Donkey Kong 64 turns 25 years old on November 22nd, and Screen speech is pleased to share a way to celebrate, courtesy of game composer Grant Kirkhope and Matter Collective. On November 22nd, Kirkhope will launch Rare Treats: DONKEY KONG 64 Revisited, a new version of the game’s soundtrack rearranged and revisited by its original composer. The album will feature 18 tracks and will be available for streaming and purchase on CD and vinyl.
Screen speech is thrilled to premiere a reimagining of Kirkhope’s infamous “DK Rap,” this time featuring Washington DC-based rapper Substantial. “DK Rap” received a harsh response when it first appeared in Donkey Kong 64but finally found a place in the hearts of listeners – and in The Super Mario Bros. movie. Listen to Kirkhope’s new version of the piece below, and get ready to check out the full album on November 22nd.
How Grant Kirkhope’s Music and DK Rap Helped Define a Generation
The Nintendo 64 was one of the most influential video game consoles ever made and marked a huge leap in capability over Nintendo’s previous console, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (it’s so beloved that Analogue is making Analogue 3D, a version reimagined from the console). N64 games and their music are burned into the memories of the people who played them during the console’s heyday in the late 1990s. Mario and ZeldasMost of the N64’s best-loved games were scored by Grant Kirkhope through the composer’s collaboration with development company Rare.
From 1997 to 2000, Kirkhope presented a series of scores for games that stand out in the history of the medium. 1997 saw the release of Golden Eye 007a game that revolutionized and harnessed the multiplayer potential of first-person shooters – and which features a soundtrack by Kirkhope, Graeme Norgate and Robin Beanland. The following year, Rare fell Banjo-Kazooiea quirky animal adventure odyssey that would become one of the console’s best-selling titles. Kirkhope’s upbeat music for this game is instantly recognizable and still has the power to flood listeners with nostalgia.
Donkey Kong 64 was the third game in Kirkhope’s best-selling N64 series. The goodwill that Kirkhope built with Golden Eye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie is at least a small part of why “The DK Rap” got such a harsh reception upon release, as listeners weren’t used to a tongue-in-cheek rap as part of a Rare game (to this day, Kirkhope jokingly asks apologies for “The DK Rap” every now and then). Kirkhope would score hits Banjo-Kazooie sequence Banjo-Tooie and loved Golden Eye 007 spiritual successor Perfect Dark for the following year, further consolidating his legacy as one of the most important composers of that console era.
Rare Treats: DONKEY KONG 64 Revisited will be released on November 22nd via Materia Collective. Check it out here.