Menu

«Previous post | Next post»

Funded on Kickstarter by Materia Collective and Braxton Burks feat. sweeping orchestral arrangements and stirring live performances on CD and vinyl.

Press release:
SEATTLE – January 19, 2018 – Materia Collective is thrilled to release Johto Legends: Music from Pokémon Gold and Silver, a sweeping orchestral re-imagining of the classic handheld soundtracks by arranger Braxton Burks. Funded on Kickstarter with nearly 1,000 backers, Johto Legends fulfills its campaign promises and more, giving Pokémon fans over an hour of new music on CD, vinyl, and digital formats featuring breathtaking performances by some of the game industry’s greatest talent with credits that include Pokémon Symphonic Evolutions and The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses as well as games like Destiny, Dragon Age, Tomb Raider, and Minecraft. Johto Legends will transport listeners back to the Johto region to experience the battles, the characters, and the adventure of Gold and Silver once again. Johto Legends: Music from Pokémon Gold and Silver is licensed and now available:

Johto Legends on Bandcamp (Digital/CD)
Johto Legends on iam8bit (Vinyl)
Johto Legends on Spotify

“Johto Legends is a passion project I’ve wanted to fulfill since I was eleven years old,” comments arranger and project organizer Braxton Burks.

“Almost every day after school, I’d get on the bus home and turn on my Game Boy Color, loaded with a copy of Pokémon Crystal Version. I spent countless hours headbutting trees in the Ilex Forest, exploring the remains of the Burned Tower, and tracking down the legendaries Entei, Raikou, and Suicune… but it was the game’s soundtrack that really pulled me in with its memorable 8-bit melodies, an eclectic mix of romantic harmonies and Japanese folk music – the perfect backdrop for the Johto region. Sometimes I’d even imagine what the music would sound like if it were orchestrated by one of my idols, John Williams. ‘I wish I could do that,’ I thought. Well, I ended up carrying that dream to adulthood, fueled by my ongoing love affair with the Pokémon games that persists even to this day. I hope listeners will be able to recall their own nostalgic Pokémon journey – the battles, the towns, the routes and caves… and all the adventures in between.”

Learn more about Johto Legends:
https://www.materiacollective.com/music/johto-legends

About Braxton Burks
Braxton Burks is a Seattle-based composer and arranger of videogame music. He has successfully funded two Pokémon tribute albums on Kickstarter: Pokémon Reorchestrated: Kanto Symphony, a fully orchestral re-imagining of music from Pokémon Red and Blue, and Pokémon Reorchestrated: Double Team!, an anthology of Pokémon tunes across the series performed by live string orchestra and piano. Both albums have landed on the Billboard® charts and gained international recognition.

In addition to his arrangement work, Braxton has composed an original soundtrack for Skymap Games’ upcoming action-platformer game, Bacon Man: An Adventure, slated for a March 2018 release on Steam.

Learn more: https://braxtonburks.com

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.