There are more releases to come…
https://www.mangomagerecords.com
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us at Games Freezer, can you tell us a little of your relationship and how Mango Mage Records came to be?
"When Ron and I (Brooke) started dating, we quickly realized we had a common love of video games and VGM – a relationship first for both of us. We often say we fell in love over VGM on our early drives to work at the hospital together. When we discovered the VGM vinyl community, we were immediately drawn in as we have a huge appreciation for physical media as well as art. Collecting vinyl quickly became a passion of ours and it is something we enjoy together as well as with our 3 children. So, it should come as no surprise that our dive into our own record label was born out of an elaborate idea that Ron had to propose with a custom vinyl he had made from my favourite artist and video game (he’s a keeper for sure!)."
I’m really intrigued by the ‘Mango Mage’ name, it sounds like a cocktail that I yearn to taste, how did you decide upon it?
"I think you are onto something with that cocktail idea, is it ok if I steal it for our next dinner party? ☺ When we were dreaming up names for the label, we definitely tried to be clever… probably a little too clever… but nothing stuck. So, we ended up taking a different approach and tried to think of something quirky and fun that represented us. I knew I wanted something with ‘mage’ since I play a WHM in FFXIV and I’ve always gravitated toward magic-wielding characters. Mangos just happen to be THE staple food in our home (mostly due to Ron growing up in India, the mango epicentre of the universe) and the 2 words together just stuck!"
Your first release (now sold out, congratulations!) was The Songs of Time by TPR, was there a specific reason that you decided to focus on this as your initial release?
"Thank you so much! We were blown away by the sellout and all the support we received as a new label in the VGM community! It was one of the greatest honours to be able to work with TPR on our first release. Not only is he incredibly talented, but his music is a staple in our home and his style accurately represents the type of music we love most. Our first release, Songs of Time, was a collaborative project with Respawned Records who has been our mentor and friend as we started this label. We both feel super fortunate to have hit the ground running surrounded by so many kind and talented individuals."
What were the challenges/learning curve of releasing this and has it changed how you’ll approach future releases?
"With our first release being a collaborative project with Respawned Records, it all flowed incredibly well for a first project. It was really helpful to have someone like Justin, from Respawned Records, walking alongside us that has experience in the industry. We are also extremely grateful for Caleb (Channel 3 Records), who has been a very patient teacher to us. Whenever Ron had a question about anything and everything that goes into running a record label, no matter how vague or silly, Caleb had an answer for it. We would also be amiss if we did not mention the incredible community over at the VGM Vinyl Discord; especially including StumpyFrogRecords, Scoot from VeryOkVinyl, and the VGM VinylGod himself, rpbtz aka Blip Blop (@blipblopwax).
We hit a little hiccup on the pre-order day with some of our shipping rates, but everyone was so patient with us while it was corrected. We couldn’t have asked for a better launch!"
Splitting things up between you, what are your earliest gaming memories and which titles or systems made the biggest impression?
Brooke: "My earliest memory was playing Super Mario Bros, Back to the Future, & DuckTales with my older siblings when I was only a few years old. But the first game that truly made an impact on me was FFIV (FF2 on SNES). What elementary school kid wouldn’t want to play as a magic-wielding, green-haired girl that can ride in a whale to the moon?! I’ve been a dedicated Final Fantasy fan ever since and it’s the series that always will be the most impactful on my life."
Ron: "For me, I can still vividly remember the first time I held a controller to play the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES. My friend that I was playing with kept pointing out the fact that I would lean to my right whenever I jumped as if I was controlling Mario with my body.
Final Fantasy: XI made the biggest impact on my life. A marketing snafu by Sony and Zipper Interactive (something about future DLC and needing an HDD on the PS2) led to me discovering the trial for FFXI and I was immediately hooked! Not only did I make some lifelong friends playing the game, but it is also the reason why I moved to the state I live in; and in a way, it is also responsible for Mango Mage Records. But, that’s an origin story for another day" 😉
What games are you playing at the moment?
Brooke: "I am currently playing the NieR Replicant remake and then moving on to Automata. I was introduced to Keiichi Okabe’s music from NieR during one of the FFXIV side storylines and was instantly hooked! Yoko Taro is a very different type of storyteller, but I’m really appreciating his style what he has done with this series!"
Ron: "I have been absolutely lost in the lore of Hades. With almost 200 attempts, it’s one of the few games that has managed to surprise me even after hours upon hours of gameplay. Not to mention the music from the incredibly talented composer and voice-actor extraordinaire, Darren Korb. Definitely one of the top 10 games of all time for me."
Which specific VGM soundtracks that you return to, and what new music is resonating with you?
"I’d have to say we generally listen to a diverse variety of VGM. The music we do return to the most is probably a result of incessant request from our kids! They never tire of Zelda, Mario, DK, & Banjo & Kazooie soundtracks and our youngest is a huge fan of Studio Ghibli vinyl."
"As I mentioned before, we are big video game and art collectors, and we often pick up vinyl based on aesthetic even though we might not be familiar with the music. It has been a great way to introduce styles of music we might not have otherwise picked up."
What would be your dream vinyl release?
"Is there a limit to how long my answers can be because I could go on forever with this question! We have a Wishlist for sure and 2 more nostalgic dream releases for me would certainly be DuckTales and Super Mario RPG. I know at the top of Ron’s list would be Braid and the Child of Light soundtrack."
Can you let loose any titbits of information about what’s coming next from Mango Mage?
"Absolutely! We have several things in the works right now, one of which is an original game soundtrack where we have had the opportunity to work with one of the nicest and most talented composers in the industry. We also have a cover album we will be announcing shortly that has been a dream of mine, so I am really excited to share that project with all of you! In addition, we have teamed up with a truly talented female musician to put together a commission album that is going to be a very unique addition to what’s going on in VGM."
What’s the best way for people to keep up to date with the happenings at Mango Mage Records?
"We are most active on our IG account where we post updates on our projects as well as highlighting vinyl in our collection. There are so many amazing things happening in the VGM vinyl community and we love being able to share some of the incredible music other labels are releasing. We are also on Twitter and active on the VGM Vinyl Discord!"
https://www.mangomagerecords.com
https://twitter.com/TheMangoMage
https://www.instagram.com/mangomagerecords
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete