These Banjo-Kazooie remixes are so playful
I’ve been listening to new takes on classicBanjo-Kazooietunes from Grant Kirkhope, and I am beaming. The composershared10 new arrangements for the beloved N64 game.
The remix album is calledBanjo Kazooie: Re-Jiggyed— I hope you didn’t get your hopes up with a hastily-read headline! — and it’s now streaming onSpotify,Apple Music,YouTube Music, andDreezer. you may soak up the songs inthis YouTube playlist, too.
These renditions of Mad Monster Mansion and Rusty Bucket Bay go pretty dang hard, but it’s tough to top Kirkhope’s chiptunes-ification of Click Clock Wood and the escalating feel-good nature of Spiral Mountain. Gruntilda’s Lair is super catchy, as always.
“Re-Jiggyedwas supposed to be an 11-track album but I couldn’t include one of the tracks because of publishing issues,” Kirkhopetweeted. “Maybe I’ll find somewhere to put it so you can all hear it.” Presumably, he means Clanker’s Cavern — that’s the odd level out.
In a video message onInstagram, Kirkhope thanked fans for listening and admitted it’s taken “ages” to get theBanjo Kazooie: Re-Jiggyedalbum done. “I find it really hard to do it, I don’t know why. Remixing my own stuff was difficult, and trying to think of different things to do with it. I didn’t want to do just a straight remix, you know, note for note. I wanted to make it different, or fun, or different styles to appeal to everybody.”
“Who knows, I might do another one if I ever get the energy to do it,” he said.
Banjo-Kazooieis a top-ten game for me, and that’s due to numerous factors — the well-tuned stuff-collecting, the exploration in the individual worlds and imaginative hub, the fantastic music, andthe vibes. It’s such a complete package. No matter how far removed we get from its original Nintendo 64 release,Banjo-Kazooiewill always be timeless to me.
I’m excited to reunite with this duo onNintendo Switch, no matter the cost.
