Game Music
Game music is without a doubt the genre of music I've had a sustained love for the longest. I've liked it as long as I can remember, but I didn't start really getting into "real music" until I was 13 or 14...and the bands I still listen to a lot I didn't really get into until late high school.
Japan is great place for lovers of game music to be because 99% is made here and it's easy to find in CD form. I ordered my first game music CD from Japan in 6th grade and have slowly added to my collection ever since. Perhaps translating the song titles was an unconscious desire that influenced me to sign up for Japanese class in the first place.
Well, last week I stumbled upon news of an event: "Extra Hyper Game Music Event 2007"...a six-hour game music concert extravaganza that's taking place July 7th. It features a variety of people who've composed the score for many games that I feel have great music, and the "main act" is Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy music) and his Black Mages. This is something I'm utterly unable to pass up, especially since events like this don't happen very often (even in Japan). Unfortunately, when things like this do happen it's almost always in Tōkyō. As you few readers of this blog already know, I've been to Tōkyō three times recently...which is a lot. I resolved not to go back again because it's such an expensive trip and I was neglecting other big cities. However, being the heart of the country, sometimes you have to go there for things, particularly special events like this.
Leizel and I got to see Uematsu play an orchestrated concert in Chicago back in February of 2005. That was basically a dream come true for both of us. Tomorrow may be another.
Japan is great place for lovers of game music to be because 99% is made here and it's easy to find in CD form. I ordered my first game music CD from Japan in 6th grade and have slowly added to my collection ever since. Perhaps translating the song titles was an unconscious desire that influenced me to sign up for Japanese class in the first place.
Well, last week I stumbled upon news of an event: "Extra Hyper Game Music Event 2007"...a six-hour game music concert extravaganza that's taking place July 7th. It features a variety of people who've composed the score for many games that I feel have great music, and the "main act" is Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy music) and his Black Mages. This is something I'm utterly unable to pass up, especially since events like this don't happen very often (even in Japan). Unfortunately, when things like this do happen it's almost always in Tōkyō. As you few readers of this blog already know, I've been to Tōkyō three times recently...which is a lot. I resolved not to go back again because it's such an expensive trip and I was neglecting other big cities. However, being the heart of the country, sometimes you have to go there for things, particularly special events like this.
Leizel and I got to see Uematsu play an orchestrated concert in Chicago back in February of 2005. That was basically a dream come true for both of us. Tomorrow may be another.