Tag Archives: megaran

GameChops releases it’s first compilation!

GameChops: Game music record label
GameChops: Game Music Record Label compilation now available from music.gamechops.com

GameChops is an electronic game music record label; It’s first of its kind to release licensed video game remixes. There have been many websites and other sources of great video game remixes, but no organization dedicated to legally clearing game covers and directly supporting those who make them. That is, until now.

I started GameChops back in April of 2012, intending it to be a simple netlabel. But in August of 2012, our album The Triforce of Bass hit #1 on Bandcamp, and I realized that I could do more with this idea. Thanks to the awesome guys at Joypad Records in San Francisco, we were able to start clearing licenses for our remixes with the companies that made the original games. Now, in 2013, we’re making that our mission.

By clearing the rights, it allows us to post our tracks without fear copyright complaints on major music outlets like iTunes, Spotify and Amazon. Furthermore, it allows our remixes to be used in broadcast and syndication, which is impossible prior to clearing the rights. It’s a very exciting idea for me to think about a time when a game company like Capcom or Microsoft might reach out and request a remix for use in their game. In fact, it’s already happening.

This compilation is a collection of our favorite tracks that were produced in our first year, some of them unreleased until now! I hope it can help use raise a little money to help support our operation, but mostly I’d like this comp to exhibit the versatility and scope of video game remix artists. From Ben Briggs’ incredible fun dub take on Sonic the Hedgehog, to my remix of Halo 4 featuring MegaRan, the compilation spans 20 tracks and a myriad of genres.

Titled simply “Game Music Record Label” this album contains new tracks and last year’s favorites! To say Thank You for the support we’ve seen thus far, the album will be set to “Name-Your-Price” for the first week. Please contribute what you can, all proceeds go to cover licensing and supporting GameChops.

Long live #gamemusic!

MAGFest hits the road, baby!!! 8)

The only legitimate gripes that I’ve ever heard about MAGFest are that it’s only once a year & stuck in one location. And those qripes have been quite founded, as they’ve been true up to this point.

…UNTIL NOW.

Just in case your mind is currently TOO ASPLODY to comprehend what’s happening here, LEMME BREAK IT DOWN FOR YA!! ;D

Starting February 3rd – this coming Sunday night!!! – MAGFest will OFFICIALLY be presenting its first in a series of concerts at the Red7 in Austin, Texas!! For a mere $10 in advance/$12 on the day of, you can snag a ticket to catch this inaugural MAG-tour kickoff, which includes some badass video games, awesome bands, and all in all MAGFESTY GOOD TIMES!! 
Lineup includes the debut of the all(most) new Descendants of ErdrickLords of ThunderUrizenMegaran, & Dr. Awkward!! If you’re ANYWHERE near this indefinable collection of AMAZEBALLS (and hell, even if you’re not!!), I think you know what you need to do…

GET DAT ASS TO MAGFEST!!!!!

Much \m||m/ as always,
Hoodie

P.S. Want a little additional motivation to go to this MAG-show and/or any others that may come near you? MAGFest will be judging the response of these shows to scout out potential locations for a full fledged additional MAGFest at some point in the relatively near future.
So yeah. There’s that too. ;)

Redundant linkymajiggers:
Game Over Austin Facebook event
Red7
Tickets
Descendants of Erdrick
Lords of Thunder
Urizen
Megaran
Dr. Awkward

Dj CUTMAN featuring MegaRan – The Promise (Halo 4 Remix)

Dj CUTMAN Featuring MegaRan – The Promise (Halo 4 Remix)

Today it’s my honor to bring you a production I’ve been slaving over the past month, a collboration with one of my biggest inspirations, MegaRan.

Listen to the track

Before I get into the backstory, please take a moment and click the heart button on the track.

For those who aren’t famailar with the teacher/rapper/hero, MegaRan is the wordsmith behind my favorite VGM album of all time, Black Materia.

This track is a remix for the upcoming game Halo 4 for XBox360. Microsoft and 343 Studios started and official Halo 4 remix contest, offering up the stems for three of the songs from the game’s soundtrack. When I heard about a game studio doing a remix contest, I dropped everything and got started. I’ve participated in remix contests before, but the fact that a game studio was putting one on seemed to call directly to me.
Internet to Cutman, a game needs remixing!

The instrumental itself I spent over 40 hours on before even playing it for anybody (usually I boast of lightening speed production times, but for this project I wanted to address every detail and fine tune everything). After that first week, I couldn’t stop listening to the remix, but I couldn’t help be feel like it needed a human element. I shot MegaRan a message, who was just about to start a ten day tour of the west coast tour. I had hoped the beat would inspire him to write a verse or two. And that he did, and so much more.

MegaRan came through with two verses and a hook that amazed me; He outlined a soldiers point-of-view in wartime, using folklore from the Halo universe. MegaRan has a gift of tying the game world to real life, and just like in Black Materia he had crafted lyrics that brought Halo closer to reality then I have ever felt before. We spent a couple days sending mixes back and forth and fine tuning the structure of the song. His experience shined through, and it took me back to my days as a hiphop engineer, working with a lyricist to carve out perfect song.

The finishing touches was in a long section of the track with no vocals and orchestral sample chopping. I had marked the section as “The Journey” in my session, I imagined it was the journey from Headquarters to the battlefield, and wanted to communicate that somehow in the song. I visited The Free Sound Project and found a user who specialized in military sound effects. Licensed under Creative Commons, I took genuine military radio chatter and embedded it into the track.

Over a hundred hours later and nearly twenty different mixes, we have what you can now listen. If you like it, please Favorite it on Soundcloud. You can do this by clicking the little heart button on the track. The awesome artwork was done by Tron Bonne. Please take a moment to share the track with your friends.

“The plan is clear and concise, I’ve got to run with it.”
— MegaRan, The Promise

Listen on Soundcloud

MegaRan 10

It’s like someone casted Magic Missile on the darkness and brought to light all this awesome music today. Last for the blast (and ceraintly not least) is nerdcore hero MegaRan with a brand new album, MegaRan 10. Yes that’s right, hiphop takes on the themes from MegaMan 10. MegaRan is a hiphop hero with unparalleled skills and imagination, the mastermind behind Black Materia. Check out his new album below and pick it up on Bandcamp.