Diggin’ In The Carts features a rare collection of pioneering Japanese video game music. This release builds on the critically acclaimed Red Bull Music Academy radio documentary series of the same name that chronicles the history and global influence of this exciting early strain of electronic music. Researched and curated by Diggin In The Carts writer / co-director Nick Dwyer and Hyperdub label head Kode9, the collection plunges deep into the rare archives of the chip era of Japanese video game music.

The collection features artwork by renowned Japanese anime artist Koji Morimoto, whose distinctive style has featured in films like Memories and The Animatrix. The music in this collection was made for globally renowned systems, from Famicom, Super Famicom and the PC-Engine through to popular Japanese home computer platforms like the MSX, MSXturboR and the PC-8801. Diggin In The Carts showcases these works not just as ‘music for video games,’ but as incredible pieces of electronically produced Japanese music that stand on their own. From Soshi Hosoi’s Steve Reich inspired minimalist masterpiece ‘Mister Diviner’ from The Mahjong Touhaiden, to the dazzling high-tech chip soul of Toshiharu Yamanishi’s ‘Shooting Stars’ from legendary Mega Drive shooter Thunder Force IV, and not forgetting the saw tooth heavy darkness of the Konami Kukeiha Club on titles like ‘Mouryou Senki Madara’ and ‘Esper Dream II’, Diggin In The Carts aims to bring the pleasure and depth of this music to an audience inside and outside the gaming world. The release of the compilation coincides with Red Bull Music Academy’s Diggin In The Carts event series, which brings Japan’s leading composers of video game music together with a new generation of artists in London, Los Angeles, Tokyo and beyond, starting in October.

Playlist

1. Opening (Cosmic Wars) by: Konami Kukeiha Club
2. Mazed Music (Nemesis) by: Konami Kukeiha Club
3. Big Mode (Genpel Touma Den) by: Norio Nakagata
4. Hidden Level (Solomon’s Key) by: Michiharu Hasuya
5. A Planet Of Plants (Nemesis II) by: Konami Kukeiha Club
6. Telepathy (Chatty) by: Manabu Saito
7. Equipment (Nemesis 3 The Eve Of Destruction) by: Konami Kukeiha Club
8. BGM 3 (Motocross Maniacs) by: Konami Kukeiha Club
9. Visual Scene 1&2 (Wer Dragon) by: Toshiya Yamanaka
10. Opening (Hisou Kihei X-Serd) by: Goblin Sound
11. An-Un [Ominous Clouds] (Xak II) by: Tadahiro Nitta
12. Temple (Actraiser) by: Yuzo Koshiro
13. Road To Agartha (Moryou Senki MADARA) by: Konami Kukeiha Club
14. King Erekiman (The Legend of Valkyrie) by: Hiroyuki Kawada
15. Exercise (Mega Panel) by: Katsuro Tajima
16. Game Over (Hisou Kihei X-Serd) by: Goblin Sound
17. Beyond The Terminus (Block Hole) by: Konami Kukeiha Club
18. Waltz of Water and Bubbles (Liquid Kids) by: Kazuko Umino
19. Main Stage BGM 1 (Time Cruise II) by: Hiroto Saito
20. Area 26-10 (Metal Black) by: Yasuhisa Watanabe
21. Site 3-1 [Torrid City] (Metal Stoker) by: Hiroto Saito
22. Metal Area (Illusion City) by: Tadahiro Nitta
23. Site 6-2 (Metal Stoker) by: Hiroto Saito
24. Tactics 4 (Super Royal Blood) by: Masumi Itou
25. My Phase [Stage 12-14] (Vixen 357) by: Goblin Sound
26. Kyoushin [Lunatic Forest] (Dragon Gun) by: Hiroaki Yoshida
27. Underwater Dungeon (Esper Dream 2) by: Konami Kukeiha Club
28. Shooting Stars (Thunder Force IV) by: Technosoft
29. Mister Diviner (The Majhong Touhhaiden) by: Soshi Hosoi
30. Main Theme (Alcahest) by: Jun Ishikawa
31. Keel (Golden Axe II – The Duel) by: Kazuhiko Nagai
32. Bad Data (Dezaemon) by: Koichi Ishibashi
33. What is Your Birthday? (Tarot Mystery) by: Yasuaki Fujita
34. Oblivious Past (Alien Soldier) by: Kazuo Hanzawa