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Listening to Sonic Music Artists Discographies


Solister

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Well, I don't know about you, but much of my musical tastes have been inspired by video games, and the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has been no exception. I don't even need to get into details on how much the music is appreciated by the community, and I don't think it's much of a surprise there's a full sea of worth content on some of the artists' discographies.

Of course, it will be quite a hard task to cover every artist who released music for the series, especially because many have, like, one song in the series and discographies spanning over 5 albums and have even been releasing music much before the franchise was created, not to mention side-projects and such.

Certainly, it would be a dream to have all this content covered one day but, given I’m already putting some personal projects of mine to the side to bring this, I’ll try to cover, at least, one album by each artist. Of course, some of which I appreciate more and have a bigger affinity with, I’ll dive further.

At first, I'm bringing you four artists, but fear not! I already have a draft on the way for three other artists, so I do plan to keep this post updated, and hopefully, as complete as it can get.

*The 'Better Known' section is in regard to the Sonic franchise, not the overall artist productions

Listening to Sonic Music Artist Discographies

Artists Presented in Alphabetical Order

The Jetzons

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Better Known for: Ice Cap Zone (Sonic 3)

Still Active?: No

Links:  Spotify/ Discogs

Content Reviewed: Complete Discography (The Complete Jetzons (2008) and The Lost Masters (2013))

Spoiler

Brief Background:

The Jetzons were an American New Wave band from the ’80s. During their active time, they released only a single EP named 米国製 (Made in America) in 1982. They disbanded not long after as per the heroin addiction of band’s Bruce Connole which made touring impossible outside the Los Angeles Area.

About 30 years after the band's last performance, Fervor Records issued a new album and EP from the band. The first, The Complete Jetzons, was a reissue of Made in America with 3 unreleased tracks, and the latter, The Lost Masters, was a 6 track EP, also of unreleased material.

Discogs also mention the existence of a double-sided cassette with an unknown date that features a live performance, with tracks from both Complete Jetzons and Lost Masters and even never recorded stuff on studio. This isn’t available on Spotify, but can be found on YouTube. I might check that later.

Review:

Following the hype of Synth-Pop and New Wave in the dawn of the 80s, The Jetzons were kinda just one more band in a wave of other artists. Their full discography doesn’t encapsulate much more than 45 minutes, making it a quick ride. They do, however, manage to have some catchy tunes, some of which don’t want to get out of my head as I write this.

From a commercial point of view, these songs aren’t bad, but also nothing which you could pinpoint “this is going to be a hit”, but they do have their charm, and depending on how adventurous you were, maybe you could be courageous to invest in them.

Of course, there’s that one song: Hard Times, their most popular song and the origin of the original Sonic 3 Ice Cap theme. I don’t even know why this song was scrapped in the first place or even why they have so much scrapped content, but Hard Times does seem to check much of the “Perfect Pop Song” formula: Catchy lyrics, amazing synth lead, and melodies, good sound harmonization…

Their other songs? Not really… They will probably feature some, but lack other conditions. They sure are worth giving a listen, you probably will relate with one more track or another, but at the end of the day, while Hard Times sure is a blast, I don’t think you have many reasons to listen to them other than being “the band who made music for Sonic”. If you are looking for some quality Synth-Pop/New Wave, go straight for the classics, dust off the vinyl, and listen to some Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, a-ha, or Pet Shop Boys.

Artist Today:

The Jetzons disbanded over a whole decade before crossing paths with Sonic. According to Discogs, Steve Golladay doesn’t have any other activity besides the band, Bruce Connole and Damon Doiron made one or another release and even were in two bands together, Billy Clone & The Same (before The Jetzons) and The Strand (after The Jetzons). Doiron hasn’t been active since then, while Connole released two studio albums in the 2010s and remastered an album this year.

Brad Buxer is undoubtedly the most successful of them all, the one who brought The Jetzons to the Sonic fans. He worked along the side of the likes of Smokey Robinson, Bee Gees, Teena Marie, Kylie Minogue, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Stevie Wonder, and of course, Michael Jackson.

Solister’s Pick: Hard Times

 

 

Junkie XL (Tom Holkenborg)

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Better Known for: Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Scores (Movies)

Still Active?: Yes

Links: Spotify/Discogs

Content Reviewed: Saturday Teenage Kick (1997) and Selected Singles (Venus & Mars (with Sander Kleinenberg and Fluke) and Obsession (vs. Tiësto)).

Spoiler

Brief Background:

Junkie XL is a renowned Dutch DJ and producer. Initially working for the EDM scene, today he dedicates most of his time to composing soundtracks.

Review:

I got Saturday Teenage Kick as a gift from my brother in a pack of other albums he got on sale on Discogs, saying he chose it as we knew Junkie XL worked for the Sonic series and wasn’t a completely strange name for us.

This album is the perfect companion if you enjoy the Jet Set Radio soundtrack, perhaps the JSR composers took direct inspiration from this one as, for example, the song Underachievers even includes the same “Would you stop playing with that radio of yours? I'm trying to get to sleep” sample from Let Mom Sleep of Jet Set Radio. [Time Stamp: Underachievers/Let Mom Sleep]

I only listened to this album once, and it’s already time for a relisten. Overall, the album is very experimental but remains around the boundaries of breakbeat, techno, hip hop, and even tries a what if scenario of if Heavy Metal was an Electronic genre. The album also features a lot of rapping, something I’m not a big fan of, but I somewhat found them enjoyable here, so it may help me change my POV on that.

Speaking as a SEGA fan to SEGA fans, the best way to describe this album is as an alternate soundtrack for Jet Set Radio. You just can’t listen to it without imagining going out with rollerblades spray-painting every wall you see. Something kinda impressive if you think this album predates the game by three years.

Two favorites of mine were Metrolike, especially the acid synth melody in the middle to the second half of the track, and the title track, for similar reasons. It does impress the layer of (I believe synthesized) instruments in the track to the point it’s even a bit noisy… a nice noisy track, if that even makes sense.

I’m kinda sad that I didn’t live that era because I believe this album could be a nostalgia trip for many. The sound is becoming kinda dated and rare these days, but also the little details on the album artwork such as the cover mentioning it’s the v1.13X of the album, something I have vague memories of during my first PC uses. Or the artwork on the booklet with a very futuristic vibe (which is a bit ironic as it shows diskettes and CDs as the most hi-tech thing at the time) to, of course, having a hidden track on the last song after pretty much 6 minutes of silence (P.S. on the same file of the track, so the skip button wouldn’t work).

This is not a bad album, after all, many Junkie XL fans say this is his best album (despite being his debut). Well, I haven’t listened to his other albums to say that, but at the same time, I don’t think I would recommend this album for a beginner in Electronic Music. The 90s were possibly the best decade for Electronic Music, and I do think you might have some better albums to check out, especially Moby – Play (1999) and a favorite of mine, Fluke – Risotto (1997) (There are countless others I could mention, but I’m giving special shouts for these two as I have them in CD).

Speaking of Fluke, Junkie XL coincidentally has a single with them: Venus & Mars (2000), well… partially. Both Junkie XL and Fluke (which here seems to be only the vocalist, Jon Fugler), appears as guest artist for a track of Sander Kleinenberg (an artist some might say has the same weight as Junkie XL).

This one is for those not afraid of long tracks, rounding off over 12 minutes and a half. The song is a journey, and you can guess by the length it is not the kind of song you listen to every day. Still, as a collab with two favorite artists, it’s hard to disappoint, even more bordering some of my favorite genres: Trance, Progressive House and Downtempo.

Another one I’d like to bring your attention to is Obsession (2001) with Tiësto, this one I also have on CD, and guess what? It’s not a short track either, this one is a bit more subtle, rounding off a bit over 9 minutes. For a track with two of the biggest Electronic Music artists (at least from the late 90s, early 00s), this track is quite unknown, and I found it by chance. I think the impression I ended with is that the track wasn’t anything great at the time, but today can be kinda special given how both artists parted ways from their original sound, and a good Trance track can be a rarity these days.

Artist Today:

Much of Junkie XL works were made for the EDM scene, with 6 studio albums. Since 2008 he stepped down a bit in this area and has dedicated to music scores, which remains his focus today. However, he is still releasing some one-off EDM singles and EPs. Among some of his noticeable scores, there are: 300: Rise of an Empire, Mad Max: Fury Road, Deadpool, Batman v Superman, Alita: Battle Angel, Tomb Raider, and both Sonic movies.

 

Solister’s Pick: Metrolike, Saturday Teenage Kick (Track) and Venus & Mars (with Sander Kleinenberg & Fluke)

 

 

T.J. Davis

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Better Known for: Sonic R vocal themes

Still Active?: No

Links: Discogs

Content Reviewed: Selected Singles (Breakout, Dream as One, Wonderful Life and I Believe).

Spoiler

Brief Background:

Teresa Jane Davis (a.k.a. T.J. Davis) is a British singer, notable for working with Gary Numan (of the hits: Are Friends Electric? and Cars), D:Ream, and Blur as well as collaborations with Richard Jacques on video games.

Review:

All four singles here were released after her work on Sonic R. In all songs she is a featured artist. Wonderful Life and Breakout are covers, while I Believe and Dream as One are original compositions.

Starting in 1998 with Seventh Sense – Breakout (cover of Swing Out Sister), this one was my least favorite of the bunch, a good track, but not the kind of song I’d add to my daily playlist. Worth checking if you are more into some groovy/funky sound. T.J. vocals blend well with this style, with a stronger voice.

A year later, Nylon – Dream as One brings me to a more common ground of Trance music. With a very acidic beat, it’s hard not to follow the song beat with your head. However, I feel the song shamefully under uses the vocals of Davis, with few lyrics, and doesn’t give it enough shine, even distorting her voice sometimes.

With the turn of the millennium, she does her first solo release with Wonderful Life (Cover of Black). Well… sorta. Despite taking the release credit, the three Nylon members also sign this record. This one actually works pretty well, the structure is similar to proper Trance, and they finally put T.J. Davis vocals as a priority. It doesn’t seem the song has an “Original Mix”, the closest being a remix by Ian van Dahl (notorious for their #1 UK Dance and #3 UK Chart hit Castles in the Sky). Still, an incredible record, not on pair with other classics of the genre, but a great alternative from the trivial.

Last, but not least, I Believe (with Sash!), which was undoubtedly the best new track I found of her. Catch song, working well with her vocals and greatly produced track. Not a surprise as Sash! already had some hits under his belt. Interestingly, the song received a new mix this year (probably due to the 20th anniversary), except, well… they changed the vocalist. Still a great tune, but quite disappointing at that.

Artist Today:

T.J. Davis has been quite off the spotlight in the past 15 years or so, rarely releasing a collaboration track. She, however, remains very active on her Twitter account and has even a pinned tweet saying how flattered she’s to be part of the Sonic R soundtrack and how those songs mean so much to the fans.

Solister’s Pick: Wonderful Life and I Believe

 

 

Tomonori Sawada

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Better Known for: Sonic Riders level themes, Sonic Speed Riders (production) as well as Sonic 3 Main Theme

Still Active?: Yes

Spotify/Discogs

Content Reviewed: 1994-1997 (as Unreal) and Selected Singles (Electric Toothbrush (as Toronto) and 20 Years Light).

Spoiler

Brief Background:

Tomonori Sawada (a.k.a. Dawasa, Toronto and Unreal) is a musician and sound designer for SEGA, joining the company in 1992 and still active today.

Review:

1994-1997 is more of a compilation than an album, it features the four tracks of his Pop Life EP and 2 new compositions, these being Unreal’s entire discography.

In short, these songs are very basic, and I wouldn’t be surprised if these were his first ever compositions, very simple and slowly adding layers of sounds and melodies. It can get repetitive quickly, only getting a bit more complex towards the later songs. It does, however, feature an interesting combination of House and Downtempo music, I think his sound would be equivalent to Trip-Hop in a more Electronic Music vocabulary.

Nonetheless, I don’t think these rank among his best works, and I would easily overlook him if it wasn’t for his Sonic involvement. None of these songs reach closer to what his frenetic and synth-heaved tracks are on Sonic Riders. The Theme of Metal City (2006) is among my favorites Sonic levels themes and he’s even responsible for the game’s theme, Sonic Speed Riders (feat. runblebee) (2006) (at least on a production/composition level).

Another interesting track of him is featured on Jet Set Radio’s soundtrack: Electric Tooth Brush (2000) (as Toronto). I think it shows major improvement from what I have seen in 1994-1997 but at the same time, not as awesome as the Sonic Riders stuff. It’s a track with great sound design and more “danceability” than his older stuff, but still a very repetitive tune.

Last, his SoundCloud free download: 20 Years Light (2014). The track features a very similar structure to Electric Tooth Brush, perhaps a bit more chilled out. It has nice danceability and works extremely well as a background tune while doing other tasks (such as writing this text). It also has some Phantasy Star Online feels, and after all, it’s a free download, there’s not much to complain. Just a bit disappointed the track ends on a fade-out, not a proper conclusion.

Artist Today:

Sawada still has strong ties with SEGA and is often featured on their music compilations. He still composes for SEGA for other titles, notably the Panzer Dragon series.

He used to be part of the group Fantastic Explosion during the late 90s but seems to have left the group by the turn of the millennium. He’s also part of a group called Mind Design despite haven’t released new material since 1994 (and a compilation in 2000).

Solister's Pick:

Theme of Metal City, Sonic Speed Riders (feat. runblebee), Electric Tooth Brush and 20 Years Light

Still to Come

As I mentioned, I've already been working on some artists, so I think, at least, these three are certain for me to post, by far, in the worst case scenarios, not in the next update, but they will come. I'm mostly doing this just to not overload me with lots of work, as well as, to don't bring an enormous post anyone wouldn't be interested in reading in full. These are:

  • Julien-K (Notable for This Machine (Sonic Heroes) and Waking Up (Shadow the Hedgehog))
  • Kaz Silver (Notable for Believe in Myself (SA2 Version))
  • Pastiche (Notable for Sonic Boom (Sonic CD))

Artists Who Didn't Release Outside Sonic Team/SEGA

As you might have guessed, some artists didn't work outside SEGA and doesn't have anything new to show off, so the odds you have listened to their entire discography are high. I assume it is more of a personal choice of them rather than an exclusivity contract with SEGA. These are:

  • Fumie Kumatani
  • Kenich Tokoi
  • Masafumi Ogata
  • Naofumi Hataya
  • runblebee

Just not to say never, I can consider in the future to dive deeper in their discography, even if it's just for the Sonic stuff. For example, I wasn't aware runblebee sang all the Sonic and the Secret Rings level themes (I could swear he/they only recorded Sonic Speed Riders and Catch Me if You Can), until like, 2 days ago. I wouldn't expect much as I have never seen anyone talk about it, but still.


Hope you enjoy the post, and hopefully, join me in this dive of awesome content I wasn't even aware it existed. Believe me, it is so much worth.

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On 10/9/2022 at 2:11 AM, Solister said:

As you might have guessed, some artists didn't work outside SEGA and doesn't have anything new to show off, so the odds you have listened to their entire discography are high. I assume it is more of a personal choice of them rather than an exclusivity contract with SEGA. These are:

  • Tomoya Ohtani

https://www.youtube.com/c/TomoyaOhtaniChannel

Tomoya Ohtani sometimes makes music as an independent, and I like his music. Not listed in his YouTube channel is other music he made for collaborations on the internet and various other independent projects, which he is still doing.

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10 hours ago, Polkadi~☆ said:

https://www.youtube.com/c/TomoyaOhtaniChannel

Tomoya Ohtani sometimes makes music as an independent, and I like his music. Not listed in his YouTube channel is other music he made for collaborations on the internet and various other independent projects, which he is still doing.

Hm, weird that Discogs doesn't mention any of these. I'll need to broaden my sources.

Thanks for the heads-up!

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