Kid Koala Shares New Single w/ Consequence Of Sound + Floor Kids Soundtrack Out 4/27 On Arts & Crafts
Kid Koala Shares New Track “Build Your Crew”
w/ Consequence Of Sound Origins Feature
‘Floor Kids Original Video Game Soundtrack’
Out 4/27 On Arts & Crafts
‘Vinyl Vaudeville: Floor Kids Edition’ Tour Kicks Off This Spring!
Photo Credit: Corinne Merrell
“…spacy synths and a dusty sound inspired by ‘90s West Coast hip-hop”
– Consequence of Sound
“Every aspect of Floor Kids, from the animation to the music, embodies the personal expression of the hip-hop and breaking scenes“
– Red Bull
Today, visionary scratch DJ and producer Kid Koala (aka Eric San) releases new track “Build Your Crew” alongside a Consequence Of Sound Origins feature discussing the five elements that had a pivotal influence on the creation of the track, taken from his upcoming Floor Kids Original Video Game Soundtrack set for release on April 27th via Arts & Crafts. The 42-track project features 71 minutes of original instrumental hip-hop and break music from the award-winning video game, Floor Kids. About the track, which plays like a hazy 90s rap interlude, San comments:
“After I had finished recording the battle tracks for the Floor Kids video game, the coders told me that I would need to make some “menu music” to play between the battles and the story cut scenes. This would be a series of tracks that would run while the player was navigating the options menu, checking their score stats, learning about move links and new combos, and exploring the city map to choose the location for the next battle. For load time reasons, I was told these tracks were better if they were “short and loopable” and should serve as a break from the more uptempo battle tracks, so I proceeded to make some menu tracks to those specs.
‘Build Your Crew’ was one of the original map navigation tracks. Sonically, I wanted it to fit the style of JonJon’s drawing of the cityscape which had a nice, dusty feel to it. I played drums, bass, guitar, hammond organ and turntables but my favorite layer came from the Baldwin Syntha-Sound. It was a very strange, wild, and warbly old “home” synthesizer with a built-in speaker!”
An original concept by award-winning animator bboy JonJon and Kid Koala himself, Floor Kids captures the essence of what makes “breaking” an artform unlike any other. Adding another dimension to the universe of multimedia projects San has created over a twenty-year career, Kid Koala scores a timeless journey across every era of the break, from silky ‘70s funk, to thumping ‘80s 808s, granular ‘90s 12bit hip-hop, and 00’s synth funk.
The game has already garnered several awards for its interactive gameplay, innovative control system, and vibrant animation. Now, Kid Koala’s soundtrack is getting its due, most recently earning Best Game Audio at Indie Prize. The Floor Kids Original Video Game Soundtrack is available for PREORDER in limited edition 2LP gatefold vinyl and digital formats.
Kid Koala has also announced the Vinyl Vaudeville: Floor Kids Edition tour, a special expanded version of his road-tested variety show, including a traveling arcade that will hit the road on April 26th (full date listing below).
Quote from JonJon:
“The video for Build Your Crew is an ode to the magic that we accessed as we delved further into the rabbit hole and dialed into our inner limits of productivity during our final weeks finishing up the Floor Kids game. Each day the crushing weight of mundane tasks, software operations and checklists piling up – each pixel a brick – all the while our dreams taking form in front of our eyes, bit by bit, lifting us up. With weary eyes from screen-mode overload, the night air of the city calling us, we ventured out for midnight 7/11 snack runs, and the wise creatures we encountered living in the city. They served as a reminder of the knowledge we’d been shown. As we traded old battle stories into the early hours, our powers of production only increased as the day of delivery loomed. Shifts like clockwork, we did transform. Front and center in our minds, the many friends we made along the way. Their wisdom bestowed upon us. As we climb further into the unknown. Our journey has only just begun.”
TOUR DATES
Vinyl Vaudeville: Floor Kids Edition
4/26: Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
4/27: Toronto, ON @ Mod Club Theatre
4/28: Detroit, MI @ El Club
4/29: Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
4/30: Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar Cultural Center
5/3: Seattle, WA @ Neumos
5/4: Vancouver, BC @ Venue
5/5: Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
5/7: San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
5/8: Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
5/10: Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
5/12: Austin, TX @ 3TEN ACL
5/13: Dallas, TX @ AT&T Performing Arts Center
5/15: Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
5/16: Washington, DC @ Union Stage
5/17: Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
5/18: Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Hall
5/19: Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
Additional Dates:
3/22 – Knoxville TN – Big Ears Festival **
3/23 – Knoxville TN – Big Ears Festival **
3/24 – Knoxville TN – Big Ears Festival **
3/25 – Knoxville TN – Big Ears Festival (DJ)
4/13 – Nashville TN – Oz Arts Nashville **
4/14 – Nashville TN – Oz Arts Nashville **
4/17 – Chicago IL – Art Institute of Chicago **
4/18 – Chicago IL – Art Institute of Chicago **
* – Nufonia Must Fall Live
** – Satellite Turntable Orchestra
Kid Koala:
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Floor Kids:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter