I’ve loved classical music all my life, and still do, but nowadays the music I listen to is all so-called Trailer Music. According to the entry in Wikipedia, Trailer Music is defined as:
‘…music [is] to complement, support and integrate the sales messaging of the mini-movie that is a film trailer.’
A little further down that Wiki article, you’ll find a list of Trailer Music production companies. Included in that list are three of my favourites:
- Jo Blankenburg,
- Two Steps From Hell, and
- Audiomachine.
Those three also feature in my Innerscape music giveaway competition. You can find the list of composers and music in the FAQ here. But my love affair with Trailer Music did not begin with movies, it began with games.
Video games have always come with soundtracks and sound effects, but in some games, the music is more than good enough to stand on its own. Nobuo Uematsu is famous amongst gamers as the composer behind the Final Fantasy video game series, and that is where I became a fan too – playing Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Nevertheless, I did not become a devotee until I played Vagrant Story [another Square video game] and discovered the music of Hitoshi Sakimoto. The video clip is called Truth and it sets the mood for a particular part of the game story:
I have owned the soundtrack of Vagrant Story for over 16 years, and I still play it. In fact, it was and is one of my favourite pieces of music, ever.
Another firm favourite is the soundtrack from Final Fantasy XI [the MMO]. Bastok was my ‘home’ on the game, and I still adore the theme that went with it:
Believe it or not, I still get a happy feeling listening to this theme, and a part of me wishes I could go back. Anyway, this track and another favourite – the theme for Gustaberg – were both composed by Kumi Tanioka a lady composer. 🙂
Do you notice a curious pattern emerging here?
Those themes do not necessarily come with ‘mini-movies’, but they do evoke a digital place and time. When I listen to them, I can see the city of Bastok, I can see the road leading to Gustaberg. Pretty amazing given that I haven’t played FFXI in well over ten years. Even more amazing is that I’m not alone. The theme for Bastok has had over 47,000 views on Youtube.
And on that note I’ll have to stop and go to work. I’ll continue this discussion of sneaky classics in the next post.
cheers
Meeks
Meeka's Mind 