Friday, September 27, 2013

Grand Theft Auto 5 :: Soundtrack

So I haven't posted in a while and thought i'd share my opinions on the GTA 5 soundtrack, and later on the overall game. I posted about the GTA franchise soundtrack as a whole a while back, and how it's one of the main aspects I look forward from a new instalment in the series.

Up to the release of this game the music had been leaked and samples from various radio stations in the game were released by Rockstar via their Soundcloud. This got me hyped up especially due to the annoucement of Flylo FM, hosted by Flying Lotus. This is probably my favourite station on the game, due to it's inclusion of new music by artists I admire such as DJ Rashad, Outkast and Hudson Mohawke. All this new music is added to by Tyler, The Creator, Aphex Twins, Shadow Child etc... I have linked the complete playthrough of the station below, which is played on loop during driving around the virtual world in traditional GTA fashion. I recommend you listen if you haven't.


The other stations which have attracted my attention during the build up to the release and throughout playing the game are Non-Stop Pop - which is hosted by Cara Delevingne. This is one of the most 'feel-good' stations with classics by Britney, Mis-Teeq and Hall & Oates. Nothing better than blowing stuff up whilst Wham! or Rihanna plays on the radio haha. A sample of this is below.
   

Radio Los Santos & West Coast Classics bring the Hip-Hop to the party. RLS features current Hip-Hop by Freddie Gibbs, Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky, whilst the likes of Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg have classic hits on WCC. I have mainly listened to RLS and the two stations mentioned above as i've listened to most of the jams on WCC many a time... Nevertheless it still brings another aspect to this incredible game. Below is another sample of RLS.

 

Of course, there are many other stations in the game, which will grow on me throughout time. I also like Los Santos Rock Radio & Worldwide FM. Both with some fitting songs to the game's storyline and offering new vibes. These are just my personal favourite stations from the game, but the whole package is amazing. I will probably write my thoughts on the overall game in a bit.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Jacques Greene

I've been a fan of Jacques Greene's remixes and production for quite a while. The two tracks linked below are remixes of Ciara's - 'Sorry' & 'Body Party'. These songs are crisply produced electronic R&B, featuring Ciara's powerful female vocals; something which I have previously mentioned I am a fan of. 'Sorry' is the more chilled track, and builds up in the middle. Whereas 'Body Party' is heavier throughout.

These remixes of contemporary R&B create a shiny end product. Stretching beyond the Ciara remixes, Jacques has also remixed Kelly Rowland's 'Motivation', along with others. 'Motivation' is similar in style to these Ciara remixes, with a poppy beat. Additional collaborations with Koreless & How To Dress Well are other projects he has worked on, as well as Autre Ne Veut's 'Play by Play'. I recommend you check all these out if you haven't already.