Ridge Racer V dropped at PS2 launch and its soundtrack arrived fully formed in a way the console itself barely was. Kohta Takahashi, Yuu Miyake, Mijk van Dijk, and sanodg split duties across a techno-heavy tracklist that still sounds futuristic.
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"Euphoria" builds with this relentless four-on-the-floor pulse that perfectly mirrors the feeling of nailing a drift chain. Miyake's "TsuiTsui" is weirder, more playful, almost jazzy in its electronic textures. Van Dijk's "Electroglide" just glides, obviously, on smooth filtered grooves.
Then "SAMURAI ROCKET" hits with this explosive energy that earns every letter of its ridiculous name. PS2 launch titles came and went, but this soundtrack outlived most of them. Essential racing game listening.