The idea for this mix came suddenly. Here I was polishing off what was originally intended to be August’s mix, and then – BAM! It was an itch that wouldn’t subside until I indulged in scratching it. When promptings are this strong and this sudden you run with it!
“Badass Boss Battles” is the soundtrack to the hypothetical METROID: The Movie – the greatest movie never created. Oh yes!! I’ve ALWAYS - always always always - thought that the Metroid series would prove to be a solid foundation for a slammin movie. And thanks to modern advancements in cinematic production the feasaability for a movie this huge and this awesome is now all too real. Think about it:
- A foxy protagonist who is like a cross between Laura Croft and Lt. Ripley. Indeed! An interstellar amazon warrior woman sealed within a wicked cool space suit fitted with all the fixins to capture her bounty. - Flying neon energy-sucking parasites that, once they’ve latched on, only get angrier and more vicious the more you struggle to shake them loose;
- Teams of technologically advanced space pirates who are addicted to a rare radioactive mineral and will do anything necessary to obtain it;
- Huge, ominous caverns, lit by winged luminescent octopods, that undoubtedly house little alcoves and nooks in where powerups are attained;
- Ruins of an extinct noble alien civilization situated in a snowy canyon under a sapphire sky
- Haunted spaceships, eons after crash landing, that are home to indigenous creatures and flora both beautiful and deadly…
Basically, the game has an overall perfect melding of futuristic technology, extraterrestrial geography, and alien biology. Put in the right hands, the cinematic production of these locations and characters would catch the attention of anybody with a set of eyeballs and even a rudimentary understanding of what makes stuff awesome.
But, to get to the main point: I adore the musical element in all of the Metorid titles. They convey space and atmosphere in each of the massive levels like the ones described above – Hence, the overall goal of this mix.
It’s critical to acknowledge that Metroid is not just a shoot-‘em-up-with-everything-you’ve-got type of game; There are rarely waves upon waves of cracked out aliens fuming to get at you. NAY! 75% of the game is spent EXPLORING! And through it all, the music is appropriately composed and non-intrusive. These locations are included in this months mix.
On the flip side: I’ve played other games with a constant trancey/techno soundtrack and after a while it just sounds repetitive; totally ineffective when the time calls for a hard, driving beat… Like during a Badass Boss Battle!
The bosses in Metroid are awesome! They come in all shapes and sizes. From a single massive spherical entity with pustules that birth tentacles intended to whip around and knock you off into the pool of acidic excrement, to the mother of all mother brains who will eventually morph into a slobbering 50 ft. steel skeletal figure. I love the initial panic that’s felt when the boss battle begins because chances are you’re not exactly sure how to take this monstrosity down; what is it’s head and what is it’s rear end? What are these swooping flashing neon rings spewing out of that one orifice on it’s… I guess it’s abdomen??? Why are my super-missles completely ineffective?!!? AND IS THERE SERIOUSLY NO WAY OUT OF THE BATTLE ARENA?! Ah, well then… It’s time to jump in headfirst! Indeed. And during it all, a pulsating 140BPM track is much needed to enhance the experience of fighting a Badass Boss Battle. These tracks are also included in this month’s mix.
So, to bring this back around to the legitimacy of becoming a movie… Taking all of this into consideration how awesome would this be in a fully equipped cinematic environment? Yeah, that’s what I thought. To deny the movie’s plausible awesomeness is to deny the very existence of the universe itself.
The tracks in this month’s mix CD would be mixed in surround, with more a little more emphasis on volume in the side and rear speakers. A cinematic production can get as CGI-intensive and 3D as it frikkin wants, but it is bupkis – BUPKIS! B-U-P-K-I-S- without surround sound.
But, until then (if ever) trip to these tracks and create your own Metroid experience.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VBZ4A02Y
