One of the better Gamecube exclusives with some memorable music.This my favourite piece from the 'Zelda Like' adventure game.Starfox Adventures was a step away from the usual 'Shoot Em Up' style of previous entries in the series.Although not reaching classic status the game received wide spread good/very good reviews upon release.Perhaps a little shallow in places but the main character model and animation was of a high standard.The plot centers on the remote Dinosaur Planet of the Lylat System, where Fox McCloud is sent  by General Pepper to restore the planet after pieces of it have broken off. Upon arriving, Fox discovers a mystical staff which becomes his main tool for combat.You cant help but draw comparisons to Ocarina Of Time with the same 'Targeting' system used for fighting.Graphically its probably on par with the Zelda classic however depth and storyline wise it just falls a little short.Music wise i find this a very upbeat and happy tune, probably forgotten by most(it was great to hear it again recording this).It's the background theme to the visually stunning for the time Thorntail Hollow.

Starfox Adventures:Thorntail Hollow(Gamecube 2002)

Loved the rave vibe since i started attending them in the early nighties.Been mixing the stuff ever since.Here's a little Vinyl mix i pulled out for the Comp hope you enjoy it.See you all in May ;0

SOS IBIZA WANTS YOU-Competition Mix

The 3rd installment of my uplifting series of Oldskool/Club Classic's sets, mixed live and featuring a few rarities this time out that iv'e been keen to put into a mix-tape
Hope you enjoy the mix........ Ray. ;)

Old Skool & Club Classics Vinyl Mix 2

Here we have the impossibly addictive Main Level music from Sega's smash hit Side-Scrolling Platform game.
Wonderboy was a simple yet charming game which featured the little blonde kid sprinting across various Woodland,Ocean & Cave levels aided by his Stone Mallets, Skateboard, and the occasional visit from a Fairy which made him invincible from the hoards of Wasps,Snails,Jellyfish and other 'nasties'.
Wonderboy was a huge hit for Sega, perhaps mainly as it was very easy to get into early on, but had a great difficulty curve which found you in the later levels desperately jumping to collect various 'Vitality' enriched items or face Wonderboy's Life Meter running out and losing a life.
Along with many other Sega classic Coin-Ops of the era,Wonderboy's music was un-mistakable upon walking into an Arcade during the mid 80's.A bright addictive Platform classic.

Wonderboy: Main BGM(Arcade 1986)

Few games have blown me away like this one,for sheer presentation & playability you'd have to go a long way to better this(apart from the sequel)Like Mario 64 did upon it's release, Galaxy pretty much re-invented the Platform game.From the jump to 3D from 2D enabling true 8 direction control which 64 brought to the table, to the ability to be able to run and jump around  without the burden or the effects of Gravity. This brought with it a whole host of new jumps and angles to be mastered. However the difficulty edge was never unfair,and the camera angles were always bang-on allowing just your own skill and judgement to prevail.The sensor controls of the Wii were also cleverly implemented,as you were required to shake and point the Wii-Mote at the screen during various points to progress around the numerous Planets within each level(put to great use in this world)which was all delivered with seamless Nintendo quality.
This is the big N at it's pioneering best,a true AAA title.
I chose the Stardust Road theme as it really sucked me into the game, such a perfect floaty sort of track that encapsulates the whole weightlessness of Space. Keep an eye out for more Mario Galaxy entries in the future......

Super Mario Galaxy: Stardust Road (Nintendo Wii 2007)

Finally recording again ;)

Here's a little 45 minute set of my usual fusion of Rave/Oldskool & Club classics with a few perhaps lesser heard bangers in there !!!
Hopefully you find it uplifting and enjoyable, all feedback welcome......
Cheers Ray ;)


Ray Baker May'16

My usual off the cuff mix of anything and everything & generally of a classic nature.
Hope you enjoy....... thanks for listening ;)

Ray Baker July'16

For me one of the best Megadrive games and certainly music wise one of the most memorable soundtracks of any game. An action adventure game released in 1991, it centers around ToeJam and Earl—alien rappers who have crash-landed on Earth. As they attempt to escape the planet, players assume the role of either character and collect pieces of their wrecked spacecraft aided by some terrific boosts/power-ups found in randomly scattered presents across each level. To name a few of the best you have,  Rocket Skates(hard to control and so fast you can fall off the end of the current world quite easily), Icarus Wings to reach otherwise impossible parts of each level, and some not so nice gifts that will poison you or even electrocute you to death. Along the way you will meet some insanely funny enemies too many of which to name here, but some highlights would have to be : The Mad Professor, The Boogie Man literally scaring the life out of you on some levels, The crazy Chicken Coup blasting you with their Tomato Bazookas, Santa Claus with his Rocket Pack dropping presents as you approach him, and a 'Jaws' referenced Shark ready to chomp away at you if you go for a dip. In fact there's no doubt at the time of release a big draw for the game was all the references and parodies of  1980s and early 90s urban culture that is all set to fantastic funky soundtrack.

Genesis

Toejam & Earl : Opening Theme (Megadrive 1991)

Nintendo's other massive franchise alongside Mario:The Legend Of Zelda.The story of the little Elf boy Link and his battle to rescue Princess Zelda from the baddest of bad guys Ganandorf.Ocarina Of Time is quite possibly Links finest outing,and is many peoples best game ever, or if not would surely find its way into everybody's top ten!!This brilliant  piece of music is from Kokiri Forest where Link awakes at the start and really sets the tone for the adventure ahead with its mischievous feel and sense of adventure.Classic.

Legend Of Zelda:Ocarina Of Time. Kokiri Forest (N64 1998)

This haunting piece from the amazing Ocarina comes when you enter the Windmill Hut found in Kakariko Village.
Upon entry this music stopped everyone in their tracks, simply great Video game music.Unforgettable.

Legend Of Zelda:Ocarina Of Time: Windmill Hut (N64 1998)

This game to anybody that played it,which to be honest if your listening to this must be you and every other person that's ever picked up a control pad.Is a true platform classic.In fact if you said its the finest platform game ever then people would have to take you seriously.Its bright colourful visuals,perfect level design and tight  controls make it an all time great without question.Who can forget their first ride on Yoshi,swallowing every Apple in sight.Or flying to incredible places and heights with your new Cape Suit after collecting the feather.Super-Mario World was a huge worldwide success selling over 20 Million copies.It built on the legacy of Super Mario Bro's 3 adopting the 'Top Down' world map used for navigating the 7 worlds.Special power-Up's returned such as the already mentioned Cape Suit( an obvious spin off of the Racoon Suit) and the 'Fire Flower' arming Mario with Fireballs.Its worth mentioning this game was the first in the Mario series to introduce the 'Spin Jump' Attack,which when armed with the Fire Flower Suit Mario would jump and spin rapidly emitting fireballs in several directions.The introduction of Yoshi was a master-class by Nintendo,the music changing when riding upon him was a nice touch and is still implemented today in the smash hit series Super Mario Galaxy.This game raised the bar in a big way ,not only for  future Mario titles,but anybody that dared to make a platform game from that day forward!!
This hazy music from the Forest Of Illusion is simple but perfect,rather like the game itself.More music from the game to follow.........

Super Mario World: Forest Of Illusion(Super Nintendo 1992)

For me the finest music from this amazing game,the Pan-Pipes & tempo are fantastic,pure haunting brilliance.......Just enjoy.

Shadow Of The Beast:Inside The Tree (Amiga 1989)

Discovered my passion for Dance Music around 1988/89. A close friend and neighbour of mine at the time used to hold regular mini 'raves' at his home, himself borrowing his older brothers Vinyl records who was a local DJ at the time. The electronic waves of sound pulled me in and i began purchasing Vinyl records myself. 
As the music entered into what became the 'Rave' era of the early 90's my love for the emerging Hardcore sound took over. I watched the Prodigy live at the Royal Court in 1992 and my love for all things rave was sealed.  I started to attend events every weekend from around 1993 such as : Club Kinetic, The Hard Dock, Vibealite, Helter Skelter, Dreamscape and more locally Maximes, Wigan Pier, Mr Smiths etc etc.
More often than not i would find myself close to the DJ box having a look and thinking wow that must be some buzz literally giving all these people the time of their lives every weekend. I bought my Technics 1200's in 1995 and got right into spending plenty of pennies on Vinyl records,  all of which i still own. My first taste of playing out came at an 'Illegal' rave near my hometown of Widnes. I played a Hardcore set and was buzzing from the experience for days. I went on in my early 20's to hold a residency at a local Pub/Bar for 5 years or so playing parties, New Years Eve's and a regular Thursday night spot were anything from Happy Hardcore to Funky House would be played between 4 or 5 good local DJ's.
 For the large part with some Online Radio experience thrown in, DJing has always been a massive love and generally a hobby of mine.
However more recently after a competition mix for Strictly Oldskool in Ibiza gaining some interest on here and Social Media,  i have received numerous bookings within the Oldskool scene, becoming a regular at the ever growing S2S Festivals, playing alongside household names such as : DJ Slipmatt,Stu Allan, K-Klass, The Rat Pack, Mark XTC, DJ Faydz, Paul Taylor (for his Retro brand) and many more established top DJs within the scene. This has led me to some amazing venues one of which being one of the biggest and most respected of Dance Arena's Bowlers in Manchester, a venue i myself attended as a raver countless times in the mid 90's. 
The last couple of years seen me become a regular DJ for the massive BackByDopeDemand brand from Manchester who keep raising the bar time & time again with their all star Oldskool line-ups. 
I will always be into mixing music its something i just love to do, but this recent degree of recognition has given me even more passion for it all...... ;)
Keep an eye on my Facebook & Twitter for future events i'm playing at.

For info please contact : erayzor76@hotmail.co.uk

DJ Ray Baker

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