Chip Tanaka to release first full solo album

Hirokazu Tanaka, better known as his stage name Chip Tanaka, has announced he will be releasing his first, full length, solo album entitled Django. Tanaka, best know for his work on the Earthbound series, started out as a sound designer for Nintendo in the 1980s, providing the sound of Metroid, Super Mario Land and original Donkey Kong. Tanaka also provides music for the Pokemon animated TV series, as well as Japanese film scores.

Focusing on his love for reggae, dub and techno, Tanaka hopes to continue his goal of “(bridging) the gap between game music and dance music.” He goes on to say “If my music can be divided into ʻfor adultsʼ and ʻfor kids,ʼ then this is the culmination of my harder side, the kind of game music you hear in EarthBoundʼs battle tracks.”

The self-published Django will consist of 13 tracks, with the release containing a thank you letter from Tanaka, as well as download code to a secret track.

Tracklist:

01. Ringing Dub
02. Beaver
03. Django
04. EMGR
05. Pulse Ride
06. Drifting
07. Hungry
08. Prizm
09. Pop Bomb
10. Rad Moose
11. New Color
12. Aurora Swing
13. Obirigado Dub

The album releases on November 15th and will cost 2,500JPY. The album is available from Amazon Japan, and on Bandcamp.

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Mathew Gallagher. Last modified on November 17, 2017.

Tags: Earthbound, Hirokazu Tanaka

About the Author

Mathew Gallagher Mathew Gallagher is a Sound Design graduate from the UK. During his degree, Mathew studied the latest in game audio techniques, including VR and Dolby Atmos. When not gouging out on JRPGs or racing games, you can find him listening to all sorts of soundtracks or retweeting game news. He's currently learning how to play violin, but it's safe to say his guitar playing is the better of his musical talents.