The best classic game music and more
Falcom has announced they will have two more jdk Band concerts on May 2 & 6. Those who attend the concerts will have the first chance to buy a new album "Falcom jdk Band Spring 2008." Falcom will open a webpage for the concert soon.
Same locations too, these shows must be totally profitable..
5.2.08 Osaka [Eska Muse]
5.6.08 Tokyo [Club Citta]
Yeah, the venues are the same but evidently they're making the halls bigger to allow more people in this time. The ticket prices also went from 2500 to 5500 yen. Hm...
It looks like Mikky Tanaka, one of the two lead guitarists, won't be there this time and is being replaced by another player. That's unfortunate too, cause Mikky is one of the best members. Shige Yamamoto, the original keyboard player (who's badass) is no where to be found on the roster this time either. I fear he may have permanently been replaced by Maiko Kawahara, who didn't really impress me last time. Her solo kinda blew actually. O_O
At any rate, I'll be at the Osaka show as usual. Probably hang out with the Falcom nuts from mixi again too. ^^ If anyone else is going, let me know.
- Justin Pfeiffer
Details about the new album have been announced. Yukihiro Jindo will be doing all the arrangements which will include music from Legend of Heroes VI: Sora no Kiseki trilogy, Ys IV, and Sorcerian. The full tracklist:
Silver Will (Sora no Kiseki)
Overdosing Heavenly Bliss (Sora no Kiseki the 3rd)
The Cat that Relaxes in the Sunlight (Sora no Kiseki)
A Faint Glitter of Light (Sora no Kiseki the 3rd)
Sora no Kiseki
And Down a New Road (Vantage Master)
Release of the Far West Ocean (Ys VI)
The Dawn of Ys (Ys IV)
Tower of the Shadow of Death (Ys I)
Kraken (Sorcerian)
Blue Dragon (Sorcerian)
The Illusionary World of Serpentina (Zwei!!)
Artists:
mikihito tanaka(g)/masaru teramae(g)/maiko kawahara(k)/ren ohara(v)/atsushi enomoto(b)/norisuke yoshikawa(d)/miki sumiya(vo)/yukihiro jindo(arr)
Release date is May 15 for 2800 Yen.
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Good to see the new stuff mixed with the classics. Let's see what these boyos can do! If they can get it like the rockin' stuff on the Ys Origin Super Arrange, I'm already drooling.
There's lots of pics up on the staff page:
http://www.falcom.com/info/staff/
Looks like there was a pretty good turnout.
Just got the album and I have to say, I really like this so far. Almost totally different than the older JDK Band, other than the powerful melodic edge that is trademark of Falcom music...much more of a symphonic power metal feel here (a lot of violin leads and piano sprinkled in there). Even the classics that have been done to death (yes, looking at you Tower of the Shadow of Death) sound fresh here. This new team is extremely solo happy...There is some serious shred here the old JDK Band couldn't have dreamed of pulling off (and I love their older albums). And the Sora no Kiseki theme makes a decent melodic piano ballad to slow things down as well. Only downside is the song "Faint Glittering Light" which has a lousy singer in it (the song's arrangement is nice though). Also, the mixing is a little harsh...Mp3Gaining the volume down really helped this one.
Unlike Oath of Felghana, I won't be getting tired of this one anytime soon. It's pretty amazing stuff, especially considering my favorite track thus far is one I don't even know the original for (Overdosing Heavenly Bliss). Hopefully this is the first of many albums from these guys. Definitely my favorite VGM album of the year thus far.
Edit: lol, this solo in Blue Dragon is just freakin cool. And nuts. What a great arrangement of an old classic.
It's been about 4 years since I've ordered from Falcom's website. I recall not filling out any of their online forms, but sending them an email with my information. Do they still do that for people outside of Japan?
It's been about 4 years since I've ordered from Falcom's website. I recall not filling out any of their online forms, but sending them an email with my information. Do they still do that for people outside of Japan?
Yes,
Just a small tidbit on a long-standing topic.
Since Yuzo Koshiro had already said he doesn't know what the letters J.D.K. stand for, Kahori of Cocoebiz followed up by asking the question to some Falcom staffers, and here is the result:
"Just in case anyone is still interested in knowing what the JDK means...
Years ago, I got a few questions about this, and I contacted one of the oldest workers there (at Falcom) , he did not know, so he asked all workers at Falcom, and none knows either. Maybe someone from the very first members of JDK might have an idea what THAT means... hopefully."
So out of *ALL* the workers at Falcom, even the oldest employee, nobody knows.
Talk about a mystery, and quite ironic that they still continue to use the letters!!
Just a small tidbit on a long-standing topic.
Since Yuzo Koshiro had already said he doesn't know what the letters J.D.K. stand for, Kahori of Cocoebiz followed up by asking the question to some Falcom staffers, and here is the result:
"Just in case anyone is still interested in knowing what the JDK means...
Years ago, I got a few questions about this, and I contacted one of the oldest workers there (at Falcom) , he did not know, so he asked all workers at Falcom, and none knows either. Maybe someone from the very first members of JDK might have an idea what THAT means... hopefully."So out of *ALL* the workers at Falcom, even the oldest employee, nobody knows.
Talk about a mystery, and quite ironic that they still continue to use the letters!!
I agree, this is quite a mystery. All I can do is guess at this point, but JDK might not be based on people's names. It could be related to something in the area of Falcom's building, such as street names or natural formations.
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Maybe this is old news, but in JDK Band IV, the liner notes state that the old president of Falcom had come up with the name, and that theories include "Japan Dynamite Kids" and "Jumping Digital Kids" but that it's still a mystery.
Personally, I'd try and track down the founder of Falcom and ask him. Also, look for clues in Star Wars - the name "Falcom" is a portmanteau of "Millenium Falcon" and "Pasocomu", the Japanese-adopted nickname for Personal Computers (especially in the 1980s.) He was a fan, or so I hear.
That's very new news to me, because I never had an original of JDK Band IV.
Thanks for the tips, that was new info to me.
