Its rare that video game music is so captivating that you dig through the credits to find out where it came from. Anyone fortunate enough to be hip to the new metro-electronica, or square enough to own a Playstation 3 console, might unknowingly be familiar with the multimedia art of Tomohisa Kuramitsu, a.k.a. Baiyon. Last summer the game Pixel Junk Eden released on the PS3 network and since has amassed a following. What Many do not know is that Kuramitsu is both the composer of the progressive ambient music, and the artist behind the original mind blowing graphics. Baiyon also tours as any DJ, only armed with computers and synthesizers instead of turn tables, churning out entire dance sets. It is rare that such an artist emerges one might call a bard, and it's this sort of multi-layered artistic genius that shows real potential for the future evolution of media as a whole.
Pixel Junk Eden is an incredible game where you grow a garden from the perspective of a tiny Grimp (imagine a tiny pollinating spider). From the start-up menu the theme "Become A Part of This" (Top Garden) in warm, inviting. I've let this 47 second glimpse of heaven loop for hours before, on accident drifting off to dreamland. The gradual rise and fall of the base timed with a sort of pulsing chime of a lead does something very soothing to the brain. The response is overwhelming relaxation. The game however, is not so smooth. Eden you soon find out is one of the largest scale platformer games ever invented. The climb is stunning, the fall can be epic. And when you do fall -and you will- the effect can be devastating. Lucky for us the music is inspiring. Every progressive build in each level's customized music is reminiscent of the glowing plants you're pollinating. The
subtlety can not be overstated, like classic board games that survive thousands of years, the way Pixel Junk Eden works and sounds is a new benchmark for platforming. Harmonies seem to sprout up out of the ground and grow in your home. In surround sound the effect is so beautiful that it is worth playing to listen alone.
The soundtrack to Pixel Junk is truly a garden itself, some places neat lined with alternating blooming floral arrangements, other places overgrown with wild plants transitioning into jungle forest; it is so hard to call music with this much depth ambiance! Baiyon effortlessly converts it into house, trance and hours of dance, playing clubs around the world. This may be music on the verge of new frontiers. The cinematic quality of the gaming tempo applies a rich quality not often sought after in electronic music. As an experienced director, we can only wonder what will be next for the brilliant Tomohisa Kuramitsu. For now simultaneous production companies in Japan and Ireland are starting to pump out Baiyon EPs ("Goshoguruma" & "S Soup") and is playing random venues in Japan, just recently having hit up San Francisco.
The Pixel Junk Soundtrack can be found in the game or separately in the Playstation Network store for the modest price of $9.99. 1-4 players (though maddening with more the one in my humble opinion) and a great way to relax if you're good at platforming; if your're bad at platforming it could cause nightmares. Fiendishly difficult, yet elegantly simple, Eden and Baiyon are establishing a new legacy for original gaming and music alike. Like all good games it offers up a real challenge, has lots of replay ability, and a memorable soundtrack unlike any other. Now lets just hope Baiyon is thinking up a sequal. Baiyon's music and art alike can be found at baiyon.com.
Baiyon - PixelJunk Eden Origional Soundtrack
2008 Baiyon, Tomohisa Kuramitsu
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