist, Second Lieutenant Nazal, must fly through the insides of an alien’s body to rescue a swallowed princess. Around new years 2007, I played...
11 tags
WEEKS 12-13: Amiga Compilation / Ecco the Dolphin...
AMIGA COMPILATION (full cover) 5 tracks, 12:57. Samples- Crystal Hammer Myth My focus on explod so far has been complete soundtracks as opposed to compilations, but this will serve as an alternative for selections that would be too short to feature individually. It wasn’t uncommon for an Amiga game to have music only at the title screen and silence the rest of the way. These games here...
March 2008
7 posts
down-sizing to bi-weekly updates
Hey everyone! I love ripping and sharing these soundtracks, but I think I set myself a pace that’s difficult to keep up with! There’s no shortage of soundtracks for me to choose from, and there won’t be for a long time. I just find that I don’t have a whole lot of free time in the week to keep up with this, without cutting into other things I’d like to get done during...
8 tags
WEEK 10: Andorogynus / Asterix & Obelix / Hero...
ANDOROGYNUS (MSX) (full cover) 13 tracks, 12:16. Samples- In the Wake of Andorognyus The Andorogynus At Last… There isn’t much information available on this game, but it appears to be a 1987 Japanese sidescrolling shooter set in some sort of space-aquatic environment. A google search for this title will ask you if you meant Androgynous. Andorogynus on Generation-MSX. ASTERIX &...
5 tags
Akumu's Pick - Power Blade
POWER BLADE (NES) (full cover) 16 tracks, 29:55. Samples- Sector 2: Power Windmills Sector 4: Water Towers Sector 7: The Computer Akumu says- Power Blade is, in my honest opinion, one of the top 5 NES games ever created. The reason I say this is the perfect blend that this game has, the action, spot on controls, great graphics and strongest of all, amazing soundtrack. ‘Cause you see, I...
WEEK 9: Megamatt's Compilations
I decided to take a break this week to catch up with a couple things. I’ve already started ripping stuff for next week though, so everything will be back to normal! In the meantime, I didn’t want to leave this week without something to check out. Although these aren’t new to people from the shizz, I figured I’d talk about the two compilations that MegaMatt posted in...
10 tags
WEEK 8: Golden Axe / Golvellius / Shatterhand /...
GOLDEN AXE (C64) (full cover) 8 tracks, 10:56. Samples- Wilderness Windup Ending Credits Developed by Sega and released for Arcade in 1989, Golden Axe was ported to over 10 different systems, including the C64. Set in a fantasy world, Golden Axe is a classic action platformer. Information on the C64’s SID chip. Wikipedia entry on Golden Axe. GOLVELLIUS (Sega Master System) (full cover)...
Duracell
Hey everyone, gonna be a day late with the weekly post. So until then, enjoy this duracell video from 2005: Duracell plays two video game tunes at the Barden Boudoir. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QfwKqy3LyY http://andrediamant.free.fr/duracell.htm
February 2008
6 posts
WEEK 7: Air Zonk / Alisia Dragoon / Batman: Return...
AIR ZONK (TG16) (full cover) 21 tracks, 35:24. Samples- Opening Stage 1 Stage 5-4 Unknown Released in 1992, Air Zonk is a humorous and light-hearted SHMUP for the TurboGrafx system. Although different in gameplay and setting, it is considered as a continuation of the Bonk series, a caveman themed platformer. I should mention— I didn’t rip this soundtrack myself. I got it from a...
WEEK 6: Ecco: The Tides of Time / Falsion / Rune...
ECCO: THE TIDES OF TIME (Genesis) (full cover) 16 tracks, 41:20. Samples- Title Theme Crystal Springs Trellia’s Bay Inside As the sequel to Ecco the Dolphin, Ecco: The Tides of Time was released in 1994 for the Sega Genesis. A large portion of the soundtrack is made up of dark and moody themes, with a greater feel of ambiance over melody. I was first introduced to this soundtrack by the...
WEEK 5: ActRaiser / Metal Gear / Snake's Revenge /...
ACTRAISER (SNES)
(full cover)
19 tracks, 23:21. Samples-
Fillmore Pryamid North Wall Birth of the People
Released for the Super Nintendo in 1990, ActRaiser is an Enix game that combines side-scrolling action with SimCity-like urban planning.
ActRaiser was recently re-released for download on the Wii Virtual Console.
Wikipedia entry on ActRaiser.
METAL GEAR (NES)
(full cover)
12...
Audun's Pick - Last Action Hero
Audun wanted to share a rip of his. It’s the complete soundtrack collection to Last Action Hero. LAST ACTION HERO (NES/ Game Boy/ SNES/ Genesis/ Game Gear/ Amiga) (full cover, full back) 47 tracks, 1:34:31. Samples- Game Boy - Ending SNES - Parking Lot Genesis - Last Action Hero Amiga - The Warehouse Audun ‘Akumu’ Says- Now let me just start off by saying I hate each and...
Savage, Album Covers
—-in-between week upload—-SAVAGE (Amiga) (full cover) 5 tracks, 13:06. Samples- Introduction Level 1 Inappropriate Samples Savage. Where do I begin with this one? I first came across this music when a youtube link was posted on the Metroid Metal forum, declaring the Level 1 music as an example of both the best and worst game music of all time. Adding to the zanyness, I found some...
WEEK 4: Labyrinth of Time / Final Fantasy / Mighty...
LABYRINTH OF TIME (Amiga CD 32) (full cover) 2 tracks, 33:33. Samples- BGM Segment 1 BGM Segment 2 BGM Segment 3 Released in 1993, The Labyrinth of Time is an adventure/ puzzle game similar to Myst and the 7th Guest. The background game music consists of one looping track that is over 30 minutes in length. Released for CD, the music was able to be formatted as large PCM rips (8SVX), allowing...
January 2008
13 posts
Outlaws
—-in-between week upload—- OUTLAWS (PC) (full cover) 15 tracks, 1:03:59. Samples- Outlaws Theme Sanchez the Outlaw The Last Gunfight Although this is a bit of a departure from the “bleeps and bloops” theme I have going on, I wanted to share one of my favorite PC soundtracks. And hey, it’s more than 10 years old at this point, so that shouldn’t soil the...
WEEK 3: Dr. Mario / DuckTales / Rambo III / Space...
DR. MARIO (NES)
(full cover)
12 tracks, 14:59. Samples-
Title Theme Chill Ending Theme
Released in 1990, Dr. Mario is the first peripheral Mario title to exist. It was also released for the Gameboy and remade 4 years later for the Super Nintendo. The music is composed by Hirokazu “Hip” Tanaka, who worked on music and sound effects for a lot of classic Nintendo titles.
...
~J-@Ð!~ shares his work with an 8-bit...
James-Adam Renquinha Henri, known as ~J-@Ð!~ online, is a musician from Quebec whose interests include composing music in the NES sound format. He recently shared a youtube clip demonstrating his project with the PIC16F628A, a flash based 8-bit microcontroller. What’s going on in there? “3 timers were used in order to make music and sound : a timer to frame the sound, another...
Excellent presentation by Don Miller and Dino...
Last Sunday, January the 20th, I attended my first Make: Philly meeting at the University of the Arts. I’m not sure I can relay the concept as articulately as they do, so I’ll share it in their own words. From the about section of makephilly.com “MakePhilly was founded in the winter of 2005 to provide a casual forum for creative individuals in the Philly area to meet, exchange...
WEEK 2: Castlevania Bloodlines / Flashback /...
CV BLOODLINES (Sega Genesis) 30 tracks, 35:12. Samples- Reincarnated Soul, Part 2 Iron-Blue Intention Calling From Heaven Released in 1994, Bloodlines is the first Castlevania game to feature the work of Michiru Yamane, who has since been established as the leading composer of the series. Labeled as “classic tunes”, Bloodlines also includes 5 arrangements of songs from previous...
Warsong
another ‘inbetween week’ upload Warsong (Sega Genesis) 16 tracks, 21:47. Samples-Friendly Fight (Player Phase 1) Kingdom Knight (Player Phase 2) Thought of the Holy (Player Phase 3) Unused (Sound Code 05) Known as Langrisser in Japan, Warsong is a 1991 video game that mixed RPG and tactical elements, similar to the more popular Fire Emblem series. I tagged the album as SMD - Warsong, because...
New 3 song ep from Wizwars
Kevin Hagge presents his latest chiptune ep, Distant Galaxy: (click to enlarge) I was honored when Kevin asked me to play along on drums at some late hour in the magfest jam space, although it was impromptu and I had no clue what I was doing. I did my best to play along, but it was sloppy. Perhaps we’ll actually prepare for a future performance sometime, I’d love to do it again! ...
Pinball Dreams
—-in-between week upload—- PINBALL DREAMS (Amiga) 8 tracks, 22:41. Samples-Intro/ Theme Ignition Nightmare Intro Consisting of only 4 channels and 8-bit samples, Pinball Dreams demonstrates how Amiga mod music could present a relatively hi-quality sound for such limitations. Sampled from the output of an Amiga 2000. Composed by Olof Gustafsson for Digital Illusions, 1992....
¡holy guacamole!
Robby Moncrieff of The Advantage and Who’s Your Favorite Son God? recently launched a page that shares some of his older chiptune compositions. Under the moniker holy guacamole, he’s posted 11 songs made sometime between 2001 and 2007. http://www.conradzeus.org/ Thanks for sharing your stuff! And keep on rocking good sir. (photo by Cameron Rosewicz, Magfest 6)
Ninja Gaiden 2 Musicruise, commenting enabled, +
With a little help from some friends, I figured out how to add a comments section via disqus. Comment away! Liontamer and CHz from ocremix directed me to a more complete nsf for Treasure Master, ripped by kingshriek. I’ll edit the previous post to include the missing tracks and track names. If you’re wondering whether you have the complete or incomplete version- there should be seven...
WEEK 1 : Almana no Kiseki / Crisis Force /...
let’s get started! you can download each full soundtrack by zip or stream my favorite selections via zshare. ALMANA NO KISEKI (NES) 11 tracks, 8:05. Samples-Track 2 Track 4 Track 5 Released by Konami in 1987, Almana no Kiseki is a Japanese platformer reminiscent of Indiana Jones. Made for the external Famicom Disk System, a peripheral never seen on the American NES, this soundtrack makes...
An introduction, previous uploads
Hey friends! Welcome to Explod.
I’m creating this blog to share and talk about classic video game music. There’s a lot of music out there impossible to find in any format other than emulated rips from game roms, as the vast majority of games ever released have been left without complete, salable OSTs.
As handy as those exotic formats are (like .nsf, .vgm, etc.), you’ll need...