Diggin' in the Carts — Season 1, Episode 4: The Cool Kid
Documentary • 18 min • 1 season, 6 episodes
Episode synopsis
By the beginning of the ’90s, video game sales became colossal worldwide and a war erupted between the two biggest companies in the business: Nintendo and Sega. Although Sega had their flag firmly planted in the arcades in the ’80s, the home console market belonged to Nintendo. That started to change when Sega’s Megadrive developed a reputation for putting out games that were just that little bit “cooler.” In part down to the unique sound of the Megadrive’s inbuilt FM Synth, some of the most incredible game music heard to date was unleashed with J-Pop star Masato Nakamura assigned to compose the Sonic The Hedgehog soundtracks, and Yuzo Koshiro bringing the influence of the clubs he was going to in Tokyo to one of the most memorable soundtracks in video game history, Streets of Rage
About Diggin' in the Carts
Diggin' In The Carts shines a spotlight on the composers who created a style of music that has had an immense impact on modern pop culture. From the personal studios of these legendary composers, to the concert halls of Japan where symphony orchestras are performing their compositions to sold-out crowds today - the series will document how the music of video games was created, what inspired it, and how it evolved into its own cultural phenomenon. Peppered with commentary from some of modern music’s finest DJ’s, musicians and electronic producers from around the world, the documentary also shows the influence these Japanese composers had on the world - and the world of music.