David Wise (composer)

English video game composer

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David Wise

Wise in 2024

Background information
Also known as| Dave Wise
Born| Coalville, England, United Kingdom
Genres| Video game music
Occupation(s)| Composer, musician
Instrument(s)| Synthesizer, piano, saxophone
Years active| 1985–present
Labels| Brave Wave Productions
Website| davidwise.co.uk

Musical artist

David Wise is a British video game music composer and musician. He was a composer at Rare from 1985 to 2009, and he was the company's sole musician up until 1994. He has gained a dedicated following for his work on various games, particularly Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country series. Wise is known for his atmospheric style of music, mixing natural environmental sounds with prominent melodic and percussive accompaniment.

## Career and influences

[edit]

Wise has said that he has had a wide range of musical influences. The first instrument he learned to play was the piano, before later learning the trumpet, and learning to play the drums during adolescence. He played in a few bands during his youth, and he was active in a band as of 2004. His career at Rare began when he happened to meet its two founders; as he explained in response to a question posted on its company website: "I was working in a music shop demonstrating a Yamaha CX5 Music Computer to a couple of people, Tim & Chris Stamper. I'd written and programmed the music for the demonstration material. They offered me a job."[1]

While working at Rare, Wise gained attention and acclaim for his work on the Donkey Kong Country series. In addition to the percussive and ambient 'jungle' influences that serve as a thematic undercurrent for much of the series, the games feature a wide variety of different musical styles that are reflective of the various areas and environments they appear in. In the January 1996 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Wise stated that his travelling experiences largely shaped the sound and mood of each Donkey Kong soundtrack, further saying that the music for Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest was composed during what he called his "experimental Paris phase". In the book Playing With Super Power, some influences for the music of Donkey Kong Country were mentioned. Specifically, Koji Kondo's work on the Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda series; the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Plok, composed by Tim Follin and Geoff Follin; and synthesized film scores and rock and dance music from the early 1980s. He has composed the soundtrack for the Game Boy Advance port of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!.[citation needed]

In October 2009, it was announced by the OverClocked ReMix community that Wise was remixing a track for Serious Monkey Business, an unofficial Donkey Kong Country 2 remix album. Grant Kirkhope and Robin Beanland collaborated on this track, playing guitar and trumpet respectively.[2][3] On 15 March 2010, Serious Monkey Business was released and Wise's track, "Re-Skewed", was featured as track No. 33. Much like his contribution to Serious Monkey Business, Wise later remixed one of his own compositions, the GBA version of "Jungle Jitter", for an unofficial Donkey Kong Country 3 remix album titled Double the Trouble!, which was released on 1 December 2012.[4] Wise also provided a saxophone solo for another remix, in addition to mixing and mastering the track.[citation needed]

On 14 November 2009, Wise announced his resignation from Rare, feeling that the company had "changed a great deal" and there was no longer an opportunity to create music tracks that Rare is most known for.[5] In December 2010, Wise created a personal studio called the "David Wise Sound Studio".[6] In June 2013, it was announced that he would be composing for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, after receiving a call from Retro Studios president Michael Kelbaugh, who previously worked at Rare.[7][8] Wise composed for Yooka-Laylee along with Kirkhope and Steve Burke.[9]

## Works

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Notes

|
|

1987  | Slalom |
Wizards & Warriors |
1988  | R.C. Pro-Am |
Wheel of Fortune |
Jeopardy! |
Anticipation |
1989  | Marble Madness |
World Games |
WWF WrestleMania |
John Elway's Quarterback |
California Games |
Taboo: The Sixth Sense |
Sesame Street ABC |
Hollywood Squares |
Who Framed Roger Rabbit |
Jordan vs. Bird: One on One |
Cobra Triangle |
Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II |
Wheel of Fortune Junior Edition |
Jeopardy! Junior Edition |
Silent Service |
1990  | Double Dare |
Wheel of Fortune Family Edition |
Jeopardy! 25th Anniversary Edition |
Captain Skyhawk |
Digger T. Rock |
Pin*Bot |
Snake Rattle 'n' Roll |
NARC |
A Nightmare on Elm Street |
Super Glove Ball |
Cabal |
Time Lord |
Arch Rivals |
WWF WrestleMania Challenge |
Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship |
The Amazing Spider-Man |
Wizards & Warriors Chapter X: The Fortress of Fear |
Super Off Road |
1991  | Sesame Street ABC & 123 |
Battletoads (Game Boy) |
Super R.C. Pro-Am |
Sneaky Snakes |
WWF Superstars |
Battletoads |
Beetlejuice |
High Speed |
1992  | Wizards & Warriors III |
Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat |
R.C. Pro-Am II |
Championship Pro-Am |
1993  | Battletoads & Double Dragon |
Battletoads in Battlemaniacs |
X The Ball |
1994  | Battletoads Arcade |
Monster Max |
Donkey Kong Country | With Robin Beanland and Eveline Fischer[10]
1995  | Donkey Kong Land | With Graeme Norgate
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest |
1996  | Donkey Kong Land 2 | DKC 2 soundtrack converted to the Game Boy by Grant Kirkhope.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! | With Fischer.[11] Wrote new soundtrack for 2005 GBA port.
1997  | Diddy Kong Racing |
1999  | Mickey's Racing Adventure
2000  | Donkey Kong Country (GBC version) | With Beanland and Fischer[check quotation syntax]
2001  | Super Smash Bros. Melee | Original Game Staff
2002  | Star Fox Adventures | With Ben Cullum.
2004  | It's Mr. Pants | With Beanland and Fischer ("Squeaky Pants")
2005  | Donkey Kong Country 3 GBA |
2007  | Diddy Kong Racing DS
2008  | Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise
War World | Xbox 360 version
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts | The Rare Family
2010 | Donkey Kong Country Returns |
2013  | Sorcery!
2014  | Tengami[12]
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze | With Kenji Yamamoto
2015  | Rare Replay | Special thanks
Star Drift[13] |
2016  | Star Ghost
2017  | Snake Pass[14]
Yooka-Laylee | With Grant Kirkhope and Steve Burke[15]
2019  | Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair | With Grant Kirkhope, Dan Murdoch and Matt Griffin[16]
2020  | Battletoads | Original themes, special thanks
Tamarin[17] | With Graeme Norgate
2023  | Everhood: Eternity Edition[18] |
Ratatan[19]
2024  | Nikoderiko: The Magical World[20]
Gimmick! 2[21]
2025  | Lucid[22]
99 Fails | With Pawel Pachniewski[23][24]

### Cancelled

[edit]

Title | Publisher | Platform

|
|

Harmony | Nintendo / Retro Studios  | Nintendo Switch

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Rare: The Tepid Seat – Rare Music Team (December 2004) Archived 6 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine
2. ^ "OverClocked ReMix Presents 'Serious Monkey Business'". dkc2.ocremix.org. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
3. ^ "Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest "Re-Skewed" OC ReMix". Retrieved 16 May 2020 – via ocremix.org.
4. ^ "Donkey Kong Country 3: Double the Trouble!". OC ReMix. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
5. ^ "MundoRare | David Wise, composer since 1985, leaves Rare (November 2009)". Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
6. ^ "Game Music :: Interview with David Wise (December 2010)". www.squareenixmusic.com. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
7. ^ "David Wise composing Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze". Destructoid. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
8. ^ "David Wise Explains How He Got His Job on Tropical Freeze". Gamnesia. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
9. ^ "The Team So Far..." Playtonic Games. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
10. ^ Rare: Scribes (21 December 2005) at Internet Archive "Robin did Funky's Fugue, Eveline did Simian Segue, Candy's Love Song, Voices of the Temple, Forest Frenzy, Tree Top Rock, Northern Hemispheres and Ice Cave Chant, and the rest was the doing of Mr. Wise."
11. ^ Rare: Scribes (9 February 2006) at Internet Archive"…everything is by Eveline except for Dixie Beat, Crazy Calypso, Wrinkly's Save Cave, Get Fit A-Go-Go, Wrinkly 64, Brothers Bear and Bonus Time (along with Bonus Win and Bonus Lose), which were by Dave."
12. ^ "Tengami Soundtrack". nyamyam. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
13. ^ "Former Retro Studios Developer Opens Squarehead Studios". IGN. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
14. ^ Wise, David (16 February 2017). "Music of Snake Pass with David Wise". Twitch. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
15. ^ admin (March 2020). "Yooka-Laylee and Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Soundtracks Released". Playtonic Games. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
16. ^ "NEW GAME: Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair". Playtonic Games. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
17. ^ "Tamarin conjures Jet Force Gemini vibes and features music by David Wise". Destructoid. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
18. ^ @David_Wise (15 September 2023). "Did this one a little while back. Great to see the game being released on the 28th September. #Everhood" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
19. ^ @David_Wise (1 September 2023). "I might be doing a tune or 2 for for[sic] this Rhythm Game #Ratatan. Tune in around 3pm UK time" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
20. ^ Romano, Sal (8 June 2024). "Side-scrolling platformer Nikoderiko: The Magical World announced for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 8 June 2024. "Legendary David Wise arranged ALL the music for the game!"
21. ^ @David_Wise (18 July 2024). "The music is a crucial component of every great video game. And the composer for Gimmick! 2 is none other than @David_Wise!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
22. ^ Reynolds, Ollie (11 October 2023). "Upcoming Metroidvania 'Lucid' Gains Veteran Composer David Wise". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
23. ^ Jelly, Frying (20 December 2024). "99 Fails on Steam". Steam. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
24. ^ Jelly, Frying (20 December 2024). "99 Fails Soundtrack on Steam". Steam. Retrieved 20 December 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* David Wise discography at MusicBrainz
* Profile at MobyGames
* David Wise at IMDb
* Media related to David Wise at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Rare

List of games

Series|

* Jetpac
* Sabreman
* Wizards & Warriors
* R.C. Pro-Am
* Snake Rattle 'n' Roll
* Battletoads
* Killer Instinct
* Donkey Kong
* Banjo-Kazooie
* Conker
* Perfect Dark
* Viva Piñata
* Kinect Sports

Other games|

| 1980s|

* Slalom
* John Elway's Quarterback
* Anticipation
* WWF WrestleMania
* Taboo: The Sixth Sense
* Cobra Triangle
* Who Framed Roger Rabbit

|

1990s|

* WWF WrestleMania Challenge
* Pin Bot
* Captain Skyhawk
* The Amazing Spider-Man
* Time Lord
* A Nightmare on Elm Street
* Super Glove Ball
* Double Dare
* Digger T. Rock
* High Speed
* Beetlejuice
* Battletoads/Double Dragon
* Monster Max
* Killer Instinct (1994)
* Donkey Kong Country
* Donkey Kong Land
* Donkey Kong Country 2
* Killer Instinct 2
* Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run
* Donkey Kong Land 2
* Donkey Kong Country 3
* Blast Corps
* GoldenEye 007
* Donkey Kong Land III
* Diddy Kong Racing
* Banjo-Kazooie
* Conker's Pocket Tales
* Jet Force Gemini
* Mickey's Racing Adventure
* Donkey Kong 64

2000s|

* Perfect Dark (2000)
* Mickey's Speedway USA
* Banjo-Tooie
* Conker's Bad Fur Day
* Star Fox Adventures
* Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge
* Grabbed by the Ghoulies
* It's Mr. Pants
* Banjo-Pilot
* Conker: Live & Reloaded
* Perfect Dark Zero
* Kameo
* Viva Piñata
* Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
* Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise
* Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

2010s|

* Perfect Dark (2010)
* Kinect Sports
* Diddy Kong Pilot
* Killer Instinct (2013)
* Kinect Sports Rivals
* Rare Replay
* Sea of Thieves

Unreleased|

* Project Dream
* Donkey Kong Racing
* Everwild

People|

* Robin Beanland
* Duncan Botwood
* Steve Burke
* David Doak
* Eveline Fischer
* Martin Hollis
* Grant Kirkhope
* Leigh Loveday
* Gregg Mayles
* Graeme Norgate
* Wil Overton
* Stamper brothers
* Chris Sutherland
* David Wise

* Category

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

|

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