digital booklet

01 Lifestream – Final Fantasy VII
C O M P O S E D B Y N O B U O U E M AT S U
02 Dire, Dire Docks – Super Mario 64
C O M P O S E D B Y K OJ I K O N D O
03 Song of the Ancients – NieR
COMPOSED BY MoNACA
04 Lost Painting – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
C O M P O S E D B Y M I C H I R U YA M A N E
05 Maiden in Black – Demon’s Souls
COMPOSED BY SHUNSUKE KIDA
06 Main Theme – Genso Suikoden
COMPOSED BY MIKI HIGASHINO
07 Singing Emotions – Chrono Cross
C O M P O S E D B Y YA S U N O R I M I T S U D A
08 A Wish... – Secret of Mana
C O M P O S E D B Y H I R O K I K I K U TA
09 Auriel’s Ascension – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
COMPOSED BY JEREMY SOULE
10 Aquatic Ambiance – Donkey Kong Country
C O M P O S E D B Y D AV I D W I S E
A L L M U S I C A R R A N G E D, P E R F O R M E D, R E C O R D E D, A N D M I X E D B Y
GENTLE LOVE
GENTLE LOVE’S
THERAPEUTIC MUSIC
On
GENTLE LOVE consists only of piano and
saxophone, and both of us have a lot of
experience performing jazz, classical,
and Latin styles among many others.
For this reason, we’re often able to
perform together without any prepared
arrangement or rehearsal as we’d need
to do if we had another member. We’re
able to react to each other on then fly,
and respond to each other’s feelings as
expressed in the music. We often don’t
prepare any sheet music, and simply let the
music flow. In that way, we can concentrate
purely on what we call “Pray & Play.” We’re
not intentionally thinking about how to
make fun music, but rather, focusing on the
emotional and spiritual aspects of music
and performance.
THE MERITS OF
GAME MUSIC
On
from a therapeutic music perspective
While this album’s focus isn’t entertainment,
it’s great for those times you’d like to free
your mind and explore your imagination,
just like a kid’s picture book. Some will be
reminded of certain scenes from the games
that are featured, while others may conjure
up totally different scenery from what was
experienced within the game. We think it’s
good for your mind and spirit to escape
the constant stimulation and abundance of
information that we encounter in our daily
lives, even if it’s just for an hour while you
listen to this album.
GENTLE LOVE’S
FAVORITE TRACK
On
We personally like “Lost Painting.” As we
discussed the arrangement, the main
keyword we shared was “Italian jazz,”
which immediately made our vision for
this arrangement clear. We considered a
number of other influences, such as old
European castle atmospheres and feelings
of night time, but we thought “Italian jazz”
covered everything we wanted to do with
this piece. We think the performance
turned out to be very exciting, and you
may be interested to know that it was
performed and recorded in one take
without any rehearsal.
Liner
NOTES
Despite having worked with Norihiko Hibino for
many years, I was still as surprised as anyone
when he told me he was going to shift his focus
from videogames to exploring the therapeutic
applications of music. But the music he’s released
since then and some of the upcoming things
I’ve seen in the Hibino Sound Therapy Lab have
definitely made a believer out of me.
I’ve accumulated a substantial collection of
videogame music over the years, and given
my love for game music, I’ve naturally included
a lot of this material on various playlists that I
use in my daily activities. Most notable are my
playlists for sleep and exercise. I wrote an article
on DESTRUCTOID at one point naming my top
ten favorite videogame tracks to sleep to, which
got me thinking: wouldn’t it be great to have
a compilation album of some of these songs,
performed by live musicians?
Norihiko Hibino and pianist AYAKI, known as
GENTLE LOVE when performing together,
immediately came to mind, and I started thinking
of what tracks I’d like to have them perform.
I knew I wanted to give Hibino the opportunity
to perform music by Jeremy Soule, as the two
composers have developed an appreciation for
each other’s work over the years. I suppose some
of the picks are unconventional, with tracks from
Demon’s Souls and NieR, but it’s my hope that
people will find some of their favorites on this
album along with these hidden gems that will
in turn inspire listeners to seek out the original
works, which I think are all fantastic in their
own right.
Now that the album is complete, I’m extremely
happy with what we’ve accomplished. I listen to
the album daily, whether it’s simply to relax on a
walk or around the house, or to sooth my family
to sleep at night. I hope it does the same for you!
Thanks for listening!
Jayson Napolitano
Producer, Scarlet Moon Records
All music arranged, performed, recorded, and mixed by
GENTLE LOVE
GENTLE LOVE is:
Norihiko Hibino (saxophone)
AYAKI (piano)
Additional percussion by: Naoko Sato
Recording Studio: Megurogawa Studio (GEM Impact)
Mastering Engineer: Mustin for Mustin Enterprises, LLC / mustinenterprises.com
Artwork and Booklet Design: Connary Fagen / connary.com
Licensing: LOUDR
Executive Producer: Jayson Napolitano
Special Thanks to Jeron Moore, Jesse Buddington (LOUDR), Sebastian Wolff (Loudr), Patrick Gann
All original compositions are copyright of their respective owners:
01. “Lifestream (Final Fantasy VII)” licensed from Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
02. “Dire, Dire Docks (Super Mario 64)” licensed from Nintendo Co., Ltd.
03. “Song of the Ancients (NieR)” licensed from Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
04. “Lost Painting (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) licensed from Konami Corporation
05. “Maiden in Black (Demon’s Souls)” licensed from Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.
06. “Main Theme (Genso Suikoden)” licensed from Konami Corporation
07. “Singing Emotions (Chrono Cross)” licensed from Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
08. “A Wish… (Secret of Mana) licensed from Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
09. “Auriel’s Ascension (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion)” licensed from ZeniMax Media Inc.
10. “Aquatic Ambiance (Donkey Kong Country)” licensed from Nintendo Co., Ltd.
The Prescription for Sleep brand is a trademark of Mission One, LLC and GEM Impact Co., Ltd.
and has been used with permission.
Brought to you by Scarlet Moon Records / scarletmoonrecords.com
SMRC-1006