Bloomsbury is extremely proud to announce the first of fourteen new 33 1/3 volumes…coming to a bookstore (and kindle/iPad) near you in: Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016 and Fall 2016. It was extremely difficult to select these titles from a pool of over 400 brilliant proposals so we hope you enjoy! To highlight each new title and the author behind it, we’ll announce one book each day over the next two weeks.
Super Mario Bros. – Koji Kondo
By Andrew Schartmann
Coming May 2015 !
Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. (1985) score redefined the video game music
genre. With just over 3 minutes of music, Kondo put to rest an era of bleeps and bloops—
the sterile products of a lab environment—replacing it with one in which game sounds
constituted a legitimate form of artistic expression. Author Andrew Schartmann takes us
through the various external factors (e.g., advances in technology, Nintendo’s marketing
tactics) that coalesced into a ripe environment in which Kondo’s musical experiments
could thrive. He then delves into the music itself, searching for reasons why our hearts
still dance to the “primitive” 8-bit tunes of a bygone era.
About the author: Andrew Schartmann holds degrees in music from McGill and Yale University. He is the author of Maestro Mario: How Nintendo Transformed Videogame Music into an Art and has written for Clavier Companion and Music & Vision magazine. He currently serves as the assistant editor of DSCH Journal. One of Andrew’s principal ambitions is to bridge the gap between the ivory tower and the video-game den.
[…] 2 Soundtrack , General MIDI, Evolution of Soundcards, Koji Kondo 33 1/3, New DAW rising, Enzien Audio – Heavy, Nuendo – Game Audio […]
[…] Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros by Andrew Shartmann […]
[…] are far less people interested in Fugazi (or other ‘electric guitar music’) than in video game music, which also says something about our literate culture’s saccharine taste […]
Very original. Very unexpected. I like it a lot. I want to read it now.
This is phenomenal!
See, this one? This one I like.
[…] : Maestro Mario: Comment Nintendo a transformé la musique de jeux vidéo en art. Cependant pour l’ouvrage à paraître l’année prochaine, il se concentrera uniquement sur les 3 minutes de la musique des niveaux de Super Mario Bros. […]
[…] details can be found on the 33 1/3 website. The book is scheduled for a May 2015 […]
[…] para a criação da elogiada trilha sonora de Super Mario 3D World para Wii U. O livro “Super Mario Bros.: Koji Kondo” será lançado em maio de 2015, e você pode ler o anúncio oficial a […]
[…] details can be found on the 33 1/3 website. The book is scheduled for a May 2015 […]
[…] can read more about the book over at the 33 1/3 site, and refresh your memory of the soundtrack itself below. [via […]
[…] a new book about Kondo’s Mario music in its 33 1/3 series about significant albums. In Super Mario Bros. – Koji Kondo, music writer Andrew Schartmann charts the various factors in technology, Nintendo, and culture at […]
[…] can read more about the book over at the 33 1/3 site, and refresh your memory of the soundtrack itself below. [via […]
[…] Bloomsbury announced that the next volume in its 33 1/3 book series will focus on Koji Kondo’s iconic soundtrack […]
That is pretty awesome but it also kills my chances for getting a perfect 14 guessed titles! Brings back memories of the original cartridge and I wish I had my old NES around.
[…] Koji Kondo’s iconic original score for Super Mario Bros. will be the focus of a future entry in Bloomsbury Publishing’s 33 1/3 book series, the company announced today on the series’ blog. […]
[…] Koji Kondo’s iconic original score for Super Mario Bros. will be the focus of a future entry in Bloomsbury Publishing’s 33 1/3 book series, the company announced today on the series’ blog. […]
[…] 333Sound via […]
I absolutely cannot wait for this title! Roll on May 2015!
[…] Link, Link […]
This is a very cool, very ‘outside of the box’ idea. Kudos to the author!
Isn’t 331/3 a series of books about music albums?
Yes it is. We felt that the soundtrack to the Super Mario Bros. game, composed by Koji Kondo, had a huge impact beyond video game music. It definitely deserves the 33 1/3 treatment as an album.
Wow…I’m very interested in reading this. Looking forward to it coming out.
What game was Michael Jackson composing music for, but then was scrapped when all the child abuse allegations came out? Was it this?
Thanks!
Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Oh…thanks.