History Main / CircusSynths

* In ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestIV'', the [[https://youtu.be/tTSklIng1oA?si=_t0HpwcED0OjT9am?t=47m2s Galaxy Galleria Mall/Skate-O-Rama]] theme has a circus-style synth organ melody.

* ''VideoGame/StarFox1'''s [[SecretLevel secret]] [[AcidTripDimension "Out of This Dimension"]] stage has a BossBattle with a giant slot machine set to a circus/carnival synth medley of children's songs.

* In ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestIV'', the Galaxy Galleria Mall/Skate-O-Rama theme has a circus-style synth organ melody.

* ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}'': In ''Door to Phantomile'', the plucky, evil little clown Joka is always associated with electronic music of some sort. His normal {{leitmotif}}, "[[https://youtu.be/ph4bxV8x-Uw Joker Mood]]" is a bouncy techno tune, while his battle theme, "[[https://youtu.be/Ijg1lUcNsUk Facade & Blade]]" starts out with some CreepyCircusMusic before switching to a dance tune with synth strings.

* Music/TakeThatBand's appropriately titled pop album ''The Circus''. Their tour ''Take That Presents: The Circus Live'' featured a circus-like set and costumes, with clowns, balloons, and other props as well.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog3'': The music for Carnival Night Zone [[https://youtu.be/gHwHiymSojk Act 1]] and [[https://youtu.be/BJzYJtqpGKQ Act 2]], aside from being played on the Genesis' 16-bit sounds, were based on Music/MichaelJackson's pop music, like most of the game's soundtrack. However, the 16-bit synth sounds are evocative of a calliope and the track also quotes "Entrance of the Gladiators" (a.k.a. "that one circus song) so the track is more of a mix of the traditional and modern.

Clowns and circuses in fiction can use electronic music for a variety of effects. For example, clown characters with synth-y {{leitmotif}}s can be [[FunPersonified cheerfully eccentric and quirky]], [[MagicalClown exceptionally powerful in magic]], or [[MonsterClown utterly terrifying]], with an edge that traditional instruments can't quite communicate. When a fictional circus uses electronic music, it might be because the performers are trying to appeal to modern audiences (InUniverse or not.) Singers who specialize in pop, hip hop, and similar music genres might make songs or even albums with a circus theme as a way of [[CircusEpisode trying a new aesthetic]] without breaking away from their signature sounds too much.

Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} mentions this phenomenon on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_music#Instrumentation one line of its page on circus music.]]

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog3'': The music for Carnival Night Zone [[https://youtu.be/gHwHiymSojk Act 1]] and [[https://youtu.be/BJzYJtqpGKQ Act 2]], aside from being played on the Genesis' 16-bit sounds, were based on Music/MichaelJackson's pop music, like most of the game's soundtrack.

** [[https://youtu.be/a_zuBD7jdmQ Afro Circus/I Like To Move It]] combines a silly song about afros, circuses, and polka dots (to the tune of "Entry of the Gladiators") with the dance/electronic instrumental tune of "I Like to Move It."

Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} mentions this phenomenon on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_music#Instrumentation one line of its page on circus music]].

May overlap with FreakyElectronicMusic and CreepyCircusMusic.

!!Examples

[[AC:Film - Animated]]

[[AC:Music]]

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC:Visual Novels]]

When you think of circus or carnival music, you probably imagine something old fashioned, like a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliope_(music) calliope]] or a brass band. While these instruments are still very common in circus music, sometimes creators want to give their circus setting a more modern edge. To do that, they need a more modern style of music.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest'': Target Terror and Rickety Race, the [[MineCartMadness skullcart-riding levels]] in Krazy Kremland - half-circus, half AmusementParkOfDoom - are accompanied by ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUGU_Zlf9tU Disco Train]]'', a catchy techno/disco fusion, that nicely reflects the frantic nature of the levels themselves. Unfortunately it can't really be appreciated in-game, as it's obscured by the sound of grinding rails, signals and fireworks, and it doesn't help that both levels aren't exempt from the game's [[NintendoHard legendary difficulty]]. The ending music for both Diddy and Dixie also gets a techno treatment.