Square Enix, the game studio responsible for Final Fantasy, is no stranger to the demand for Uematsu’s music either. It has released several arrangement albums of its own, such as “Square Enix Jazz: Final Fantasy,” “Cafe SQ” and the Distant Worlds orchestral arrangements it tours across the globe. Uematsu has never been directly involved with the arrangements of many of these albums, making his recent synthesizer-based solo performances so unique.
“Hearing my music performed outside of Japan was a great experience and a huge honor,” he said. “At the time, orchestral performances of Japanese game music weren’t really common outside of Japan. When I was young, Japan was strongly influenced by American and European culture, but not the other way around. To think that Japanese culture has now left an impression on American and European children makes me realize that times have changed.
In 2002, Uematsu’s passion for prog-rock music led to him forming The Black Mages, a band featuring original Square and Square Enix members performing prog-rock and metal versions of Final Fantasy music. When the group split in 2010, Uematsu carried the concept forward with a new band, Earthbound Papas, adding music from “Lost Odyssey,” “Lord of Vermilion” and “Blue Dragon” to the setlist.
LauncherWP Another final fantasy?
LauncherWP This guy has made some real bangers