The 2023 Re:incarnation remaster of Daioujou came with this extraordinary remix album that hands the classic score over to a murderer's row of Japanese electronic music talent. HIROSHI WATANABE takes on "Fog Warning," "East Asia," and "Burning Body" with his signature deep, textured approach, while Fumihisa Tanaka's take on "Collector" and Keiichi Sugiyama's reworking of "Colorful Rainbow" each bring completely distinct flavors to the table.
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The fact that multiple artists each tackle "Burning Body" turns that single track into a fascinating showcase of contrasting styles. The roster reads like a who's who of Japanese electronic and game music. Yebisu303 brings acid-tinged energy to "Strange Dance," Hommarju delivers a characteristically hard-hitting "Burning Body," and Nhato transforms "Yellow Stream" with trance-influenced production.
Shinji Hosoe -- himself a legend of game music composition -- getting his hands on "Red Bee" is a pairing that feels almost too perfect. Kenichiro Fukui's contributions to both "Grieving Womb" and yet another "Burning Body" variant round out the collection.
What makes SAISEIROKU special is that it treats the Daioujou score not as sacred text to be preserved under glass, but as living material to be reinterpreted. Each remixer clearly had genuine affection for the source material while also feeling free to push it in new directions.
For fans of the original 2002 arcade soundtrack, this is both a love letter and a fresh experience -- the musical equivalent of seeing an old friend in a completely new light.