After leaving school, it must’ve been 1994 or thereabouts, I went on holiday to Burnham-on-Sea with my best friend and his Mum and Dad.
In between getting smashed on Newcastle Brown Ale and being accused of rape (another story for another time), we spent a lot of time in the arcade there, the highlight being a big sit-in version of Ridge Racer. At first I was awful, I couldn’t even finish the race because I kept running out of time. Every day I played it for at least an hour, pumping 50p after 50p into the slot, gradually getting better. The day before we left I had one final go. I shot past every rival until I was bumper to bumper with the yellow car, that damn car that always seemed so far out in front, that damn car that always had a bit more speed, that damn car that always finished in front of me. For half a lap we battled, the pressure getting to me slightly as I fumbled around corners that I had mastered earlier in the week. In the last part of the race I decisively passed him, putting some distance between us, praying my nerve would hold until the chequered flag. It held, and I came first.
The soundtrack I always insisted on selecting? Rotterdam Nation. In any normal situation, listening to this tune would make you sick or have a seizure, but it just felt right having this going while you were racing the ridges. Whilst researching for this piece, I came across this video of the tune ported to Namco’s drumming game Taiko: Drum Master. It gets a little messy, be warned.
You can’t really hear how bad it is with all the extra percussion going on in that video. For a real assault on your ears, try this:
