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The Ultimate Video Game Music Book Covers 40 Years of Tunes
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
The Japanese publisher Ele-King will release what could be one of the most thorough books on video game music. The Game Music Disc Guide 1978-2019 is slated for release on May 31 and will cover 40 years worth of video game jams.
Video game music has had a noticeable influence on pop culture. The documentary series Diggin' in the Carts from Red Bull Music Academy (RIP) looked at Japanese video game music specifically and how it has evolved over time. Modern artists like Aphex Twin, Burial, Flying Lotus, and illaDaProducer have sampled video game music in their own work. The new book will look at video game music's origins from sound chip music created through trial and error to the new life tracks have found on services like bandcamp.
The book's author is video game music historian and chiptunes musician Haruhisa "Hally" Tanaka. Hally is considered the godfather of chiptune music and has been active on the scene for over 20 years. He founded the video game music news site VORC in 2001 and ran the EGGMUSIC video game music download site from 2006 to 2009.
The books contributors include DJ Fukutake, Ton Itoda, and Hisashi Inoue.
