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Awesome Music / WipEout

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WipEout is known for three things: the incredible sense of speed, the futuristic aesthetics, and its amazing soundtrack. One of those artists responsible for the soundtrack in the early days was CoLD SToRAGE, who really left his mark on gaming culture through these games.

Of course, since there are so many good tracks, not every song will make the cut on this page. So do check out each game's respective soundtrack on your own time if you can!

WipEout
  • Let's kick things off with the original WipEout, which debuted in 1995. All but two songs in this game were composed by CoLD SToRAGE and they're all incredible.
    • "Afro-Ride" by Leftfield is so far removed from the rest of the soundtrack, and even still, an appropriate fit with the very distinctive gibberish vocal sample played throughout the song complemented by some intense trance and bass.
    • "Cairodrome" is a fast-paced and intense trance tune that is sprinkled with some vocals throughout, which does a wonderful job of reminding you that this game is hard as shit, especially Silverstream.
    • "Cardinal Dancer" might just be the most arcade-friendly track of the songs featured in the original game, seeing as it has some 8-bit samples in the beginning and throughout the track. And considering the kind of game that the WipEout series is, that's not too surprising.
    • "Cold Comfort", the perfect and aptly named tune that encapsulates cold, barren, isolation, also does a wonderful job of hyping you up for a race in a frozen, barren, wasteland (like Silverstream, appropriately enough!)
    • "Doh-T", another high-energy tune that follows after the intensity of "Cairodrome", is much more frantic and almost anxiety-inducing in the beginning, before hitting you with thumping percussions and a barrage of synths around the halfway point.
    • "Messij" is a very chilly and somewhat somber (and later uplifting) trance track that is unofficially AG Systems' Leitmotif, which does a fantastic job of scoring their rise, fall, and eventual rebirth throughout the series' history.
    • "Chemical Beats" by The Chemical Brothers, off their debut album Exit Planet Dust, makes a well-deserved appearance in the game's soundtrack; its thumping, booming beats and warped synths make for a great fit for when you race in Rapier Class around Arridos IV.
    • "P.E.T.R.O.L." by Orbital is a very dark and somewhat foreboding techno tune that is not only the unofficial theme of the series, but by extension, Qirex, since this suits their overall temperament and history quite nicely. It even returns in 2048 with a new remix, which is quite a nice case of Bookends assuming 2048 is the final mainline entry in the series.
    • "Tentative" and its very retro-futuristic instrumentation makes you feel like you're racing at hundreds of kilometers an hour in space. Amusing since Firestar takes place on Mars.

WipEout 2097

  • WipEout 2097 (or XL in North America), released in 1997:
    • Whether we're talking about the original or the Straight 6 Instrumental Mix, Fluke's "Atom Bomb" is a very nuclear way of instilling some adrenaline into your life. The music video (linked above) is entirely based on Wipeout and features even a defictionalized Arial Tetsuo.
    • What better way to remind you that the future is now than with CoLD SToRAGE's "Body in Motion"? Just try not to get motion sickness if you plan on playing in the game's cockpit view, though.
    • "Dust Up Beats" by The Chemical Brothers wastes no time and just gets right to the point as you blast out of the starting gate at speeds exceeding 400 kilometers per hour!
    • The Prodigy? In a WipEout game? Yep, you read that right — you can start a fire on the track with the instrumental version of - what else? - "Firestarter"!
    • "Landmass" by The Future Sound of London might just be the perfect soundtrack to score a Battle in the Rain to - the synths at the very beginning coupled with the progressively increasing intensity of the track makes this pure serendipity if it plays on levels like Gare D'Europa or Spilskinanke.
    • "Loops of Fury" by the Chemical brothers, which, considering the kind of game we're dealing with here (both in terms of track design - e.g., loops - and, well, fury), fits all too well.
    • "The Third Sequence" by Photek is probably the darkest, hardest-edged song in the series and a great pick for a race through Odessa Keys in Phantom Class.
    • Let's get this party started with a bang in the form of FSoL's iconic "We Have Explosive". As the name implies, this is a very explosive and chaotic track that will be very appropriate as you race in some of the hardest tracks that this game has to offer while in the Phantom class.
    • For all of your anxiety-inducing needs (as this particular number kicks off with what sounds like a siren at the beginning), then you can't go wrong with Fluke's "V Six".

WipEout 64

  • The sole entry in the franchise to appear on a Nintendo console, and coming between 2097 and WipEout 3, WipEout 64 tends to get lost in the shuffle, but its soundtrack is as formidable as its PS1 brethren, the majority of it provided by PC Music, with contributions from Fluke and Propellerheads. The quality of the music is even more impressive considering the limited space capacity of the N64 cartridge compared to discs.
    • PC Music set the tone with "Chasing Radium", an energetic piece of electronic rock goodness that signals loud and clear that, yes, WipEout has indeed come to the N64.
    • "Sonic Trip", also from PC Music, certainly is a trip, with its stuttering vocal effect that propels you forward as you attempt to get the gold in a Time Trial or Race challenge.
    • Fluke set a high standard with "Atom Bomb", but "Absurd" and "Goodnight Lover" are no less notable, with "Absurd" pairing well with a quick sprint through courses like Dyroness, while the dark, anxious, and overbearing "Goodnight Lover" provides a great background for trying to take out opponents in the Weapon challenges (while making sure you don't end up saying "goodnight" yourself!).
    • Before gracing WipEout 3's soundtrack with "Lethal Cut", Propellerheads first appeared here with "Bang On!", a blistering track that gets the adrenaline going with a combination of electronic noise and fast drumming, with a voice commanding you to "BANG ON!" Many a racer will certainly be banging their heads to this one as they blaze their way through the tracks, while trying not to have their craft go "BANG!" from the many craft-exclusive super weapons.

Wip3out/WipEout 3

  • One of the PlayStation's Swan Songs since it was released very late in the console's lifecycle in 1999 - Wip3out (or WipEout 3). Much like the first game, most of the soundtrack here was handled by one person, this one being Sasha, but there are also a few tracks by other artists as well.
    • "Control" by MKL is a perfect track to play when you're blazing through the futuristic concrete jungle of Mega City, trying your best not to get blown to pieces, least of all by Goteki 45.
    • "Lethal Cut" by Propellerheads is the perfect tune to score some serious Knife's Edges with as you maneuver through some of the game's tighter courses. Fittingly enough, it is also the leitmotif of Assegai.
    • "Xpander", good God, Xpander. This game's striking visuals (especially on a console like the first PlayStation), might be one thing, but this very uplifting and blissful trance track is on a whole 'nother level - especially when you race in the sun-soaked coastal area that is Porto Kora (which also happens to be the first track, by the way).
    • This is also the only game in the series to give each team their own official Leitmotif, so to wit:
      • "Auricom", the token Stone Wall of the series and the one who holds Pierre Belmondo's beliefs dearest to their hearts, comes into the fray with a relatively slow (compared to the rest of the soundtrack, anyway), but hard-hitting trance piece with a lovely synth coming in after the first minute.
      • "Feisar" is a very fast-paced techno trance tune that does a brilliant job of representing FEISAR's steadfast nature as a series regular and their emphasis on agility and easy-to-maneuver hovercraft.
      • "Goteki 45" is a somewhat disjointed and hectic piece that is very fitting for the team's state in the F7000 League, especially since they weren't always one to play nice then.
      • "Icaras", the team that flew too close to the sun and got burned for it. Considering how they were little more than the pet project of an eccentric philanthropist in their debut, their leitmotif underscores their very quirky nature as the series' outlier until they returned for the FX300 league in Pure.
      • "Pirhana" does what it does best — instill the player with a sense of speed and adrenaline like no other team in the series does... especially if you're an expert pilot.

WipEout Fusion

  • The oddball in the series, WipEout Fusion, released in 2002. As far removed as it may be from the rest of the series, that doesn't make its soundtrack any less amazing.
    • Put a little groove in your race with the Plump DJs' "Big Groovy Fucker"... or "Funker", as it's censored in the game because, well... yeah.
    • Good for both raves and accompanying the sensation of speeding at speeds well past Mach 1, Elite Force's "Krushyn" is probably the last thing that you'd want to happen to your craft.
    • Need some tension and adrenaline in what are some of the closest brushes with death this side of Anti-Gravity Racing? Timo Maas has you covered with "Old School Vibes".
    • FSoL are back again with the incredibly trippy and intrinsic "Papua New Guinea" (remixed by Hybrid), which is surprisingly eerie given what would become of the F9000 league.
    • Unusually for a WipEout title, the Utah Saints' "Sick" is actually the instrumental version since the lyrics are, especially for the game's target demographic, the last thing they'd want to hear.
    • "Smartbomb (Plump DJs Remix)" by BT, which also made an appearance in SSX Tricky, is a rather soothing and entrancing tune that accompanies the sensation of flying through the underwater tunnels of Mandrashee or the sun-soaked jungles of Alca Vexus quite nicely.
    • Considering how the F9000 was Darker and Edgier compared to the previous leagues, a track like "Switchback" by Elite Force and Nick Ryan would go to great lengths to demonstrate that with eerie drones and a foreboding synth as the track becomes progressively more aggressive. Indeed, it can also be considered an unofficial leitmotif to Tigron, the series's most unambiguously evil racing team.
    • MKL also returns from wip3out with, compared to some of the other tracks on Fusion's playlist, the more soothing, energetic, and appropriately named "Synthaesia". May or may not be the unofficial theme for Van-Uber.

WipEout Pure

  • WipEout Pure, released in 2005, happens to have some of the finest tracks to have ever blessed the series.
    • The theme that plays in the intro cutscene (composed by Paul Hartnoll, more on him below) is as awesome as it is oddly satisfying, beautifully complimenting the montage of an AG Systems craft being built from scratch, starting with the engine and finishing off with a completed craft as it speeds out of its hangar. Minor high volume warning towards the end, by the way.
    • Prominent throughout the game's marketing, there's the very jovial, but hype-inducing "Black Jack 3" by Plump DJs (returning from Fusion). Probably one of the best songs to promote a game like WipEout Pure with its emphasis on the endorphin high that keeps you racing through the skies of Sol 2 or the snowy peaks of Sebenco Climb!
    • This might leave a glitch in your system, but "Bug" by Rennie Pilgrem & Roxiller (which also plays when you highlight the game on the PSP's Cross Media Bar) is one of the best ways to quickly find yourself flying at light speed as you conquer the undulating chicane series of Citta Nuova or take trip down memory lane with some of the classic tracks from prior entries.
    • What do you get when you have the foreboding tension of Orbital's "P.E.T.R.O.L." juxtaposed by soothing synths as seen in FSoL's "Landmass"? The very intense and endorphin-inducing "Ignition" by Paul Hartnoll of Orbital fame.
    • After lending his hand to the 2097 soundtrack, Photek returned in Pure "C Note", a furious and fast-paced drum and bass piece and the perfect Spiritual Successor to "The Third Sequence". Its high octane beat is also befitting of newcomers Triakis and their heavily armored, high speed craft.
    • For when you race through the rainy, Blade Runner-esque Red Light District of Sinucit, there is no better pick for background music than the progressive house beats of DJ Friendly's "We Got Juice" or Themroc's "Mean Red". Just remember to pick the right flavor before takeoff.
    • The exciting breaks of "Twister" by Drumattic Twins note  might be a bit too much not to dance to while controlling a racing craft at excess of 700 kph, but us at TV Tropes surely aren't complaining.
    • Seminal techno trio LFO (not to be confused with the American pop trio Lyte Funky Ones) also have a day in the spotlight with the eerie, demented melodies of "Flu-Shot". Its dark, gritty sounds are a great fit for when you maneuver through the dark, tight tunnels of Modesto Heights.
    • CoLD SToRAGE makes a triumphant return after his last appearance in 2097 with the very atmospheric and welcoming "Onyx". Probably one of the best ways to usher in a new era of Anti-Gravity Racing alongside welcoming many new players into the world of WipEout, and - fittingly enough - is also the leitmotif of idealistic environmentalists Harimau.
    • At the time of Pure's release, Tiësto was by a country mile the biggest name in dance music. So predictably, Studio Liverpool wasted no time to include his "Goldrush" in the soundtrack to their game - and really, there isn't much better music for when you race around the skyscrapers surrounding Chenghou Project.
    • The Distinctive Records music DLC featured three more songs that are just as overlooked as they are underappreciated:
      • First one is "Let It All Out" (erroneously named "Zulu" in-game) by Welsh Trip Hop trio Hybrid - its exotic, AKIRA-like drumming elevates a race into something far more cinematic.
      • "Saxtrax" by ILS mixes breakbeats with an obsessive saxophone melody, the end result being a song with a Cowboy Bebop type of vibe that makes for a surprisingly great fit as you race through the pristine beaches of Vineta K.
      • "Pulse of Life" by Way Out West is, simply put, an absolutely lovely piece of minimalistic house befitting of Pure's much sleeker and pristine aesthetic compared to Fusion.

WipEout Pulse/HD (Fury)

  • Although they both lack any new music from CoLD SToRAGE, Pulse and HD Fury feature some of the more eclectic soundtracks in the franchise.
    • Pulse's opening sequence features "X-Project (100% Pure Mix)" by DJ Fresh - an incredibly fast-paced drum and bass banger fitting of the evolution of AG racing and its new establishment as a worldwide racing championship following its return. This contribution was also DJ Fresh's ticket to EDM stardom as he continued to build up his momentum with other endeavors.
    • One wouldn't initially associate Kraftwerk with anti-gravity racing despite their futurist aesthetic, but the thumping French house beats of "Aerodynamik (Alex Gopher & Etienne de Crecy Dynamik Mix)" make for a much better fit than you would initially think.
    • "Chemical" by Move Ya! & Steve Lavers mixes a roaring bassline with grinding, screaming synths. There is no better soundtrack for an Eliminator event than this.
    • "Frontline" by Ed Rush, Optical & Matrix features thumping beats and a gloomy atmosphere, and really - there aren't many better fits for racing through Pulse's darkest circuits like the Battle in the Rain of Fort Gale or the desolate Basilico.
    • Many people are more aware of the sheer mid-Noughties cheese of its vocal mix with Princess Superstar, but DJ Mason's "Exceeder" is a surprisingly good fit for Wipeout.
    • Electronic music savant Aphex Twin, after his contributions in Pure, brings more of his glitchy goodness that brought him to worldwide fame with the fan-favorite "Fenix Funk 5".
    • "Seven Stitches" was the first videogame contribution Noisia made in their illustrious career. Of course, it is one of the most universally beloved songs in the soundtrack, and they brought back their scratchy, buzzing neurofunk sounds in HD Fury with their Breakthrough Hit "Machine Gun".
    • "Smart Systems" by MIST - a duo composed by ST Files and the late Marcus Intalex - is probably the perfect soundtrack for Zone events with its ethereal melodies, almost like it's the soundtrack to a futuristic mirage. Unsurprisingly, it's also the leitmotif to Mirage, whose pursuit of balance and pride in their pilots academy makes them a jewel in the Arabian Desert.
    • "Suspicious Thoughts" by dubstep legend Skream isn't the leitmotif of EG-X for nothing: its minimalistic, atmospheric sound befits their lineage and the aura of mystique behind their origins.

WipEout 2048

  • Sadly, since 2048 would be the final, original mainline installment in the seriesnote , the series would go out with a bang in the form of DJ Fresh's "Louder (Drumsound & Bassline Smith Remix)", which plays in 2048's intro. This couldn't be a more appropriate (and literal) Swan Song if it tried.
  • Just by the choice of menu music - a re-arranged version of Kraftwerk's "Tour De France" - you can tell that Studio Liverpool gave it their everything in this final installment.
  • Continuing the series' streak of including some of dance music's biggest names in its soundtracks, 2048 featured deadmau5 in its soundtrack with "Some Chords".
  • "Change of Direction" by Anile, "Regurgitate" by Noisia and "BTKRSH" by Rockwell show that just because the game is a relatively more grounded prequel to the franchise doesn't mean you can't have energetic drum and bass that would fit with Pulse and HD Fury.

WipEout Omega Collection

  • Although it is at its core a remaster of HD Fury and 2048, Omega Collection featured an entirely new licensed soundtrack with a good mixture of more radio-friendly house a la Pure and frenzied drum and bass in the vein of 2097 and Pulse.

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