Minecraft Volume Alpha [Cassette]

C418 - Minecraft Volume Alpha [Cassette]

Italian import unofficial cassette pressing. Minecraft is a dreamscape, a limitless world where anything is possible. Minecraft is a tool, a means of bringing the imagination to life. Minecraft is a community, a
platform on which inventive minds of all ages can share their creations and ideas.
Minecraft, of course, is also a game, the most popular and best-selling video game
of all time. Originally created in 2009 by Swedish programmer Markus "Notch"
Persson, this cultural phenomenon speaks volumes of our current zeitgeist's love
for virtual spaces, but its unprecedented success couldn't be pinned on one factor
alone. Countless layers of thoughtful artistry flow through Minecraft's singular
experience, not the least of which is its transportive soundtrack. And now for the
first time since releasing digitally in 2011, the music of Minecraft will be issued on
special-edition vinyl and CD by Ghostly International.
Minecraft Volume Alpha is the work of German composer and musician Daniel
Rosenfeld. Using C418 as his moniker, Rosenfeld crafted the sweeping soundtrack
and vibrant sound design which helped breathe life into Minecraft's voxel-based
universe. Fans and critics were universally enamored with his beatless, nuanced
electronic pieces upon release. Popular gaming site Kotaku named it among The
Best Game Music of 2011, calling the music "remarkably soothing," and The
Guardian has compared Rosenfeld's delicate piano and sparse ambient motifs to
legendary artists Erik Satie and Brian Eno. In an interview feature with C418,
Polygon distilled Volume Alpha to its essence: "It's not bound by the retro aesthetic
of Minecraft's graphics. It transcends them. The album is an attempt to uplift the
combined game/music experience into the sublime."
But for all of the critical praise, C418's crowning achievement has to be his
insatiable fan base, the seemingly endless swath of players and listeners who treat
his music like gospel. They are exactly who this physical release of the Minecraft
soundtrack was conceived for, though Ghostly hopes to bring Rosenfeld's music to
a whole new audience as well. As any cursory listen of the touching sounds will
reveal, this isn't a record meant solely for lifelong gamers and MineCon diehards;
anyone in love with ambient, neo-classical, or minimal music needs to hear Volume
Alpha.