Various Artists AG Drive Soundtrack Review by Gary Hill
Dance music mixes with electronica to create something that’s part video game music, part pure entertainment. Not everything here works exceptionally, but most of it does. This is a pretty cool set that’s highly recommend for those who enjoy the recent wave of videogame music.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Burt Kane - AG Drive
Electronic music, progressive rock and more merge in this powerful and dramatic number. I love the drop back to piano, but the guitar sections are also great.
Jonne Valtonen - They Call Me Speed (Original) This has more of a real “song” type vocal arrangement. It’s also built on that combo of prog and electronic music, landing more on the electronic pop end of the spectrum. It reminds me of a cross between The Buggles and Vangelis.
Domestic Machine Movement - Delta Course A hard rocking groove is paired with an electronic video game music element for a great effect. The synthesized vocals make me think of Kraftwerk a bit, perhaps mixed with Laurie Anderson. This is quite progressive rock in style.
Ari Pulkkinen – Drive This high energy tune is more like electronic dance music. It’s cool and a nice change.
Little Bitchard - Enter Sokudo I love the dramatic tones on this. It feels like there is a danger amidst the energetic dance music.
Tommy Baynen - Rapid Acceleration Dance music mixes with video game soundtrack here. This one has a lot of energy and some cool grooves.
City Cat - Rough Ride This feels percussive and rather rubbery, but otherwise similar to much of the rest. It does have a bit of a funky groove.
Ari Pulkkinen - Electric Mayhem More driving, high energy electronic music, I like this one a lot.
Tommy Baynen - Rock That Fast and furious, this is powerhouse electronic music.
Little Bitchard - Sigma Shock There are no huge changes here, but this one is packed with vitality.
Little Bitchard - Future Motion The early parts of this are like a cross between the more electronic side of Hawkwind with Kraftwerk. It works to more dance electronic music after that, though.
Tommi Salomaa - Riding High Here is a pretty standard dance music cut. It’s one of the few here with vocals, though.
Ari Pulkkinen - Ride Me Love Me I love the synthetic vocal lines on this song. It’s got a great old school electronic groove musically. This is fun.
Jonne Valtonen - They Call Me Speed (Vocal Edit) I dig this electronic version of the cut. It has more vocals than the original did, though. Of course the parenthetical should give that away.
