Soundtrack Sunday – Sleeping Dogs

Howdy Amigos!

Apologies for the silence, life has a sometimes unpleasant way of throwing challenges across our paths that we aren’t necessarily prepared for, and it can take a while to deal with the diversions we have to make to meet those challenges. Whilst that can be a frustration and at times upsetting, there is no better way to refocus your mind on overcoming this challenge then by listening to some music to soothe your restless soul.

This week’s choice for Soundtrack Sunday is a track I first encountered when playing the video game “Sleeping Dogs” for the 1st time. For those of you that don’t know of the game, you play an undercover cop named Wei Shen who returns to Hong Kong from the U.S. You are given the mission of infiltrating the Triad underworld, which gives you the opportunity to explore the city Grand Theft Auto-style. One of the game scenarios places Wei Shen into a confrontation with some thugs in a nightclub, with the objective being to battle your way out. As you begin to smash your way through the bad guys, the in game DJ throws on a track by the artist Hudson Mohawke called “Fuse”. The track stands out because it’s hardly the type of track you’d choose to play during a fight scene; it has a slightly 80’s inspired synth intro that is then met with a dubstep bass pattern, hand claps  and tabla drum arrangement that are soothing and haunting at the same time. I found myself nodding to the beat and then eventually and then pounding some poor Triad’s head into a bar to the rhythm of the beat. I defeated them all just as the track came to an end, and then I did something that I don’t think I have ever done before. I restarted the scene just so I could listen to the track again! After completing the level, a quick trip to YouTube taught me that I was not alone, over 70,000 others who had played the game had come looking for the track too. “ It’s beautiful” is the best quote that I can find from other gamers to describe the track, and it truly is beautiful. There’s nothing particularly complex about it, but it’s so wonderfully well crafted, you get completely swept up in it. One poster suggested the track should be used as the title music for a Sleeping Dogs sequel, and I for one, couldn’t think of a better choice. If you have never played the game before and your a fan of beat’em ups, then I suggest you head over to your nearest game retailer, pronto. If you haven’t heard the track before and you want to have a chilled out Sunday afternoon, click here! Hudson Mohawke – “Fuse”

Jason.