Artists you've discovered from playing video games.

sems4arsenal

sems4arsenal

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This topic could fit in the gaming and/or music sub forums but I feel it is best here.

Aside from the obvious Daiki Kasho/Garbage GT links -- one of my favorite bands (U.N.K.L.E) I discovered from playing every Codemasters racer.

Prime example



I've also been in love with Saint Motel from FIFA.
 
I don't have specific artists that I follow because of videogames, but I do have lots of alternative songs from the PS2 era and especially from Burnout 3, which IMO is the racing game with the best soundtrack of all time.
 
I think the sound tracks to wipeout and Gran Turismo on the original PS probably helped shape my musical taste.
But in the days before games on CD’s which were easy to put high quality audio on; I think this was and still is probably my favourite piece of video game music



Chris Huelsbeck totally rocks!
 
Leggacy
Click to expand...

Never thought I'd see the day that Turrican appeared on GTPlanet. Of course, Turrican was famous for its "curly muffins".

On a related note, one of my favourite game soundtracks was Chuck Rock (neatly complemented by the animated musicians, who only play their instruments when their instruments are playing):



However, to relate back to the thread, this lead me to Swedish power metal band Machinae Supremacy who recorded their own cover of it for no reason that I can determine*, and released it in a compilation album of random crap they'd done called Crap Pack:



Glorious.

*Actually, they make a lot of games-related and games-inspired music, and they use synthesiser based around a Commodore 64 sound chip... because reasons
 
Also, I want to relate this to the OP and that my love for UNKLE also comes from GRID. However, I went the opposite way - and got into the rabbit hole that is the various remixes, DJ and live sets that James Lavelle has released under UNKLE Sounds. In fact, I have one of the DJ sets on CD - Big Brother Is Watching. And plan to get the good one - Do Androids Dream of Electric Beats? - soon.

Also, as a bit of a factoid: This is the version of No One Knows from the intro of GRID, ripped straight from the game. It's only about a minute and change long, but I thought it would be significant considering that there's no version of it on Youtube.
 
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I credit quite a few video games to giving me a "one song that I like" of an artist I then later went on to really get into. Some of them, particularly the GTA ones, I might have known a song or two by the band before but the game cemented me really enjoying them.

Formula 1 95
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani

Gran Turismo
Feeder
Kaiser Chiefs

TOCA Touring Car Championship
Gary Scargill

Grand Theft Auto III
Giorgio Moroder

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
ABC
Spandau Ballet
Lionel Ritchie

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Tom Petty

Grand Theft Auto IV
Iron Maiden

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Donna Burke
 
There have been so many over the years, so I have to list them too:

Burnout 3:
Rise Against

Burnout Dominator:
Hot Hot Heat

FIFA 2005:
Future Funk Squad

FIFA 12:
The Chain Gang of 1974

Fight Night Round 3:
Atmosphere

Forza Motorsport 3:
All Hospital Records artists

Gran Turismo 4:
Kasabian

Need for Speed: ProStreet:
Chase & Status

Pure:
The Qemists

Wipeout series:
BT
Plump DJs
Stanton Warriors
 
Liquid
Grand Theft Auto III
Giorgio Moroder

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
ABC
Spandau Ballet
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:eek:

Edit: To clarify, I'm more flabbergasted that the artists were featured in the games than by the implication that you weren't necessarily familiar with them prior.

Edit #2: Upon investigation, I'm not really surprised by "Poison Arrow" (ABC) but "Gold" (Spandau Ballet) is a bit unexpected.
 
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Not a full list, just what I can recall off the top of my head.

Burnout Paradise
LCD Soundsystem

Forza Horizon
Empire of the Sun
Nero
Miike Snow
Cut Copy

Forza Horizon 2
Pnau
CHVRCHES (I found them first in GT6 thanks to "Under the Tide", but I didn't realize they also created "The Mother We Share" - that's the song that got me hooked.)

Forza Horizon 3
ODESZA

Gran Turismo 3
Daiki Kasho
Lenny Kravitz

Gran Turismo 4
Earth, Wind & Fire

Gran Turismo 5
Two Door Cinema Club

Gran Turismo 6
CHVRCHES

I would include artists from Need For Speed games, but damn, there's way too many!
 
Should also mention that my favorite band of all time - Thrice - I found out through both SSX 3 and Test Drive: Eve of Destruction. Mainly the latter.

 
I've discovered dozens upon dozens of artists whilst playing video games.

Need For Speed 2015
Muzzy
Aerochord
HEALTH

Midnight Club 3
Calyx
Nine Inch Nails
Dom & Roland
The Game
Mash Out Pose
Jimmy Eat World
Unwritten Law

Midnight Club LA
We Are Wolves
Disturbed
Tech Nine

MotorStorm Pacific Rift
The Qemists
Slipknot
Queens Of The Stone Age
Goose

Need For Speed Underground 2
Fluke
Ministry
Skindred
Helmet
Felix Da Housecat
Mudvayne
Snoop Dog
The Doors

Gran Turismo 3
Feeder
Daiki Kasho
MUSE
Aisha

Gran Turismo 4
The Hives
Kaiser Cheifs
Rinsa
Mr Natural
Eagles Of Death Metal
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster
Bushwacka
Yello
Kasabian

Gran Turismo 5
Gonno
London Electricity
Nittoku Inoue
**** Buttons

Gran Turismo 6
Amon Tobin
White Denim
Hatfield
Deep Vally

GT Sport
Slow Train Soul
Ty Segal
Lenny Ibizarre
Vant
Young Fathers
Lamaitre
Courtney Barnett

There's probably a heap that I haven't named...
 
Some very interesting responses so far. Some of the responses here reminded me of other artists I discovered (how did I forget Kasabian :lol: )

Silver Arrows
Also, I want to relate this to the OP and that my love for UNKLE also comes from GRID. However, I went the opposite way - and got into the rabbit hole that is the various remixes, DJ and live sets that James Lavelle has released under UNKLE Sounds. In fact, I have one of the DJ sets on CD - Big Brother Is Watching. And plan to get the good one - Do Androids Dream of Electric Beats? - soon.

Also, as a bit of a factoid: This is the version of No One Knows from the intro of GRID, ripped straight from the game. It's only about a minute and change long, but I thought it would be significant considering that there's no version of it on Youtube.
Click to expand...

I always listen to this on long road trips . I thought the GRID version was on Youtube :odd: -- that's really cool.
 
Man With A Mission. Had a hidden track (higher english version) on either PES 13 or 14. Got me totally into J ROCK. I think also all them EA games that had EA Trax on then had great music. SSX, Burnout etc.
 
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'Recoil' thanks to Need For Speed Undercover. I have the full album. Pretty good stuff!

Say what you want to say about that game (I probably share the same opinion), but it had one KILLER soundtrack.
 
I think I'll nominate (besides Daiki Kasho) Kimara Lovelace and Breaking Benjamin among recording artists I learned through games. Kimara provided the sexy smooth vocals in "Ridge Racer Type 4." I know of Breaking Benjamin for "The Diary of Jane" in "NASCAR 07." I even bought the Phobia CD from Breaking Benjamin. And usually, I am not much a rock music person. In terms of composers, I consider Barry Leitch one of the best of all time. I didn't get to appreciate his work until playing games like "Top Gear Rally" and "RUSH 2: Xtreme Racing" among MANY other titles.

Honorable mentions in artists/groups in games: Satoshi Bandoh, Yuki Oike, Sunpaulo (Tourist Trophy), V-Town Have-Nots (Moto Racer 2), and Sonic Mayhem (Quake 2) among many others.


[UPDATE/OMISSION] I also want to mention Jeff Van Dyck and Rom Di Prisco in the classic Need for Speed games.
 
Papa Roach from Tony Hawks Pro Skater. Pure late 90’s angst metal. I’m still an occasional fan of the band but haven’t played a TH game for donkeys.
 

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