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A Cosmic Combination for Space Channel 5

A Space Channel 5 sequel featuring Janelle Monáe would be a match made in heaven, says Aaron Lee

Janelle Monáe meets Space Channel 5Space Channel 5 and Janelle Monáe have a lot in common, but the thing that makes them perfect for an all-consuming intergalactic match-up is their gift for making music that never fails to get you moving. Vibrant, charismatic, euphoric music that sends tingles of excitement along your spine and inexplicably triggers a montage of warm colours and sunny emotions in your heart. It’s time there was a Space Channel 5 sequel with the galaxy’s freshest songstress making her video game debut.

Created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi during his Sega years, Space Channel 5 is a rhythm action game that follows Ulala, the bubbly, pink-haired news reporter, as she busts out energetic dance moves you won’t see on Strictly Come Dancing to the sound of jazzy J-pop rhythms. Embracing all the charm and razzle-dazzle of 1960s sci-fi throughout its aesthetic, from Ulala’s rocketpack tank top, miniskirt and platform shoes to backing dancers’ combo of oversized sun protectors and crazy skin-tight suits, Space Channel 5 is retro cool.

Ulala and crew

It’s a game about celebrating the likes of Star Trek, Lost in Space and The Jetsons, while amplifying the 60’s sentiment of ‘live free and be who ya wanna be’. You feel these themes in its daring music, which sounds every bit like it was made for a cult TV show, bringing music from Austin Powers (‘Soul Bossa Nova’), The Avengers and Gerry Anderson’s UFO to mind. Play-wise, beneath its bizarre, yet attractive, visuals, lies a challenge of memory, timing and dexterity steeper than Parappa the Rapper. Keeping Ulala dancing to the rhythm of the music is the only way you get to experience all of Space Channel 5’s sci-fi majesty.

So where does Janelle Monáe fit in to all this? Two words: Michael Jackson. Yep, if you’ve seen Moonwalker, then the King of Pop’s cameo as ‘Space Michael’ in this all swinging, all dancing, pop culture epic isn’t that outlandish. His chrome-suited avatar had a bigger role in SC5P2, fitting in beautifully with the game’s expressive character. Michael broke boundaries in music, style and culture. Janelle Monáe has the same pioneering spirit, the same extraordinary musical talent, and intelligence far beyond her years. She is the best thing since the King of Pop and she was born to be in Space Channel 5.

Space Michael

Joining Janelle’s alter ego, Cindi Mayweather, on a journey through Metropolis proves to be a rapturous experience. This multifaceted, conceptual arts project, that encompasses original narrative, cultural homage and an unparalleled blend of musical genres, is like an idea straight out of the distant future. Influences, such as Blade Runner, Isaac Asimov, Princess Leia and James Brown, don’t represent even a fraction of the depth present in her debut album, The ArchAndroid. Funky, infectious R&B, graceful ballads, hints of gospel, hyperactive percussion, triumphant guitar riffs backed by angelic choruses, and Janelle’s tender voice the centre of it all. Her tale of forbidden love between android and human is classic sci-fi stuff, and strikes peril, excitement and wonder into your heart, as well as being a serious allegory on equality and race relations.

Can you imagine what Space Channel 5: Part 3 would be like with Janelle Monáe? Ulala and Space Jane would dip and dive their way across Saturn’s rings, cruise through neon streets and infiltrate alien war factories as they save the galaxy, one planet at a time. They’d be grooving like schizophrenics and the effect would be psychedelic. Donning a classy tux, her hair protruding skywards in a rebellious quiff, Janelle’s artsy background means she’d compliment SC5’s 60s styling flawlessly. Even if Mizuguchi and his team produced new audio-visuals and left the gameplay untouched, the game would still be totally cosmic.

Janelle Monáe - 'Tightrope' feat Big Boi. Shake it, baby!

There have been dozens upon dozens of eyebrow-raising pairings over the years: Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, Mario and Sonic, Disney and Marvel, Brad and Angelina, Simon Cowell and Satan? You get the idea. In a world where the King of Pop can team-up with a dancing news reporter in a Japanese rhythm action game, anything can happen. And, right now, Janelle Monáe needs to be in Space Channel 5: Part 3.

Wanna talk Space Channel 5 or Janelle Monáe? Hit me up on @dk33per.

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By dk33per
September 29, 2011

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The Decline of Children’s TV

Kirsten O'Brien in SMart, 2011

It was a time of innocence, of compassion, of playfulness. A time before the Nanny State, rampant gang culture and too many road accidents caused parents to forbid their children from “playing out.” Before the web became everyone’s favourite distraction, before video games conquered the home and before Toy Day was brushed aside by schools for being “too childish.” It was the golden age of children’s television, and I never imagined I would feel such an attachment to it.

During my school days in the 90s and very early 00s, children’s TV was unmissable entertainment for me and the rest of my generation. The faces of children’s TV were the studio presenters. Engrained on so many memories, these affable souls, who weren’t afraid to have a laugh at themselves, had the enthusiasm to make every show feel like a treat for those watching. And with the daily dose of cartoons, factual entertainment shows, dramas and game shows filling the terrestrial schedule at breakfast and after school, why wouldn’t they be?

Read full article…

Tweet your children’s TV memories to @dk33per.

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By dk33per
September 27, 2011

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An appeal for the appealing

“Frankly, I’ve had an amazing idea, and it just might work.”

You know by now, we like a bit of science here on erantsplendens (subs, please align with current style guide). But it seems to be a dwindling interest among the general populace. Some blogs, more salacious than this, have tried to stoke interest by publishing pictures of hott lady scientists. They might look something like this

I think you'll find 'scientease' is the correct terminology.

If this has had any effect, it’s driven an even greater gender imbalance in the sciences at university. As a result, the average bloke in science looks like this:

Definitely a man's man.

Frankly, this needs to be redressed. So, we here at erantsplendens (see prior) are launching an appeal, that goes against our very nature…

BRING FORTH THE SCIENCE MEN

And we don’t want you to nominate current housewive’s favourites like the frankly laughably drippy, befringed and greasy lipped Dr Brian Cox.

Your mother sucks Cox in hell.


No. We want rippling torsoed, shaven-headed, tattoed beasts of men. The type that will chug beer, crush cans against their foreheads, score a touchdown and ride you senseless on a wave of exotic endorphins that they can not only name, but model the various isomers of. The kind of scientist that so far only exists in Hollywood soaps of a certain vintage. Make them real. And where they lead, hot girls will invariably follow.

Don’t believe me? Then think on this, doubt face. Where are the hot dudes currently? Soccer? Acting? And where are the hot chicks? WAGs and Actresses. QED.

So, tell us who the hot science men are, and we will let the world know of their presence. And from their very existence will spring forth future generations of hot science chicks for us all to enjoy. Just imagine a world with a lab-coat enshrouded lady peering over her safety specs at you… ON EVERY CORNER. We can make this happen!

This blog is brought to you by science, and in conjunction with the triforum’s big science bear Starke, and overtly literate hottie Alexa.

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By dbot
September 16, 2011

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A Ghostly presence at Thames Festival


If talk of ‘hip hop’ conjures images of gold chains, dark shades and designer threads, Ghostpoet’s image doesn’t fit the mould. The unimaginative would be quick to class it as ‘geek-chic’, but that’s a lazy description. At ease in his tweed trilby, peering out from thick spectacles and wearing a creased navy blue shirt, Ghostpoet looks remarkably approachable. This thought is reinforced by his music, as he rhymes about the everyday problems we all face. In the words of Dead Prez, this is ‘real hip hop’.

A quiet friendliness resonated from the London-born artist, whose real name is Obaro Ejimiwe, as he took the stage outside the Tate Modern gallery on the final day of the Thames Festival. Ghostpoet’s debut album, Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam, was recently nominated for the 2011 Mercury Prize, but he’s not a household name (yet), and he voiced his surprise at the size of the crowd that had gathered to see him, which stretched right to the riverbank, despite the rainfall.

Ghostpoet... materialising from the ether

Tentatively, he began, introducing the audience to his ambient style of hip hop with a distorted, disorientating crackler (‘Onetwos’). Moody electronic vibes combined with a guitar and drum piece for ‘Run Run Run’. His phantom-like voice urged listeners to run away and fight another day, or so the TV programme said. Retreating to his laptop to cue more sonic synths, Ghostpoet bobbed his head hypnotically to the beat and the audience followed, enthralled.

Vocally, Root Manuva and Gil Scott-Heron come to mind. Ghostpoet’s witty lyricism stands out in ‘Finished I Ain’t’. “Life on the grotty side is hard at best… Used to think that I’m nothing, little voice told me something: life’s too short just to give up now,” he cried, reaching out to the crowd, “so I gain up on it, eff the apocalypse of doubting, wallowing and dry mouth swallowing.” His poetic words express the many things we think and feel as we face the everyday hardships of life.

Singing to survive it

“Is it raining again?” Ghostpoet asked quizzically on this overcast Sunday. The crowd chorused: “yes.” Apologising for elements beyond his control, he reenergised the crowd with the soulful, melodic and timely ‘Survive It’. On ‘Us Against Whatever Ever’ he confides that he and his missus will make it through rocky times together. And on ‘Liiines’, the final track from his debut album, the poet provides an inward glance at his art, “I keep on scribbling, in the spare room I’m living in.” Before thanking the crowd and making his disappearance, he got the crowd jumping with ‘Cash and Carry Me Home’, the mesmeric, off-kilter sound of a hangover.

Modern hip hop is oversubscribed with artists that have all the talk, all the bling, but very little substance. There’s no entourage, no pampering, no fakery with Ghostpoet. From his poignant vocals to his unintimidating dress sense, Ghostpoet is an artist who is proud for the world to see him as he is, and in a music industry full of artists ready to sell their soul just to conform, he is a revelation.

Photos: Aaron Lee

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By dk33per
September 15, 2011

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Adapt and survive… just

Note: This is a bit of a crap way to survive.

There’s talk that we’re heading for a double-dip recession. There are no (good) jobs going; nobody’s safe from redundancy. The housing crisis means if you were born after 1985 and want to buy a house in London, you’re screwed. And because of our current depression, several thousand hooligans reckon that means society owes them the right to steal bagfuls of designer labels and as many electronic goods as they can carry, before setting fire to everything in their wake.

To start my time here on Erant Splendens, I’ve decided to ask the big question, the one none of the grim-faced, outraged politicians, academics or journalists have bothered to answer: In the face of such negativity, how do you protect your gaming lifestyle?

Horribly clichéd though it sounds, you must adapt to survive.

I haven’t plucked this revelation from just anywhere. Game developers came to the same conclusion months ago. Indies are swiftly restructuring to keep their heads above the steadily rising waters of the gaming market. Look at Insomniac, who are now making their first wholly-owned IP for multiple platforms after 15 years of PlayStation exclusivity, or Relentless, who’ve left the successful Buzz! franchise they created to switch entirely to digital platforms. Tim Schafer says his studio, Double Fine, was “saved” by its decision to pursue small-scale projects, which has so far resulted in downloadable hits, Costume Quest, Stacking and Trenched. And individual devs too are laying it on the line by leaving their positions at game studios to make a living selling mobile apps. Just ask Andrew Smith.

Is it time for HMV to go back to its roots?

While game developers are showing us one means of adaptation for the better, major retailer chains are demonstrating how to dig your own financial grave. Whose bright idea was it for GAME stores to sell CDs which consist of X Factor rejects? It’s supposed to be a specialist retailer. At least sell the kinds of CDs gamers want to buy. Another retailer that’s paying for its greedy pursuit to become the UK’s top entertainment retailer, while simultaneously neutering itself with overpriced stock, is HMV. When you’re hunting for rare CDs and vinyl, or merely after some friendly chitchat with other music lovers, chances are you aren’t rushing to HMV. It will have a hard fight against supermarkets and digital downloads, but restoring the range and knowledge that only a specialist retailer can have to its remaining stores might just change its fortunes.

Re by Shen Wei. Wei-inspired review of Child of Eden coming soon

Finally, it’s time to rediscover the skills and qualifications everyone told you are a waste of time. If you’ve got an invention that’s been tucked away in your loft gathering dust for years, it’s time to hit Dragons’ Den. If you’re remotely artistic, it’s time to start shopping your craft around and selling prints on eBay. And if you’ve really no secondary skills to speak of, it’s time to go back to college and get some or else submit to the bane of a part-time job at minimum wage.

There you have it, three ways to adapt and survive the modern depression: Innovate, specialise and rediscover. As for me, I’m certain my phone will be ring nonstop once I finalise my plans for game reviews as told by experimental Chinese theatre. Gamepeople will flip! When it comes down to next month’s big release or a £40 weekly food shop, sacrifices have to be made. Adaptation is the only way we’ll survive to enjoy the luxuries we crave. ’Cause they’re essential, right?

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By dk33per
September 1, 2011

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I’m New Here


Greetings, dear reader.

How you got here really doesn’t matter. You’re here now, so either you know about the lineage of Erant Splendens, its connection to the troublemaking Triforce, and are ready for more irreverent, possibly life changing blog posts or you don’t and aren’t.

For those of you who’ve taken the red pill and are still reading, allow me to fill you in on who I am and how I ended up on this far off corner of the internet.

Having been playing games since the days of the Mega Drive, four years ago I decided to embark on the slippery path of games journalism. I moved to Nottingham to study and ended up writing for the student magazine. Time passed, tea was drunk by the gallon and, with some luck (plus, a lot of hard work and a refusal to sleep), things started to happen.

And at last year’s GameCity festival, the spiritual origin of many a collaboration, I met One Life Left contributor Derek Williams. An energetic personality, the ability to write for 48 hours without sleep and a fondness for SingStar probably aren’t qualities that leapt to the front of his mind when he asked me to contribute, though I’d like to think they’ll come in handy one day.

Maybe it’s because I’m free on Sundays? Maybe it’s because I like to challenge the status quo? Or maybe it’s to shake things up and attract a vibrant, young audience of hip new readers so we can monetise the hell out of this web domain? Nah! (It makes a change to have someone who isn’t a slightly curmudgenly 30+ type – Ed)

But, nevertheless, he saw something, and that something is what I plan to entertain, baffle and captivate you with. Mata  ne! (That’s Japanese for ‘see you later’, I presume – Ed)

If this floats your boat, follow me on twitter @dk33per.

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By dk33per
September 1, 2011

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Music Monday: All Wakefield bands are shit

Or, more accurately, they are shit at reading. You know how in my Long Division festival I said I pretty much don’t like bands that are made up solely of men & generally prefer women singers? Well the actual Long Division people found my post and put it on their Facebook page – you can see it live on Facebook here. Or just below this sentence.

Continued…

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By partario
July 18, 2011

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