MEGA REMIX MAN.EXE Vinyl Review "This Album Runs The Gamut of The Earlier Mega Man Games"💿 @FiragaRecords #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl #VGMVinyl

Another vinyl release is here from the excellent Firaga Records and Materia Music. This time it’s an eleven-song number comprising RoboRob and friends’ takes on tracks from Capcom’s venerable Mega Man series. 

For your hard-earned, you get a clear vinyl pressing in a gatefold sleeve inside a printed plastic wallet, which gives the whole thing a premium feel. As ever, you can also grab this from the Firaga Bandcamp page ($29 vinyl/$15 CD/$10 digital) and on streaming services too.

This album runs the gamut of the earlier Mega Man games, from the original (RoboRob and Ben Briggs’ remix of Cut Man) all the way up to 1993’s Mega Man X. As with the Pokémon remix album reviewed here recently, we’ve got an emphasis on breakbeat/electronica, and the unavoidable dubstep sound too. 

It all kicks off with Wily Guardian Battle from Mega Man 3, a ravey electronica remix of the NES original by RoboRob. Start as you mean to go on.

 

As we progress through the six tracks on side A there’s some excellent stuff. Highlights are the aforementioned Cut Man, with tribal drums evolving into a bouncy number with a great Spanish-style breakdown, Mega Man 2’s boss theme with slowed-down amen breaks and a big drop, and finishing off with Boomer Kuwanger’s theme from Mega Man X, all ravey acid house-esque stabs and techno drums.

 

Side B fittingly starts with a main theme, this one from Mega Man 3, which goes from a quiet start into bass-driven breakbeat heaven, with great use of the original. Three boss themes follow, with the dirty bass of Plant Man moving into the cracking main riff of Stone Man, and the album highlight of Heat Man, with opening drums reminiscent of Superman Lovers’ Starlight, piano house overtones and even airhorns, all supported by a driving bassline; RoboRob and Shady Monk have crafted a winner here. 

The album finishes off with a dubstep version of Dr Wily’s Castle from Mega Man 2. This is classic dubstep too, not brostep, so it’s definitely allowed, with the original melody interspersed with half-speed drums to bring it down.

SUMMARY

If you’re a fan of these releases you already know what you’re going to get, and chances are you’ll be listening already. 

But once you’ve finished, don’t forget to go on Youtube and listen to the original game soundtracks – it really is amazing what the composers could squeeze out of just a couple of audio channels, and you’ll discover a ton of excellent music that didn’t make it onto this release.

PURCHASE LINK: 

https://roborobmusic.bandcamp.com/album/mega-remix-man-exe