Donkey Kong Country - DK Island Swing [Restored]

[@ajretro6784]

That trombone wail, which is often overlooked in a lot of remixes and covers, is in full glory now... amazing.

[@duckypiee]

doncey cong

[@ZironOfTime]

doncey cong

[@iidentifyasnon-retarded9214]

doncey cong

[@slug8039]

doncey cong

[@wuffalo]

doncey cong

[@KC-bg1th]

David Wise is the only dude that would start a song with a drum lead, synth making birds chirp, and then having a bass line so funky that it takes precedence over the lead.

[@LatinaCreamQueen]

David Wise like "yeah these drums are great and all, it mixes well with the jungle atmosphere... But what if it was a bit more funky?"

[@coin9584]

I love this bro Childhood memories

[@smartaleckduck4135]

I gotta say, if you pieces starting with drums and groovy walking bass, check out Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing) by the King of Swing himself, Benny Goodman. Can’t speak to the birds chirping but there’s a clarinet which is kinda close haha.

[@leavingYoutube-m6i]

StarFox Adventures brought me here lol

[@tibby4503]

I absolutely love the way this song begins. You have some typical jungle ambience, with a basic drumbeat that slowly gets louder. Eventually a secondary drum comes in, drowning out the jungle sounds. Following soon after is a bassline, with some other accompanying sounds to set the tone. Soon it gets into full swing, and the iconic DKC melody kicks in. It's really exciting, and absolutely worth all the buildup. When it finishes, we get a nice transitioning part... And then it becomes something completely different, that's also pretty good but honestly should've been its own song. It's kind of disappointing honestly, it doesn't even sound that much like a jungle stage. Still, adore that first half.

[@trace6314]

lmao that sudden dance scene made me laugh

[@AugustRenders]

Same here.

[@buzzytrombone4353]

I was expecting like the Three Stooges to show up 😂😂😂😂

[@Jdabomb93]

Buzzy Trombone Or Charlie Chaplin Lol

[@josephbacon9918]

That's because this tune is known as DK Island Swing! 😄 I've always wanted to hear this music at a swing dance!

[@Swordsmage]

I read this comment and still wasn't prepared.

[@inkywright]

The first 60 seconds alone is the most immersive tone-setter for a video game soundtrack I've ever felt in my life.

[@crastipeter]

Hello DK fans! I have just released my debut album CRASTI LAND a few weeks ago and since the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack is among my top 3 biggest music inspirations, I thought I might share the news with other fans :) I have worked super hard on this album and I am so thankful for every single listen and review, thank you in advance! Have a sweet banana day!

[@CaptinNabil7]

All these restorations, especially this, sound so good. It sounds like what Donkey Kong Country would've been if it was on CD-Rom if Nintendo went through with the CD Add-on idea for SNES instead of being put on Cartridge.

[@IsolatedModder]

CaptinNabil7 Nintendo did actually release the soundtracks on CD. DKC saw the release of DK JAMZ, and DKC2 and 3 saw their own releases as well, but the music on them sounds so...over-orchestrated. The CDs are incredibly rare and sell for hundreds of dollars, but they pale in comparison to the production of these remasters.

[@DespyCL]

@@IsolatedModder werent the cd sountracks the same as they were in game? Perhaps they reduced or eliminated the gaussian interpolation, but the music itself still sounds compressed due to the sounds themselves being compressed for the snes sound chip.

[@IsolatedModder]

DespyCL They were, but as a kid, it sounded so weird hearing them without any compression techniques being used. In comparison to the actual instrumentation and much better/modern mixing and production techniques from Sam's videos, they feel like night and day.

[@DespyCL]

@@IsolatedModder Well i can understand that. The gaussian interpolation in-game made the music sounds even more compressed and lower quality than it was, so the cd release actually improved them in that area. Not by much, but it was the best quality by the time.

[@TheSuperPlayer707]

But the cartridge it's supposed to be the grace of this game... Do you remember "No enhancement chips", "no CD ROM", "No FMV"?

[@TheMedicFoxx]

0:55 this one part always gets stuck in my head. That bass line is on another level

[@fungusmeister259]

I feel the exact same way, man

[@_lucas.antunes_]

I was stuck with this in my head for weeks and couldn't remember where was it from. I recently discovered ChatGPT and decided to give a try on telling it the notes I guessed the bass line played and the game I THOUGHT it was from (some DK), and it told me it was this song 😍😍😍 This part specifically is very catchy, indeed.

[@BabaHamoudy]

Me too, I need a song with just that part

[@crimsama2451]

iirc the DKC soundtracks were a massive technical feat at the time. but goddamned even ignoring the painstakingly tedious coding each track needed to operate on the system, the songs themselves are absolute bangers. it was obviously worth all that effort to bring these tracks to life on such a restrictive system.

[@judewelos]

@GodZpeed X7 Are you an SNES dev lmao

[@dalemuir1105]

In the case of DKC it was painstakingly tedious. What Dave Wise did should not have been possible even in the SNES.

[@judewelos]

@@dalemuir1105 Thank you!

[@LiveHedgehog]

@@dalemuir1105 I'd be interested to hear why. I'm not doubting you, I just want to know :)

[@dalemuir1105]

@@LiveHedgehog He programmed the sounds in hexadecimal so that he could circumvent the 64kb of RAM the music was alloted. The PCB sound sampling only allowed for very short samples (very small file sizes). That's why in Aquatic Ambience you hear droning synth that shouldn't be possible on the SNES (compared to each voice usually being a short blast that can be repeated in monotone for sustain effect, such as a flat trumpet sound), and why the track (and others, such as DK Island Swing) are exceptionally long, bypassing the SNES' usual low-limit capacity. He programmed them - using hex code - to mimic existing synth sounds. Anyone please feel free to correct me or pick my explanation apart - I'm but no means an expert on synthesis chips or sound-sampling. I get the gist of it but don't know if I'm explaining it correctly.

[@JamminSamMiller]

Stock footage credit: the documentary JAZZ 2000

[@dirkhardpeck9879]

I died when that came on. Nice job lmao

[@TheSuperPlayer707]

Oh, it was a jazz dance... Cool

[@FrankHarwald]

Have some cuddle-me-buff! :D

[@Mel-nw2ko]

Where can I find this to watch?

[@soulubilityofficial6635]

Is no one going to talk about how great the build up to the song is? Like you’re just building layer upon layer with the drums and those ambient chords, and then you get to the part where the drums and walking bassline begin, and then it culminates in that piano fill with the trill right before the main melody kicks in. Genius, incredible composition. This is why it’s my favorite piece of video game music.

[@k-leb4671]

Well, the great build up is a given. We all appreciate it.

[@ThePharphis]

My comment is going to be about the level design... That first level is sooo good for teaching about the mechanics and secrets of DKC. You got hidden items in the ground (where most will land), an animal to ride who will 99% of the time reveal a secret cave, easy-to-find tokens and other things. It's crazy!

[@eggwhitepopcorn2918]

Don't forget about the really easy green balloon that rewards players for checking things out even though there's a high possibility there's nothing there

[@silverseth7]

Isn't there also some rather immediate secret barrels just offscreen?

[@sem_aki]

1:55 wow that part is breathtaking

[@dani1215_]

You're breathtaking!!

[@BionicMan9988YTC]

@@dani1215_ you’re all breathtaking!

[@Yanncki64]

Damn you weren't kidding, instant chills

[@Pikachungus42069]

Uhmmm

[@RicardaSegal]

Fun fact: While developing the game, Rareware studied and observed Gorilla behavior at the Twycross Zoo to help them animate DK and Diddy.

[@Jojje4567]

0:37 Hearing this part uncompressed is such an eargasm that it can’t be described.

[@davinchristino]

Reminds me of the Country Returns version

[@Mike14264]

Those dancing scenes at 1:05 were unexpected! Well, it is called the "DK Island Swing" for a reason.

[@Fruitman1997]

Not gonna lie, I haven’t shed a tear at music since Tropical Freeze. This series holds more memories and feelings for me than ANY other, and hearing this moved me. You’re doing fantastic work. I’m excited to listen though all of your content, and please keep continuing to provide this amazing stuff! I’ll be here to support it all. Honestly, thank you. You’ve made my day with this xx

[@UNKLE_Lolo]

Agree, had the same feelings when I heard the aquatic ambience restored, so much memories and nostalgia back then, those were the days!

[@djjnh6141]

You’re welcome

[@mimosa27]

The part at 0:33 still takes my breath away, like only very few music tracks do. Especially when the synth strings come and echo on top of that exquisite bass line

[@pocodyess9280]

1:05 The part you all came for

[@dasffs]

I had no idea what it was about but I appreciate it a lot.

[@guardian8926]

No, its 0:00.

[@chaunceybillups5436]

How could I come for it if I didn't even know it was there?

[@rosin632]

You mean from 0:00 to 5:15

[@Jonathan-rv1cj]

@@rosin632 same

[@zacariasdelalcazar8873]

Like Dunkey said, when two Serious and Respected Gamers meet each other on the street, THIS is the game they talk about.

[@jess648]

the complete tonal shifts of this song though. it begins as tribal drums and the sounds of the jungles wildlife, picks up as a swing-esque song and then ends on a very “adventurous” ambient sound and I love that

[@KJ7QLV]

They say that this was actually three songs that David Wise wanted to put in the game but they just combined them for some reason

[@SomeRobIoxDude]

⁠​⁠but in the end it made one of the most technically impressive SNES songs ever

[@jess648]

@@SomeRobIoxDude that definitely goes more to songs like Aquatic Ambience, Life in the Mines, Fear Factory, Cave Dweller Concert and a lot of DKC2 tracks I think

[@jess648]

@@KJ7QLV it was allegedly the product of three demos David Wise sent when applying to be the game’s composer with Nintendo iirc. I don’t know the exact details and those have never been released..

[@Schwarzorn]

Thank you. And congratulations, Sam! You’ve now restored half the soundtrack to DKC1! :D 11 songs out of 22 (plus four jingles).

[@JamminSamMiller]

WHOA-OH WE'RE HALFWAY THERE 🎶

[@djjnh6141]

Wow I’m halfway there, only 11 more to make

[@kaphizmey6229]

@@JamminSamMillerWHOA-OH SQUIDWARD ON A CHAAAAIR 🎶

[@silentzorah]

2:40 "FBI, OPEN UP"

[@RefriedBeanie]

I hear it too

[@josephbacon9918]

Lol 😆

[@Bonetrousle]

wh

[@josephbacon9918]

@neArac It's the knocking sound. It sounds like someone (like the FBI) knocking on someone's door.

[@Sakis_Husband]

Waking up from a nap to discover this being uploaded is like waking up to find out that you have one last present under the tree that you missed, and the present turns out to be one of the best presents you get that evening.

[@mintyaquagreen1675]

1:42 Love this part!!!

[@kristoffersonsilverfox3923]

I'm a sucker for good bass lines, and this one is the perfect definition of an eargasm

[@CtrlAltFumble]

30 years later, and this game soundtrack is still a masterpiece.

[@crastipeter]

Hello DK fans! I have just released my debut album CRASTI LAND a few weeks ago and since the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack is among my top 3 biggest music inspirations, I thought I might share the news with other fans :) I have worked super hard on this album and I am so thankful for every single listen and review, thank you in advance! Have a sweet banana day!

[@mfrace04]

What a great Christmas present. MERRY CHRISTMAS SAM

[@professionalprocrastinator980]

My dad used to own an SNES when I was around 7 or 8, by then it was already a retro console. Donkey Kong country was my favorite game on it, and this is how I remembered the game sounding, it's amazing

[@justvibin1087]

0:33 amazing bass

[@TheBfutgreg]

The synth intro at 0:37 is still my favorite part, so great....the vibe level is off the charts!!

[@Yoshi92]

Oh dear lord, this is pbly the song I heard most as a 5y old kid. You blow my mind with every upload and every dropbox update. tbh I cannot thank you enough for your work man!!! THANK YOU! Every upload makes my day. 🔊

[@cartondehule]

Te felicito, tus trabajos nos llevan a recordar la infancia donde todos eramos felices con el poco contenido que teníamos a nuestras manos y no lo sabíamos

[@KYBlueJedi]

I realized you added this on Christmas day. Thank you and kudos Sam. My DKC SNES console set will always remain the best Christmas present I ever received. This is still true even after 2 decades.

[@aldoferdinand240]

WOW.. My mind traveled years to the past. It was amazing this version. Greetings from Mexico City. I ♥️ DK

[@AbsoluteX.F]

Konkey dong approves

[@SlamBolts]

1:22 is the part I can't help but air drum the shit out of the fill. So fucking good!

[@Remour]

What’s impressive to me is that even despite even despite the restoration, the original still sounds amazing, even if muffled a little bit.

[@RaptureMusicOfficial]

I played that game in 1994 on my Super Nintendo, first time in vacation in Belgium at the beach. Super nostalgia. 1:59 tears in eyes, those bell sounds! Reminds me of Alfred J Kwak TV Series as well, also a great soundtrack. DKC rules!

[@skins4thewin]

You absolutely NAILED this one! Dude this is gonna be big in the retro gaming community I can just feel it.... I can't wait to get my games MSU1 patched with these tracks! Thank you SO much for doing this! Subscribed and belled.

[@RealMephres]

My man, you are literally a genius and god for doing this work. It must be an amazing feeling to remaster/restore tracks of your childhood and give it a studio quality, I'd be amazed by that feeling and extremely happy. I also see that a lot of people, (almost) everyone loves your work, too. Great work on every single restoration, I love them. You deserve the love from the many people here, cheers and have a great day.

[@JamminSamMiller]

It is an amazing feeling. I have to hold myself back from making these nonstop because I have work/friends/other music endeavors and it's so great to read all the comments from people everyday :)

[@RealMephres]

@@JamminSamMiller Haha, I am happy that you like your work a lot and see so many people that like your work in the comments. I personally never saw someone somewhere who had the ability to make so many people happy with his/her restorations of oldschool video games and/or music. You truly are talented and know how it works. Well deserved. :)

[@JamminSamMiller]

@@RealMephres Thank you :)

[@RealMephres]

@@JamminSamMiller No problem :)

[@Nathan-oi9er]

The bass at the start of the main chorus.... God

[@sunbirth4795]

the greatest part of the greatest song in the game has now been orchestrally renditioned for a blockbuster movie. Incredible.

[@420Birkin]

That build-up is so sick. Gets me going everytime

[@Leon--Kennedy]

I like how this was uploaded on Christmas

[@zurypuebla8879]

Mr Wise turned slow-paced drums into rock 'n' roll instantly

[@ZhyBeth]

A Happy (late) 30th Anniversary To Donkey Kong Country!

[@ForeverMaggie420]

Also thanks for the bomb ass Christmas present, AKA, this song

[@PH96Official]

ONE OF THE BEST SONGS FOR A FIRST LEVEL IN A GAME EVER MADE, *FIGHT ME!*

[@vodkaandpizza]

no need to fight, because i agree

[@Dovah21]

I love the moody intrigue the track gives way to towards the end, like you're trekking alone thru a dark forest in the rain.

[@Dante...]

The build up section from 0:00 to 1:04 has always been my favorite part.

[@Frilleon]

one of your best to date! magical

[@Duhemsounds]

Beautiful work, DKC is the first full OST I've listened in my childhood =3

[@LoveLessgnato659]

When the party starts 1:00

[@LoveLessgnato659]

when you're not invited 1:25

[@Manobaru]

1:05 nice youtube interface in the video you got there, lol

[@SethOmegaful]

1:32 - this part could receive some remixes. I bet it could end up being epic.

[@lepidotos]

It speaks volumes when I get nostalgic happiness listening to a remaster of a song I first heard barely three or four months ago.

[@chico10193]

Masterpiece. When that keyboard came in with the way you edited this video had me dying lol good stuff.

[@purple9847]

Thank you for all these restorations. They are all amazing

[@MageAtYou]

best part is obviously 1:55 to 2:30

[@SystemBlocked94]

I don't know why but seeing that guy do the turtle club in black and white killed me

[@andromendoza2928]

Amigo esto es lo mejor de la vida, me recuerda mi infancia, Felicidades gran trabajo

[@thygamesbv]

This Is Truly A Christmas Present, Thank You

[@justinwentworth1467]

funky kong with that bassline

[@robertmcknightmusic]

wow this restoration sounds amazing!

[@vjfperez]

This song is a work of genius

[@Sans_The_Skeleton]

All they told the composer was “make a jungle song” he made 3 and they used all of them

[@Cyberbrickmaster1986]

1:30 Is the part that plays in level 2 in Donkey Kong Country Returns.

[@GraySheep1717]

Yes!

[@jemandtheholograms9895]

I had this playing on the bathroom speaker while I was taking a shower and I randomly looked and saw the people dancing in black and white 😂 that was perfectly synced and hilarious and I was NOT expecting to see that! You are wildly funny for that

[@tbowne05]

This is really wonderful. Thank you for going to the trouble. I was just playing the version of donkey Kong country that was released on the switch. I couldn't help but think of how as much as I love the game It just has an age that well. If Nintendo put some effort into updating the graphics and the music files, it would go such a long way to making the game more appealing in 2020. If only they had used music files like this.

[@Danyplaysboblox]

The restoration song always ended up being a real banger and I like it

[@BananaMana69]

How? Like just how does someone come up with music this good?

[@cecilia.santana]

This is gorgeous!

[@ssasdddddt]

Brilliant, love these!

[@spaceboundtomars]

Love when it really gets going at 0:55 gets you hyped to start swinging

[@JesusDaLawd]

Nice very nice

[@devakari8347]

You can here the inspiration from Benny Goodman's "Swing Swing Swing" with the sort of tribal swing drums at the beginning. Then the tasty, hard swingin' bass with the added big-band horn section having sharply-accented background parts makes for such a classic experience! This is why Jazz is the greatest genre conceived. So damn groovy!!!

[@husepher]

THIS IS INCREDIBLE

[@bombabombom3603]

You can hear the 20th century in this track perfectly.

[@MaddiePlushie]

This slaps. I have a newfound apprecaition for DK Country soundtrack.

[@jwest88]

I've got to do a playthrough on PC with my headphones on. Wouldn't be these restored versions, but would still sound a lot better than it would coming out of my T's speakers. This one is so good. I need to listen to the whole playlist this week.

[@Espartanica]

Going from TV audio to headphones audio is one of the biggest leaps in quality I remember from my gaming experiences.

[@jwest88]

@@Espartanica I've since bought hifiman Anandas and better amp/dac. So should be quite good.

[@notcheeseburger997]

For over 28 years, it became a meme, but it still sounds good for over 41 years of Nintendo being born. Thank you.

[@captainkev10]

Though several different genres are addressed in the score, it's fair to say that jazz is prevalent throughout. I wonder if the composer was influenced by Louis Prima. At any thanks, thanks so much for your efforts.

[@228-n6f]

I think It’s very likely he was the inspiration for this track, and makes a lot of sense too. He voiced Louie in the Disney version of the Jungle Book, and like the DK games, jazz is also prevalent in the movie for a jungle-y yet jazzy sound. The only difference is David Wise incorporated the African Sub-Saharan influences with use of the synths in DKC, and the movie is theatrical as most of the Disney movie.

[@JamesJAKAZeldaboy14]

The resoration is lovely. I like how clean everything sounds, but the SNES compression they did still holds a charm to these wonderful insturment. Keep up the great work on restoring the tracks Sam!

[@MadrmanX]

Now I want to find one of these for Super Mario RPG...

[@joaonitro5149]

Good news.

[@gregholman2431]

What a rather famous and iconic video-game tune.

[@KGBeast.]

The drum opening feels like it's hyping up something awesome like a WWE match or something up

[@SouthJerseySam]

The score certainly reflects well on both the atmosphere as well as the adventure. You start out in the jungle atmosphere, admiring the scenery, but then you see the first enemy to stomp and you realize you're on an adventure and you have to fight every Kritter and Kremling standing in your way. The music becomes more intense as you move along in the jungle. David Wise really knew how to play out the music for the game.

[@nickyjames1985]

The dark tones in this track really spoke to me as a 9 year old kid who grew up listening to Joy Division and the Cure with mum

[@camimartinezvaras]

Amo esto 🌈 recuerdo la emoción de jugar DK cuando pequeña 👏💚

[@PanSangex]

Omg I didn't expect that transition 😂

[@aninymouse1651]

Thanks, man. Merry Christmas, Sam!

[@Petey0707]

Hell to the yes.. Yes to the hell! Classic game is classic! Bravo, DK! You've done did it again!

[@zero_meercat8624]

What a beautiful level

[@Duwap777]

I was born in 2010 but my dad happened to have an old working playstation 2 laying around, so my childhood was litteraly playing this game over and over again, even tho i couldnt even get past the levels with the snake.

[@Paintopwn]

Combining this ages audio technology wild old bangers is pure audio pleasure

[@JoseMonzon-nv7zj]

Amazing video, really made me dance and cry

[@johnbono2384]

WHY IS THIS AS GOOD AS IT IS

[@Phillbato]

I haven't played this game in years and yet still this jam randomly gets stuck in my head 😂

[@nickmiller8855]

When the dancing broke out, it took my breath away.

[@danovidaurri]

Thank you so much for doing this! You made my day.

[@xXBlueSheepXx]

DKCTF really made me appreciate the 3rd part of this song more.

[@SlyctonOfficial]

1:01 - Where did you get those clips from the dancers in black and white screen?

[@JamminSamMiller]

Archive.org

[@SlyctonOfficial]

@@JamminSamMiller By any chance, do you remember or know the name of those clips? I know they're from dances called Shag (or Collegiate Shag) and Lindy Hop, but the source of them, especially the 3rd clip.

[@neroangelo1464]

0:55 when the goosebumps intensify