The music of Nintendo games make them truly remarkable and memorable. To show our love of the music, every Friday we share a selection of tracks from various Nintendo titles, new and old.

We’re back yet again, though this time, NintyBeats is back under my wing! This week, we look back on the music behind our favourite Nintendo monkey. Now, let’s get it on like Donkey Kong… after the break!

Jungle Hijinx ~ Donkey Kong Country ~ SNES (1994)

Donkey Kong hasn’t always been evil, in fact, maybe he’s just misunderstood by Italian plumbers. Those who were born in the 80’s or early 90’s may recognise this tune by David Wise. Even with the limitations of the time, it can still feel like you are in a very real jungle (some may need some visual or otherwise stimulus to aid your atmospheric immersion). What I love about this track is that it is fairly varied to an extent, you start off with climbing your way through the thick foliage with bird sounds gradually increasing, you then find yourself in the middle of a exciting landscape of jungle… hey, is that monkey playing the trumpet? You then end up finding yourself in a dank jungle cave where mysteries await your discovery, only to repeat yourself once more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xrQUwIB3Es

Grassland Groove ~ Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze ~ Wii U (2014)

DKTF has an absolutely amazing soundtrack so it was hard picking one for here, and it really does a fantastic job introducing you to the third world, Bright Savannah. There’s no build-up in this one, it blasts you straight into the celebratory music.It’s very bizarre, it is almost impossible to listen to this music and be depressed, it’s uplifting, exciting, and exotic. While listening to this wondrous track, you could imagine yourself  trekking out on a safari adventure in a Lion King-esque savannah. Grassland Groove is likely my favourite level to ever come out on a 2D sidescrolling game, it is truly a sensory experience, both auditory and visually, it would be a shame to not to experience both so I’ve attached gameplay from the level below!

DK Rap ~ Donkey Kong 64 ~ Nintendo 64 (1999)

DK! Donkey Kong! DK! Donkey Kong is here!
Thought we’d end off this week with a bit of a fun one. The DK Rap may not be considered the best rap song in the world (in fact some would say it’s the worst), but when coupled with Donkey Kong 64, it kinda adds more to the charm of the game plus, it’s catchy as hell… oops, I mean heck. Thanks to Mr. Kirkhope, I will forever quote lines of the DK Rap at random, though I’ll definitely look forward to his Yooka-Laylee Rap.

That’s it for this week, we hope to see you next week for another edition of NintyBeats. Feel free to send in any suggestions through the comments below, and until next week… if he shoots ya, it’s gonna hurt!

Leon Fletcher

I am a huge Nintendo fan, hence why NintyBuzz exists. I especially love all things Zelda and Metroid. NintyBuzz was started by me back in the Summer of 2014, it started out mainly as a hobby, though the site has gradually grown, and I hope it grows for many years to come!