The article goes from adoration of few particular video game composers/engineers (not undeserved one, mind you), to presenting few tidbits that attempt to show very tentative link to pop music and blowing it up to "changed popular music" doesn't do justice to either creative genres.<p>One just needs to listen to few Japanese synthpop bands from the 70s like P-Model or Yellow Magic Orchestra to see which direction stream of influence was flowing back then. I'm pressed very hard to believe that bleeps and blops of the 70s arcade cabinets impressed any musician, when you had much more powerful tools to do synthesis far more advanced and relatively inexpensive. After its peak in the late 80s, as far as pop music was concerned, synth went in sort of hiatus, to come back slowly in last decade or less, and still, bleeps and blops are just a single drawer in an immense cabinet of instruments employed.<p>I admit not to play too many games recently, but from what I've seen in AAA titles, it's dominated with bland orchestral ambientals. There's still no adaptive phrasing, AI composition, and really no intelligence behind it all. The medium holds immense potential, but I'm still waiting for it to unlock itself. We had serialism (though I don't enjoy it myself) almost 100 years ago. What's the hold-up?<p>I hope this doesn't fall under <i>gratuitous negativity</i>. I just don't see it.
The influence on UK urban music particularly cannot be doubted. Check out this mix: <a href="https://soundcloud.com/kodenine/kode9-sinogrime-minimix-2005" rel="nofollow">https://soundcloud.com/kodenine/kode9-sinogrime-minimix-2005</a><p>Especially the tune that comes in just after 6 minutes, and the one which follows it at around 8:30. They could be straight out of a (S)NES game, as could much of grime records from those days. While its now coveted by hipsters/nerds, at the time it was ghetto music. There's still nothing like it out there which has the same effect.<p>EDIT: heres another couple. these could be straight from the secret of mana soundtrack or something:<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU2dLHrpOlY" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU2dLHrpOlY</a><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vehT9HG6gbo" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vehT9HG6gbo</a><p>as a bonus heres that first one in its natural habitat, with vocals :) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQra9nENdzA" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQra9nENdzA</a><p>One of the MCs in that clip is now a chart-topping pop star.<p>This one actually reached number 31 in the charts itself, and I'm pretty sure some of the percussion is actually sampled from a gameboy:<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8PeDsO0vGo" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8PeDsO0vGo</a>
While the article focuses on older videogame music, I think more recent examples show the complex relationship between mainstream popular music and videogames. Artists like Austin Wintory (composer for TGC's Journey and Monaco), Darren Korb (Bastion, Transistor), and Michael McCann (Deus Ex: Human Revolution) have created music that would not be out of place on the radio, but create a distinct ambience and mood intended to enhance a setting rather than make the music itself the primary focus.<p>Because it can be so entertaining without being too distracting, videogame soundtracks are primarily what I listen to while I'm writing code.
Strange to write an article like this without mentioning the SID chip (though I suppose SID chip-inspired music is more of an underground phenomenon, with less influence on popular culture.)
There's a pretty awesome documentary series 'Diggin' in the Carts' done by Red Bull that traces the impact of 8 and 16 bit era music.<p>From the youtube channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtbJmr1WtatcUO5smuoPDUEATfYZ1V6mt" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtbJmr1WtatcUO5smuoPD...</a>
"Diggin' in the Carts" is the untold story of the men and women behind the most globally influential music to come out of Japan. This six-part documentary series will delve into the history of 8-bit and 16-bit music, and the impact it has left in the world of video games and music."
Not a whole lot of supporting evidence for how it "changed popular music", rather it just becoming more sophisticated as time went on by the technology allowing for more complex structures and bringing in well-known artists. Video game music is still very much a niche genre, regardless of how complex it is. Surprised Michael Jackson wasn't mentioned for his helping out with the Sonic 3 soundtrack, probably one of the greatest from the 16 bit era.