Overview

Nanosounds's second major release Steal The Scene is a direct follow-up to Don't Speak, Listen. It intends to gently stimulate listener's minds while relaxing their bodies with a mixture of electronic and jazz music. Six composers, all of whom should be familiar to Ridge Racer listeners, each compose a piece in their characteristic style. This album is slightly shorter than its predecessor with six tracks, though is probably more consistent overall. Let's take a closer look...

Body

"Shanghai discotheque 2001" is one track from Nobuyoshi Sano that I actually somewhat enjoy. His fusion of his typical looped electronic percussion with the jazz theme of the album is almost flawless. The only thing that is somewhat off about this track is the distorted spoken word dispersed throughout the track. Other than that though, Sano shows that this genre might just be his true calling. Another track that is highly enjoyable, but also is somewhat off due to its vocals, is "Baked Alaska". While BKO shows his jazz side more than Sano did, his vocals are also more prominent and just plain weird. I do highly enjoy the screaming brass throughout the track reminiscent of Noriyuki iwadare's jazz contributions. Don't let that turn you away though. Both tracks are still highly enjoyable on their own merits.

Asuka Sakai's "Moonlight Serenade" is a track that throws a bigger jazz card than the others. This one is actually really cool as it takes its name literally and the included vocals are all sung by a female whispering. This gives off the illusion that it's being sung at nighttime. The music itself is somewhat of a club jazz with most of the defining instrumentation being the bass line. We do hear snippets of piano, synth, and flute, but the bass line is always leading the pack.

Koji Nakagawa really kicks the electronic gear into overdrive for his addition. "P.T.S." is one of my favorite tracks on here, for its heavy use of industrial synth and jazzy percussion loops. This piece sounds like it belongs in a racing game, as it has that same progressive techno beat heard in most games of that genre. The album's closer "Deep Into the Tokyo Night" fits its name well. On the one hand, it has the progressive beats typical of driving music. On the other, the forefront of the track channels influences from jazz. Were this an entry into the Ridge Racer series, it'd surely gain instant popularity.

Summary

Nanosounds evidently did it again. Each composer makes a solid contribution to the album with an accessible mixture of electronic, jazz, and even a little vocal music. However, its rarity means that most won't be able to hear this without searching a lot of online auctions and paying a heavy price. Fortunately, Don't Steal compiles the music from this album and one other into a slightly more available package. Some of the track times were shortened, but most of the cuts are minor or even beneficial. It'll be worth it for hardcore collectors.