Introducing The Game Brass – Brass Effect – Into Indie Games

We’re The Game Brass! We reimagine video game music for brass ensemble. Our core group is a traditional brass quintet, and all our members work regularly in the video game industry as composers or recording artists. 

However, unlike a traditional ensemble that performs music with all members in the same room at the same time, we use remote recording and production techniques to unite people from all over the world by playing exciting arrangements of video game music. We frequently collaborate with additional brass players and other musicians, and this spirit of collaboration led to our latest and greatest journey into outer space, a two-hour, twenty-five track double album called Brass Effect.

STATING THE MISSION

Since The Game Brass formed in 2017, our albums have been united by common themes and punny titles. Our previous album themes were winter, macabre, island, castle, Zelda, and… more Zelda. 

Brass Effect, our space-themed seventh album, has been in the works since 2018. Space in video games is characterized both by quiet, starry skies and by grand, majestic fanfares. Both of these ambiances felt like natural fits for the warm sounds of brass instruments, so we embarked on the Brass Effect mission.

Our production process starts with one member arranging a piece and creating sheet music for the band. Our arrangements usually take liberties with the source material, paying homage to the original by highlighting the musical qualities that make it unique or by taking the listener on an emotional journey, with the goal of also allowing the music to stand on its own merits. 

Once an arrangement is complete, we record the music separately while listening to a click track (like a metronome) and a backing track that lock in a consistent tempo and give us an idea of what the completed arrangement will sound like. Separately, each performer films themselves playing the music, usually with a green screen. 

We release music videos that heighten the listening experience using backgrounds and flashy effects from the original games and our trademark sense of humor.

Though we’ve performed with many musicians outside the core ensemble, our arrangements have almost always been written by a band member. For Brass Effect, we decided to change that.

FINDING THE CREW

The video game music remix community is tight-knit, and we had many friends and colleagues who we knew could write high-quality arrangements for us to play. Some of these arrangers, like Isaac Smith and Allison Martin, were guest performers on our other albums. Others, like John Paul Hayward and Dr. Ben Wallace, had written arrangements for other projects our members had performed on.

We didn’t expect that all twelve people we had invited to arrange music for Brass Effect would accept. Suddenly, we had involved a dozen more people with the broad, creative vision for Brass Effect. But every arranger was someone we believed in, and it was a sign of mutual trust that the arrangers were enthusiastic about working with us as well.

IGNITION AND LAUNCH

And boy did the arrangements deliver! Here are a few of the many highlights. 

Nabeel Ansari’s version of Gusty Garden Galaxy perfectly encapsulates the soaring feeling of the original tune while adding a narrative adventure that flows seamlessly through multiple Super Mario Galaxy themes. Ben Wallace’s arrangement of Sand Storm from Gradius III features pianos, vibraphone, and timpani in addition to brass on an epic soundscape that cheekily references the famous EDM track Sandstorm by Darude. Eric Ladish’s version of Blast Away from Kingdom Hearts transforms one of the most tedious segments of the original game (the Gummi Ship) into a powerful, dramatic arc that fills the listener with suspense and wonder.

In addition to all the guest arrangers, each regular band member of the Game Brass contributed at least one track to Brass Effect. Since we gave the guests license to choose their personal favorite tracks to arrange, our role became filling in the gaps to ensure that fan-favorite outer space themes were not left out. 

These include Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road, the HALO Main Theme, The Moon from DuckTales, and two multi-movement suites of music from Mass Effect and Metroid. 

POSTLAUNCH DEBRIEFING

With 12 arrangers, 25 tracks, and about 40 different performers, the scope of Brass Effect became so vast that it had to be a double album. Yet Brass Effect is both stronger and more cohesive precisely because it incorporates so many creative voices, like a constellation formed by dozens of stars. 

We are super excited to celebrate Brass Effect’s release not only for ourselves, but also because we’ve been so fortunate to involve talented friends at every level of the process. Brass Effect is available on streaming services like Spotify, and digital and physical albums can be purchased on Bandcamp. We invite you as well to journey into the vast reaches of space with The Game Brass and friends.

You can learn more about The Game Brass here and find more articles from the Indie Games community at www.intoindiegames.com