Persona 4 -Dancing All Night- Soundtrack Advanced CD
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Album Title: Persona 4 -Dancing All Night- Soundtrack Advanced CD |
| Record Label: Mastard Records |
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| Catalog No.: LNCM-1111 |
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| Release Date: July 29, 2015 |
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| Purchase: Buy at CDJapan |
Overview
Persona 4 -Dancing All Night- Soundtrack Advanced CD. is one of the soundtracks for the Vita rhythm game of the same name, consisting mostly of full versions of remixes by various artists from the Persona 4 -Dancing All Night- Original Soundtrack, with some tracks exclusive to this album. It is also available as part of the collector’s combo pack with the original soundtrack.
Body
The soundtrack starts with the new opening track written for the game, “Dance!”, beginning with a short sample from the original Persona 4 opening song before switching things up to a more beat-driven track. Shihoko Hirata returns to sing and Lotus Juice returns to rap in this infectious track which has a great melody along with an energetic arrangement that is a worthy spiritual successor to previous game openings, even retaining elements of “Pursuing My True Self” throughout the track. The only change in the long version is a ten second reduced instrumental bit leading into the second verse that is nice but not essential. It is the only new composition from the original soundtrack to be featured here, but it is certainly the best one.
The remaining tracks are all remixes of existing Persona 4 material. These all tend to be electronic in nature, and never do anything so dramatic as to make the track unrecognizable. “Backside Of The TV (Lotus Juice Remix)” doesn’t feel all that different instrumentally from the original aside from some alterations, but the draw of this track is the new rap throughout most of the track. The extension here is only about thirty seconds, extending the intro and outro of the track. The next track “SNOWFLAKES (NARASAKI Remix)” is one of the standouts for me, improving on the original thanks to its more fleshed out sound and faster pace. It’s still bright and positive, but it’s now overall more fun and energetic. The extension here brings an new reduced outro, but it didn’t seem very necessary. “Signs of Love (TK Remix)” interestingly takes a darker turn in its heavier sound, and the extension here is much longer at almost one and a half minutes. The longer intro is effective at easing into the track, though the longer ending doesn’t add much to the track. “Time to Make History (AKIRA YAMAOKA Remix)” is also a fantastic track, with its heavy breakbeat percussion that is very well suited to the track. Yamaoka makes it much grittier, to great effect, especially as the track progresses. Another minute is added here to build up the introduction, which works well enough, and the ending is also extended to include a short new segment, but it isn’t much.
The longer remixes start with “Heaven (Noriko Hibino Remix)”, which is a wonderful take on an already wonderful track, with touches of noir jazz in combination with the a bit of Latin influence. The track begins in a very alluring manner then gets busier as it goes, leading to a wonderful saxophone solo. Its extension is quite substantial, clocking in at around three minutes of extra material, offering more time on the verses and solo. It actually never feels like it is too long, and it makes the transition of sound throughout the track more subtle. The more time spent with this track, the better. “NOW I KNOW (Yuu Miyake Remix)” carries Miyake’s signature sound with sharper synths and lots of cutting up vocal samples throughout. The four minute extension allows for more buildup in the introduction, as well as a more fleshed out midsection, allowing Miyake to show off more of what he does best (sampling). The track also feels like it has a much better progression now. The “Best Friends (Banvox Remix)” is pretty great with its thumping house beat, but the two minutes of extension here don’t add anything significant to the track. “Pursuing My True Self (Shinchi Osawa) Remix” has a great bassline that carries the song through its less conventional sound, and the three minute extension here gives it a more meditative feel as it interestingly takes its time on the more bare section of the track. It materially isn’t adding much but it ends up working great for the track.
From here the album actually includes two tracks that are not extended in comparison to the OST counterparts. “Heartbeat, Heartbreak (TOWA TEI Remix)” is a pleasant remix that gives the track more quirky electronica backdrop that’s a lot of fun, but still very in line with the original, and “Your Affection (Daisuke Asakura Remix)” is a more energetic electronic remix with lots going on and slightly adjusted vocals that help them fit in with the track better. The last of this part of the soundtrack is “Shadow World (DE DE MOUSE shadow swing Remix)”, which is remarkable if not just for its sheer peculiarity, having a piano accompaniment that for a while doesn’t seem to fit at all. However, once it becomes more consonant at the chorus, everything clicks together in the track and the payoff is wonderful. It’s one of the few very daring remixes on the soundtrack, and I think it absolutely succeeds, but it might not be that way for everyone. The one minute extension affords the song another chorus and a short new interlude later on in the track, but not much otherwise.
The last five tracks of the album are exclusive to the Advanced CD, and are not present on the OST. The first of these is “Signs of Love (Funky HOME Mix)”, which is certainly funky with a nice touch of brass and jazz organ throughout the upbeat arrangement. “True Story (ATLUS Kozuka Remix)” is actually a DLC track for the game, with and arrangement that is very similar to the original but more polished, especially with regard to the vocal. Some of the instruments are changed up a bit, but nothing drastic is changed in the track. “Mist (ATLUS Konishi Remix)” is also a DLC track, starting off also like a remaster of the original before adding more electronic elements in the second half of the song. There’s also a reduction at the bridge to give the song a bit more drama, and it works well. “Heartbeat, Heartbreak (Cloudy Step Mix)” is a great 2-step remix of the song, though some of the instrumental could have been changed to distance itself more from the original. The closing track is “Reach Out To The Truth (“bright outer world” Mix) which surprisingly actually has a bit of a reduced tempo with its electronic rock arrangement. I don’t think the song works quite as well at the slower tempo, but it’s still otherwise an enjoyable track and a nice way to close out the album.
Summary
Persona 4 -Dancing All Night- Soundtrack Advanced CD is a strong album that collects the best tracks of the OST. The album is sure to please fans of Persona 4’s universe, and should entertain anyone who enjoys J-Pop in general. The remixes are all well done, and they are diverse enough to not get tiring on a listen through, and the uniqueness of the music of Persona 4 is still communicated through them. Not many surpass the originals, but they are great companion pieces, and freshen up the experience. Admittedly, few of the extensions of the tracks really do much for them, as the OST cuts sound complete in themselves. The exclusive remixes here are fine but not essential, and its strange that only two of the DLC tracks were included. This album will appeal most to fans that want to avoid the more redundant tracks from the regular Dancing All Night soundtrack, since this album has the bulk of the important remixed vocal tracks, as well as the fantastic new song “Dance!”. It’s also great in that it’s packed to the brim with these songs, leaving out the filler of the soundtrack.
Posted on October 26, 2015 by Christopher Huynh. Last modified on October 26, 2015.
About the Author
Christopher Huynh recently finished an undergraduate degree in Physics at McMaster University. He has some proficiency in singing, piano, organ, cello, and gaming. He hopes to continue exploring the vast world of music while sharing it with others however possible.
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