This is a subpage of Ollie King relating to its soundtrack. For the release of the game's soundtrack, Hideki Naganuma provided commentary on the full eight songs on the soundtrack, excluding the two "Ollie Groove" jingles he made for the game. Additional commentary on the soundtrack was provided by Masayoshi Kikuchi and Masayoshi Yokoyama.
Translators were used for this page, additional translations were provided by Atom Sushi and Kid Chameleon.
Hideki Naganuma commentary[]
Intro[]
Hello, long time no see, this is Hideki Naganuma. If you're wondering if this is just another promotion for my music like last time, then you're right. But I'm very happy to talk with you all since I honestly didn't think I would be able to release a soundtrack like Ollie King's. The first half of the album has a rough sound that leans toward rock/punk, and the second half has a relatively clear sound that leans toward techno/pop, and the content is a mix of elements from various music genres, making it convincing and very dense music. I believe all the songs have been released so I encourage you to listen to them to understand what I'm talking about. Now, let's take a look at the individual commentary of each song.
"Boarder 70"[]
The opening title track, this was an attempt to combine 70's surfing music with digital rock. I was given a video of skateboarding in the West Coast that I constantly watched as a reference. The fusion of 70's rock and hip hop were frequently used, and I wanted to use such elements for the title track; so, I adjusted my style to fit for a racing game. I made the tempo much faster and layered multiple heavy drums to distort the mix. Such a rugged mix of 70's guitar and digital rock may have been a whole new frontier for me.
"Let It Go"[]
Seeing as the stage was set at night, I imagined a song that would be played at a London Club in the later hours. This song changed from a rockin' breakbeat arrangement, where the guitar chops feel very nice and tactile, to more techno house-like arrangement where delayed synth riffs are repeated. I was very uncertain as as to which half was better, but then I decided to stick the two parts together creating this. On a side note, there are actually quite a few cases where I've done this; like on the arrangement for "Funky Dealer".
"Too Fast"[]
I made this song in response to a request to make music for the "bad boys" to listen to. A track to get their adrenaline pumping! Is "Too Fast" the fastest digital rock punk track on the album? Most likely. Now sonically, it's composed of raw band of rock instruments and some techno elements. Since it's the theme of Kyoto, I wanted to add a melody in the vein of a Japanese band playing, but it was difficult. The track ended up featuring guitar samples from my old demo tapes and vocal shouts.
"Funk to the Top"[]
For this track, P-Funk was entwined with distorted guitar riffs, but the rhythm is based in hip-hop and scratch. It's used for the main menu, and I knew from the beginning that it only took about 10 seconds to navigate the screens, but I thought that only 10 seconds was worthless as a composition and would be a waste. So I expanded the composition and finished it as a piece that lasted over 3 minutes.
"Brother Goes Away"[]
At first, this was going to be the theme for Kyoto but the original rock arrangement of crunchy guitars was completely rearranges as an electro funk piece, leave only the title and vocals. Some people may think that it is inspired by Daft Punk because it features robotic vocals from a talk box, but personally, this song is mostly influenced by His Royal Highness, Prince, who is one of my original inspirations. I think this song is a work that has a very strong color.
If you're a big fan of Prince, I think that there's an element that makes you grind when you listen to it. If you can listen closely to the English lyrics, you may have noticed that it can be interpreted as a gay couple's farewell story!? But it's meant to be humorous.
"Teknopathetic (e-Pop 'n' Disco 80's Mix)"[]
The "Teknopathetic (e-Pop 'n' Disco 80's Mix) is a remix of a track from "JSRF". In fact, at the times of JSRF's production, I had an idea of arranging it as a song with a chord progression that makes me feel a little sad, but since the production for the game was more future focused, I thought that a DJ-like arrangement would be more suitable for making a groove. I used repeated riffs with one chord and a much faster tempo. In short, I was able to realize the vision of the original version that I had abandoned to create this remix project.
I put the 80's Eurobeat / Electro pop influenced by my youth on a disco beat. It may be more appropriate to say that THIS version is the original and that the "JSRF" version is a remix.
"The Concept of Love (The Concept of Passion Mix)"[]
A remix to the title track of "JSRF". As the name suggests, it is a mix that expresses the concept of passion, and speaking of passion, it comes from Spain, and Spain....is SPANISH, so I tried to entwin techno trance with Spanish guitars, flamenco, and gypsy-style ethnic tastes. As a result, I think it became a track for Japanese people who like songs with a little melancholy.
The vocal "ANDASTAN" leaves a strong impression, so I think that the impression of the original track [didn't] change much, even if the arrangement was changed. It was difficult to remix or (re-interpret) my own song myself.
"Boarder 70 (Somethin' Jazzy for Your Mind Mix)"[]
This is a remix of the title track for Ollie King, "Something jazzy in your mind". The concept here was "Acoustic Volume". I wanted to try to see what would happen if all the so-called "jet" sounds and "ollie" sounds that I had made so far were made into acoustic instrumental configurations. It was built with only the sounds of live musical instruments, omitting digital sounds such as synthesizers, as much as possible; but I think this is quite comfortable.
The tune is a vertical flip of 50's jazz and bossa nova. A jazz bossa rhythm and guitars are also involved in the middle. I added a new berth to the song with female vocals and changed the chord progression of the melody, so please, do compare it with the first version.
Kikuchi and Yokoyama commentary[]
Kikuchi[]
Hello, I'm Kikuchi, the producer of "Ollie King". Have you all played Ollie King yet? I wanted say a quick word because the soundtrack was released today. What kind of image do you have when you think of a game soundtrack? To put it a bit strangely... Is there any conception in your head that is a "game soundtrack" compared to the so-called fusion CDs such as J-Pop, R&B, Rock, and Jazz? Apart from likes and dislikes, I think music is categorized by the quality of expectations. If so, I think this a soundtrack that will crush that frame of reference brilliantly. Really I do. Do click on all the songs in Naganuma's commentary. Please listen to them. Please!
Yokoyama[]
Hello. I'm Yokoyama, the director of "Ollie King". First off, what kind of person am I? To find more on that, please read the developer interview. To put it simply, I am a 27-year-old bachelor who lives in Yokohama, I have no tastes, and am very busy. Mostly, working on the game I created, "Ollie King". Did you guys play it? I'm sure there are people who're like "I played!" or "I've never even heard of it!", but that doesn't matter. The soundtrack to Ollie King has been release, and to commemorate this, I'll also give it a listen!
As some of you may already know, Hideki Naganuma is the creator of the music for Ollie King. That's right, and he's the same Hideki Naganuma who worked on all the songs of the Jet Set Radio series. Actually, I have been with Mr. Naganuma since I joined Sega 5 years ago. I think that the culmination of this project, which Mr. Naganuma shared in the pains of its development, will be the soundtrack to "Ollie King". Of course, the songs used in Ollie King are good, but I would especially recommend "Brother Goes Away".
As Mr. Naganuma himself explains, this song is actually an unreleased song. But to be clear, it's amazing. The tempo and sound production are all very similar to all other Naganuma-colored masterpieces, and as a direct I want to say, "Why didn't you listen to it earlier, Konoyaro!" You too can hear this amazing hidden gem on the "Ollie King" soundtrack. So everyone, please enjoy this exciting release!
Sources[]
- Ollie King soundtrack product page.
- Ollie King Pt.2: THE DEEP DIVE (feat. Kid Chameleon) by Atom Sushi.