Newcomers create Mario Kart 8’s colourful soundtrack
The stunning end credits sequence for the Wii U’s Mario Kart 8 have revealed the sound team for the time. As we predicted, series’ long-timer Kenta Nagata (Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart 7) returned as the sound director for the game. However, Nintendo passed the composition responsibilities to the relative newcomers of their sound team, Shiho Fujii (New Super Mario Bros. U), Ryo Nagamatsu (A Link Between Worlds), Atsuko Asahi (Steel Diver), and Yasuaki Iwata (Super Mario 3D World). The full sound credits are below:
Sound director: Kenta Nagata
Music: Shiho Fujii, Atsuko Asahi, Ryo Nagamatsu, Yasuaki Iwata
Sound Programming: Sanae Uchida, Masato Mizuta
Sound Effects: Natsuko Yokoyama, Yohei Miyagawa, Taro Bando
It has been revealed that “more than half” of the tracks created for the game include live instruments. After the positive reception to orchestral recordings in Super Mario Galaxy and Skyward Sword, the director wanted to challenge the team to include real studio-recorded instruments this time. Mario Kart 8‘s official website features videos of the various racetracks complete with their the musical themes. In addition to new themes, there is also a few remixes of fan favourites, such as a new take on Mario Kart 64‘s “Rainbow Road” complete with electric guitar and trumpet.
Posted on May 23, 2014 by Chris Greening. Last modified on May 23, 2014.
About the Author
Chris Greening I've contributed to websites related to game audio since 2002. In this time, I've reviewed over a thousand albums and interviewed hundreds of musicians across the world. As the founder and webmaster of VGMO -Video Game Music Online-, I hope to create a cutting-edge, journalistic resource for all those soundtrack enthusiasts out there. In the process, I would love to further cultivate my passion for music, writing, and generally building things. Please enjoy the site and don't hesitate to say hello!
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Is there a way we could interview at least either Nagata or one of the composers?
Challenging. I don’t have a Nintendo contact and they’re not generally receptive to interviews. But it’s something I’d love to try to work on in future.
At least they’re not as shy as Rare were back in the day.
Not sure about the top brass, but all the Rare composers I’ve communicated with (Grant Kirkhope, Steve Burke, David Wise, Graeme Norgate) have been super-friendly and media-savvy.