AudioPanicRoom

Episodes

1. 55

   Episode #055: Reyn Ouwehand

   This show features music by Reyn Ouwehand who started out in the Dutch C64 demo scene of the late 80s. He went on to compose a number of impressive soundtracks for games, most of which came during his short stint … Continue reading →

   Jul 20, 2023
2. 54

   Episode #54: MUSE

   A contribution to Masters of VGM, this episode showcases MUSE, a sound unit headed by Akira Sato which composed and arranged music for visual novels back in the 90s. Their work appeared almost exclusively on computers like the PC-98 series … Continue reading →

   Jun 23, 2023
3. 53

   Episode #53: Namnam Special

   For the last show of this year, we have a selection of great game and demo tracks that touch on a wide variety of themes such as disorderly legislation, dinosaurs, Finnish polka, and the first CPC track ever to be played on the podcast. Continue reading →

   Dec 21, 2018
4. 52

   Episode #52: Vox Femina

   The rumors are true, we are back with a new episode! This time, it's all about tracks with female vocals - in seven different languages, no less. Enjoy! Continue reading →

   Nov 19, 2018
5. 51

   Episode #51: Streets of Rage

   During the late 80s new genres of electronic music like house and techno were hitting the mainstream. These styles were also adopted by game composers and demo artists and became an ingredient of many soundtracks of the following decade. This podcast features a selection of tracks inspired by…

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   Sep 8, 2018
6. 50

   Episode #50: Moby

   No, not that one. Frédéric Motte aka Moby is a French composer who had his start in the Amiga demo scene and also composed a number of game soundtracks for companies like Coktel Vision, Atreid Concept, and Kalisto. This playlist features a selection of tracks from the early part of his career…

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   Jul 21, 2018
7. 49

   Episode #49: Adlib Noraebang

   A look at the Korean music scene of the 1990s. Drawing from an eclectic mix of influences ranging from arcade soundtracks to old K-pop and anime scores, it created an impressive catalog of music for the FM chips commonly found in PC sound cards of that era. Continue reading →

   Jun 6, 2018
8. 48

   Episode #48: Micro Cabin

   A podcast with music by developer and publisher Micro Cabin, best known for the Xak series and its various spin-offs. Many of their early releases originated on Japanese computers and featured an excellent line-up of composers like Tadahiro Nitta, Ryuji Sasai, Yasufumi Fukuda, and Yukiharu Urita...

   Apr 19, 2018
9. 47

   Episode #47: Knick-Knack

   An episode with fantastic music covering a wide area of topics such as other-worldly champions,cat secretaries, questionable learning methods, and whatever happens in Nancy's room. Enjoy! Continue reading →

   Mar 19, 2018
10. 46

    Episode #46: Thomas Detert

    Thomas Detert was a founding member of the demo group X-Ample that became a fairly prolific C64 game developer during the early 1990s. Most of the games he worked on were published on disk magazines and therefore tended to fly under the radar. This didn't prevent him from becoming a fairly...

    Feb 16, 2018
11. 45

    Episode #45: Game Arts

    Game Arts is a game developer and publisher that is mostly known in the West for the RPG series Lunar and Grandia. The company had their start on Japanese computer systems of the 1980s, where they produced some classics like Silpheed or Thexder. Much of the catalog from this early period was…

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    Jan 23, 2018
12. 44

    Episode #44: Pan Flute Heroes

    While often derided for its shallow trial-and-error gameplay, the release of Shadow of the Beast proved to be hugely influential in the Amiga gaming scene. It's atmospheric score, featuring a mix of pan flute, synth pad, bass, and percussion, became a popular template for many games to come,...

    Dec 21, 2017
13. 43

    Episode #43: Wolf Team

    Wolf Team was a Japanese developer that was initially formed as subsidiary of Telenet, spent a few years as an independent studio, and was later reintegrated into Telenet again. During that time they created an incredible diverse catalog of games, featuring over 50 releases in many different...

    Nov 24, 2017
14. 42

    Episode #42: Plastic Fools

    It's been a while since we had a free play show, so sit back and enjoy this 100% topic-free episode of Audio Panic Room. Continue reading →

    Oct 27, 2017
15. 41

    Episode #41: Dr.Awesome

    Bjørn Lynne aka Dr.Awesome is a Norwegian composer who started his career as a member of the demo group Crusaders and went on to compose the soundtracks for a number of games on Amiga and PC. His style draws influences from genres like electronic prog, synth rock, and ambient, creating…

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    Sep 28, 2017
16. 40

    Episode #40: Funky Town

    Welcome to Funky Town, the home of driving rhythms and groovy bass lines. This episode of Audio Panic Room features a selection of tracks that were all inspired by funk in its various guises. Continue reading →

    Sep 11, 2017
17. 39

    Episode #39: Game Music History ~1990~

    A double-length episode featuring game music from 1990. This was the year the SNES was released in Japan, the Amiga reached its peak in Europe, and the MT-32 became the go-to device for many PC soundtracks. The playlist is supposed to reflect the very diverse gaming market of that era and is...

    Aug 23, 2017
18. 38

    Episode #38: On the Swing

    Get ready to channel your inner Frank Sinatra with this fine selection of tunes! In today's episode we take a trip back to the 1930s with a playlist full of Swing and Swing-inspired music. Continue reading →

    Aug 1, 2017
19. 37

    Episode #37: Chemool

    An episode featuring music by Takahiro Yonemura aka Chemool. He was a founding member of the doujin circle 'Firecracker', and one of the main contributors to their series of music discs released on PC88/98 throughout the 1990s. Very proficient with both FM and MIDI hardware, he also had a fairly...

    Jul 5, 2017
20. 36

    Episode #36: Carl Lewis Unplugged

    Carl Lewis is a former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals and is one of only three Olympic athletes who won a gold medal in the same event in four consecutive Olympic Games. This is all awesome, but did he ever spend an entire afternoon listening to MDX files? Does he know…

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    Jun 18, 2017
21. 35

    Episode #35: Codemasters

    Codemasters were one of the UK's biggest publishers of budget games, and one of the few companies to still develop original 8-bit computer titles when most publishers had already abandoned that market in the early 90s. While most of their games originated on the ZX Spectrum, it was usually the…

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    May 30, 2017
22. 34

    Episode #34: Manabu Saito

    Manabu Saito was a Japanese musical prodigy, who started his career at System Sacom when he was just 18 years old. His music, often a blend of classical and jazz influences with a great sense of melody, were an important component of System Sacom's genre-defining Novel Ware games. During his time...

    May 11, 2017
23. 33

    Episode #33: Danish Delights

    Like elsewhere in Europe, the late 1980s saw the rise of the Danish demo scene, a vibrant (lol) environment that created some of the most well-known computer musicians of that era. This podcast features a collection of tracks from games and demos 'made in Denmark' on various 8 and 16 bit systems....

    Apr 25, 2017
24. 32

    Episode #32: Kunio-kun

    Technos Japan's Kunio-kun series started in 1986 with Renegade, an arcade game that was one of the precursors to the beat'em up genre. From there the franchise developed into multiple spiritual sequels and spin-offs featuring the same cast of characters, including an entire sub-series of sports...

    Apr 2, 2017
25. 31

    Episode #31: Ultima

    Ultima is not only one of the most influential series in gaming history, the basic structure of its soundtracks with overworld, town, dungeon, and battle themes has also been the template that many RPGs since have followed. This podcast includes a selection of tracks from the entire series: from...

    Mar 16, 2017
26. 30

    Episode #30: Forever Minor

    Just another bunch of random stuff which I have been listening to lately. And by lately, I mean for the last 30 years or so. Enjoy the show! Continue reading →

    Feb 22, 2017
27. 29

    Episode #29: Stéphane Picq

    The style of French composer Stéphane Picq is one of the most unique within the world of video game music. Drawing from a wide range of influences, his soundtracks mix elements like ethnic rhythms, electronic and acoustic instruments, dysphonic vocals, industrial, techno, or trance, often even in...

    Feb 8, 2017
28. 28

    Episode #28: IDES

    IDES was the parent company of labels like Cocktail Soft, Fairytale, or Red Zone and one of the most prolific publishers of visual novels during the 1990s. With musicians like Akira Sato, Yuki Nakayama, Ryu Takami, or BAKI they also had a fairly impressive line-up of composers that created a huge...

    Jan 17, 2017
29. 27

    Episode #27: Chiptunes

    The term 'chiptune' was originally coined for a sub-genre of Amiga music that incorporated instruments similar to those found in the music of 8-bit computers like the C64. Popular with the demo scene, this particular style was also frequently used in game soundtracks from that era. In this…

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    Dec 18, 2016
30. 26

    Episode #26: Hiroaki Sano

    Hiroaki Sano spent much of his early career composing for visual novels of publishers like Discovery or Studio Twinkle. As a master of both FM synth and MIDI arrangements, his soundtracks are pretty good showcases for the stylistic diversity within the music of this genre. This podcast features a...

    Dec 4, 2016
31. 25

    Episode #25: CP Verlag Chronicles

    In the early 90s the C64 gaming market started to dry up as most developers had moved on to 16 bit computers and consoles. This gap was partially filled by a number of disk magazines, like those issued by German publisher CP Verlag. And while the games on these disks were usually nothing to write...

    Nov 20, 2016
32. 24

    Episode #24: Human Insects

    Another mixtape with no particular theme. This time we are hanging out with the titular human insects, swing down the highway of funk, and brave the data storm while harboring forbidden feelings for King Golli. Continue reading →

    Nov 7, 2016
33. 23

    Episode #23: FM Metal

    Lock up your daughters, get out the air guitar, and crank the volume up to eleven! This is FM Metal, a collection of some of the finest metal tracks to ever grace FM sound chips. Continue reading →

    Oct 23, 2016
34. 22

    Episode #22: Game Music History ~1989~

    We close out the 80's with a look at the state of game music in 1989. As usual, the playlist is ordered by release date. Continue reading →

    Oct 10, 2016
35. 21

    Episode #21: Kenichi Arakawa

    Kenichi Arakawa is mostly known for his work on visual novels like Jewel Bem Hunter Lime or the Viper series. He got his start composing in the doujin scene, contributing music to a number of PC-88 disk mags under the alias Thomas Brown, before moving on to (mainly) work for Silence and its adult...

    Sep 25, 2016
36. 20

    Episode #20: Thalamus

    Thalamus was a British publisher, mostly known for their small, but fine selection of C64 releases, which included some of the most impressive games on the system. Equally impressive were their soundtracks, composed by an assortment of SID legends, like Rob Hubbard, Jeroen Tel, Martin Walker…

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    Sep 11, 2016
37. 19

    Episode #19: Mighty Luna

    We're back with another un-themed selection of great tunes. An assortment of orcs, bees, evil aliens, and other delightful things is waiting for you on this edition of Audio Panic Room. Continue reading →

    Aug 28, 2016
38. 18

    Episode #18: Pinball Delusions

    Welcome to the wonderful world of pinball music! This episode features a fairly eclectic mix of music from real pinball machines, demo scene-influenced Amiga and DOS soundtracks, awesome hard rock from 90s-era pinball games, and (almost) anything in between. Continue reading →

    Aug 14, 2016
39. 17

    Episode #17: Game Music History ~1988~

    A look at the year 1988 in game music. The year that saw the first CD and MIDI soundtracks, arcade boards started the transition from FM to PCM, and some real classics were released on the NES. Meanwhile in Europe the C64 had reached its commercial peak in a market that was slowly being taken…

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    Jul 31, 2016
40. 16

    Episode #16: Ryu Umemoto

    A tribute to the late Ryu Umemoto and his work on the PC-9801. In the West, he is mostly known for his contributions to various Cave arcade shooters, but in Japan his claim to fame comes from these expertly crafted FM-synth soundtracks he composed for various visual novels in the 90s. Continue...

    Jul 17, 2016
41. 15

    Episode #15: Draconian Outlaws

    We are back with another episode featuring a diverse range of topics such as puzzle games, cowboys, haunted houses, and rampant passions. Continue reading →

    Jul 2, 2016
42. 14

    Episode #14: Game Music History ~1987~

    A look at the state of video game music in 1987. The games are roughly in chronological order according to their release dates. Continue reading →

    Jun 19, 2016
43. 13

    Episode #13: Undercover

    A sack full of covers, some more silly than others. First person to laugh at this gets punched in the face. Continue reading →

    Jun 4, 2016
44. 12

    Episode #12: Linear Arithmetic

    A little excursion into the wonderful world of Roland's LA synth modules. Continue reading →

    May 22, 2016
45. 11

    Episode #11: Charles Deenen

    A podcast featuring a selection of tracks from Charles Deenen's fairly diverse catalog of music. Enjoy! Continue reading →

    May 6, 2016
46. 10

    Episode #10: Tumbling Trixie

    Another episode with no particular theme, bringing you a selection of great tracks from the vault of video game music. Continue reading →

    Apr 24, 2016
47. 9

    Episode #9: Game Music History ~1986~

    A look at some of the best game music from 1986. As with the previous episode, I tried to put the tracks in roughly chronological order. Continue reading →

    Apr 11, 2016
48. 8

    Episode #8: Masahiro Kajihara

    A tribute to Masahiro Kajihara, one of the most prolific composers on FM-based sound hardware. He is probably best known for his work on the Princess Maker series, but he also played an integral part in the creation of the Japanese computer music scene of the '90s as his PMD sound drivers were...

    Apr 3, 2016
49. 7

    Episode #7: Come and Dance!

    No special theme this time, just a selection of (hopefully) good music. Continue reading →

    Mar 25, 2016
50. 6

    Episode #6: Game Music History ~1985~

    1985 was arguably one of the most important years for video game music. Most major arcade developers made the switch from PSG to FM, composers like Rob Hubbard and Martin Galway began to unlock the full potential of the SID, and soundtracks in general became more complex and varied in style and...

    Mar 20, 2016