Letâs Talk Bemani! Favorite songs that everyone should listen to at least once [GITADORA, V1] (2022)
Iâve always wanted to have a âBemani Cornerâ of sorts when it came to blogs and what better opportunity than to do it now?
Some context: Many people know me as a dance game or a DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) player. Some have seen me get ridiculous scores in the game online, and others have also met me in person and have seen me compete. Itâs really cool to meet a lot of people, but many do not know I grew up with BEMANI games. Rhythm and music games were a very influential part of my life growing up and it still continues to be. Iâve made myself known for dance games because itâs more mainstream than a lot of other ones. If I say âBeatmania IIDXâ or âSound Voltexâ or âGITADORAâ, nobody will even have a clue as to what they are, whether itâs a stranger on the street or someone who plays video games.
The games have produced such incredible songs througout the years, and itâs pushed the boundaries of video game music alongside many other games making an impact. Today, Iâm actually not going to talk about the songs from DDR! I am going to list out a couple of songs from GITADORA, or as some may know previously as GuitarFreaks and Drummania.Â
Why GITADORA? GITADORA is a game I feel is severely underrated. This game, while slowly building popularity for arcade-goers and music gamers alike (particularly for drums), it gets overlooked quite often. Whether thatâs because itâs more rock/guitar-based and not as electronic-heavy, or because itâs not something that the public eye has really put a spotlight on, OR even because it doesnât have a huge competitive scene yet, this particular game has some of the most incredible music Iâve ever heard in a BEMANI game. Itâs one of those games I will say that even if you donât play the game or have no intention on playing it, donât sleep on the soundtracks.
While the list below isnât extensive, these are the top five songs Iâd love for anyone who is a guitar-loving, drum-banging, melody-adoring, person to listen to!
pain - BEMANI Sound Team âTOMOSUKEâ feat. Jazzinâ parka & frances maya
With a catchy and jazzy beat and such hauntingly beautiful vocals, BEMANI composer TOMOSUKE hits it out of the park with pain, an EXCHAIN unlock that makes for a really good song to dance to or nod your head with while playing. The last time weâve seen Jazzinâ park and Frances Maya on a song was in walk with you from GuitarFreaks/Drummania V6. This song doesnât need any more explanation: just start dancing to it at full volume in your house (I mean, I do).Â
ă°ăŞăźăłăŞăźăçĺ瞤 (Green Leaf Syndrome) - red glasses feat.岥 čĄĺż
While GITADORA has what feels like an endless list of prog-rock, Green Leaf Sydrome is one of those songs that has this almost incomprehesible mystical uniqueness to it. Being one of the Encore Stages for EXCHAIN, Green Leaf is an epic song with an incredible melody and a terrific piano backing track to guide you through this unforgettable composition. This is Yuuji Yoshizawa a.k.a red glassesâ only entry into the GITADORA series so far, with much of his work being in NOSTALGIA, another BEMANI music game where gameplay focuses on playing a piano to keysounds. For his first song in the GITADORA series? Good lord.
TAG (Yasuhiro Taguchi) has been featured in many BEMANI games. However, many donât realize that TAG, despite his incredible influences in Dance Dance Revolution and Beatmania IIDX, composed his first song, El Dorado, in 2006 for GuitarFreaks and Drummania V3! Before Daybreak made its first appearance in Guitarfreaks and Drummania XG, retaining TAGâs signature guitar composition that you hear distinctly in songs like 1/n or CHRONOS. Did I also mention that Before Daybreak has its own unique music video? Originally removed in XG2, it eventually came back in GITADORA years later. The video follows a satelliteâs journey through space (or at least, thatâs what I gathered, aha)
ăă¤ăăŠčĄćăŽčťčˇĄ (Kirarora Satellite Trajectory) - 塼č¤ĺä¸(ăă¤ăˇăšăąă¤ă)Â
Trust me when I say this: had I not known this was from GITADORA, my instinct would make me believe that this was a final boss song for an RPG. Kirarora Satellite Trajectory is a one-of-a-kind song in GITADORA that musically takes you on an emotional ride with upbeat highs and elegant lows. Again, itâs very pro-rock and there are so many ways I could describe this song, but honestly, have a listen and make that assessment yourself! Kirarora Satellite Trajectory was one of the first Premium Encore stages in EXCHAIN, and just recently became an addition into Dance Dance Revolution A3 as part of an unlcok event.
Okay, hear me out: I know this song is not over there but I will still recommend people to give it a listen. Overviews is a sequel to one of the most well-known songs in GFDM, over there. However, this song takes a little bit of a different approach. Instead of sounding like its predecessor that comes off bold, memorable, and downright orchestraic at times, overviews takes a more subtle approach, being more of an upbeat serenade that, like over there, is taking you on yet another musical journey. This song can be a little bit divisive for fans of the game as it doesnât seem to capture the spark that its brother has, but for me, itâs a great song nonetheless.