Difference between revisions of "Minecraft - Volume Beta"

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  |newgarbage=[https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/minecraft-volume-beta/id739831644 $9.99]
  |newgarbage=[https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/minecraft-volume-beta/id739831644 $9.99]
  |google=[https://play.google.com/store/music/album/C418_Minecraft_Volume_Beta?id=B7hq3dkpuvva6iqitoem66lf4uu $9.99]}}
  |google=[https://play.google.com/store/music/album/C418_Minecraft_Volume_Beta?id=B7hq3dkpuvva6iqitoem66lf4uu $9.99]}}
'''''Minecraft - Volume Beta''''' is an album by [[C418]] released in 2013 containing the songs that were added to ''Minecraft'' during its Beta period of development. Like '''''[[Minecraft - Volume Alpha]]''''', not every track is used within Minecraft.  
'''''Minecraft - Volume Beta''''' is an album by [[C418]] released in 2013 containing the songs that were added to ''Minecraft'' during its Beta period of development. Like '''''[[Minecraft - Volume Alpha]]''''', not every track is used within ''Minecraft''.  


To date it is C418's longest album, at nearly 2 hours and 21 minutes in length.
To date it is C418's longest album, at nearly 2 hours and 21 minutes in length.
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= Official descriptions =
= Official descriptions =
{{Quote|The second official soundtrack of Minecraft. 140 minutes in length and extremely varied.  
{{Quote|The second official soundtrack of Minecraft. 140 minutes in length and extremely varied.  
Featuring the all-new creative mode, menu tunes, the horrors of the nether, the end's odd and misleading soothing ambiance and all the missing record discs from the game! <br \>
Featuring the all-new Creative Mode, menu tunes, the horrors of the Nether, the end's odd and misleading soothing ambiance and all the missing record discs from the game! <br \>


It's my longest album ever, and I hope you'll love the amount of work I crammed into it.|[[C418]]|[https://c418.bandcamp.com/album/minecraft-volume-beta Bandcamp]}}
It's my longest album ever, and I hope you'll love the amount of work I crammed into it.|[[C418]]|[https://c418.bandcamp.com/album/minecraft-volume-beta Bandcamp]}}
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{{Quote|This is the second part to the official soundtrack to the most popular video game in recent history. Critics like to compare the style of my album to Erik Satie, Roedelius, and Brian Eno. Aphex Twin also once said I stole his style.<br \>
{{Quote|This is the second part to the official soundtrack to the most popular video game in recent history. Critics like to compare the style of my album to Erik Satie, Roedelius, and Brian Eno. Aphex Twin also once said I stole his style.<br \>


The big difference of Volume Beta is that the tone is both more positive and at times very dark. Some of the songs even have percussion, which is something that was a complete rarity with Volume Alpha. For example ''Taswell'' or ''Aria Math''.<br \>
The big difference of Volume Beta is that the tone is both more positive and at times very dark. Some of the songs even have percussion, which is something that was a complete rarity with Volume Alpha. For example "Taswell" or "Aria Math".<br \>


A bunch of the songs are VERY long.<br \>
A bunch of the songs are VERY long.<br \>


''Alpha'', being 10 minutes, while “The End” clocks in at 15 minutes. And a lot of the “creative mode” songs are at least around 8 minutes in length.<br \>
"Alpha", being 10 minutes, while “The End” clocks in at 15 minutes. And a lot of the “creative mode” songs are at least around 8 minutes in length.<br \>


Additionally, this soundtrack contains the collectible records, which are little vinyl songs you can find in Minecraft, the game. With the exception of ''Cat''. That song you can find on the previous soundtrack, Volume Alpha.<br \>
Additionally, this soundtrack contains the collectible records, which are little vinyl songs you can find in Minecraft, the game. With the exception of "Cat". That song you can find on the previous soundtrack, Volume Alpha.<br \>


I released this album in late 2013 when I was about to be doing a gig in Mexico. Every time I think about this album, I get nostalgic about Mexico and how wildly different it is from the life I know from Germany or Canada. Though now that I think about it, I feel like Volume Alpha might be a love record to Europe, while Beta is dedicated to America and Asia. This might sound like gibberish to you, but to me it’s kind of a personal internalized opinion.|C418}}
I released this album in late 2013 when I was about to be doing a gig in Mexico. Every time I think about this album, I get nostalgic about Mexico and how wildly different it is from the life I know from Germany or Canada. Though now that I think about it, I feel like Volume Alpha might be a love record to Europe, while Beta is dedicated to America and Asia. This might sound like gibberish to you, but to me it’s kind of a personal internalized opinion.|C418}}
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|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/6nCW5Ju2Yo3zCFKNYtNQvA Ad-supported]}}
|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/6nCW5Ju2Yo3zCFKNYtNQvA Ad-supported]}}


{{Quote|''Ki'', like ''Key'', on the previous album is an introduction to the album. But this time it’s not quiet, somber and welcoming, but dark and foreboding.|C418}}
{{Quote|"Ki", like "Key", on the previous album is an introduction to the album. But this time it’s not quiet, somber and welcoming, but dark and foreboding.|C418}}


"Ki" is a reprise (a similar but slightly different version) of "Key" from Minecraft - Volume Alpha (note that both have the same pronunciation). It starts off with "Key" but includes more electronic music.
"Ki" is a reprise (a similar but slightly different version) of "Key" from Minecraft - Volume Alpha (note that both have the same pronunciation). It starts off with "Key" but includes more electronic music.
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|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/0RZfz4zLlFb1lNtoEr7yDR Ad-supported]}}
|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/0RZfz4zLlFb1lNtoEr7yDR Ad-supported]}}


{{Quote|''Alpha'' is a medley of past songs. It acts as the score that plays when you “beat” Minecraft, but it also acts as a celebration of past music from [[Minecraft - Volume Alpha|'''''Volume Alpha''''']].|C418}}
{{Quote|"Alpha" is a medley of past songs. It acts as the score that plays when you “beat” Minecraft, but it also acts as a celebration of past music from [[Minecraft - Volume Alpha|'''''Volume Alpha''''']].|C418}}


"Alpha" is a reprise of some tracks from Minecraft - Volume Alpha, including "Minecraft", "Mice on Venus", "Moog City", and "Sweden". It plays during the End Poem, after defeating the Ender Dragon.  
"Alpha" is a reprise of some tracks from Minecraft - Volume Alpha, including "Minecraft", "Mice on Venus", "Moog City", and "Sweden". It plays during the End Poem, after defeating the Ender Dragon.  


=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Alpha'' was nominated as "The best C418 song of all times".
*"Alpha" was nominated as "The best C418 song of all times".
*''Alpha'' plays during the credits roll. The song was composed so it goes in sync with the [https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/End_Poem End poem].
*"Alpha" plays during the credits roll. The song was composed so it goes in sync with the [https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/End_Poem End poem].
*The title of the song is a reference to [[Minecraft - Volume Alpha]].
*The title of the song is a reference to [[Minecraft - Volume Alpha]].


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{{Track infobox
{{Track infobox
|name=Dead Voxel
|name=Dead Voxel
|aka=nether2
|aka=Nether2
|time=4:56
|time=4:56
|bandcamp=[https://c418.bandcamp.com/track/dead-voxel $1]
|bandcamp=[https://c418.bandcamp.com/track/dead-voxel $1]
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=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Dead Voxel'' only plays in the nether.
*"Dead Voxel" only plays in the Nether.


== Blind Spots ==
== Blind Spots ==
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|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/6K8HUxHtrxGKUJxY6lEQy0 Ad-supported]}}
|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/6K8HUxHtrxGKUJxY6lEQy0 Ad-supported]}}


{{Quote|''Blind Spots'' is the first song I wrote with the clear intention of having a unique soundtrack for Minecraft’s “creative mode”. I tried to create a piece that doesn’t particularly change much, but keeps reiterating on itself, like a constant remixing of its core theme. As the piece ends, it becomes very melancholic and solemn, but quickly returns to being positive. Things end, but that’s not bad.|C418}}
{{Quote|"Blind Spots" is the first song I wrote with the clear intention of having a unique soundtrack for Minecraft’s “Creative Mode”. I tried to create a piece that doesn’t particularly change much, but keeps reiterating on itself, like a constant remixing of its core theme. As the piece ends, it becomes very melancholic and solemn, but quickly returns to being positive. Things end, but that’s not bad.|C418}}


"Blind Spots" starts off primarily featuring a major seven chord, and later introduces darker minor chords. The entire track is a piano song dominated by a repeated quarter note rhythm.  
"Blind Spots" starts off primarily featuring a major seven chord, and later introduces darker minor chords. The entire track is a piano song dominated by a repeated quarter note rhythm.  


=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Blind Spots'' only plays in creative mode.
*"Blind Spots" only plays in Creative Mode.


== Flake ==
== Flake ==
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=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Moog City 2'' only plays in the main menu of the game.
*"Moog City 2" only plays in the main menu of the game.


=== Connections ===
=== Connections ===
*''Moog City 2'' is a continuation to ''[[Minecraft - Volume Alpha#Moog_City|Moog City]]'' from '''''[[Minecraft - Volume Alpha]]'''''.
*"Moog City 2" is a continuation to ''[[Minecraft - Volume Alpha#Moog_City|Moog City]]'' from '''''[[Minecraft - Volume Alpha]]'''''.


== Concrete Halls ==
== Concrete Halls ==
{{Track infobox
{{Track infobox
|name=Concrete Halls
|name=Concrete Halls
|aka=nether1
|aka=Nether1
|time=4:14
|time=4:14
|bandcamp=[https://c418.bandcamp.com/track/concrete-halls $1]
|bandcamp=[https://c418.bandcamp.com/track/concrete-halls $1]
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=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Concrete Halls'' only plays in the nether.
*"Concrete Halls" only plays in the Nether.
*The song's title could be a reference to a Nether fortress, the in-game structure which appears only in the nether.
*The song's title could be a reference to a Nether fortress, the in-game structure which appears only in the Nether.


== Biome Fest ==
== Biome Fest ==
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|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/7ozOcSZlwhqqdrCVJiwbpp Ad-supported]}}
|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/7ozOcSZlwhqqdrCVJiwbpp Ad-supported]}}


{{Quote|''Biome Fest'' is a song that I created when Minecraft Alpha was done, but I felt it had no place anywhere in the game, until the creative mode was sort of reintroduced to the game. It’s one of my favourite songs I’ve ever created. I do love minimalism and achieving tones with just very few notes, and I think this song does that extremely well.|C418}}
{{Quote|"Biome Fest" is a song that I created when Minecraft Alpha was done, but I felt it had no place anywhere in the game, until the Creative Mode was sort of reintroduced to the game. It’s one of my favourite songs I’ve ever created. I do love minimalism and achieving tones with just very few notes, and I think this song does that extremely well.|C418}}


"Biome Fest" starts off as a song with synthesized voices, transitioning to a percussive electronic song with a background bell melody, synthesiser strings, and piano chords. As the track ends, the bell melody dissipates via ping-pong delay, and the percussion continues to fade solo as the track returns to its base voice melody.  
"Biome Fest" starts off as a song with synthesized voices, transitioning to a percussive electronic song with a background bell melody, synthesiser strings, and piano chords. As the track ends, the bell melody dissipates via ping-pong delay, and the percussion continues to fade solo as the track returns to its base voice melody.  


=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Biome Fest'' track on Bandcamp has a link to a YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnvSFqIQh0U video] called "Minecraft Biome Test".
*"Biome Fest" track on Bandcamp has a link to a YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnvSFqIQh0U video] called "Minecraft Biome Test".
**The original video was uploaded by Nizzotch (Markus Persson) which was later made unavailable. Link to the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=953XeQ3qwMM
**The original video was uploaded by Nizzotch (Markus Persson) which was later made unavailable. Link to the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=953XeQ3qwMM
*''Biome Fest'' only plays in creative mode.
*"Biome Fest" only plays in Creative Mode.


=== Connections ===
=== Connections ===
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=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Mutation'' only plays in the main menu of the game.
*"Mutation" only plays in the main menu of the game.


== Haunt Muskie ==
== Haunt Muskie ==
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|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/3ldyywwove50bW6LR2SYvE Ad-supported]}}
|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/3ldyywwove50bW6LR2SYvE Ad-supported]}}


{{Quote|''Haunt Muskie'', if I remember correctly, an anagram for Hatsune Miku. Not entirely sure why anymore, but there you go. This song is very nostalgic for me, and I didn’t expect anyone to like it but just me. It turns out it is a little bit popular though. There was this fairly old video game I used to like. Some game where you solve puzzles of broken rollercoasters you have to fix. The music wasn’t particularly good, but the emotion it carried was something I always remembered. ''Haunt Muskie'' is what I remember that music to be.|C418}}
{{Quote|"Haunt Muskie", if I remember correctly, an anagram for Hatsune Miku. Not entirely sure why anymore, but there you go. This song is very nostalgic for me, and I didn’t expect anyone to like it but just me. It turns out it is a little bit popular though. There was this fairly old video game I used to like. Some game where you solve puzzles of broken rollercoasters you have to fix. The music wasn’t particularly good, but the emotion it carried was something I always remembered. ''Haunt Muskie'' is what I remember that music to be.|C418}}


"Haunt Muskie" is an upbeat, ambient, rhythmic track. It begins with the growing sound of echoing chimes and clarinets that quicken in pace. A reversed piano, accompanied by a synthesized accordion or similar instrument, begin to play up and down a scale, shortly before echoing and fading away, after which the main portion of the song starts. A saxophone can be heard in the background throughout most of the piece.
"Haunt Muskie" is an upbeat, ambient, rhythmic track. It begins with the growing sound of echoing chimes and clarinets that quicken in pace. A reversed piano, accompanied by a synthesized accordion or similar instrument, begin to play up and down a scale, shortly before echoing and fading away, after which the main portion of the song starts. A saxophone can be heard in the background throughout most of the piece.


=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Haunt Muskie'' only plays in creative mode.
*"Haunt Muskie" only plays in Creative Mode.
*The title is an anagram of the virtual singing character, Hatsune Miku.
*The title is an anagram of the virtual singing character, Hatsune Miku.


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{{Track infobox
{{Track infobox
|name=Warmth
|name=Warmth
|aka=nether3
|aka=Nether3
|time=3:59
|time=3:59
|bandcamp=[https://c418.bandcamp.com/track/warmth $1]
|bandcamp=[https://c418.bandcamp.com/track/warmth $1]
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=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Floating Trees'' only plays in the main menu of the game.
*"Floating Trees" only plays in the main menu of the game.
*This appears to be a reference to the well-known annoyance of leaving a tree only partially chopped down, thus leaving it “floating”.
*This appears to be a reference to the well-known annoyance of leaving a tree only partially chopped down, thus leaving it “floating”.


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|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/4K0odcECsBvgzv9Lr9z4kd Ad-supported]}}
|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/4K0odcECsBvgzv9Lr9z4kd Ad-supported]}}


{{Quote|''Aria Math'' is a song full of Pan Drums and old synthesisers rhythmically dancing to ping pong delays. It’s also one of the creative mode songs. I wrote it with the beauty of the more extreme creations in Minecraft. Gigantic statues, entire cities, paintings, people, all recreated in this game. It’s awe inspiring, and that’s what I wanted to kind of symbolise. Not sure if I succeeded?|C418}}
{{Quote|''Aria Math'' is a song full of Pan Drums and old synthesisers rhythmically dancing to ping pong delays. It’s also one of the Creative Mode songs. I wrote it with the beauty of the more extreme creations in Minecraft. Gigantic statues, entire cities, paintings, people, all recreated in this game. It’s awe inspiring, and that’s what I wanted to kind of symbolise. Not sure if I succeeded?|C418}}


"Aria Math" has a main theme played in hang drums throughout the song with electronic music to accompany it. Later the main theme turns into guitar accompanied by a crescendo played in orchestral strings near the end.
"Aria Math" has a main theme played in hang drums throughout the song with electronic music to accompany it. Later the main theme turns into guitar accompanied by a crescendo played in orchestral strings near the end.


=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Aria Math'' only plays in creative mode.
*"Aria Math" only plays in Creative Mode.
*Aria is a musical term for a song of air.  
*"Aria" is a musical term for a song of air.  


=== Connections ===
=== Connections ===
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=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*Kyoto is a Japanese city and was formerly the imperial capital of Japan.  
*Kyoto is a Japanese city and was formerly the imperial capital of Japan.  
*''Kyoto'' only appears on the Christmas mashup for console version of ''Minecraft''.
*"Kyoto" only appears on the Christmas mashup for console version of ''Minecraft''.


== Ballad of the Cats ==
== Ballad of the Cats ==
{{Track infobox
{{Track infobox
|name=Ballad of the Cats
|name=Ballad of the Cats
|aka=nether4
|aka=Nether4
|time=4:35
|time=4:35
|bandcamp=[https://c418.bandcamp.com/track/ballad-of-the-cats $1]
|bandcamp=[https://c418.bandcamp.com/track/ballad-of-the-cats $1]
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=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Ballad of the Cats'' only plays in the nether.
*"Ballad of the Cats" only plays in the Nether.
*The song's title could be a reference to Ghasts, the in-game hostile mobs which only appear in the nether.
*The song's title could be a reference to Ghasts, the in-game hostile mobs which only appear in the Nether.


== Taswell ==
== Taswell ==
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*The track title refers to Ryan "Taswell" Davis, founder of the video game website ''[https://www.giantbomb.com/ Giant Bomb]''. Davis passed away unexpectedly at age 34 due to natural causes.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20130710073722/http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/ryan-davis-1979-2013/1100-4685/</ref>
*The track title refers to Ryan "Taswell" Davis, founder of the video game website ''[https://www.giantbomb.com/ Giant Bomb]''. Davis passed away unexpectedly at age 34 due to natural causes.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20130710073722/http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/ryan-davis-1979-2013/1100-4685/</ref>
*The ambient introduction of the track is sampled from [[one#impostor syndrome|impostor syndrome]]. Specifically, it samples the echo from the diminished chord played 40 seconds into the track. Additionally, it samples the high piano notes and then combines them with the drone.
*The ambient introduction of the track is sampled from [[one#impostor syndrome|impostor syndrome]]. Specifically, it samples the echo from the diminished chord played 40 seconds into the track. Additionally, it samples the high piano notes and then combines them with the drone.
*''Taswell'' only plays in creative mode.
*"Taswell" only plays in Creative Mode.


== Beginning 2 ==
== Beginning 2 ==
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=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Beginning 2'' only plays in the main menu of the game.
*"Beginning 2" only plays in the main menu of the game.


=== Connections ===
=== Connections ===
*''Beginning 2'' is a continuation to ''[[Minecraft - Volume Alpha#Beginning|Beginning]]'' from '''''[[Minecraft - Volume Alpha]]'''''.
*"Beginning 2" is a continuation to ''[[Minecraft - Volume Alpha#Beginning|Beginning]]'' from '''''[[Minecraft - Volume Alpha]]'''''.


== Dreiton ==
== Dreiton ==
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|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/0lEikZP9JffOW4sufCKtQO Ad-supported]}}
|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/0lEikZP9JffOW4sufCKtQO Ad-supported]}}


{{Quote|''Dreiton'' is a remembrance of the times when I wrote albums like [[zweitonegoismus|'''''Zweitonegoismus''''']]. When I was still scared to embrace minimalism and simplicity in music. When I was still keen on making my music as crazy and varied as possible. Turns out there was no reason to have such a fear. And with ''Dreiton'', the are essentially only two sections on a song that clocks in at over 8 minutes. I hope I accomplished to have repetition that nonetheless isn’t boring in any way. Like all the other “creative mode” songs, this one is also about the awe of the creativity to be found in Minecraft. At minute 7, the song abruptly builds up to nothing and fades away. Sometimes creativity doesn’t need to have a reason. Sometimes you just build.|C418}}
{{Quote|"Dreiton" is a remembrance of the times when I wrote albums like [[zweitonegoismus|'''''Zweitonegoismus''''']]. When I was still scared to embrace minimalism and simplicity in music. When I was still keen on making my music as crazy and varied as possible. Turns out there was no reason to have such a fear. And with ''Dreiton'', the are essentially only two sections on a song that clocks in at over 8 minutes. I hope I accomplished to have repetition that nonetheless isn’t boring in any way. Like all the other “Creative Mode” songs, this one is also about the awe of the creativity to be found in Minecraft. At minute 7, the song abruptly builds up to nothing and fades away. Sometimes creativity doesn’t need to have a reason. Sometimes you just build.|C418}}


"Dreiton" is an ambient track divided into two halves that makes use of the hang drum and the square wave, the square waves gradually building up to transition into dramatic synthesiser strings. It is divided into two halves. The first half begins with eight different square wave notes that dominate the entire track that are played every sixteen beats. As the first half crescendos, an aimless hang drum melody fades in; during the very last phrase of the first half, the track picks up into a rhythmic hi-hat sequence.  
"Dreiton" is an ambient track divided into two halves that makes use of the hang drum and the square wave, the square waves gradually building up to transition into dramatic synthesiser strings. It is divided into two halves. The first half begins with eight different square wave notes that dominate the entire track that are played every sixteen beats. As the first half crescendos, an aimless hang drum melody fades in; during the very last phrase of the first half, the track picks up into a rhythmic hi-hat sequence.  
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=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''Dreiton'' is German for "three tone".<ref>https://translate.google.com/#de/en/dreiton</ref>
*"Dreiton" is German for "three tone".<ref>https://translate.google.com/#de/en/dreiton</ref>
**The track title is a reference an earlier track by C418 ''[[zweitonegoismus#zweiton|zweiton]]'', which name translates to "two tone".<ref>https://translate.google.com/#de/en/zweiton</ref>
**The track title is a reference an earlier track by C418 ''[[zweitonegoismus#zweiton|zweiton]]'', which name translates to "two tone".<ref>https://translate.google.com/#de/en/zweiton</ref>
*''Dreiton'' only plays in creative mode.
*"Dreiton" only plays in Creative Mode.


=== Connections ===
=== Connections ===
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|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/3CaUrp1M3f4mDNI2IBbodz Ad-supported]}}
|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/3CaUrp1M3f4mDNI2IBbodz Ad-supported]}}


{{Quote|''The End'' is a 15-minute piece for the namesake in Minecraft, a place called “The End”, a dark and sinister place full of creepy things called Endermen. Oh, and there’s a dragon. Since The End is also the final stage the player has to go to to “beat” the game, this piece contains a lot of references to past songs. If you listen closely, you can essentially hear most of Volume Alpha embedded within. After building up the drone, the song breaks, as if some sort of audio device couldn’t handle it anymore. Lastly you hear someone fixing it, and it starts from the beginning. At least in the game.|C418}}
{{Quote|"The End" is a 15-minute piece for the namesake in Minecraft, a place called “The End”, a dark and sinister place full of creepy things called Endermen. Oh, and there’s a dragon. Since The End is also the final stage the player has to go to to “beat” the game, this piece contains a lot of references to past songs. If you listen closely, you can essentially hear most of Volume Alpha embedded within. After building up the drone, the song breaks, as if some sort of audio device couldn’t handle it anymore. Lastly you hear someone fixing it, and it starts from the beginning. At least in the game.|C418}}


"The End" is a distortion of Minecraft - Volume Alpha. After a loop of part of the track "Minecraft" succumbs to excessive reverb and glitching, a low-pitched drone starts and grows slowly, eventually gaining a harmony of choir voices. At the climax of this piece, a pulsing, one-note "ostinato" appears and is overlaid with a half-tempo rendition of the song "Sweden". Throughout the track, extremely distorted and/or remixed versions of the tracks "Dry Hands", "Wet Hands", "Danny", "Oxygène", "Equinoxe", "Subwoofer Lullaby", "Beginning", "Cat", and "Haggstrom" from Minecraft - Volume Alpha can be heard. "Floating Trees" from Minecraft - Volume Beta can also be heard.
"The End" is a distortion of Minecraft - Volume Alpha. After a loop of part of the track "Minecraft" succumbs to excessive reverb and glitching, a low-pitched drone starts and grows slowly, eventually gaining a harmony of choir voices. At the climax of this piece, a pulsing, one-note "ostinato" appears and is overlaid with a half-tempo rendition of the song "Sweden". Throughout the track, extremely distorted and/or remixed versions of the tracks "Dry Hands", "Wet Hands", "Danny", "Oxygène", "Equinoxe", "Subwoofer Lullaby", "Beginning", "Cat", and "Haggstrom" from Minecraft - Volume Alpha can be heard. "Floating Trees" from Minecraft - Volume Beta can also be heard.


=== Trivia ===
=== Trivia ===
*''The End'' is one of the longest C418 tracks.
*"The End" is one of the longest C418 tracks.
**''The End'' is the longest track in the ''Minecraft'' discography.
**"The End" is the longest track in the ''Minecraft'' discography.
*''The End'' only plays in The End dimension, after killing the Ender Dragon.
*"The End" only plays in The End dimension, after killing the Ender Dragon.
*''The End'' features other songs from [[Minecraft - Volume Alpha]], such as [[Minecraft - Volume Alpha#Minecraft|Minecraft]], [[Minecraft - Volume Alpha#Wet_Hands|Wet Hands]], etc.
*"The End" features other songs from [[Minecraft - Volume Alpha]], such as [[Minecraft - Volume Alpha#Minecraft|Minecraft]], [[Minecraft - Volume Alpha#Wet_Hands|Wet Hands]], etc.


== Chirp ==
== Chirp ==
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|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/1cjYtL6yMFDLyZYn9bDkGo Ad-supported]}}
|spotify=[https://open.spotify.com/track/1cjYtL6yMFDLyZYn9bDkGo Ad-supported]}}


{{Quote|''Chirp'', is where we switch to the records you can find in Minecraft as collectables.|C418}}
{{Quote|"Chirp", is where we switch to the records you can find in Minecraft as collectables.|C418}}


{{Quote|''Chirp'' is not a song from LittleBigPlanet, but both the song in LittleBigPlanet and my song have one similarity. We used an instrument called the Mellotron. The Mellotron is a very fascinating instrument when it was new. It’s the very first sampling-based piano you could say. You press a key, and a tape behind the instrument plays a sound. Every single note has its own band. And with that you were practically able to play anything that has been recorded. They advertised the Mellotron as an orchestra you can play at home.
{{Quote|"Chirp" is not a song from LittleBigPlanet, but both the song in LittleBigPlanet and my song have one similarity. We used an instrument called the Mellotron. The Mellotron is a very fascinating instrument when it was new. It’s the very first sampling-based piano you could say. You press a key, and a tape behind the instrument plays a sound. Every single note has its own band. And with that you were practically able to play anything that has been recorded. They advertised the Mellotron as an orchestra you can play at home.


When I created records for Minecraft I wanted them to have one or two sounds that all of them share. In this case it was both the Mellotron and the Roland TR 808.
When I created records for Minecraft I wanted them to have one or two sounds that all of them share. In this case it was both the Mellotron and the Roland TR 808.

Revision as of 09:50, 10 May 2021

Minecraft - Volume Beta

Minecraft - Volume Beta.jpg

AKA Minecraft Volume Beta
Release date 2013-11-09
Genre Ambient, Dark Ambient, IDM, Minimal Techno, Orchestral
Running time 2:20:49
Bandcamp $7 or more
Apple Music/iTunes $9.99
Spotify Ad-supported
Google Play Music $9.99

Minecraft - Volume Beta is an album by C418 released in 2013 containing the songs that were added to Minecraft during its Beta period of development. Like Minecraft - Volume Alpha, not every track is used within Minecraft.

To date it is C418's longest album, at nearly 2 hours and 21 minutes in length.

Official descriptions

The second official soundtrack of Minecraft. 140 minutes in length and extremely varied.

Featuring the all-new Creative Mode, menu tunes, the horrors of the Nether, the end's odd and misleading soothing ambiance and all the missing record discs from the game!

It's my longest album ever, and I hope you'll love the amount of work I crammed into it.
This is the second part to the official soundtrack to the most popular video game in recent history. Critics like to compare the style of my album to Erik Satie, Roedelius, and Brian Eno. Aphex Twin also once said I stole his style.

The big difference of Volume Beta is that the tone is both more positive and at times very dark. Some of the songs even have percussion, which is something that was a complete rarity with Volume Alpha. For example "Taswell" or "Aria Math".

A bunch of the songs are VERY long.

"Alpha", being 10 minutes, while “The End” clocks in at 15 minutes. And a lot of the “creative mode” songs are at least around 8 minutes in length.

Additionally, this soundtrack contains the collectible records, which are little vinyl songs you can find in Minecraft, the game. With the exception of "Cat". That song you can find on the previous soundtrack, Volume Alpha.

I released this album in late 2013 when I was about to be doing a gig in Mexico. Every time I think about this album, I get nostalgic about Mexico and how wildly different it is from the life I know from Germany or Canada. Though now that I think about it, I feel like Volume Alpha might be a love record to Europe, while Beta is dedicated to America and Asia. This might sound like gibberish to you, but to me it’s kind of a personal internalized opinion.
—C418

Tracks

Ki

"Ki", like "Key", on the previous album is an introduction to the album. But this time it’s not quiet, somber and welcoming, but dark and foreboding.
—C418

"Ki" is a reprise (a similar but slightly different version) of "Key" from Minecraft - Volume Alpha (note that both have the same pronunciation). It starts off with "Key" but includes more electronic music.

Alpha

Ki
Length 1:32
Bandcamp $1
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"Alpha" is a medley of past songs. It acts as the score that plays when you “beat” Minecraft, but it also acts as a celebration of past music from Volume Alpha.
—C418

"Alpha" is a reprise of some tracks from Minecraft - Volume Alpha, including "Minecraft", "Mice on Venus", "Moog City", and "Sweden". It plays during the End Poem, after defeating the Ender Dragon.

Trivia

  • "Alpha" was nominated as "The best C418 song of all times".
  • "Alpha" plays during the credits roll. The song was composed so it goes in sync with the End poem.
  • The title of the song is a reference to Minecraft - Volume Alpha.

Dead Voxel

Alpha
AKA credits
Length 10:03
Bandcamp $1
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"Dead Voxel" begins with ambient music and distant, high-pitched sounds similar to ones heard in "Ballad of the Cats" and later turns into a serene but dramatic piano song with Japanese music. It is a less dissonant, more somber variant of "Concrete Halls". At the end, part of "Beginning" can be heard.

Trivia

  • "Dead Voxel" only plays in the Nether.

Blind Spots

Dead Voxel
AKA Nether2
Length 4:56
Bandcamp $1
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"Blind Spots" is the first song I wrote with the clear intention of having a unique soundtrack for Minecraft’s “Creative Mode”. I tried to create a piece that doesn’t particularly change much, but keeps reiterating on itself, like a constant remixing of its core theme. As the piece ends, it becomes very melancholic and solemn, but quickly returns to being positive. Things end, but that’s not bad.
—C418

"Blind Spots" starts off primarily featuring a major seven chord, and later introduces darker minor chords. The entire track is a piano song dominated by a repeated quarter note rhythm.

Trivia

  • "Blind Spots" only plays in Creative Mode.

Flake

Blind Spots
AKA creative2
Length 5:32
Bandcamp $1
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"Flake" starts with a calm, bell-like synth and ambient sounds and later a glitchy rhythm enters.

Trivia

  • Flake only appears on the Christmas mashup for console version of Minecraft.

Moog City 2

Flake
Length 2:50
Bandcamp $1
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Moog City 2 is a recreation of Moog City from Minecraft Alpha. However this time I actually did use Moog synthesisers, along a lot of other synths that I acquired over the course of making this album.
—C418

"Moog City 2" is a remix of the original Moog City, but with more reverberation to it. Unlike the original version of the track, the main arpeggio stops playing dominant over the piano solo once the track crescendos. As well as this, the piano solo has been shifted to play in the middle of the track rather than just prior to the final arpeggio.

Trivia

  • "Moog City 2" only plays in the main menu of the game.

Connections

Concrete Halls

Moog City 2
AKA menu2
Length 3:00
Bandcamp $1
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"Concrete Halls" is a rhythmic song with dark, relatively dissonant ambient music, heavily reverberated percussion, and distant ghast sounds.

Trivia

  • "Concrete Halls" only plays in the Nether.
  • The song's title could be a reference to a Nether fortress, the in-game structure which appears only in the Nether.

Biome Fest

Concrete Halls
AKA Nether1
Length 4:14
Bandcamp $1
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"Biome Fest" is a song that I created when Minecraft Alpha was done, but I felt it had no place anywhere in the game, until the Creative Mode was sort of reintroduced to the game. It’s one of my favourite songs I’ve ever created. I do love minimalism and achieving tones with just very few notes, and I think this song does that extremely well.
—C418

"Biome Fest" starts off as a song with synthesized voices, transitioning to a percussive electronic song with a background bell melody, synthesiser strings, and piano chords. As the track ends, the bell melody dissipates via ping-pong delay, and the percussion continues to fade solo as the track returns to its base voice melody.

Trivia

  • "Biome Fest" track on Bandcamp has a link to a YouTube video called "Minecraft Biome Test".
  • "Biome Fest" only plays in Creative Mode.

Connections

Mutation

Biome Fest
AKA creative1
Length 6:18
Bandcamp $1
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"Mutation" is a variation on "Minecraft" from Minecraft - Volume Alpha with string ensemble embellishments. This is likely where the name "Mutation" originated from.

Trivia

  • "Mutation" only plays in the main menu of the game.

Haunt Muskie

Mutation
AKA menu1
Length 3:05
Bandcamp $1
Spotify Ad-supported
"Haunt Muskie", if I remember correctly, an anagram for Hatsune Miku. Not entirely sure why anymore, but there you go. This song is very nostalgic for me, and I didn’t expect anyone to like it but just me. It turns out it is a little bit popular though. There was this fairly old video game I used to like. Some game where you solve puzzles of broken rollercoasters you have to fix. The music wasn’t particularly good, but the emotion it carried was something I always remembered. Haunt Muskie is what I remember that music to be.
—C418

"Haunt Muskie" is an upbeat, ambient, rhythmic track. It begins with the growing sound of echoing chimes and clarinets that quicken in pace. A reversed piano, accompanied by a synthesized accordion or similar instrument, begin to play up and down a scale, shortly before echoing and fading away, after which the main portion of the song starts. A saxophone can be heard in the background throughout most of the piece.

Trivia

  • "Haunt Muskie" only plays in Creative Mode.
  • The title is an anagram of the virtual singing character, Hatsune Miku.

Warmth

Haunt Muskie
AKA creative3
Length 6:01
Bandcamp $1
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Warmth plays in the game’s hell. Or as it is called in Minecraft, “Nether”. This song tries to play with the idea that even hell isn’t all bad, and there’s good things to be found. But it’s still a very harsh environment.
—C418

"Warmth" starts with loud, hollow sounds of something banging on a metallic object, which fades into synthesizer music with enderman-like sounds. Near the end, the music turns back into banging sounds, but louder and less muted. At the end are sounds of a large amount of a water-like liquid flowing.

Floating Trees

Warmth
AKA Nether3
Length 3:59
Bandcamp $1
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"Floating Trees" is an ethereal and calming track written in the same key as "Minecraft". The end seems to contain the start of the melody from "Subwoofer Lullaby" from Minecraft - Volume Alpha.

Trivia

  • "Floating Trees" only plays in the main menu of the game.
  • This appears to be a reference to the well-known annoyance of leaving a tree only partially chopped down, thus leaving it “floating”.

Aria Math

Floating Trees
AKA menu4
Length 4:04
Bandcamp $1
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Aria Math is a song full of Pan Drums and old synthesisers rhythmically dancing to ping pong delays. It’s also one of the Creative Mode songs. I wrote it with the beauty of the more extreme creations in Minecraft. Gigantic statues, entire cities, paintings, people, all recreated in this game. It’s awe inspiring, and that’s what I wanted to kind of symbolise. Not sure if I succeeded?
—C418

"Aria Math" has a main theme played in hang drums throughout the song with electronic music to accompany it. Later the main theme turns into guitar accompanied by a crescendo played in orchestral strings near the end.

Trivia

  • "Aria Math" only plays in Creative Mode.
  • "Aria" is a musical term for a song of air.

Connections

Kyoto

Aria Math
AKA creative4
Length 5:10
Bandcamp $1
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"Kyoto" is a downtempo song in two main parts. The first part features a piano playing the bass part, with a melody and countermelody in saxophone and flute, respectively. The second part features synthesized strings and celesta.

Trivia

  • Kyoto is a Japanese city and was formerly the imperial capital of Japan.
  • "Kyoto" only appears on the Christmas mashup for console version of Minecraft.

Ballad of the Cats

Kyoto
Length 4:09
Bandcamp $1
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"Ballad of the Cats" is two periods of techno music in the style of piano chords played on every beat, both ending off in a distorted synthesiser chord and then fading out. Near the beginning and end are distant, echoing ghast sounds.

Trivia

  • "Ballad of the Cats" only plays in the Nether.
  • The song's title could be a reference to Ghasts, the in-game hostile mobs which only appear in the Nether.

Taswell

Ballad of the Cats
AKA Nether4
Length 4:35
Bandcamp $1
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Taswell is a farewell to a friend I only met for a little bit, but they passed away faster than anyone could have imagined. It was shocking, but I didn’t want to remember them for their death, but the happiness they showed every day of their life.
—C418

"Taswell" starts off as a track of echoing, ethereal music and high-pitched beeping with odd static-like periods in between. It suddenly becomes an upbeat, catchy song with steady drum beats. Later it turns into an electronic track with the middle song in the background. It starts playing quieter static-like periods at the end.

Trivia

  • The track title refers to Ryan "Taswell" Davis, founder of the video game website Giant Bomb. Davis passed away unexpectedly at age 34 due to natural causes.[1]
  • The ambient introduction of the track is sampled from impostor syndrome. Specifically, it samples the echo from the diminished chord played 40 seconds into the track. Additionally, it samples the high piano notes and then combines them with the drone.
  • "Taswell" only plays in Creative Mode.

Beginning 2

Taswell
AKA creative6
Length 8:35
Bandcamp $1
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Beginning 2 is just like Beginning on Alpha, perhaps the end to the album, or just the beginning. This album is now in the progress of changing tone rapidly, but not before going to The End.
—C418

Trivia

  • "Beginning 2" only plays in the main menu of the game.

Connections

Dreiton

Beginning 2
AKA menu3
Length 2:56
Bandcamp $1
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"Dreiton" is a remembrance of the times when I wrote albums like Zweitonegoismus. When I was still scared to embrace minimalism and simplicity in music. When I was still keen on making my music as crazy and varied as possible. Turns out there was no reason to have such a fear. And with Dreiton, the are essentially only two sections on a song that clocks in at over 8 minutes. I hope I accomplished to have repetition that nonetheless isn’t boring in any way. Like all the other “Creative Mode” songs, this one is also about the awe of the creativity to be found in Minecraft. At minute 7, the song abruptly builds up to nothing and fades away. Sometimes creativity doesn’t need to have a reason. Sometimes you just build.
—C418

"Dreiton" is an ambient track divided into two halves that makes use of the hang drum and the square wave, the square waves gradually building up to transition into dramatic synthesiser strings. It is divided into two halves. The first half begins with eight different square wave notes that dominate the entire track that are played every sixteen beats. As the first half crescendos, an aimless hang drum melody fades in; during the very last phrase of the first half, the track picks up into a rhythmic hi-hat sequence.

During the second half, the hang drum that was introduced in the first half is used for the base melody, of which then raises up an octave as the base melody converts from using the hang drum to the piano. After the melody rises up an octave, a drum kit sequence is introduced as the track reaches its final two phases. As the second half concludes, the track becomes a guitar melody, continuing the use of hang drums in the background, and the track finally ends with a synthesiser chord.

Trivia

  • "Dreiton" is German for "three tone".[2]
    • The track title is a reference an earlier track by C418 zweiton, which name translates to "two tone".[3]
  • "Dreiton" only plays in Creative Mode.

Connections

  • Later remixed on 148 as Vierton, the name of which is the German for "four tone".[4]

The End

Dreiton
AKA creative5
Length 8:17
Bandcamp $1
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"The End" is a 15-minute piece for the namesake in Minecraft, a place called “The End”, a dark and sinister place full of creepy things called Endermen. Oh, and there’s a dragon. Since The End is also the final stage the player has to go to to “beat” the game, this piece contains a lot of references to past songs. If you listen closely, you can essentially hear most of Volume Alpha embedded within. After building up the drone, the song breaks, as if some sort of audio device couldn’t handle it anymore. Lastly you hear someone fixing it, and it starts from the beginning. At least in the game.
—C418

"The End" is a distortion of Minecraft - Volume Alpha. After a loop of part of the track "Minecraft" succumbs to excessive reverb and glitching, a low-pitched drone starts and grows slowly, eventually gaining a harmony of choir voices. At the climax of this piece, a pulsing, one-note "ostinato" appears and is overlaid with a half-tempo rendition of the song "Sweden". Throughout the track, extremely distorted and/or remixed versions of the tracks "Dry Hands", "Wet Hands", "Danny", "Oxygène", "Equinoxe", "Subwoofer Lullaby", "Beginning", "Cat", and "Haggstrom" from Minecraft - Volume Alpha can be heard. "Floating Trees" from Minecraft - Volume Beta can also be heard.

Trivia

  • "The End" is one of the longest C418 tracks.
    • "The End" is the longest track in the Minecraft discography.
  • "The End" only plays in The End dimension, after killing the Ender Dragon.
  • "The End" features other songs from Minecraft - Volume Alpha, such as Minecraft, Wet Hands, etc.

Chirp

The End
AKA end
Length 15:04
Bandcamp $1
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"Chirp", is where we switch to the records you can find in Minecraft as collectables.
—C418
"Chirp" is not a song from LittleBigPlanet, but both the song in LittleBigPlanet and my song have one similarity. We used an instrument called the Mellotron. The Mellotron is a very fascinating instrument when it was new. It’s the very first sampling-based piano you could say. You press a key, and a tape behind the instrument plays a sound. Every single note has its own band. And with that you were practically able to play anything that has been recorded. They advertised the Mellotron as an orchestra you can play at home.

When I created records for Minecraft I wanted them to have one or two sounds that all of them share. In this case it was both the Mellotron and the Roland TR 808.

I should have cleared that up when making the song.
—C418

A retro tune with a sample from a 1970 MATTEL Program Disc: Bossa Nova Style playing in the background, along with a vaporwave-like version of Mall.

Wait

Chirp
Length 3:07
Bandcamp $1
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Upbeat remix of Minecraft.

Trivia

  • This track was originally titled "Where are we now" and for a long time was in the record folder but was not added as a music disc due to issues with the spaces in its name. This was finally rectified by renaming it and it was added as a music disc

Mellohi

Wait
Length 3:54
Bandcamp $1
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A slow, slightly melancholic waltz with a sample from a mellotron playing in the background.

Stal

Mellohi
Length 1:38
Bandcamp $1
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A moderate jazz-like piece with a recorder.

Trivia

  • In Swedish, "stal" means "stole", but can also be "stål" with the ring diacritic, which means "steel".

Strad

Stal
Length 2:32
Bandcamp $1
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A tropical-sounding piece with the main melody being played on a handpan and steel drum, accompanied by a glitchy electronic beat and ending on some melancholy melodica chords.

Eleven

Strad
Length 3:08
Bandcamp $1
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A slow, calm piano piece. At the beginning, the record static from the start of the music disc 11 can be heard, but is abruptly switched to the new tune when a record scratching sound interrupts it.

Trivia

  • This track references the music disc 11 in its name and length, but features a new track instead of the disturbing sound of a person running away from some unknown creature.

Ward

Eleven
Length 1:11
Bandcamp $1
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The record starts off with an excerpt from Chopin's Funeral March played on synth organ but goes into an electronic, upbeat, exploration and adventure tune with a dark undertone.

Trivia

  • The old-sounding intro to this song is shortened in Minecraft - Volume Beta, compared to the in-game music disc version.

Mall

Ward
Length 4:10
Bandcamp $1
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A calm, underwater-like, piece of serene music.

Blocks

Mall
Length 3:18
Bandcamp $1
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An upbeat, catchy tune with a shuffling rhythm.

Trivia

  • Refers to the main theme of Minecraft.

Far

Blocks
Length 5:43
Bandcamp $1
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A calm, relaxing, nature-like melody.

Intro

Far
Length 3:12
Bandcamp $1
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See you next time
—C418, Bandcamp
Intro, an improv piece to say goodbye. Or hello?
—C418

This track consists of a person humming and playing notes on a piano as if compiling a song from his head. Strings, along with echoing synthesized sounds and other recordings of what may be the same voice, fade in afterwards, until the song ends.

Trivia

  • The quote on Bandcamp could be a reference to the upcoming Third Minecraft Album.
  • The person humming and playing the notes on the piano is C418 himself.

Album trivia

  • There are two extra tracks which weren't added to the album.
    • The first one being a music disc 11.
    • The second one being an in-game music when fighting the enderdragon, boss.
  • The discs appear to be based on older 78 rpm records. These usually held a single 2-3 minute song on one or both sides, were made out of a noisy material called shellac (which was notorious for its fragility and hissing sound when no music was playing, both of which can be seen in "11"), and were larger than later, 45 rpm vinyl records which replaced them.

References

Intro
Length 4:36
Bandcamp $1
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