As I listened through this Super Mario 64 record in quite bracing weather, it felt calming and warming, but I can just as easily imagine it seeming as mellow and engaging on warm summer days, adding a layer of groovy coolness to the proceedings.
As is the theme of the lo-fi releases, the cover design is quite uniform with the others in that it’s a shiny, glossy affair that features an isometric viewpoint of some recognisable landmarks and areas from the Super Mario 64 game.
As was the case with one of the other lo-fi titles I covered some months back, it feels like the cover illustration is just a touch too dark and moody, and a brighter image would have captured the vibrancy and charm of the original game a little better. Turning the cover over shows that classic Curaga lo-fi rear - the shimmering, shifting colours of the album over a bold and simple track listing:
Side A:
Opening (88bit & Save Point)
File Select (88bit & Save Point)
Inside the Castle Walls (88bit & Save Point)
Bob-Omb Battlefield - (88bit & Save Point)
Wing Cap Mario (88bit & Save Point)
Cave Dungeon (88bit & Save Point)
Side B:
Dire Dire Docks (88bit & Save Point)
Piranha Plant Lullaby (88bit & Save Point)
Koopa’s Road (88bit & Save Point)
Bowser’s Theme (88bit & Save Point)
Staff Roll (88bit & Save Point)
The album begins with ‘Opening’, jazzy piano chords and melodic runs soon lead to upright bass and a lovely low and smooth synth line that plays out the heart of the riff. The way the piano chords and runs weave over each other here is very tasty indeed.
‘File Select’ follows the opening (literally) track, and here we again get a – slightly more melancholic – piano intro. Undercutting this with muted percussion, the simplicity of the melody speaks for itself here, and the busky drums lead up to a fuller second run through of the melody. It hit me just how much room for the bass there is on the record here, you could really ramp up the bass on your amp and get some serious low-end, if that’s your thang.
‘Inside the Castle Walls’ hurtles straight in with a warm bass line that fills the room with a slightly slower drum beat to add weight and groove. As with some of the other lo-fi titles, this record sticks pretty closely to the original melodies and often plays repeats the melody twice through with some variety added, so aside from a few tracks, there aren’t too many moments of improvisation or heavy deviation – aside from on the next track, that is! Bob-Omb Battlefield brings the snare snap! A much punchier drum sound that sits at the forefront, this is a gutsy run through that strikes me as the boldest, jazziest track on the album yet and one that loosens up, giving us some lovely, jammy moments.
‘Wing Cap Mario’ is up next, and this Bossa nova track keeps the energy up following the previous jazzy number, there’s again a busky sensibility to the drums and a warmth to the delivery that spreads positive vibes through this, the penultimate track on side A.
‘Cave Dungeon’ ends this side of the record and is a track that is rich with layers bouncing off each other, the bass and piano work really well off each other here, leading up to a beautiful, glassy keyboard section that opens up the centre of the track, keeping that jazzy/jammy vibe running – this is a great ‘feel-good’ album.
Side B rocks off with ‘Dire Dire Docks’, one of the standout tracks for me as it brings back so many memories of Super Mario 64, it’s a gently building piano melody that echoes other thematic runs heard throughout the album. For a moment, the lo-fi aspect is dropped as pure piano rings out, and it’s almost a refreshing wave, letting the emotion of the melody speak for itself, before dropping back in with the lo-fi production once again weaving around it. There’s a lovely laser-sounding synth line here, and the subtle percussion holds a beat as one of the more memorable moments on the album plays out.
‘Piranha Plant Lullaby’ is up next, and the warbling piano, muted drums and warm bass continue. It lacks the emotional punch of Dire Dire Docks but sits well in making the mood seem more casual and flowing. It’s a gentler track rife with contemplation.
‘Koopa’s Road’ is the third track on the second side, and is a more heroic, adventurous type of sound with moodier, growling bass giving an edge to the track.
‘Bowser’s Theme’ is a driving, piano-led track that features some tasty upright bass, adding character and a woody, percussive bassline amidst the synth warmth that we are used to. This feels a very late-night, smoky, cocktail affair in the looped beats and distant trumpet, as if it’s the final song in a long jazz set, and the dawn is about to rise in the background, vivid stuff!
‘Staff Roll’ is the final track on the album, and brings things to a close in classic style, in terms of musical themes, the focus on close-knit instruments here definitely runs throughout and gives a sense of almost narrative cohesion, the longest track on the album, this ends things tastily, with the final piano notes echoing off into the distance.
Of all the Curaga records lo-fi releases that I’ve covered so far, this feels the most entrenched in the lo-fi vibe, and whilst that ‘worn-in’ production suits the genre, the warbling, shimmering piano effects that run throughout, combined with the dusty production style means that it works as almost a juxtaposition to the clarity that vinyl captures.
SUMMARY
This really does feel like you’ve discovered a long-lost record, and I thought this worth mentioning, as it’s a style that focuses on fully drenching you in lo-fi grooves as much as possible, and that search for authenticity means losing some of the brightness that can be expected from a vinyl pressing. It’s a very bold stylistic choice that I can imagine may be slightly divisive to vinyl purists.
From the Curaga website:
"From artists 88bit and Save Point, Video Game LoFi: Super Mario 64 is a nostalgic tribute to Koji Kondo’s beloved soundtrack. With gorgeous piano arrangements, warm analog synths and colorful re-harmonization, the album features 11 tracks that fuse cozy beats and reimagined melodies with jazzy LoFi undertones.
“This was a truly collaborative effort,” says artist 88bit, “I’m so glad Save Point approached me about making this with him. This album gave me an opportunity to take the Super Mario 64 songs and reshape and present them in a new light - chill lo-fi.”
88bit goes on to say how the album has given the songs a unique transformation while staying true to the original. “I’m excited for many of my friends in the VGM community to listen to these tracks. And I’m hopeful that these songs will find their way to people all over, and that those who love the music from Super Mario 64 (and even those who may not be familiar) will enjoy these recordings as much as we’ve enjoyed making them.”
Artist Save Point had this to say about this collaborative album, “We wanted to be as authentic as we possibly could with this album and I love the final result. We only used analog synths, the Prophet 5 and Novation Peak, to really capture that warm feeling. Each track has live piano, guitar, and percussion. I wanted these tracks to feel like you’re having a genuine conversation with an old friend. It really felt like 88bit and I were on the same page from the beginning with our goal to craft something unique and comfy.”
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