Awesome Music / Jake Kaufman

We can't emphasize this enough: Jake Kaufman (also known as "Virt") has a composing style that is unlike any other. He manages to blend chiptune-style synthesizers with modern instruments to make pieces that have unique sounds and infectuously memorable melodies.

WayForward

• To start things off, Virt's work for the game Shantae is arguably his most notable soundtrack, given that Shantae is more or less WayForward's mascot. Burning Town is a definite fan-favorite.
• The sequel, Shantae: Risky's Revenge, also has a great soundtrack that builds upon some of the original tunes. The Boss Battle music is not only longer, but it has an amazing choice of instrumentation!
• Shantae and the Pirate's Curse continues the trend of one-upping the previous game's music, most notably with yet another excellent rendition of Burning Town, called We Love Burning Town and the Castlevania-esque "Rave in the Grave".
• Virt's dream as a child was to make music for a Contra game, and he fulfilled that dream with Contra 4. The Jungle Theme on Easy and Normal mode is cool, though it sounds like a Suspiciously Similar Song to the classic Jungle theme. This is intentional, as it's a remix of a chiptune piece that Jake made to specifically sound like Contra. However, if you play on Hard mode, you are treated to an AWESOME remix of the original Jungle theme!

• WayForward's series of Mighty titles always have good soundtracks.
  • Mighty Flip Champs!: Most people know Up Next as the Leitmotif for the entire company. And why not? It's such a cool little jingle!
  • Mighty Milky Way: The Title Theme, which has singing from Megurine Luka!
  • Mighty Switch Force!: Virt really outdid himself with both of these games' soundtracks. Special mention goes to Yummy from the first game, and Got2BAStar from the second.
• Double Dragon Neon has a rad soundtrack that consists of remixes of the classic tunes, as well as original songs done in 80's style. It can be downloaded here via a "name your price" model. For remixes:
  • The Main Theme is just as awesome as ever.
  • Space Dojo 1, based off the second stage from the first game.
  • Skullmageddon, Ghost Forest, and Giga Skullmageddon, based off the cave theme from the NES version of the first game.
  • Laboratory 1, based off the Mission 1 theme from the second game.
  • Tube Ride, based off the palace theme from the first game. Hang ten, dudes!
  • In addition to remixes, there are plenty of original songs that wouldn't be out of place in the 80's. For starters, Firebird.
  • Neon Jungle, a SAW-style hi-NRG tune sung by Linda's voice actress.
  • Glad I Am may just be the best original song in the game.
  • Pick Yourself Up and Dance, an homage to Michael Jackson.
  • Dared to Dream, the ending song, is not only cool, but also a giant Funny Moment.
• DuckTales Remastered features remixes of the music from the original NES game, as well as new themes to go with the new levels, each with Virt's own spins.
  • His version of Transylvania rocks just like the original, but also adds a real element of spookiness to it.
  • The final boss gets his own theme in the Remastered version.
  • It's pretty easy to screw up the escape sequence with its theme sending chills down your spine.
  • The legendary Moon theme gets two versions in this game: an upbeat version for the actual stage, and a slower piano version for the end credits.

Not WayForward

• He arranged Manabu Namiki's tracks in DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu Black Label's arrange mode. Yes, the game is Japan-only, and Cave hired an AMERICAN composer to mix its music! That alone is an impressive feat. And then he went batshit INSANE with the True Final Boss theme, No Remorse.

• Retro City Rampage has some of the best chiptunes to grace a Retraux game. In addition to those composed by Freaky DNA and Norrin Rad, Virt's contributions include:
  • Not Mega. Deliberate usage of Suspiciously Similar Song to one of the most well loved NES games ever? Yes please!
  • Incident, played during the Metal Gear parody mission. "A truck are begin to move, UH OH!".
  • Not Nate, a tribute to the late great Nate Dogg.

• He did the work for Yacht Club Games' smash hit Shovel Knight—no surprise considering Yacht Club Games comprises many previous WayForward Technologies employees.
  • The appropriately epic and nuanced Main Theme is a good start.
  • The electric guitar heavy trailer theme gives you a good idea of what you're in for.
  • The game proper starts you with Strike the Earth!, an energetic and determined tune that nicely conveys Shovel Knight's revitalized spirit for adventure and justice.
  • Pridemoor Keep gives you fittingly medieval sounds for the equally medieval King Knight.
  • Flying Machine is in the running for one of the best themes in the game.
  • The Defender, Black Knight's third battle theme, is quite fitting given the height of the stakes at hand.
  • Fighting With All Our Might is the theme for the various Superboss battles and is suitably intense and fast-paced.
  • Backed Into A Corner mixes hardcore thrash metal with an element of eerieness to go with the atmosphere of the haunted Hall of Champions.
  • La Danse Macabre is Specter Knight's stage theme, and manages to give off both a Mega Man and Castlevania feel.
  • All of the Battletoads themes, exclusive to the Xbox One version, stay true to the original versions while giving the guitars a heavier sound and mixing Shovel Knight music into them to spice them up.
  • Really, just give the OST a listen, it's well worth the time.
• He did the soundtrack for the little-known Oculus game Vanguard V, including the absolutely incredible opening theme, Turn Around.

Remixes, Arrangements, & Collaborations

Jake got his start in the video game remix community, and many of these early pieces are available online through sites like Overclocked Remix and VG Remix. While professional composition gigs have mostly supplanted his remix work, he still contributes to OC Remix projects from time to time - that is, when he's not rearranging his own tracks.

• For OC Remix's tribute to Final Fantasy VI, Balance and Ruin, Jake teamed up with frequent collaborator Tommy Pedrini to reinterpret the game's famous opera sequence - as a rock opera in the style of Queen. It's widely considered by listeners to be one of, if not the very best track on the album.
• He also collaborated with Snappleman on a swashbuckling The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker arrangement which seamlessly combines multiple motifs from the game into a single hard rock/orchestral track.
• "Baal Bhaanga", a remix of "She's Got Moves" from Shantae: Risky's Revenge takes the Bollywood influences of the original and amps them up!
• Big Bad Bosses, a collab with a few guys from That One Video Gamer, has the best Boy Band sound since ever!

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