Watch Red Bull Music Academy’s “Diggin’ In The Carts, Episodes 1-3” Series (Video)

Diggin’ In The Carts is a new documentary series from the Red Bull Music Academy exploring the secret history of Japanese video game music. As many may know, the RBMA visits Tokyo this year, so it’s pretty cool that this series coincides with the yearly gathering of worldwide talented musicians. This is a great documentary series if you grew up in the 80’s or 90’s, or hell, even played any of those games while growing up (or to this day). Below I’ve added episodes 2 and 3, and above is episode 1 that talks about the birth and rise of music in video games. Watch episode two below and episode three from here.

From the earliest sounds and melodies to the first fully formed continuous music to be pioneered in the arcade games from Namco. We meet Junko Ozawa, one of Namco’s earliest sound team composers, and also the legendary Hirokazu ‘Hip’ Tanaka, who joined Nintendo in 1980 and was responsible for composing some of the giant’s most loved classics like Metroid and Tetris.

Over six episodes Diggin’ In The Carts shines a spotlight on the composers who created a style of music that has had an immense impact on modern pop culture. From the personal studios of these legendary composers, to the concert halls of Japan where symphony orchestras are performing their compositions to sold-out crowds today – the series will document how the music of video games was created, what inspired it, and how it evolved into its own cultural phenomenon. Peppered with commentary from some of modern music’s finest DJ’s, musicians and electronic producers from around the world, the documentary also shows the influence these Japanese composers had on the world – and the world of music.