Gymnopédie '99

Mitsuto Suzuki is mostly known for this work at Square Enix, composing for video games like Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns (both confusingly named direct sequels to the original Final Fantasy XIII). Before landing at his most famous gig, Suzuki was a young kid obsessed with synthesizers, following in the footsteps of techno-pop supergroup Yellow Magic Orchestra. In 1994, he released his debut EP Voices of Planet under the name ARP-2600, paying homage to his favorite modular synth. (A few years later, he would even be acknowledged by one of his YMO idols and included on the Haruomi Hosono-curated Daisy World Tour compilation.) As Suzuki continued to find his voice, he began pivoting away from techno and channeled his love of electronic music into an ambitious project of ambient adaptations of Erik Satie pieces. The thumping beats of his early endeavors are still here, but they’re stretched out amidst a sea of quiet soundscapes. It would ultimately serve as an important bridge between his early and late career endeavors, strongly resembling the work he would eventually contribute to iconic RPGs.