Due to the growing number of song requests, this time I'll feature a couple of user requests! Incidentally, both appear in the same Taiko games, and will be revived for the upcoming Taiko DX game.
Dun Aonghasa no Fuefuki (ドン・エンガスの笛吹き)| Version |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taiko 12, Taiko PSP DX | x5 (101) | x6 (195) | x7 (369) | x8 (553) |
| Taiko 12 Asian | x5 (101) | x6 (195) | x7 (369) | x8 (552) |
| Taiko Wii 2 | x5 (101) | x6 (198) | x7 (369) | x8 (553) |
| Taiko 0 onwards | x4 (101) | x6 (195) | x7 (369) | x8 (553) |
Taiko 12, Taiko 0, Taiko Wii 2, Taiko PSP DX, CD Full Combo
118
none
ymyrpgA title that makes no sense? Calm down, I'll bring you through it. The first part of the title is a rather weak romanization of Dun Aonghasa, the most famous of prehistoric forts on the Aran Islands in Ireland, and the complete title would translate as 'Flute Blower of Dun Aonghasa'. 'Don Engasu' would remain hard to translate, if not for the song's appearance on Taiko 12 Asia, where the name of the fort is presented in full English (check the song list for details). As the title suggests, the entire song is without lyrics and is made up of a soothing flute and whistle melody throughout. The reason for this choice is explained in an interview by the Taiko Team with the group who composed the song , nicknamed YMY. YMY is widely known on the NicoNicoVideo website for their musical creations, which are also put onto Kou Ogata's "k-waves LAB" website.
The YMY musicians were asked to create "something interesting", and so they worked hard on creating simple, touching melodies, reminding listeners of the high cliffs and ancient fort walls of Ireland. And so Don Engasu no Fue Fuki was born! The group is mainly aimed on the creation of BGM for the console Taiko games; their latest creation is the song of the Mitsubachi Daisakusen minigame, in Taiko Wii 3, and made two other songs for Taiko, Desert de Yakiniku before this, and Zastohl no Madousho after this.
Even for a slow 8* song, Don Engasu no Fue Fuki hides some musical surprises, starting from its peculiar stanza division. By changing from 6/8 to 5/8 beats, the notes flow without any interruption, making the rhythm hard to understand. Stanza confusion aside, the song flows at a steady BPM. It is made up of mainly 2 and 4 note clusters which repeat through the whole song and a few deathstreams at 1/24, which makes for a surprisingly tough song to full combo. Rubbing it in players' faces is a challenge set by the Everyday Dojo in Taiko Wii 2 where the goal is to obtain 350 or higher max combo, when the killer stream is right before that mark.
Though the song isn't playable on Taiko 3DS, Dun Aonghasa no Fuefuki is played in the game as one of the Story mode's background music, usually in conversations with the bard Alto (アルト), the character who plays the songs for boss battles, against both bosses and general enemies.
Kissa Rain (喫茶レイン)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (162) | x6 (245) | x5 (342) | x6 (435) |
Taiko 12, 12 Asia, 12.5, Taiko PSP DX, Taiko Wii 2, CD Full Combo 108 none ksrainAfter several songs with complex musical sonorities and hidden meanings, we have finally a pure instrumental song, without any secret facts. Kissa Rain (which means 'rain at the teahouse') is a slow, calm song, where claps dictates the overall rhythm of the play, literally. Every beat stanza of the entire song will always be a Kat note at 1/4 and 3/4 of the beat stanzas, to follow the clapping sounds in the song, with the exception of the very last stanza, where as you end the sound the sound of falling rain can be heard. The composer, after making this, remained active without players knowing for several years until the Full Combo! soundtrack revealed her identity; Hiromi Shibano (柴野浩美), who also made Obsession Latino, DS3 boss song Bubbly Queen, and rejigged the Beethoven version of Turkish March for Taiko.
Kissa Rain is the first 6* Namco Original in 2 years, after the revival of Taiko no Tatsujin Ai no Theme on Taiko 10. Interesting to note also is that none of the difficulties of this song below Oni have a single drumroll in their notecharts, and there is a very short one at the very end of the Oni difficulty.
