Ah, Unova. On Earth and the Interwebs, many consider this place one of the greatest regions in all of Pokémon, and not without cause. There’s just so much to do here, and with so little time during my travels, I can feel the tension in its passersby resonate with every choice. It is quite the modernized region.
The cities here really do feel like cities, complete with back-alley shops and skyscrapers. Most especially if we’re talking about Castelia. Virbank has a similar grandeur, but it primarily showcases an industrial side of Unova. I can hear the grit of its workers through one of Roxie’s bass performances, the churning of machines in the complex through the distortion of sound in the amp.
But the height of the region—Nimbasa City—is something else entirely. The swing and freewheeling nature is quite abuzz amongst its many parks. Everywhere I go, I swear I can hear hot jazz music playing around me, even though I can’t find a single speaker. And the landmarks—from the brilliant Rondez-View to the Musical Theatre and the old rollercoaster-gym—to say I was amazed is quite the understatement. The themes of this city—and several more—can be heard in this track. Can you locate them all?
So mesmerized was I by contemporary Unova that I decided to learn about its history as well. But when I started digging, I found that the region offers a lot more from what I was presented with. The intertwining of truth and ideals seems to exist every step of the way. They say that truth and ideal met again in recent years, something that ended in a great farewell, but what exactly happened I’m not entirely sure.
I was quite impressed, however, at how well Unova preserved its history. Relic Castle, Village Bridge… all were left intact for me to explore. I even was able to survey the abandoned castle that overtook the former Pokémon league building. The emotions and themes I felt as I experienced Unova’s history firsthand were incorporated into this track’s melodies as well.
However, this work only showcases the light side of the Unova region. Legends tell of an alternate Unova, one that chose to push its urban developments to its limits. Once I locate that reality, I might make a night version of this theme soon…
Key: f# min
BPM: 200
Genre: Frenchcore
Download full master here
Kicks produced through Sytrus and Serum with heavy processing and layering
Instrumentation produced from bigcat, VSCO, 99 Sounds, and various other publishers
SFX processed from samples as well as Vital and Helm
Vocal chops courtesy of a friend
Saturated thanks to iZotope Vinyl, Soft Clipper, and OTT; mixed and mastered in FL Studio.