As a person who doesn’t have a rich personal history with the Zelda franchise, when listening to remix albums of key beloved games and series that I don’t have a specific connection with, it’s easy to wish for that immediate, nostalgic ‘heartline’ to the music at hand. Other times – such as here – the music is so (seemingly) effortlessly cool that you just get drawn in, the musicianship bleeds out of the speakers – and, in the way of the best possible praise, this record has not left our turntable in almost two weeks.
Perfect ambience as it is for chilling out, working, drinking, and chatting. And yet, this is more than background beats, there’s a sense of melody and depth that rewards more concentrated listening.
The cover of the record is the standard Curaga Records holographic image, with key locations tastefully recreated from within the Zelda franchise that will be instantly recognisable to fans of the series.
The cover of the record is the standard Curaga Records holographic image, with key locations tastefully recreated from within the Zelda franchise that will be instantly recognisable to fans of the series.
The rear of the album featuring the track listing and album credits, with the main holographic colouring used in this instance being a purplish hue. The album is presented on heavyweight black vinyl and comes encased in a matte black sleeve.
Side A
1. Title Theme (from "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time") (Lo-Fi Edit) – 4:48
Beginning with background chatter and a simple beat, that extremely familiar melody tinkles out in piano form. The first impressions of the album are that there is a warm intimacy to the production style, and the hints that the producer is also a guitarist makes themselves known as the delicate notes of an acoustic guitar ring out underneath gentle ride rhythms. I really enjoyed how the piano and guitar play off each other. This track also illustrates great use of vocals in a track without them detracting from it, as a female vocal joins in from the halfway mark with subtle spoken word sections, a great opener with some lovely guitar lines melting with tremolo. It’s also good to see a longer track on these LoFi albums, as it gives space to experiment and explore.
2. Title Theme ~ The Hour of Twilight (from "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 3:43
The drumbeat on this track is especially languid, delving further into the chillout vibes set out in the introductory song. The key melody here is a very simple one, which gives producer The Floor Is Lava plenty of room to add aching sweeps and ambient noises, along with some tasty guitar layering, natch. This is a very relaxed, ‘beachy’ song, and again features hints of whispers of vocals melding into the ambient soundscape.
3. Dragon Roost Island (from "The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 2:58
The beach sounds still permeate through this, but the acoustic guitar chord-work, more up-tempo drums and punchy bass ramp things up. The clean, simple, and sparse guitar throughline is quickly becoming a main character for me on this record, cleanly played, understated solo lines that absolutely compliment the surrounding instrumentation.
4. Forest Temple (from "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 3:15
A choral opening here is joined by an incredible saucy palm-muted guitar riff that sits perfectly on top of some stripped-back, groovy drums with a rock solid, driving hi-hat rhythm. This is the epitome of a sexy, sleek track with some swing to its hips. The spacey, chorus-laden guitar that comes in just ups the ante, there’s a darkness here hidden away in the depths of the funky groove. Awesome stuff.
5. Lake Hylia (from "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess") (Chill hop Edit) - 3:28
The final track of side A begins with some lilting acoustic guitar with a lovely worn-in string sound that adds to the sense of campfire intimacy. It’s very much a change of pace from the preceding track, and again uses choral vocals- and a softer, slower backbeat lets this one glide over you, a dreamy, pretty track that exudes a sense of calm.
Side B
6. Calling the Four Giants (from "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask") (Chill hop Edit) - 3:56
A Sombre start to the second side here, as ethereal sounds, synth strings and - eventually - single-note guitar lines play over a drum-less intro, making this this feel like the continuation of the previous track. After a minute or so, a very cool bassline kicks in with some drums to add a backbone to the track, with skittering hi-hats and dashes of palm-muted guitars dipping in and out. The song builds with each revolution of the melody until it becomes subtly epic, a very cool start to side B.
7. Kakariko Village is Saved (from "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 3:40
Another instantly memorable melody, and possibly one of my favourites from the franchise, the main melody plays out as a heavily effected guitar moves beneath, with soft bass and a casual beat keeping the groove. This one feels quite locked to the melody as opposed to some of the other tracks that experiment a little more. That said, it’s a naturally more intricate, lengthy melody so it works, as does the incredibly tasteful distorted guitar that creeps in and out at key moments, very cool.
8. Gerudo Town (from "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 3:07
A beat that makes me feel like I’m in Las Iguanas ordering passionfruit zombies! This is a much more adventurous track, with the guitar very much taking the lead, it’s an almost bossa nova beat that gives this a sweet Mediterranean vibe, and the double-tracked octave guitar lines only further that sensation as it weaves around a bass drum that is not shy. Also, a high five is deserved for the sneakily cheeky bassline here.
9. Stables (from "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 3:23
A track that pretty much continues straight on from the previous one, it’s not long before some of the heaviest Chillhop beats of the album kick in. Whilst the guitar here is back to playing single-note stuff, the spacey bass and huge drums keep things very big and up front. A big, ballsy track that lets the drums take the spotlight, highlighting the rich production.
10. Ballad of the Goddess (from "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword") (Lo-Fi House Edit) – 4:08
Gorgeous, lo-fi guitar aches through the speakers to begin this one as synth waves swirl around and build up to a dancey track that leans the most towards the electronica genre on the album. I’ve heard a few lo-fi style albums end with a whisper, but here, The Floor Is Lava chooses to really get the energy up in the final song, all the while keeping that airy, dreamscape vibe.
1. Title Theme (from "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time") (Lo-Fi Edit) – 4:48
Beginning with background chatter and a simple beat, that extremely familiar melody tinkles out in piano form. The first impressions of the album are that there is a warm intimacy to the production style, and the hints that the producer is also a guitarist makes themselves known as the delicate notes of an acoustic guitar ring out underneath gentle ride rhythms. I really enjoyed how the piano and guitar play off each other. This track also illustrates great use of vocals in a track without them detracting from it, as a female vocal joins in from the halfway mark with subtle spoken word sections, a great opener with some lovely guitar lines melting with tremolo. It’s also good to see a longer track on these LoFi albums, as it gives space to experiment and explore.
2. Title Theme ~ The Hour of Twilight (from "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 3:43
The drumbeat on this track is especially languid, delving further into the chillout vibes set out in the introductory song. The key melody here is a very simple one, which gives producer The Floor Is Lava plenty of room to add aching sweeps and ambient noises, along with some tasty guitar layering, natch. This is a very relaxed, ‘beachy’ song, and again features hints of whispers of vocals melding into the ambient soundscape.
3. Dragon Roost Island (from "The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 2:58
The beach sounds still permeate through this, but the acoustic guitar chord-work, more up-tempo drums and punchy bass ramp things up. The clean, simple, and sparse guitar throughline is quickly becoming a main character for me on this record, cleanly played, understated solo lines that absolutely compliment the surrounding instrumentation.
4. Forest Temple (from "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 3:15
A choral opening here is joined by an incredible saucy palm-muted guitar riff that sits perfectly on top of some stripped-back, groovy drums with a rock solid, driving hi-hat rhythm. This is the epitome of a sexy, sleek track with some swing to its hips. The spacey, chorus-laden guitar that comes in just ups the ante, there’s a darkness here hidden away in the depths of the funky groove. Awesome stuff.
5. Lake Hylia (from "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess") (Chill hop Edit) - 3:28
The final track of side A begins with some lilting acoustic guitar with a lovely worn-in string sound that adds to the sense of campfire intimacy. It’s very much a change of pace from the preceding track, and again uses choral vocals- and a softer, slower backbeat lets this one glide over you, a dreamy, pretty track that exudes a sense of calm.
Side B
6. Calling the Four Giants (from "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask") (Chill hop Edit) - 3:56
A Sombre start to the second side here, as ethereal sounds, synth strings and - eventually - single-note guitar lines play over a drum-less intro, making this this feel like the continuation of the previous track. After a minute or so, a very cool bassline kicks in with some drums to add a backbone to the track, with skittering hi-hats and dashes of palm-muted guitars dipping in and out. The song builds with each revolution of the melody until it becomes subtly epic, a very cool start to side B.
7. Kakariko Village is Saved (from "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 3:40
Another instantly memorable melody, and possibly one of my favourites from the franchise, the main melody plays out as a heavily effected guitar moves beneath, with soft bass and a casual beat keeping the groove. This one feels quite locked to the melody as opposed to some of the other tracks that experiment a little more. That said, it’s a naturally more intricate, lengthy melody so it works, as does the incredibly tasteful distorted guitar that creeps in and out at key moments, very cool.
8. Gerudo Town (from "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 3:07
A beat that makes me feel like I’m in Las Iguanas ordering passionfruit zombies! This is a much more adventurous track, with the guitar very much taking the lead, it’s an almost bossa nova beat that gives this a sweet Mediterranean vibe, and the double-tracked octave guitar lines only further that sensation as it weaves around a bass drum that is not shy. Also, a high five is deserved for the sneakily cheeky bassline here.
9. Stables (from "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild") (Lo-Fi Edit) - 3:23
A track that pretty much continues straight on from the previous one, it’s not long before some of the heaviest Chillhop beats of the album kick in. Whilst the guitar here is back to playing single-note stuff, the spacey bass and huge drums keep things very big and up front. A big, ballsy track that lets the drums take the spotlight, highlighting the rich production.
10. Ballad of the Goddess (from "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword") (Lo-Fi House Edit) – 4:08
Gorgeous, lo-fi guitar aches through the speakers to begin this one as synth waves swirl around and build up to a dancey track that leans the most towards the electronica genre on the album. I’ve heard a few lo-fi style albums end with a whisper, but here, The Floor Is Lava chooses to really get the energy up in the final song, all the while keeping that airy, dreamscape vibe.
There’s definitely a touch of the early XX here, and it absolutely feels thematically in line with the rest of the album, a very cool way to end what has been one of my favourite albums of the year so far. I am very much looking forward to see what VGM music The Floor is Lava comes up with next, as this record is definitely a highlight in the Curaga Records catalogue.
From the Curaga Records website:
Producer - The Floor Is Lava
10 tracks • 36 minutes • January 19, 2024
Video Game LoFi: Zelda Vol. 2 - Doors of Time is a 10 track Zelda remix album, with faithful chillhop and lofi hip hop renditions of music from Nintendo's beloved Zelda video game series.
Producer - The Floor Is Lava
10 tracks • 36 minutes • January 19, 2024
Video Game LoFi: Zelda Vol. 2 - Doors of Time is a 10 track Zelda remix album, with faithful chillhop and lofi hip hop renditions of music from Nintendo's beloved Zelda video game series.
From Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, composed by Koji Kondo, to selections from Skyward Sword, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Breath of the Wild, UK producer and guitarist The Floor Is Lava has meticulously crafted a diverse collection of nostalgic and expressive game music.
The album heavily features beautiful guitar playing and ethereal vocals throughout, with collaborations from Save Point and vocal features from Bri Marie and It's Sophie Edwards.
Curaga Records (Purchase Link)
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