Over 2017, Laced Music worked closely with Reikon Games and Devolver Digital to license a cutting edge selection of tracks to help score the dark cyberpunk world of top-down action shooter RUINER.

And now Laced Records is bringing 16 of the best tracks from the RUINER soundtrack to vinyl, with music from Sidewalks and Skeletons, Zamilska, Memotone, Antigone & Francois X, DJ Alina and Susumu Hirasawa.

The package includes two 180-gram vinyl in black and red, alongside a deluxe gatefold sleeve and printed inners.

All the artwork is by the game’s Creative Director, Benedykt Szneider (ArtStation; Tumblr; Twitter). The album has been mastered for vinyl by Joe Caithness (Subsequent Studios).

• US store: Lacedrecords.com/collections/ruiner
• Rest of world: Lacedrecords.co/collections/ruiner

You can hear a selection of tracks via this Spotify playlist; or YouTube playlist.

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And now for something completely different…

You may be forgiven for thinking 2017 was actually 1997 in disguise, as the colourful 3D platformer genre, so popular during the late ’90s and early ’00s, came bouncing back onto the scene. Games like Banjo-Kazooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day continue to be the source of many fond memories for gamers, and Playtonic Games’ Yooka-Laylee (funded in part by a successful Kickstarter campaign) was explicitly crafted in their image.

The group of ex-Rare staff and character platformer veterans at Playtonic launched Yooka-Laylee in April 2017 on consoles and PC, with the Nintendo Switch version launching in December.

Helping Playtonic revive that spirit was a trio of Rare alumni: composers Grant Kirkhope (Goldeneye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark and Viva Piñata), Steve Burke (Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts ‘n Bolts, Kameo: Elements of Power and Viva Piñata) and David Wise (Battletoads and the Donkey Kong Country series). Together they’ve created a delightful soundtrack that is ’90s in spirit but fresh in execution.

With artwork by the Playtonic team, the 28-track soundtrack is available on two 180g vinyl discs in green and purple, presented in a thick card sleeve with a matte laminate finish.

The CD edition is a gatefold deluxe digipak, featuring 28 tracks plus an additional 10 World Variant tracks by Grant Kirkhope. The release also includes a digital download of all 38 tracks.

The digital edition features 28 tracks plus 10 World Variant tracks by Grant Kirkhope.

All releases mastered by Joe Caithness (Subsequent Studios).

• US store: Lacedrecords.com/collections/yooka-laylee
• Rest of world store: Lacedrecords.co/collections/yooka-laylee

Yooka-Laylee is also available to stream via all major digital music services, including Spotify and Apple Music.

At Laced With Wax, we interviewed the three composers about their favourite tunes from the album. You should also check out:

• DualShocker’s interview with all three composers about their score,
• the Sound Architect’s podcast interview Grant Kirkhope,
• their podcast interview with Audio Director Dan Murdoch,
• and the Super Marcato Bros’ podcast interview with David Wise.

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First-person puzzle game The Talos Principle, developed by Croteam and published by Devolver Digital, asks a lot of philosophical questions: What does it mean to be human? What is free will and can it be simulated? Why can’t you solve this easy puzzle, you simple-minded mortal?

Croteam’s lead composer and sound designer (as well as Chief Marketing Officer), Damjan Mravunac, created a meditative, mellow score for the 2014 game — and, in turn, Laced Records has produced a fittingly majestic vinyl package.

With exquisite art and design by Tom J Manning (website; Behance profile), The Talos Principle - Made Of Words is available on two black 180g vinyl discs, housed in a deluxe double gatefold sleeve. The album was mastered for vinyl by Joe Caithness (Subsequent Studios).

The Talos Principle soundtrack vinyl gatefold, designed by Tom J Manning:

• US store: Lacedrecords.com/collections/the-talos-principle
• Rest of world store: Lacedrecords.co/collections/the-talos-principle

You can check out The Talos Principle - Made Of Words via all major music streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and SoundCloud.

At Laced With Wax, you can read interviews with composer Mravunac (“Interview: Talos Principle composer on humanity in the digital realm”) and designer Manning (“On the record: Pondering the art of The Talos Principle OST vinyl”)

The Sound Architect also interviewed Mravunac, exploring his career as a composer.

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Picture this: it’s 1996, you’ve just recently finished setting up your Windows 95 PC (rocking an Intel 200 MHz P6 processor and 16mb of RAM) — and you’re already bored of Encarta 96’s Mindmaze. Then you boot up this new game STRAFE and your head literally* explodes! (*figuratively)

Such is the power of the fastest, bloodiest, deadliest, most adjective-abusing, action-packed first-person shooter of 1996**, developed by Pixel Titans and published by Devolver Digital on Steam (PC/Mac) and PS4. (**actually 2017) And a huge part of STRAFE’s impact is thanks to its furious, pumping score by Amos Roddy, AKA ToyTree.

You can buy the Standard Edition of the soundtrack album on two 180-gram vinyl discs in orange and red, presented in a thick card sleeve.

Please note: the Limited Edition has sold out as a standalone purchase, but copies are still available as part of a bundle with a Steam game code.

Artwork across both releases is by the team at Pixel Titans and Joey Rex (website). The album was mastered for vinyl by Joe Caithness (Subsequent Studios).

• US store: Lacedrecords.com/collections/strafe
• Rest of world store: Lacedrecords.co/collections/strafe

You can check out STRAFE (Original Game Soundtrack) via all major music streaming services, including Spotify and Apple Music; as well as ToyTree’s BandCamp page.

The gatefold for both STRAFE soundtrack vinyl releases:

At Laced With Wax, we chatted to Roddy about his influences, STRAFEwave and the vinyl revival: “Interview: STRAFE composer ToyTree talks red hot jams and refracted retro”.

The interview was also published as a podcast via Cane and Rinse’s Sound of Play.

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Developed by Sloclap and published by Devolver Digital, online multiplayer martial arts game Absolver (available on PC [Steam] and PS4) enjoys a soundtrack composed by probably the busiest man in games music, Austin Wintory (Journey, ABZÛ, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate) — with a smidgen of help from Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA.

In collaboration with Sloclap and Devolver, Laced Records has produced two separate format editions for the soundtrack: a deluxe double vinyl with 180-gram translucent red vinyl discs presented in a gatefold sleeve with artwork by Niklas Åkerblad, AKA El Huervo (Tumblr); and a CD edition with 4-page booklet and artwork by Angela Bermúdez.

• US store: Lacedrecords.com/collections/absolver
• Rest of world store: Lacedrecords.co/collections/absolver

You can check out Absolver (Original Game Soundtrack) via all major music streaming services, including Spotify and Apple Music; as well as Austin Wintory’s BandCamp page.

Laced With Wax interviewed both of the incredible, multi-talented artists behind the Absolver soundtrack album covers:

• “El Huervo on the punchy art of the Absolver OST vinyl”
• “Angela Bermúdez on Absolver and working with Austin Wintory”

Austin Wintory has also been interviewed by several outlets about his score:

• Here’s Music Respawn’s podcast interview with Wintory,
• Zam.com interviewed Wintory about his approach to Absolver prior to the game’s release.

(Left) El Huervo’s cover artwork for the Absolver soundtrack vinyl; (Right) Angela Bermúdez’s artwork for the Absolver soundtrack CD:

El Huervo’s gatefold artwork for the Absolver soundtrack vinyl:

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Keep in touch with Laced Records for more fantastic video game soundtrack releases:

• Facebook.com/LacedMusicLtd
• Twitter – @Laced_Records
• Instagram – @Lacedrecords