Spoken, the Sneer God

People often ask me what kind of music influenced me when I was making Streets of Rage. Honestly, there are just too many to name. But more than listing specific tracks, what I really want you to understand is that the music itself was a message. I poured my heart into the tracks so Western gamers could feel how much I was inspired by the popular music of that time. Many of those songs featured distinctive brass and string phrases, and a lot of DJs were sampling beats and bass licks from old jazzy vinyl records. Around that time, club genres like house and techno were emerging, shaping a whole new era of sound. I was deeply influenced by all of that and tried to recreate the style as authentically as I could. For me, it wasn’t just about making cool tracks. It was about honoring the music and culture that had inspired me so deeply. I’m also grateful to SEGA for giving me the opportunity to share that sound with the world through the Mega Drive and Genesis, especially in the West.