Kid Koala
photo by Corinne Merrell

Kid Koala releasing soundtrack for breakdance video game, touring (listen)

The great hip hop producer and turntablist Kid Koala, who was in Deltron 3030, contributed to the first Gorillaz album, has led a lengthy solo career, and lots more, now has yet another project in the works. He teamed with animator JonJon for the breakdance battle video game Floor Kids for Nintendo’s Switch. Here’s the synopsis:

Floor Kids is a new breakdance battle game featuring unique freestyle gameplay, rhythm challenges, and multiplayer sessions. Discover stylized hand-drawn graphics by award-winning animator JonJon set to an original soundtrack by world-renowned scratch DJ/producer Kid Koala. Innovative controls allow you the freedom to play the way you like with a dynamic scoring system that rewards your moves based on musicality, originality, and style. Build up your crew of bboys and bgirls, unlocking new characters and locations as you cross the city, busting hundreds of different moves and countless combinations on your journey from the corner to the club.

Kid Koala contributed 42 tracks / 71 minutes of original instrumental hip-hop and break music, and that’s coming out as a soundtrack album called Floor Kids Original Video Game Soundtrack on April 27 via Arts & Crafts (pre-order). We’re premiering “Five Spot Stomp” from the soundtrack. Here’s what Kid Koala tells us about that one:

Five Spot Stomp’ is a track from a location called The Corner in the video game. JonJon showed me a concept sketch he had done of this location, complete with a crowd of kids standing around cheering on the battle. My goal was to make a track that would fit the visuals he had created. I kept the rhythm target hits relatively simple since it’s still in the early part (level 2) of the game.

Tone-wise, it was fun to make a track that nodded to the beats I grew up listening to when I was in high school, the ones built around a lost loop of an old jazz club jam. I played some upright bass and drums and recorded them with an old RCA ribbon microphone. I then re-sampled all the layers into this very strange Vestax 10 bit sampler to get that crunchy sound, and added a few scratches here and there. Those are my daughters doing the countdowns in the track. We had a lot of fun jumpin’ around in the studio that day!

Listen, and watch the trailer for the game, below.

Kid Koala is also going on the ‘Vinyl Vaudeville: Floor Kids Edition’ tour, including a Brooklyn show on May 18 at Elsewhere Hall with Adira Amram & the Experience and DJ Jester (tickets). All dates are listed below.

Kid Koala — 2018 Tour Dates
Vinyl Vaudeville: Floor Kids Edition
4/26: Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
4/27: Toronto, ON @ Mod Club Theatre
4/28: Detroit, MI @ El Club
4/29: Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
4/30: Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar Cultural Center
5/3: Seattle, WA @ Neumos
5/4: Vancouver, BC @ Venue
5/5: Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
5/7: San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
5/8: Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
5/10: Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
5/12: Austin, TX @ 3TEN ACL
5/13: Dallas, TX @ AT&T Performing Arts Center
5/15: Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
5/16: Washington, DC @ Union Stage
5/17: Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
5/18: Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Hall
5/19: Boston, MA @ The Sinclair

Additional Dates:
3/16 – Taipei, Taiwan – Taiwan International Festival of Arts *
3/22 – Knoxville TN – Big Ears Festival **
3/23 – Knoxville TN – Big Ears Festival **
3/24 – Knoxville TN – Big Ears Festival **
3/25 – Knoxville TN – Big Ears Festival (DJ)
4/13 – Nashville TN – Oz Arts Nashville **
4/14 – Nashville TN – Oz Arts Nashville **
4/17 – Chicago IL – Art Institute of Chicago **
4/18 – Chicago IL – Art Institute of Chicago **

* – Nufonia Must Fall Live
** – Satellite Turntable Orchestra