Tuesday, March 04, 2025

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 77-Discussing the music of "Pokémon Concierge"

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops in to discuss the music of Pokémon Concierge. This stop-motion animated series has stunning visuals, but the theme song and score also stand out. Be sure to listen after the outro for a review of the show itself:

Links:
Pikapi Podcast
Poke Casters Network
Have A Good Time Here Music Video
Pokémon Concierge Score

Slow Scan TV Information:
SSTV audio an be decoded by a variety of software:
Android
iOS
Windows
Wikipedia

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Poke Press Digest Podcast Episode 76-Discussing the Music of "Pokemon Shuffle"

Anne from Pikapi Podcast comes by to discuss the music of Pokémon Shuffle, a free-to-start title released on both 3DS and mobile. This picture-swapping puzzle game gave us some interesting tunes to talk about, allowing us to make comparisons to other Genius Sonority games, and some possible outside influences. As usual, there’s a game discussion after the outro:

Links:
Pikapi Podcast
Poke Casters Network

Slow Scan TV Information:

SSTV audio an be decoded by a variety of software:

Android
iOS
Windows
Wikipedia

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 75-Twin Cities Con 2024/The music of "Pokemon Art Academy"

The first segment (1:06-11:46) is a set of interviews from Twin Cities Con 2024*, where I got to talk to Haven Paschall and several others. If you want more, be sure to check the episode description for some written interviews from the event.

The second segment (12:46-40:00) is a discussion of the music of Pokémon Art Academy for the 3DS. Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the myriad of tunes featured in this…game? Regardless, you can hear us discuss its mechanics after the outro.

* A press pass was provided for this event.

Links:
Pikapi Podcast
Poke Casters Network
TCC 2024 SSBU
TCC 2024 Cosplay

Slow Scan TV Information:
SSTV audio can be decoded by a variety of software:

Android
iOS
Windows

Wikipedia

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Poke Press Digest Podcast-Episode 74-Discussing the Music of "Rumble U" and "Battle Trozei"

 Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to talk about the music of Pokémon Rumble U and Pokémon Battle Trozei. Both games are small, but we were able to pick out a few tunes and make some interesting observations. In our feedback section, we talk about the connections we’ve made in our musical research, as well as an unexpected entry in a recent miniseries. Still want more? There’s a double game discussion after the outro:



Links:

Pikapi Podcast 
Poke Casters Network

Slow Scan TV Information:
SSTV audio an be decoded by a variety of software:
Android
iOS
Windows

Saturday, July 27, 2024

Poke Press Digest Podcast-Episode 73-What's the best version of the English Pokémon Theme?

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to help me discuss several versions of the English Pokémon theme. Listen in as we compare and contrast renditions from the TV show, movies, and beyond. Oh, and if by some chance you were wondering how “Born To Be A Winner” fits into all of this, don’t worry, we cover that after the outro:


Monday, June 24, 2024

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 72-Discussing the music of "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity"

Anne from Pikapi Podcast stops by to discuss the music of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity for the 3DS. While not the most popular entry in the series, it still comes with a wide array of impressive new tunes, giving us plenty to talk about. As usual, we have a game discussion after the outro. In our feedback section, we discuss the ongoing opportunity (or perhaps risk) of doing a remake of Pokémon 2000:


Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 71-Anime Milwaukee 2024/AI Character Songs

The first segment (1:06-39:08) is a series of interviews from Anime Milwaukee 2024*. As usual, I was able to meet with a number of voice actors and talk about their work on the Pokemon franchise. With roles in miniseries, Pokemon Masters, and the Detective Pikachu games, these performers will give you a wide perspective.

The second segment (39:51-57:09) is a quiz, where Anne from Pikapi Podcast tries to guess the subjects of a series of AI-created character songs. Play along and see if you can deduce the identities behind these tunes.

*A press pass was provided for this event.

Links:

Anime Milwaukee
Pikapi Podcast
Poke Casters Network

Thursday, February 08, 2024

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

Monday, December 18, 2023

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

Saturday, November 04, 2023

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

Sunday, October 15, 2023

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:


Monday, July 31, 2023

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

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

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

Monday, May 01, 2023

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

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

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!

Thursday, March 09, 2023

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:

Monday, January 16, 2023

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

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 61-Discussing the Music of "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky"

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky. This second set of games from the beloved side series features another boatload of tunes, which we try our best to cover, even if we couldn't possibly get to every song we wanted. That said, we do make sure to talk about the game's characters and story, which you’ll hear about in the game discussion after the outro:


Monday, October 10, 2022

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 60: Discussing the music of "Pokemon Battle Revolution"

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of Pokémon Battle Revolution for the Wii. This follow-up to Genius Sonority’s GameCube titles has a number of venues with a diverse set of tunes, plus an announcer to boot. It may also have some shortcomings due to being released early in the system’s life. As usual, if you want to know what we thought of the game itself, there’s a bonus segment after the outro:


Links:

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 59: Michael Haigney/Kyle Hebert

In the first segment(1:18-21:20), I interview Michael Haigney, a localizer for early seasons of the Pokémon anime. We talk about his career in entertainment, what the process of adapting an anime is like, and a few of his other experiences. Don't forget to check out his podcast, Original Pokéman.

The second segment (22:35-26:14) is an archival interview with Kyle Hebert. Originally recorded at Anime Milwaukee 2014 (a press pass was provided for that event), I asked him about his recent role as Professor Oak in the Pokémon Origins mini-series. Kyle was more than happy to explain how he approached voicing the character, and we hope you'll find it as interesting as we did:

Links:
Original Pokeman Podcast
Anime Milwaukee
Poke Casters Network