Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 70-Discussing the music of "Pokémon Conquest"

Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me discuss the music of Pokemon Conquest for the DS. This quirky crossover gave us a lot to talk about, including instrumentation, Japanese history, and a much more recent Pokémon game. On top of all that, there’s a game discussion after the outro that covers...much of the same:

Editor's Note: I state in this episode that One Direction did promotional work specifically for this game. They were brand ambassadors during this time, but I was unable to find a promo for this specific game.

Links:

Pikapi Podcast
Pokemon Conquest History
Poke Casters Network

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 69-Discussing the music of "PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond"

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond for the Wii. This sometimes-forgotten sequel delivers a fresh set of tunes, which have some interesting structural ties to the game. Afterwards, we move on to our feedback section, where we ponder whether the Japanese version of the second movie may have originally had a different credits song, and why having a backup plan is good idea. Finally, there’s a Wonders Beyond game discussion after the outro:

Links:
Pikapi Podcast
Poke Casters Network

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 68-Discussing the music of "Pokémon Rumble Blast"/Who said that?

In the first segment (1:14-28:42), Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokémon Rumble Blast for the 3DS. Like practically everything else in this entry, the soundtrack is an expansion of the original Rumble’s, but that didn't stop us from making some interesting observations. If you want to know what we thought of the game itself, be sure to listen after the outro.

Our second segment (29:41-46:19) is a quiz of sorts, where I play disguised versions of voice clips from prior episodes, and Anne tries to guess which of us said it, as well as what we were talking about. Listen closely and see if you can figure it out before she does:

Links:

Pikapi Podcast

Poke Casters Network

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 67-Discussing the Music of "Super Smash Bros. Brawl"

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. This entry in the series massively expanded the number of available tracks, so the two of us had to be very picky in narrowing that down. After that topic, we have our feedback section, where I give a detailed explanation of why Pokémon: The First Movie doesn’t look completely uniform, and how that might be… “fixed”. Finally, be sure to listen after the outro, where we have a Brawl gameplay discussion, and a preview of our next episode:

Links:

First Movie Film Size

Pikapi Podcast

Poke Casters Network

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 66-Day 2 Events/Discussing the music of "PokePark Wii"

In the first segment (1:22-3:54), I interview Vince Krekeler of Day 2 events, the company that runs many of the regional Pokemon tournaments in the middle of the US. I took this opportunity to talk with him about how things are going for the first full season back from the pandemic, and gave him an opportunity to talk about some of the other events they run.

The second segment (4:56-45:45) is a discussion of the music of PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me cover the soundtrack of this final fourth generation side game. As you might expect, PokePark's array of environments meant that we got to discuss a wide range of tunes. If you want to know what we thought of the game itself, we examine that after the outro:

Links:

Day 2 Events
Pikapi Podcast
Poke Casters Network

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 65: Discussing the Music of Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs

Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs for the DS. This final entry in the trilogy may not change the Ranger formula drastically, but it does come with a wide array of new tunes. As usual, there’s a game discussion after the outro:

Links:
Pikapi Podcast
Poke Casters Network

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 64-Discussing the music of "Pokemon Rumble"

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops in to help discuss the music of Pokemon Rumble. This WiiWare title is definitely meatier than My Pokemon Ranch in terms of gameplay, and we try to figure out if the soundtrack follows suit. As usual, there's a gameplay discussion after the outro, where among other things we compare Rumble to Pokemon Unite:

Links:
Pikapi Podcast
Poke Casters Network

Musician Interview: GlitchxCity

 

GlitchxCity

The following is an interview with GlitchxCity, a musician specializing in video game remixes.

Where are you from, and how did you get into music?

I’m based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. I got a late start in music when I chose choir as my arts elective in middle school, and then carried on with that in high school.

How did you get into Pokémon, and when did that start crossing into your musical work?

I got into Pokémon when I was 5 back in the 90s (like every kid)! It was actually the anime that introduced me to the series, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. It wasn’t until I was in high school where I wanted to have a creative outlet to show my love for the series.

How do you choose which tracks to remix/rearrange/create?

It depends on how I’m feeling and what the community is feeling. When a new generation drops, I pay attention to the characters that may have huge potential in the game and hope that their themes match up to my expectations. Outside of Pokémon tracks, I’m working on other projects from originals, to commercial work, and even tracks from other video game series!

What are some songs you've put out recently?

My most recent Pokémon track is the “Battle! AI Professor!” theme from Scarlet and Violet. The original was written by Toby Fox and I was so ecstatic to get my hands on it. It’s honestly one of my favorite battle themes I’ve worked on and I’m thoroughly proud of how it came out!

Anything coming in the near future you'd like to tease?

I just wrapped up a large project that will be launching on May 5th and I’m really excited for people to hear it! I’m also working on more long-form compilation projects that will launch during the summer in collaboration with a few illustrators!

Where can folks find you online?

You can find me on YouTube where I upload all my Pokémon and other video game related remixes, Soundcloud for an ad-free listening experience, and Spotify and Apple Music for streaming my music!

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 63-Anime Milwaukee 2023/Discussing the music of "Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia"

The first segment (1:14-9:00) contains a pair of voice actor interviews from Anime Milwaukee 2023*. Listen in as Suzie Yeung and Leah Clark share their experiences working on Pokemon. If you'd like to know more about what I did at the convention, look for a link in the episode description.

The second segment (9:58-43:30) is a discussion of the music of Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to help me cover the middle entry in this sub-series. Of course, this title is also known for its mechanical changes, and you'll hear us talk about those in the game discussion after the outro:

*A press pass was provided for this event.

Links:

Anime Milwaukee

Recap Livestream

Pikapi Podcast

Poke Casters Network

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 62-Discussing the Music of "My Pokemon Ranch"/Pokemon Music Trivia

In the first segment (1:15-24:18), Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of My Pokemon Ranch for the Wii. While it might be light in...a lot of areas, this title still had enough material for us to make some observations. As usual, there's a game discussion after the outro.

Our second segment (25:22-49:32) is a round of Pokemon music trivia. Anne tests her knowledge against a quiz covering the games, anime, and more! If you'd like to give it a try, there’s a link in the episode description:

Links:

My Pokemon Ranch Events
First Movie music discussion
Quiz (link expires Feb. 11th 2023)
Pikapi Podcast
Poke Casters Network