Yuto Takei - 8va Curves (Original Release & Pre-Race Remix) | Gran Turismo 5

Yuto Takei - 8va Curves, featured in Gran Turismo 5 and beyond
All credit goes to the original composer Yuto Takei and Polyphony Digital

This is the remix of both the officially released version and the in-game version which you can only hear on Gran Turismo 5 before starting a race. The official release of 8va Curves is very short and has some parts different from the in-game pre-race version, while the latter is looped but without a definite end.

Because I love 8va Curves and am a complete slut for both versions, I wanted to try out remixing both versions into one. It has the opening and ending parts from the original release as well as the middle section from the pre-race version.

No cap, this is my favorite soundtrack in the entire series and that's saying a lot from someone who played Gran Turismo 1 to 6 including the PSP game. Which begs the question, why do people shit on Gran Turismo's soundtracks starting on GT5 and beyond? I mean I get it, GT1 to 4 have nostalgic tunes and the 90s Japanese jazz fusion are so iconic and on brand with the time period, but to call GT5 soundtracks bland, boring and low-quality would be very disingenuous.

A lot of criticisms about GT5 soundtracks revolve around the lack of excitement as early as booting up the game while the older GT games allegedly have more energy. Playing all the mainline Gran Turismo games, I feel that focus on high-energy soundtracks began to shift to a more elegant and calm feel starting from GT4, of which GT5 took that direction even further in addition to adding its own flairs.

To reflect on that, GT5 has a lot, and I mean a lot more soundtrack options provided to the players than the previous games. Like, compared to the double-digit soundtracks those games have that are heard in their specific parts, GT5 has over a hundred of soundtracks and songs with different genres and personality which begs the players to customize to their own likings.

It has the calm, soothing jazz & lounge tunes like Beautiful Place, At Night, Sunset Breeze, Smoker's Lament, Afterglow, Dark Line, After The Rain, and Gently, The Moon Always Watches You; soundtracks that are, to me, perfect for a rainy day at a coffee shop or just looking at luxurious cars.

But then, there are also funky tunes that rev up our racing spirit like The Power of GT, Night Birds, 8va Curves, Like A Bird, Let Me See Your Mind, GT-FORCE, and so on. To me, these are more in tune with the older vibes we get from older GT games.

Of course, there are plenty of rock songs, both licensed and originally composed in-house by Daiki Kasho which have some of the best selections in the entire franchise to me. And perhaps my least favorites are the EDM techno songs in the game, but that's mostly due to my distaste of modern EDM songs. See what I mean?

I can go rambling on and on about how great and high-quality the soundtracks on GT5 are, in fact I might even be able to talk about it all as a video content. However, that has to wait a bit longer since I'm still new to video editing and I don't have the budget for the props yet.

Sure, GT6 soundtracks mostly carry over the stuff from GT5, but there are also a number of new ones from that game which I really love such as Another Planet, Sunset Breeze, and a very rare case of an EDM soundtrack, Horizon Seekers. They aren't short of quality as well but unfortunately lacking in exposure due to GT6's """lower""" sales than the other GT games in addition to, like I implied before, numerous prejudices toward the soundtracks in GT5 and above.

All I'm saying is to take off your rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia and listen to these soundtracks for what they are. To me, not only do they provide high-quality original tunes, but they also represent a shift in the attitudes surrounding car cultures and racing competitions. Whereas the old 90s car cultures feel high-energy and rustic, the modern cultures feel much more classy and sophisticated. It's kind of hard to explain, but I hope you understand my point.

Anyway, I'm going to return to bed and scratch my pillows over 8va Curves all over again.