I’ve been playing bass for around 15 years now, and one of my favorite types of music to play is funk. Specifically, the funk slap bass. But even before I plucked my first note, I dug the slap bass. Sure, I could give you a laundry list of who’s who in bass guitar (Victor Wooten FTW!), but not even they were my first exposure to the stylings of slap bass. No, no, no, that honor would go to Galaxy Force and Galaxy Force II.
I can still vividly remember walking into the Aladdin’s Castle at Towne East mall and beholding the visage of the beast that was the full Galaxy Force arcade machine. This was no mear cabinet mind you, it was a twisting, rolling, spinning machine that responded to your every move. But that wasn’t the half of it. Though I was blown away by the amazing graphic, controls, and overall experience, the music caught my attention from the first note. What was this funky beat I was hearing? This melodic bass running through these melodies. Something about that bass just stuck in my head. Even years later, I can still hear those riffs grooving in my brain.
Of course, as a bass player and lover of all things video games, I have learned my share of video game songs. But as I was strolling through YouTube land, a video caught my eye. It was of a faceless man playing bass accompanied by the original arcade soundtrack of Galaxy Force II. Even though many of you haven’t the faintest idea what Galaxy Force II is, I find it amazing. Alright, I’ll stop geeking out and show you the video. Enjoy!
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