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Celebrate the Secret of Mana remake with 18 fan-favorite selections performed live in world folk styles by The Travelers VGM.

Press release:
SEATTLE – March 15, 2018 – Materia Collective is thrilled to announce Heart of the Forest, a beautiful tribute to Hiroki Kikuta’s beloved soundtrack to Secret of Mana. Celebrating the recent remake released on the PlayStation 4, Heart of the Forest features 18 fan-favorite selections performed live as jigs, polkas, and marches that are reminiscent of lands such as Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, as well as Spanish, Filipino, Indonesian, and Armenian music. Themes from the game are occasionally meshed with traditional folk compositions that complement the Secret of Mana track. Heart of the Forest is available now for pre-order and will enjoy a full release tomorrow, March 16, 2018:

Heart of the Forest on Bandcamp
Heart of the Forest on iTunes
Heart of the Forest on Spotify

Key moments from the classic Squaresoft RPG can be enjoyed again through these wonderful arrangements, including the majestic opening theme “Angel’s Fear” arranged with soothing mandolin and flute, the whimsical dungeon theme, “Into the Thick of It” done on harp and ocarina, and the adventurous flight theme, “Flammie and I” performed with Irish whistle and guitar. The full track listing for Heart of the Forest is as follows:

01. Angel’s Fear
02. A Phantom and a Rose
03. Into the Thick of It
04. Dancing Animals
05. Distant Thunder
06. It Happened on a Moonlit Night / The Kesh Jig
07. Mystic Invasion / Ballydesmond Polkas Nos. 1, 2, 3
08. Secret of the Arid Sands
09. A Wish
10. Spirit of the Night
11. Calm Before the Storm
12. The Wind Never Ceases
13. Flammie and I
14. Dawn of the Mana Sword / An Dùn Mìorbhaileach
15. The Fortress Rises
16. Pure Lands
17. Peramal Kematian Tiba (The Oracle)
18. D’oscail Mo Shúile / Dhún Mo Shúile

“The ethereal and earthy textures of the original Secret of Mana soundtrack fit perfectly with the folk concept our group tries to promote,” explains arranger Masha Lepire. “I love how we all brought new flavors and ideas to the table but still captured the original essence and beauty of Hiroki Kikuta’s music.”

Learn more about Heart of the Forest:
https://www.materiacollective.com/music/heart-of-the-forest-secret-of-mana

About The Travelers VGM
The Travelers VGM cover game music favorites and obscure selections in folk arrangements of various styles from Celtic, Nordic, Slavic, Spanish, and even Asian traditions. Their membership includes players of a broad variety of instruments from many different parts of the world.

For those who love Yasunori Mitsuda’s Millennial Fair and his Xenogears CREID album, you will be treated to something that embraces the source yet presents something fresh in a live acoustic setting. Featuring members from the Materia Collective, Triforce Quartet, and Tetrimino, The Travelers are a supergroup of some of the most passionate performers and arrangers seeking to bring a unique acoustic experience unlike anything before. Since their inception, The Travelers VGM have released two major album releases (The Travelers and Ode to the Lovers), three EPs (Winterhearth, Prelude to a Fantasy, and Aontacht), contributed tracks to Patient Corgi’s Tribute Album 64, Materia Collective’s SPIRA: Music from Final Fantasy X Besaid Mix, and created an arrangement for Obsidian Entertainment in tribute to Pillars of Eternity.

Learn more: https://www.thetravelersvgm.com
Follow The Travelers VGM on Twitter, Facebook, SoundCloud, and YouTube

About Materia Collective
Materia Collective is a Seattle-based videogame music publisher and label, representing an international array of renowned video game musicians, composers, and songwriters. The collective supports its members with the financial, legal, logistical, and creative aspects of bringing videogame music into the forefront. The company has become known within the industry as a representation of highly innovative game music endeavors that move and inspire.

Learn more: https://www.materiacollective.com

Jonas “O.J” Ek
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround