Bulgarian choir / folk chants -- oh, that's what Mitsuda likes

[Ramza]

I identified the "weird ethnic" other category for things that weren't obviously Celtic or Asian.

I was never smart or diligent enough to realize how heavily he borrowed from traditional Bulgarian musical culture.

Compare this to like, all the choral vocal stuff in Xenogears...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4LFHitRS40

WOW. I think I have a new favorite form of ethnic music.

[Wild Armor]

Ah, good ear Ramza! If you are truly interested in Bulgarian choral music, then you may like the soundtrack to Alone in the Dark (2008).

Alone in the dark soundtrack - Who am i? .

The choir responsible for the beautiful, mysteriousness music:
Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir


I picked up their Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares album way back, which I fell entirely in love with. Here are two samples from the soundtrack to get a more filling taste on what the album has to offer:

1. Pilentze Pee
2. Svatba (The Wedding)

As a teaser,

But hey, since we are talking about ethnic music...How about that opening to Suikoden III? While the group (Himekami) who performed/produced it are New Age*  (That's what the wiki says at least). The juxtaposition of the visuals and music give me that ethnic vibe.


* I claim to know nothing about this genre, only what the wiki page tells about it. I'm guessing that New Age is a broad term that can include/synthesize ethnic/folk music with other genres of music. I personally think of Afro Celt Sound System when I hear Himekami's sample tracks on Amazon. If anyone knows about the New Age genre, then by all means, correct me and elaborate (No really, I really like this genre and would like to know more about it).

[MeshGearFox]

wrt Mitsuda.

I still want to maintain that he was influenced by the likes of Pink Floyd and XTC and 70s psych rock broadly, too. although that's probably just similar influences leading to similar outcomes in both groups of artists :P.

Still though!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yDFwzJNgnE - Compare to End of Time theme.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9m8-EUFi-E Compare to... most of his boat themes or the Termina theme.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gmic1UVGIY Compare to the battle theme from Gaea's Navel in CC (I think it was called Optimism).

And then the forest theme from CT's bassline is REALLY similar to the bass on Hey You. I guess not really SPECIFIC bands or song per se but there's this really specific bass style and set of instrumentation you'd get in 70s folk/psych rock -- I think it probably came out of the Beatles? -- but that's what I'm hearing there.

Also find a very marked... Latin American influence on his music, too. Magus' battle theme had this really mariachi thing going on, Chrono Cross delved into tropicalia in a few places, the first lavos battle theme is like Mexico colliding into Poland in some deliciously Devotchka-esque fashion, but then the second theme is back to the Pink Floyd/Doors synth riffage.

And then Robo's theme is pretty much Never Gonna Give You Up. Out of nowhere. Because why not?

His music's sort of all over the place which is part of the reason why I love it. It's not just a case of varying up styles -- pretty much any composer's going to do that -- but the extant and rapidity that Mitsuda bounces around IS pretty unique.

[Ramza]

There's no question that XTC is an influence. And not just on Mitsuda, but all of those folks. I believe Yoko Ueno even recorded with a group called "Oranges and Lemons"

[MeshGearFox]

Just noticed this too, but I feel like the trial music in CT is giving a bit of a nod to, uh, the Trial from The Wall.