Super Mario Bros: Koji Kondo's 8-Bit Masterpiece [Twenty Thousand Hertz]

This episode of Twenty Thousand Hertz originally ran in August 2025.Kirk's 2020 episode of Strong Songs about the music of Super MarioTWENTY THOUSAND HERTZ SHOW NOTES:This episode was written & produced by Casey Emmerling.From the springy jump sound to the iconic Overworld Theme, the sound of Super Mario Bros. is instantly recognizable. With just five lo-fi audio channels and 40 kilobytes of space, composer Koji Kondo created a soundscape full of unforgettable melodies. In this episode, we explore how Kondo’s playful instincts, rhythmic trickery, and love of jazz fusion defined the sound of Mario. Featuring Kirk Hamilton of Strong Songs and Thomas of Thomas Game Docs.MUSIC FEATURED IN THIS EPISODERocker Jr. - Shake [B]ITDJARTMUSIC - 8 Bit Console from My Childhoodmoodmode - Game 8-Bit OnXtremeFreddy - Bit Beats 1moodmode - Level VIIWesley Slover - Analog Jam 1103Space_Cat - Light It Upmoodmode - Level VIWilliam Benckert - Dance of the Pixel BirdsSubscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our new video series.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠.Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Join our community on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Follow Kirk Hamilton’s podcasts ⁠Strong Songs⁠ and ⁠Triple Click⁠.Subscribe to Thomas’ Youtube channel, ⁠Thomas Game Docs⁠. ----LINKS-----💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!Patreon | One-Time Donation🏠 HOMEPAGE👚 MERCH💬 DISCORD SERVER📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram | YouTube | Bluesky🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG:Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music🎨 SHOW ART:Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics