Link to SoundCloud for easier listening:

https://on.soundcloud.com/PbdVpbA5JZeqJacf8

Heya folks, back at it again with another submission for the Impressions Composing Jam #2! I had so many ideas left on the table and there just weren't enough hours in the day to get everything done that I wanted to, but that's a good problem to have I suppose XD. My take on "the Farthest Reaches" was partially based upon the prompt image and an exploration of the genres I hadn't given a shot before - this was both a learning experience for my own musical realms AND I tried to weave that into a little story for a fun listening experience! As such, you may notice the audio levels fluctuate, especially in the sub and highs. This was difficult to produce, but I hope it's enjoyable regardless.

Now, onto the dev diaries section:
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KIBOU NO SHIAKEI: (Hope of Shiakei)
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The first track made during production, this set the general idea for sound and mastering going forward (although it can be a tad loud here and there). Our protagonist, Iitsu, is a legendary painter from the land of "Shiakei." In an effort to study natural beauty, he partakes in a visit to one particular waterfall on one particular evening with an especially particular wood block, namely a magically-imbued ukiyo-e wood block with "infinite" Prussian blue paint he acquired from a nerve-wracked mystical item salesman.

This particular item turns out to be a key to the "Lustrous Roads," a gateway between his world and the "Farthest Reaches," a land where traditional Japanese and Turkish cultures are congealed in a wonderfully fantasy-history way that I can't quite pretend I understand but would certainly look very cool. While at the waterfall, his wood block falls out of his pouch and ignites the runes for the doorway, swallowing him up and having him encounter a Oni-like denizen of the Reaches named Dokhazo (who I imagine would wear a mix of late Meiji/medieval middle east armor and a spooky facemask helmet-thing, something cool). Realizing this is a way to save the people of his slightly hellish realm (rents pretty high ya know), Dokhazo takes the block and makes his way to the top of the top of the waterfall in the Shiakei realm, chucking Iitsu out of it and goading him into an eventual conflict. 

Consisting of eight tiers (levels), you must platform and speed run up the waterfall in this 3rd-person Metroid-Vania and stop Dokhazo before your realm becomes overrun  and colonized with daemonic forces from another world!
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RAKUSEI: (Inauguration or Completion)
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The main menu theme. We take elements from our intro and spice them up with a liquid DnB backing track! The first section (before the UI sounds) signifies a title screen, with the actual DnB being the menu theme proper. This was a lot of fun to do and it features our first two leitmotifs - a descending three-step motif and our proper game theme at the end. Pay attention to that three-step motif; it's gonna show up in a lot of places if you look for it, kind of like an easter egg hunt, and it's always falling - just like a waterfall.
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CHOUYAKU: (Jump or Leap)
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Wanted to make some fun lil' level start sounds, kind of like what you'd hear in a Metroid game. Nothing much to this one, but it does the job! This samples the Japanese Spider-Man TV show because it's a good jingle and now that you know about it, go meet the emissary of hell (no really, that's what he calls himself in the show).
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JISSHUU: (Practice)
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Our practice room / training / tutorial area for the game! The base of the waterfall casts a rainbow of mist above you, providing beautiful colors to adorn the area while you practice moves and test your unlocks! The waterfall motif returns again, with extra modifications - this was a blast to make as training area themes are either some of the best (or worse) places to spend hours solely on the music in them. The bassline rolls upward while our motif plays downward, emphasizing the cyclical nature of training - always learning, never truly a master of an ever-expanding skillset.
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KOI NO KUNI: (Carp Country, or Land of the Carps)
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The primary theme for our level select and overworld map of Shiakei! This was really fun to do and incorporate an element that seems to float in and out of the trees or water around you. This theme incorporates our third (pseudo) motif, which is a push-pull chord progression of 6 chords over 4 measures. Those 6 chords will always be a push-pull, but their chords may change depending on the events in the game. It had to be fun enough to listen to and not get grating, so there are two sub-sections where we pull out a few instruments and get a bit darker, showing that we are not just here for fun and have a world to save (although the beauty of the land overtakes the theme once again).
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SAIKOU: (Highest or Supreme)
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Another level start, this one with a fun wood block break! This is sampled from one of my favorite intros to a track (Naruto Shippuden - Clash of Ninja Revolution 3). IYKYK, the whole soundtrack is goated with extra sauce. Give it a listen!
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IKE: (Go!)
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Our first track for the first level of the game! As we rush through a hike pathway with large tree cover, we break on through to the first terrace of the waterfall while zipping our away past obstacles and the wildlife of Shiakei! Admittedly, this is where I'm most bummed about the project - I didn't feel good about the 2nd track I had for a set of levels and I was nowhere NEAR the 8 tracks I wanted to make, but the project scope demanded I work on other tracks to flesh out the whole game story. It's not a bad theme per say, but I wish I could have done more! That being said, I hope it's still enjoyable (and our motif returns once again).
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HENKAN: (Conversion)
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After making our way through eight levels of increasing difficulty, we finally get to the top of the waterfall, only to see Dokhazo igniting the runes at the top of the terrace with the wood block it subsequentially explodes, creating a gaping maw of a portal directly in the path of the waterfall's flow. This is where we get our first leitmotif of Dokhazo himself, a triplet percussive shaker that will shadow all themes of his going forward. It's actually in the intro too (if you can hear it, it's kind of buried). Since we are "converting" into the Farthest Reaches portion, his shaker is in 3/4 but is mirrored by reversed 4/4 instrumentation like it doesn't quite belong in this backing soundtrack. This reversed instrumentation will also be prevalent as a literal mirroring of the world, musically, as it's a mish-mash of cultures that don't make sense (in our world, that is).
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TOUI KUNI: (is roughly Farthest Reaches, but more like Faraway Country / Land)
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The overworld theme of the Farthest Reaches shows a distorted, eight-tiered waterfall flowing. . .upwards??? Well dang, that's kind of weird. Large stone spikes rise from the ground, similar to vegetation. The world is bathed in a purple-yellow light from large aurora borealis-like phenomena over an alien but familiarly-shaped landscape. Things are different, but there's still beauty in this world that is reflected in Shiakei, and the theme takes inspiration from the original overworld but reharmonizes the progression. We also get a decay-echo clap set, which is a secondary element that's prevalent in the Dokhazo themes aplenty. 
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KIGEN: (Deadline)
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Dokhazo's main theme upon encountering him in his realm. We've only heard snippets of his percussion before, but now the percussion is in tune with his own world. He's confident and not villainous in a traditional way - the theme is not brutish nor snarky. Heavy inspiration was taken when placing melodies for the duduk, which is a traditional Armenian flute and similar in use to some Japanese flutes but distinctly unique in tone. It's once again a mirror - usually a pentatonic with different notes on the three and seven of the key to create that Turkish feel. Reversed percussion keeps in line with the other-worldly feel, and there's some microtonal electronic stuff going on as we descend further away from smooth DnB and into neurofunk or breakcore-ish areas.
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DOKUSEI NO KIGEN: (Toxic Deadline or Toxicity's Deadline)
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It's the final gambit, and this theme should sell the part! It's got vocals, tremolos, arpeggios, and the waterfall motif at the same time, using both Turkish and Japanese instrumentation to convey the part. Absolute blast working on this one, had lots of fun making little changes or sections here and there. The reversed samples (which are kotos) sounded extremely good and it was a happy accident.
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KIBOU: (Hope)
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With Dokhazo defeated and the wood block returned, the credits begin to roll. Before you can go, you hear the warrior stand up and turn to face him . . . sequel bait of some sort! I do have more ideas, but I suppose I'll end it there.

Hope you folks enjoy! :)