Games 2 Items

The vinyl version contains twelve tracks! "Minecraft - Volume Alpha" is the work of German composer and musician Daniel Rosenfeld. Under his stage name C418, Rosenfeld created the sweeping soundtrack and vibrant sound design that brought the voxel-based universe of "Minecraft" to life. Fans and critics alike were blown away by his beatless, balanced electro pieces across the board. Popular gaming site Kotaku listed the soundtrack among its "Best Game Music" of 2011, calling the music "impressively soothing," while The Guardian compared Rosenfeld's fragile pieces of piano and minimalist ambient to legendary artists Erik Satie and Brian ENO. In an interview, Polygon distilled "Volume Alpha" down to its essence: "The soundtrack is not tied to the retro aesthetic of Minecraft graphics. The soundtrack overrides them. The album is an attempt to translate the combined game/music experience into something heavenly."

As C418, composer and producer Daniel Rosenfeld designs sounds to resonate in both physical and pixelated realms. Best known for his original soundtracks to Minecraft, the single best-selling video game of all time, he's developed a discography of instrumental music over the last decade that traverses electronic pop patterns, neo-classical dreamscapes, and sparse ambient motifs. The latter element has broken from the "8-bit" pigeonholing of game music and earned him accolades that reference artists like Erik Satie (The Guardian) and Brian Eno (vice). In 2015, after quietly self-releasing Minecraft Volume Alpha and Minecraft Volume Beta, Rosenfeld partnered with Ghostly International to reissue Minecraft Volume Alpha on vinyl and CD. The release garnered attention from proper music critics and the gaming community alike, becoming one of the most sought after records in the Ghostly catalog. Now, following several restocks of Alpha to fervent fan response, it is time for the soundtrack's second installment to shine. For the legion of listeners and players to, at long last, have Minecraft Volume Beta in tangible formats. Originally self-released in 2013, Minecraft Volume Beta was C418's longest batch of music to date at nearly 140 minutes. The collection features tracks that were "silently" added to Minecraft during its music updates and a few that never officially entered the game. The run time is now adapted to fit the double LP format, while digital downloads include the full set Rosenfeld's unmistakable abilities are on display; he creates a sweeping variety of musical ideas that mirror the limitless universe of Minecraft. Ghostly International is thrilled to give this unique collaboration its due treatment and hopes to see the creative inspiration which drives Minecraft and Rosenfeld continue to disperse by virtue of this unexpectedly universal music.