The Best Things That Start With D: Donkey Kong Soundtrack
As a man who said Awoooooga and pretended to honk some big ol' natties no less than 20 times when talking about DD's in the Best Things That Start With D Draft, no other selection got my juices flowing more than KB writing in Donkey Kong Mine Cart Levels. I've been on record a million times saying Donkey Kong 2: Diddy Kong's Quest is not only an all-time Super Nintendo game, but one of the best video games ever created. DK2 took everything that was great about the also nearly perfect first DK game, with a few changes for the better like the character change to Dixie. Donkey Kong is an OG, but Dixie's hair twirl is elite when you need to get out of trouble.
The mine cart levels were some of my least favorite, simply because of the stress from trying to time the jumps, but the sounds from the mine cart levels are S tier noises. The way the mine cart clanks on the steel tracks creates an ASMR nostalgia that takes me back to playing SNES with my brother in the living room of our childhood home.
The frustration created from the mine cart levels had NOTHING on how irritating the underwater worlds could get. If it wasn't for the incredible vibes the soundtrack created for the water levels, I probably would have rage quit by throwing my controller through the television. No matter how hard you tried to stop your character, you just kept swimming. But thanks to a little synth and saxophone to calm me down, I didn't murder anyone.
There is an interview out there with David Wise, the British composer who created the DK soundtracks, and he said the Aquatic Ambiance took 5 weeks to compose and his inspirations were British synth artists and the guy who created the iconic Chariots of Fire theme music. You're not missing much if you don't listen to the interview, but it was nice to put a face to the soundtrack of my childhood.
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The sun is out for the first time in weeks, I currently have the Purdue/Wisconsin game on mute, and I've got the DK2 blasting through the speakers as I clean my apartment on a Sunday. Can't beat these vibes. Listen to the full soundtrack below, and also check out the full episode of The Bracket on Rumble.