#Pac man song notes series#

Manabu: I have been working in vast areas of entertainment industry for over 15 years. Then, one thing led to another, and we met Ben Jones of Paper Rad.Ĭould you tell us a little about yourself (and a little about each artist that worked on the project)? We met with Cory Arcangel at Dietch Gallery where he had the showing of Super Mario Movie. We talked and he told us about this new scene in arts where young kids hacked old Nintendo games and made videos and songs out of them. We called up a friend who produces music, Stuart Argabright. So, they convinced us that this could become one of those amazing hit songs out of nowhere. Back in the 80's, there was a hit song called Pac-Man Fever.

#Pac man song notes series#

We exchanged some ideas and figured that it would be kind of cool if we could make a series of Pac-Man songs. We were just talking and then we learned that Pac-Man was going to be 25 years old, in 2005. So we met in Korean town in Manhattan, ate Korean dishes, and went to chill at one of the cool Korean cafes there. Then, in September of 2004, NAMCO called us and said they are coming to New York. In it, we featured a Pac-Man game and other NAMCO games. Manabu: Several years ago, we did a music video for a Japanese pop idol called Judy and Mary, with Todd Lincoln, one of the best directors out there. How did you get started with this project? The third installment entitled 'Pac-Man Mission' was created by Paul Geluso. The second release entitled 'Pac-Man Industries' was created by Stuart Argabright.

Pac-Man Jam is Jones' first solo recording. The first of the series, “Pac-Man Jam 25th Anniversary Limited Edition” was created by Ben Jones of Paper Rad. and Greeting Cats, started a project to produce a series of music tracks using the sound elements from the Pac-Man game. Manabu: Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Pac-Man in America, NAMCO BANDAI Games, Inc. I love the organ sounding effects towards the end of the track and the intriguing way the artist used the various sounds of Pac-Man throughout.įor those of us that are not aware of Pac-Man Jam 25th Anniversary Limited Edition & the related Pac-Man music tracks, can you tell us about them? The third track 'Pac-Man Mission', also without lyrics, is very upbeat and although it is similar to many of the mixes already out there it has a very distinctive edge to it. 'Pac-Man Industries', the second track, is a much more somber piece and subtly blends in sound clips from Pac-Man in a way that keeps the listener aware that there is an overall Pac-Man theme, but it's not the usual repetitive sound clip mixing that is so common in Pac-Man mixes or remixes. They did a wonderful job of making the video appear right at home with graphics and animations characteristic of the 'Golden Age' of video games. The lyrics pay homage to Pac-Man and make sure the listener is aware that 'Pac-Man Is Back, Man' so 'Let's Show Some Love To Pac-Man!' The corresponding video is a very energetic piece that reminds me of so many of the video stylings from the late seventies / early eighties (think some where between 'Sesame Street Pinball Number Count' and 'Max Headroom'). It is definitely one of those songs that gets stuck in your head all day. The 'Pac-Man Jam' track is absolutely the coolest tribute song to Pac-Man I have ever heard. So here is your inside look at the Pac-Man Jam 25th Anniversary Limited Edition. I of course wanted to be one of the select few that actually got to see the video, but not wanting to leave out my friends at RetroBlast I decided to write a mini review and interview one of the creators. In honor of Pac-Man's 25th Birthday the folks at Greeting Cats, in conjunction with Namco, created three songs and a music video just for our dot-chomping hero!īeing the Pac-Man fanatic that I am I immediately contacted Manabu Nagaoka, one of the Cats, and requested a chance to view the video which, by the way, is not open for public viewing. Review & Interview with Manabu Nagaoka of the Greeting Cats by Jonathan ImberiĪs most of you already know I love Pac-Man, and even though this is a year old it somehow slipped in under my Pac-Radar.