ReMix:Daytona USA "Plastik Skies" 4:55

START YOUR ENGINES!!

We're proud to announce the release of VROOM: Sega Racing, our 66th FREE community arrangement album celebrating the (amazing!) music of Sega's classic racing games!

Originally concieved many moons ago & changing hands several times, José the Bronx Rican saw this 11-track EP through to the finish line as its final director:

"Racing games were a huge love of mine, despite my being mostly terrible at them - generally, the better the powerslides, the more fun I had - and Sega's most fondly remembered products of the genre offered unique experiences, usually with music best described as "smooth," from rock to jazz and back again. It was probably fate I ended up working to finalize this album release, formerly subtitled "The Best of SEGA Racing."

This was a long time coming: several years and several directors, many ups and downs, regrettable delays and omissions. Be aware that several tracks may have spent years in limbo, but are presented here without freshness dating. I was asked to take what we had, revise album art and help put together a release package, but I quickly uncovered quite a bit of incomplete work that I felt needed attention and further development. I'm pleased with the result: because of staff and artist efforts, we were able to establish a ten-track album (plus an instrumental), as opposed to a six- or seven-track EP."

Check out the whole album & grab the zip/torrent at vroom.ocremix.org! As always, we've got a couple selection to highlight for you, starting with this vocoder-forward house/dance vocal track from Palpable (Vinnie Prabhu), with a cameo from Diodes on keys - our FIRST EVAR mix from the venerable Daytona USA:

"Sometimes songs are written as you work on them, and sometimes songs come to you full-formed. This track was the latter. I wasn't familiar with "Sky High" when Robbie asked me if I was interested in joining the project, but within a day of hearing the track (which I loved), this was 90% finished in my head. My song adapts it to the style of Shibuya-kei, especially Fantastic Plastic Machine (that's where the "plastik" in the title comes from). I was really big into that style back in college and it was fun to revisit that era of my music listening. Amy helped me finish the unwritten 10% with a short piano solo in the bridge."

It's a funky-smooth blend of acoustic/electric piano, organ, a bumpin' bass, an early 90's house/dance groove, and lotsa lotsa vocoded declarations of desire & intent to fly - sky high, at that ;) What's not to like? I dig this because while it interprets the source, you still get a helpin' of the overall positive, open-air light jazz vibe that dominates Sega racing music. Director José the Bronx Rican writes:

"Amy and Vinnie with one for the road. A fab collab with "bounce," because it's always what they've done best. We start our trip by whistling along, the toe-tapping already underway, and then we are carried, vocoder-style, over Mitsuyoshi-san's famously Engrished lyrics, by tight rhythms and light, airy synths. Are we still in the car? It feels like we're flying!"

It does indeed; great jam from Vinnie which captures a certain time/era/style that gels well with the zeitgeist of Sega racing tunes & serves as a wonderful introduction to the album. It's the season for road trips & convertibles, and we've got the perfect soundtrack - check this mix, check out all of VROOM, and enjoy the ride!