Bad News...

Last week I found out my turntable was busted (ie. it stopped recording). I don't have an audiophile rig I just used a USB flash drive turntable which audiophiles turn their nose up at. After learning about vinyl and sound over these past couple of years I understand why.

So I read reviews about this particular model that I have and people have had worse problems, but for me a dead USB is a dealbreaker. I went back to the store where I got it yesterday and the guy WHO SOLD IT to me still works there and he's a manager now. I say that he sold it because if it weren't for his testimony against the model I really wanted (a vintage expensive looking lame duck model) I wouldn't have gotten this one instead. He made a generous offer as to what he could do to fix the situation as my model is discontinued (ie. trade for the current model). The newer one(s) don't even have the features mine has (USB, SD card, radio, speakers).

They're really cheapin out on these! He told me it's like that across the board (1-year warranties). Stuff isn't made to last. I know people have the same turntable for like 20 years so... I've learned a lesson. I passed on his offer. He was disappointed that he couldn't make things right, but I respect that he tried and we negotiated. It is a business after all and there are rules.

So when I do get a new turntable I know how to go about it and what to get this time. Forget that flash drive stuff. I read about a cool converter that can make any analog table digital. That's the route I'll go.

Xihong Library Finale: The Eagle Epitaph

Finally! Right? It's been over a year since the last update and I'm ready to hang it up... ready to sell my records... ready to pack away these DVDs. I've solved some of the great mysteries of Shaw Bros music. I've reached many milestones as to what I was looking for. Out of the 100's I've found there's literally a handful I still care about finding, but they're not out there (at this moment).

These tracks mean different things to different people. I know that "WOW" feeling. It can be addictive. It's gotten to the point where I'm pretty much sick of looking. My brain is scrambled. Everything sounds the same. Stuff I've never even heard before sounds like I heard it already.

Aside from some of the rarest hardcore Shaw Bros music, I've also included some re-rips of previous tracks in better quality. I didn't quite meet my goal of 100 tracks but you have to admit, I tried damn hard.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

And now for my longest list of thanks yet...

Qwerzz - shares rare movies
Mr. T - provided helpful hints
H2O - for Akutagawa
Brianiac - for Camille 2000
NRC - for Patchwork No5
Mr. Wong - provided helpful hints
Double-O-Soul - for Sun High
Dorian - cleared up a troublesome misunderstanding
Fraykerbreaks - for Zenith
Kungfu Cinema Forums - also provided many tips

And a special thanks to...

Jacques - Edouard Michael expert! We teamed up on tracking down a MOST ELUSIVE record. The Edouard Michael sound was picked up by Derek Laren and Spencer Nakin and we've covered all bases. Nakin was the missing link all this time. Anything else sounding similar is pure coincidence. Thanks for going above and beyond the extra mile my French friend.

Andrea - The most righteous trader I've had the pleasure of dealing with. It was like the laws of attraction at work. The tracks I was looking for all along ended up falling right into my lap. Your timing could not have been any better. Thanks for putting my mind at ease. I still owe you my Italian friend.

Requests...

I don't ask for much. I understand that some of these records out here have quite a bounty on them so I don't believe in going around just asking for all the best stuff out. I got killed by an auction sniper this morning. I'm not mad. It's all in the game. That's my plight of bidding USD against GBP. I've CRUSHED many a bidder, but I go back to school this week (today actually) and can't afford to gamble those necessary funds like I normally would.

A record that I'm sure has some good Shaw Bros sounds has fallen by the way side. I've been looking for it about a year and even before that I'd never seen it listed. I'm talking about...


DWLP3022

AND (more recently)


DWLP3036

I'm iffy about the second one. I've passed it up 2 or 3 times, but it wasn't until recently that I saw a back cover. Otherwise, I'm waiting for one more record to come in the mail and then the Xihong finale goes up. If you'd like to help me out please do so... ASAP! Should you come along later it's still appreciated. Thank you.

Hrangue@gmail Hit me up.

Embargo - 1968

RS | MF

Actually, I Lovembargo. "Accidrame" especially.

Philosophale - 1968

RS | MF

If I had to rename this one I'd call it "Fodder for Witchdoctors." When I listen I picture everything from cooking bodies, to creepy sideshows, to torture devices, to long and grimy haunted hallways. I love it! A xylophone never sounded so good. Almost exactly a year ago I used one of these tracks (my favorite... Geant) on a past comp... Intrigue Betrayal and Espionage.

Overall, Philospohale belongs to what I consider "the alternate group" on the Sylvester label. Just like how DW had composers who always worked together (Tilsley, Trombey, Papworth, Reno, Arvay, Laren, Towren, Slaney, etc.) during the golden age Sylvester had theirs too (Vladimir Cosma, Robert Hermel, Patrice Sciortino, Claude Vasori and more ...all of which switched between these 2 labels and Musique Pour L'image. It's a shame I don't have more like it... or do I?

Adventures in Ebay: A Rant... nothing surprises me.

People act so funny when it comes to IDing audio (or requests in general). Not long ago I posted a comment on a blog asking a VERY specific question. This blog posts LP covers only and not music. No problem. They had 3 people listed as contributors. Do you mean to tell me that between 3 contributors I was asking too much? Have you actually heard it? I asked ONE OF them to email me and I would link or send them the file (not Police Force). Do you know what they did? They just deleted it like Google China.

Here's what I asked them... there's a certain RCA LP I found listed on the blog with front cover, back cover, and a photo of the vinyl. I have every track on this vinyl from elsewhere except for TWO. I had a few cues prepared and I was gonna ask if one of the two in particular were the same as my cues. It's like playing GO FISH! HEY GOT TRACK 7? EH... go fish. I really didn't expect a reply because people usually don't reply, but to delete the whole post (2-3 posts one for each cover) as if it never happened. How passive aggressive IS THAT!?

There's no excuse. A simple "No" or "sorry" would have sufficed. I'm not a spammer. I KNOW what spammers are about. There are spammers in my Cbox right now. They think I don't know. This is why people go into lurking and I don't blame them. The only possible reason I can think of to react like that is they thought I was an agent of the label. Yeah right.



Why did I ask to begin with? The LP is rare, but the price isn't justified as most of the tracks are easily available so really only 2 are rare. The cover is cool, but other than that it's not a big deal. One track is probably a dud from what I saw on the description (Esodo Cinese). The other (Repressione) is the one in question. Both are from an RCA/IT LP that hasn't been re-released via CD and I suppose it was never commercially available (by Romolo Grano... Ca Ira Il Fiume Della Rivolta). I'm not paying top dollar if I don't need to. In an unbelievable twist of fate the same LP pops up on Ebay 2 weeks later. I didn't bid because I wasn't willing to take that risk. It ended selling for a fairly low price. I don't feel as though I really missed out, but it would seem unlikely that the record should appear during a time when I could have the truth about it. Thanks for nothing, but I'm glad someone got it for a reasonable price.



If they thought I was a scumbag or whatever for whatever reason they may have and they could actually say that, I'd appreciate the honesty I really would. I'm not in the business of changing minds. You can think what you want. Self righteousness runs rampant in the vinyl community. There are barriers of nationality, language, legality, race, age, location, and even status. I said this a couple of years ago on Phylips' blog. These audiophiles out there on these high horses WILL download your stuff, but they will deny it to the death and even condemn the act altogether.

Blaxploitation ID... Police Force

I'm no expert on blaxploitation films or music, but I've heard this one before. I've heard so much that it's nearly impossible to keep track. It really has to be fresh in mind. This snippet was sampled by 2 different rappers. For one he made his own beat and the other he just rapped over someone else's (a mainstream rapper perhaps?). Even knowing that doesn't help.

The movie Police Force came out in 73 and the instrumental (whatever it is) came out in the early 2000's. I asked around and got no where. I know someone knows...


http://wwww.hrangue.com/hr/policeforceid.mp3



UPDATE

Ok so I had one of the songs in my RS folder. This one is from Sandman it's called "That's What Makes Him a Hustla." It's even a better example than police force and it's his own beat... not the mainstream sample.

Sandman - The Movement Part 1 (Dictatorship) 2001?



UPDATE 2

Okay here's the second one. 9 times out of 10 this beat was jacked for this mixtape meaning it could belong to WHATEVER mainstream rapper. This one is called "Love Me or Hate Me" by the Paper Chasers. I don't have this mixtape uploaded but it came out around 2001-2002. I remember grabbing the last copy.

Illustrations No9 - 1970

RS | MF

When I first heard the full versions of these tracks outside of the kungfu snippets I was used to, I really wasn't sure what to think. After developing an acquired taste for avant garde concrete jazz I have to say... this is very cool stuff. Pierre Arvay is one of the best to have ever done it.

Industrial Complex - 1969

RS | MF

At first I tried to get this LP from a guy on GEMM and I asked him if he could watch a youtube clip and tell me if the music was on there. (this track "Recoil" was supposed to be comped on Kungfu Super Sounds and they somehow switched it with a wack track.) He said he watched it and it wasn't on there. You lazy liar you... I had someone do the same exact thing with "The Music of Stanley Black." The exact track I wanted was on there and they said it wasn't supposedly after hearing a clip. Is it really too much to ask? Are you trying to make money or not? I've had people flat out ignore me too. The worst was when someone accused me of being a casino spammer.

This one is a bit more edgier than Industrial Project. The styles are similar (most were at the time).

Industrial Project - 1965

These tracks are a bit light for my taste. The one "serious" one wasn't even used in a Shaw Bros flick. It should have been! Otherwise, there's some good (old school) title music on here.

RS | MF

14 Pictorial Sketches For Orchestra No2 - 1971

I've had more people ask me about/for this LP than any other and it pops up in my track stats all the time. Well, here it is. If you've been with me all along, you should remember the hassle I went through to get this record. More to come...



RS | MF

Laced With Poison~

A long time in the making it's my 2nd anniversary this month... and this is my final funky drama mix. Usually I mash up a bunch of tracks that sound similar, but this is the first time I've actually tried to tell a story with the moods. The theme is a "harsh mistress" "femme fatale" sort of character playing on the classic concept "Death and the Maiden." You're attracted to her, and she's attracted to death. Pursue her and you WILL die.



Laced With Poison~ 

01. David Gold - Pulse of the City
02. Jean Claude Petit - Vers La Liberte
03. Stelvio Cipriani - Legamento No69
04. Lalo Schifrin - The School Bus
05. Guido E Maurizio De Angelis - La Polizia Vuole Giustizia
06. James Clarke - Watchful Eye
07. Joachim Sherylee - Waystar
08. Jean-Michel Lorgere - Psycho-Nebuleux
09. Claude Perraudin - Night Fever
10. Frank Ricotti - The Early Hours
11. Yoichi Yoshikawa - Kiken Noudo
12. Chumei Watanabe - Mad Gyalan No3
13. Frank McDonald and Chris Rae - Gun Runners
14. Peter Milray - Industrial Achievement
15. Trevor Bastow - Vidura
16. Nigel Hess - Galloping Sax
17. Geoff Bastow - Riff-Raff
18. Frank McDonald and Chris Rae - Mission Control
19. Nowy - Escalation
20. Chumei Watanabe - Kyojuu Shutsugen No4
21. Lonnie Liston Smith - Goddess of Love
22. Steve Everitt - Stevie's Angels
23. Yan Tregger - Girls Will Be Girls
24. Robert Hall Unknown - Kool Kat
25. Hubert Rostaing Et Yvan Jullien - Paris La Nuit
26. Guido E Maurizio De Angelis - Attesa
27. Gianni Oddi - Dreaming
28. Pulsar Music Ltd. - Six In
29. Harry South and Vic Flick - Bobbies on the Move
30. Stu Philips - Knight of the Phoenix Suite No5
31. Daniele Patucchi - Legamento No74
32. John Cacavas - Northside
33. John Scott - Phrenetic
34. Carl Brandt - Ambush
35. Robert Hall Unknown - Flashback
36. Nick Ingman - Sight and Sound 5A

Aside from my Xihong finale, I might drop some LPs here and there.

Instrumental Series Vol.6 Classics

I started putting this together last year and I'm just now finishing it. I don't know where the time goes. There just never seems to be enough hours in the day. I can't even take a nap without feeling like I should be doing something more productive (so I don't).

So this time I give you a classic (mostly) 90's instrumental mix. I didn't really get turned onto rap until 95-96. Before that I just listened to whatever my mom listened to (go ahead and laugh... stuff like Ace of the Base lol!) and when I was much younger whatever my dad listened to (REAL music 70's soul) when I was held hostage on fishing trips. I would actually tape videos from Rap City, Yo! MTV Raps, The Box, Video Soul, and whatever the countdown show was at the time. Life sucked pretty bad otherwise. 95 to 98 was just bad! I was in a car accident. Then I fell down the steps and had to have a surgery. They told me I would never walk again... after I started walking again. The music kept me sane.

Disc 1 - RS - MF

01. Black Rob - You Don't Know Me
02. A Tribe Called Quest - Check The Rhyme
03. Mad Lion - Take It Easy
04. Gangstarr - You Know My Steez
05. Junior Mafia - Get Money
06. LL Cool J - Doin' It
07. Jay-Z - Politics As Usual
08. Big L - Flamboyant
09. Camp Lo - Luchini
10. Royce Da 5'9" - I'm the King
11. Showbiz & A.G. - Next Level
12. 2Pac - California Love Remix
13. Noreaga - N.O.R.E.
14. Kris Kross - Tonight's Tha Night
15. Cam'ron - 357
16. Lil Kim - Crush On You
17. The Fab 5 - Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka
18. Lauryn Hill - The Sweetest Thing
19. Poor Righteous Teachers - Word Iz Life
20. The Roots - Concerto of the Desperado
21. Timbaland & Magoo - Clock Strikes
22. Ras Kass - Miami Life

Disc 2 - RS - MF

01. Black Moon - Who Got The Props
02. MC Lyte - Keep On Keepin' On
03. The Pharcyde - Somethin' That Means Somethin'
04. LL Cool J - 1234
05. Heltah Skeltah - Operation Lockdown
06. Sauce Money - For My Hustlaz
07. Dr. Dre - Been There Done That
08. Violator - Beatnuts Forever
09. Cam'ron - Glory
10. Wutang - Fragments
11. Nas - The World Is Yours
12. Bone Thugs N Harmony - When Thugs Cry
13. Missy Elliot - Beep Me 911
14. The Lox - Money Power Respect
15. Big Tymers - Big Ballin'
16. Tracey Lee - The Theme
17. Dr. Dre - Nothin' But a G Thang
18. Cappadonna - The Pillage
19. Outkast - Da Art of Storytellin'
20. Young Gunz - Life We Chose
21. Coolio - Too Hot
22. Kris Kross - Live and Die for Hip Hop

I remember there were at least 2 (east coast) movements at the time (I was in middle school). West coast was in a league of its own 93-96. Everybody was torn between Bad Boy and Wu-tang and on a larger scale Bad Boy and Death Row. I sided with the Wu definitely (most dudes did and most chicks liked Puff Daddy and Ma$e... no surprise). I do have a fond memory though of the dread head cats in NY like Boot Camp Click and Lost Boyz. Hip Hop was so raw back then.

Adventures in Ebay: The funniest listing I've ever seen.

The hard sell doesn't get any more in your face than this post here. I study copy writing and this stuff had me rolling in the aisles. The only thing it needs is flashing neon gifs and...

SUNDAY!
SUNDAY!
SUNDAAAAAAYYYY!

On offer here is a VERY rare LP (especially in this condition!!!!) by Karl Jenkins & The Soft Machine called "Rubber Riff" and is an ORIGINAL 1976 UK 1st Pressing on the 1st Press De Wolfe label!!!! THIS LP IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND!!!! THIS IS ONE OF THE RAREST LPs ON THE DE WOLFE LABEL - AND VIRTUALLY NEVER TURNS UP FOR SALE!!!! JUST TRY AND FIND ANOTHER ONE!!!! BACK IN 1976 WHEN THIS LP WAS FIRST RELEASED - IT ONLY EVER SOLD IN ABSOLUTELY TINY AMOUNTS, AND WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY DELETED!!!! AS A RESULT IT IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND INCREDIBLY HARD TO LOCATE TODAY!!!! BUT WHAT MAKES THIS LP REALLY SPECIAL IS THAT IT IS IN ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT CONDITION!!!! AND THIS IS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND ON THIS LP!!!! THE RECORD HAS BARELY BEEN PLAYED AT ALL (ONLY ONCE OR TWICE AT THE VERY MOST!) AND IS IN BRILLIANT CONDITION, THE INNER SLEEVE IS SIMPLY SUPERB, AND THE COVER IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!! JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THE PICTURES!!!! THIS IS THE ORIGINAL 1976 UK 1ST PRESSING ON THE 1ST PRESS DE WOLFE LABEL, 1ST PRESS INNER SLEEVE, AND 1ST PRESS 'GARROD & LOFTHOUSE' COVER!!!! THIS LP IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND LIKE THIS - SO DONT MISS OUT ON THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY!!!! This is the ORIGINAL De Wolfe UK 1st Pressing from 1976 and is in BRILLIANT condition!!!! The record is pressed on THICK quality vinyl. The Cat. No is DWS/LP 3331 on the ORIGINAL 1st Press De Wolfe label (see picture) and is a UK Stereo 1st Pressing (there were NO Monos!)!!!!

The record labels are in AWESOME condition (see pictures) with NO wear, NO writing, and barely ANY spindle marks AT ALL!!!! IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT THIS RECORD HAS BARELY BEEN PLAYED AT ALL!!!! The vinyl is in absolutely BRILLIANT condition!!!! Most of these 60s/70s LPs had been to a lot of wild parties and are usually found totally worn out, and almost unplayable. This one is NOT and has NO scratches, only 2 or 3 MEGA light hairlines, NO scufflines, and only a VERY few of the lightest paper scuffs only visible under light!!!! ITS AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!!! THE RECORD STILL RETAINS ITS ORIGINAL 'JUST PRESSED' LOOK AND SHINES LIKE NEW!!!! It is also great to find that the record plays as STUNNINGLY as the visual with NO pops, NO sticking, NO jumps, barely ANY crackle AT ALL, and only some VERY slight background sound on the run on grooves & gaps - NOT in the music AT ALL!!!! The sound quality is simply SUPERB with NO distortion and NO groovewear either!!!! The record must MEGA STRICTLY grade Very Good++++ if not better and is very VERY close to a grade above!!!! BRILLIANT RECORD!!!! Believe me this record is NOT overgraded in ANY way!!!! I use STRICT RC grading standards - it is not in my interest not to!!!! Brillant!!!! The record also comes in its ORIGINAL 1st Press inner sleeve which is in SUPERB condition!!!! The 1st Press 'Garrod & Lofthouse' Cover is in AWESOME condition!!!! It has NO edge wear, NO spinal wear, barely ANY corner wear AT ALL (NOT through the colour!), barely ANY creases AT ALL (cover is VERY flat looking indeed!), NO ringwear, NO rubbing, NO sticker tears, and NO writing!!!! The opening edge is beautifully straight with feathering!!!! Even the back of the cover is in AWESOME condition with NO grubbyness, NO yellowing, NO ringwear, NO rubbing, and NO writing!!!! The cover must grade Excellent++++ if not better!!!! AWESOME COVER!!!! THIS LP IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND LIKE THIS - SO DONT MISS OUT ON THIS INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY!!!!

HAVE A LOOK AT MY PICTURES - I DO MY BEST TO SHOW THE RECORD FROM ALL ANGLES AND MAKE THE PICTURES AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE - THERE IS NOTHING TO HIDE!!!! It really is a GREAT looking LP and it is truly rare to find any copies of this MEGA RARE LP!!!! THIS WILL BE YOUR ONLY CHANCE TO BUY AN ORIGINAL 1976 UK 1ST PRESSING OF "RUBBER RIFF" BY KARL JENKINS & THE SOFT MACHINE, IN BRILLIANT CONDITION!!!! Dont forget to take a look at all my other items including many other TOP LPs and contact me with any queries you may have. P&P £3 in the UK, £4 Europe, £6 Rest Of The World (Postal discounts are available - see below for details). Paypal, Bank Transfers, Cheques, International Money Orders, and Postal Orders accepted. Thanks for looking! Cheers!!!!!

I suppose this is better than those other dealers that are like... "Hey I got a record, you wanna buy it or not?" Thing is about Rubber Riff is that there's always one on sale and someone uploaded it (somewhere)forever ago.

Xihong Library... Mirrored!

Now it's possible to download the whole Xihong Library within a reasonable time. Don't agonize another minute over that RS timer!

Xihong Library @ Mediafire

Tired of Rapidshare?

This may be a trick question, but are you tired of Rapidshare? I know I am. I can't imagine how many visitors I've lost because they hate RS. I think Rapidshare's time has come and gone. Don't get me wrong, it's still the net standard, but that's for downloading en masse. Mediafire and Megaupload are so much better. RS just isn't fast enough anymore (well not since upgrading my isp). So this is what I'll do. I'm going to set up a Mediafire account and I'll be adding mirrors for a number of things (not everything though). And some of my earlier mixes will be getting cleaned and upgraded where applicable. I really didn't understand cleaning back then like I do now.

A Night at the Arcade

It's been a while. Things have been so hectic for me lately, but not without some rewards. I just made the Dean's List! Anyway, this was a team effort so I took heed to some advice from guest contributor DJ Mike. He had his stuff together way before I did, but I finally got around to doing my part. Mike compiled disc 1 and dubbed it "A Night at the Arcade" (aka THE BAD FOR BLIZZNESS MIXES!) Have you ever been at the arcade and worked up such a sweat you had to step outside for a few minutes? It just wouldn't feel right if I wasn't hot and itchy. I win a few rounds and have to take my hat off!

About 10 years ago I did a web comic. I made this collage to start off the 3rd season. I used a ridiculous number of Mugen kits, but I had so much fun working on it. It got to be too much work after a while.

Part 1
Part 2

Mirror 1
Mirror 2


Player 1: DJ Mike

First of all, mucho thanks to Hrangue for allowing me to help put this project together. What began as a nominal idea has turned into something truly exceptional. After many long hours of work, scrutinizing every facet of audio, and making a few changes along the way, it has arrived: A Night at the Arcade, for your listening pleasure. When I first set about putting my mix together, I had no preconceived notion as to what it should or shouldn't be, except that it would be to my liking musically and include Ken's Theme from Street Fighter Alpha. You'll hear a lot of jazz/funk arrangements, some exceptional orchestra pieces with arresting melodies and even a few moody offerings as well.

This is just a small sample of what these composers (and many others) have to offer. There's so much great music out there, it's mind-boggling.



01. Noriyuki Iwadare - Main Theme (Eternal Blue)
Lunar 2

02. Motoaki Takenouchi - Open Plains
Shining Force CD

03. Isao Abe, Shun Nishigaki & Setsuo Yamamoto - Ken's Theme (Arrange)
Street Fighter Alpha

04. Hikoshi Hashimoto - Sound Test 06
Cosmic Carnage

05. Thelonious Monkeys - Yuuki wa Shimemade Tou (A Brave man is lonely)
Moon

06. Yuji Nomi, Hideo Suzuki & Naoaki Jimbo - The Escape
Lunacy (Gekkamugentan Torico)

07. Tomoko Sasaki - Merry Memory Go Round
NiGHTS ~ Journey of Dreams

08. Sound Team JDK - Tower of the Shadow of Death
Ys IV ~ The Dawn of Ys

09. Richard Jacques & Jun Senoue - Sea-side Street Galaxy
Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition

10. Masanori Adachi & Tappi Iwase - The Hunter's Repose
Madara 2

11. Takayuki Aihara - Recollect Continent
Soul Blade

12. Tsukachan - Stages 3-2 & 5-1
Shadow Dancer ~ The Secret of Shinobi

13. Takeshi Miura, Hijiri Anze & Sanae Kasahara - A Moment of Relief
Resident Evil Code Veronica

14. Sound Team JDK, Tomohiko Kishimoto & Tamiya Terashima - Charge
The Legend of Heroes ~ Dragon Slayer II (PCE-CD)

15. Toshiko Tasaki, Masaki Kurokawa & Kenichi Tsuchiya - Memories (sad)
Persona 2 ~ Eternal Punishment

16. Yoshio Tsuru - Sanctuary
Dungeon Explorer II

17. Tokuhiko Uwabo - Secret Ways
Phantasy Star II

18. Masashi Hamauzu - Battle Theme I
Unlimited SaGa

19. Koichi Sugiyama - Mysterious Tower
Dragon Quest VIII

20. Yuzo Koshiro - Filmoa
Actraiser

21. Alph Lyra - Battle in Westside (Cage Match)
Final Fight CD

22. Ryo Yonemitsu, Falcom Sound Team JDK - Illusion
Ys IV Perfect Collection

23. Masanori Adachi, Sotaro Tojima - Treasury Room
Super Castlevania IV

24. Hisao Inoue, Jun Hasebe, & Shingo Murakami - Mugenkai
Valis III

25. Toshiko Tasaki, Masaki Kurokawa & Kenichi Tsuchiya - Sumaru City Map ~ Xibalba
Persona 2 ~ Innocent Sin

26. Ayako Sasou - View of Dynamism
Rolling Thunder 2

27. Kanako Kakino, Eriko Imura, Asuka Sakai, & Katsuro Tajima - Volkie's Song
Klonoa 2 ~ Lunatea's Veil

28. Yasuhisa Watanabe - Splendor (Barts' Theme)
Kaiser Knuckle

29. Koichi Sugiyama - In a Town (Night)
Dragon Quest IV

30. Kentarou Haneda - Fort City Llylgamyn
Wizardry ~ Llylgamyn Saga

31. Manabu Namiki, Kimihiro Abe, & Natsuko Naitou - At the Maddening Gate (Stage 5)
Mushihimesama Futari


32. Hiro & Am2 Sound Team - Last Wave
OutRun 2

33. Hiroshi Okubo - Staff Roll
Rage Racer

34. Alph-Lyra & Izuho Takeuchi - Game Over
Forgotten Worlds

Player 2: Hrangue

Fighting games, beat-em-ups, and RPGs have always been my thing. Fighters are stressful for me. Kids are just too good these days, I don't have the time to hone my skills and play online. Beat-em-ups are theraputic; I feel great afterward (or sleepy). And RPG's hold my attention for such a long time. I don't play them as much now. I rarely game much at all these days. What's funny about DJ Mike wanting to collab is that he's been keeping track of my various posts and I think he noticed somewhere along the line that there's quite a bit of game music on this blog already, but I just don't call it that. Anyway, I'm not going to comment on the music itself. If you've been with me this long, you know I'm consistent! I don't care if you don't even like games, it's still good music. And if you like Japanese composers, this is a no-brainer. As I typed these lists up I've come to see that the letter "Y" is as popular in Japan as the letter "Z" is in China.


01. Takayuki Hattori - Opening Chorus
Intelligent Qube

02. Hideaki Kobayashi - Mother Earth of Dishonesty Part 1
Phantasy Star Online


03. Kohei Tanaka - The Village of Inoa
Alundra

04. Ryuichi Iuchi - To the Sea and the Continent Beyond
Shenmue

05. Masashi Hamauzu - Durcheinander
Saga Frontier 2

06. Yuko Takehara & Masato Kouda - Venom Stage
Marvel vs Capcom

07. Motoi Sakuraba - Dynamite
Star Ocean 2

08. Yoko Shimomura, Isao Abe, & Syun Nishigaki - Sagat Stage
Street Fighter Alpha

09. Koji Kondo - Sanctuary Dunegon
Zelda: A Link to the Past

10. Toshihiko Horiyama - Boss
Megaman X4

11. Yoko Shimomura - Aqua and Trees
Tobal No1

12. Yasunori Mitsuda - U.M.N. Mode
Xenosaga

13. The Roland Corp - Secret 2
Tomb Raider

14. Yoshihito Yano - Chasing Downstream
Soul Calibur

15. Kohei Tanaka - Kline's Nightmare
Alundra

16. Tetsuya Shibata - Dark Castle Area 2
Powerstone 2

17. Yasuhiro Misawa - Tension
Samurai Warriors

18. Setsuo Yamamoto - The Theme of Raizo
Rival Schools

19. Takayuki Iwai & Masato Kouda - Player Select 1
Vampire Saviour

20. Hitoshi Sakimoto - Dycedarg's Theme
Final Fantasy Tactics

21. Yasunori Mitsuda - Earth Dragon's Island
Chrono Cross

22. Nobuo Uematsu - Colliery Nalsh
Final Fantasy 6

23. Koji Kondo - Master Sword
Zelda: A Link to the Past

24. Takayuki Hattori - Ecliptic
Intelligent Qube

25. Hideki Okugawa - Starview Pagoda
Onimusha 2

26. Shinsekai Gakkyoku Zatsugidan - Lament of the Three Destinies
Samurai Shodown 3

27. Kazuhiko Uehara - Art Museum
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters

28. Masashi Hamauzu - Erlkonig
Saga Frontier 2

29. Setsuo Yamamoto - Confrontation
Project Justice

30. Dan Forden - The Bank
Mortal Kombat Trilogy

31. Yasuhiro Kawakami - Disused Mine
Tobal No1

32. Midway - NBA Jam Team Select
NBA Jam

33. Yutaka Minobe & Takayuki Maeda - Armada Battle
Skies of Arcadia

34. Susumu Hirasawa - To the Castle
Sword of the Berserk

35. Kohei Tanaka - Desert
Alundra

36. Koji Kondo - Nocturne of Shadow
Zelda: Ocarina of Time

37. Michiru Yamane - Garden Forgotten by Time
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

38. Tetsuya Shibata - Chaos Area 2
Powerstone 2

39. Shinji Hosoe, Ayako Saso, & Takayuki Aihara - Stronger
Street Fighter EX+ Alpha

I give Mike ALOT OF PROPS for EQing my tracks. He took it upon himself during The Great Blizzard of 2010 (aka Snowmaggeddon) and I'm thoroughly impressed. I need to get on HIS level! Now back to Phantasy Star Online... this track "Mother Earth of Dishonesty Part 1" is some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard. No wonder I almost failed 10th grade because of PSO. I must've been addicted to the music! Also, Mike and I obviously come from 2 different eras of gaming. I've had a number of systems, but I was in my gaming prime during the Dreamcast days. Back when arcades were hot, I was a fiend for anything Neo Geo or Capcom although my last arcade obsession was Crazy Taxi. Who would've thought?

Added 25 Philly Underground Mixtapes...

I wanted to put up some local mixes way back, but uploading was a pain. Now that I've switched ISPs and it finally works how it supposed to I got that stuff upped. I have much more. Here's who's included in this update...

Sandman (w/ Cannon Clique)
Lil Chick
Big Star (2 Raw for the Streets)
Chic Raw
Joey Jihad
Meek Millz
Kre Forch
Vodka
Cyssero
Scrap Metal
Oschino
Lil Frank

And there are a few with various artists. I have so much stuff on CD that I'll be getting rid of soon. Some of it I'll rip and add to the RS FOLDER. I have plenty of classics from people such as: Jakk Frost, State Property, Crime Family, Nina Ross, Last Donna, Mackie (Red), Elliot Ness, and more. Plus I need space. All of this stuff is getting deleted off my HD. You better get what you can get while you can get it. Check back!

I'm ruined for the time being...

I recently switched ISPs to (Clear) and it was great at first, but after a while it turned to crap. I did everything I could do to make sure the problem wasn't on my end and eventually I did too much. I keep 90% of my files in desktop folders and after fooling around with my registry my documents and desktop disappeared. I searched and found them in a temporary folder. I then copied them to where they are supposed to be and after restarting they're all gone. All that remains is shortcuts.

My system restore wasn't set like I thought it was. So I tried a recovery program and while it works... the most important stuff... my most recent stuff is corrupted or unrecoverable. I spent a lot of time working on vector art and a major project I was doing between my fall and spring semesters has been cut in half. I've lost 50-60 hours of work.

As far as my music and the blog. I was working on a game mix with avid reader DJ Mike and just as I was wrapping up my half of the project this happens. Nearly all of my files are corrupt and most of his. On the plus side, I can get them all back, but I think people underestimate how much time goes into this. Compiling, EQing, tagging, uploading, and actually posting. And this mix is over 60 files (double disc). I wasn't in a hurry to release it, but now it will definitely take a while to get things back in order. I even got some new library tracks which are now mostly corrupt.

My semester starts tomorrow and I really won't have time to get back in the swing of the things like I want (re-rip/download, re-eq, re-tag, etc.) . I have 1000's of files to browse though and decide what to salvage as I don't have space to just copy it all on an external HD. I'm still trying to find out if there's a way to either repair the files or to back track. It's very annoying that in addition to my recent files being harmed, many old and random files were effected too.

I don't even want to look at this computer right now. It's like my child. I'm not mad, but I'm really disappointed.

Sophisticated Sounds for Partays Soirees and Shindigs

As you can see, I took off December. I was going to drop a mix, but I never got around to it. Today is New Year's... Happy New Years! So for the new year I figured I'd start off with a mix of a different kind. My last comp was a potpourri of library, samba, ost, and easy listening. This time I made it much more vocal. It's a blend of house, lounge, fusion, samba, and again... easy listening. There's something in here for every one sensible.

Sophisticated Sounds for Partays Soirees and Shindigs...

Mirror

01. Freddy Gigele - Titel, Thesen, Temperamente
02. Les Gammas - Afternoon at Rossi's
03. Jamiroquai - Space Cowboy
04. Sidewinder - Afro Life
05. Tabitha Fair and Todd Cooper - Fly in the Freedom
06. Waiwan - Goddess
07. Kim Hoorweg - Never Again
08. Rosalia De Souza - Saudosismo
09. Quant - Stimulus
10. Ilya - Bellissimo
11. Hideki Okugawa - Twilight
12. Azymuth - Face De Conta
13. P'taah - Hold You Close
14. Jean Pierre Sabar - Vai Vai
15. Qalo Mota - Heartbeat
16. Jamiroquai - Digeridoo
17. Yutaka - Evening Star
18. Sade - Paradise

If you're a young person and want to impress your parents (or maybe your significant other's parents) with your budding maturity, this wordly mix is for you. I'm starting to take a liking to this sort of music, if you have recommendations let me know. Mike has been in my ear for a little while and I thank him. More library, more soul, and more instrumentals to come!