Chris TrottierJun 6, 2023
When we talk about video games, what's often talked about is graphics. Now I don't mind some eye candy every now and then.

But what isn't spoken about enough is soundtracks. And the best soundtrack -- by a long shot -- is Hotline Miami OST.

11 years after Hotline Miami came out, it remains the high watermark.

Today, I'm going to share my favourite picks from this incredible soundtrack.
Show threadChris TrottierJun 6, 2023

One of the most memorable tunes from Hotline Miami is the song “Hydrogen” by M O O N. This is intense and aerobic, and gets you into the frame of mind that something is about to go down. Which, in Hotline Miami, is something that happens with aplomb.

Hydrogen feels ferocious. The bass is simple repeating the same note again and again. The rhythms skips thick and brooding. Never has an instrumental song sounded so dangerous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNE2oCZH_4k

M.O.O.N. - 'Hydrogen' [Hotline Miami Soundtrack]

Third track off the self titled EP released 11/27/11Featured in the Hotline Miami SoundtrackGet it here- http://music.musicofthemoon.com

YouTube
Show threadChris TrottierJun 6, 2023

Compared to the previous song I mentioned, “Miami” by Jasper Byrne is lackadaisical. It feels like a calm, soothing summer wind. It’s a momentary comedown before the action starts. But there’s still and undercurrent of moodiness at the focus, as though something is wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKuA-m_6eOo

Miami (Original Mix)

YouTube
Show threadChris TrottierJun 6, 2023

If a song were a colour, “Knock Knock” by Scattle would be a purple neon. Again, there’s that brooding mood – that gives you that overwhelming sense of horror. It skips along with synths that throb in and out. You know something is going to happen, and true to Hotline Miami, the game delivers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o4LKzaMaOo

Hotline Miami Soundtrack OST Knock - Knock

YouTube
Show threadChris TrottierJun 6, 2023

“Silver Lights” by Coconuts is a slight departure from the rest of the Hotline Miami soundtrack. It seems less of a disco song and more like something post-punk in the vein of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. But it fits in so well with the game. In Hotline Miami, when this song comes on, you learn something unsavoury about your character.

This is so well-done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F43446x_nYQ

Silver Lights

Auf YouTube findest du großartige Videos und erstklassige Musik. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder mit der ganzen Welt teilen.

YouTube
Show threadChris TrottierJun 6, 2023

“Daisuke” by El Huervo is also a departure from the rest of Hotline Miami’s soundtrack. This one has a more trip hop feel that’s heavy on atmospherics. The guitar is subtle. The piano sneaks up on you. And there’s that slow beat that plays just behind everything else. It’s a momentary break from the action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL_pBJN_O3M

Daisuke - El Huervo

YouTube
Show threadChris TrottierJun 6, 2023

There’s something haunting about “Electric Dreams” by Perturbator. A feeling that something isn’t right. Again, I think it’s the basses doing. The synths give a rising, almost swooning sense of finality. This is just layers and layers of neon-drenched goodness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pne9yGB7KZM

Electric Dreams

YouTube
Show threadChris Trottier

One of the best aspects of Hotline Miami is the feeling of disorientation. A large part of this is the song “Deep Cover” by Sun Araw. If any song encapsulated a hangover, this would be it. Now I don’t like the feeling of being hung over. It’s not something I’d like to revisit. Nevertheless, this works so well for the story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-s9LdQPXF4

Sun Araw - Deep Cover

YouTube
Jun 6, 2023 at 11:32pmWeb
Show threadChris TrottierJun 6, 2023

To me, “Paris” by M O O N is what Hotline Miami truly is about. The moment you hear this song, you know the action is about to start. And whatever action this will be, it will be violent and bloody. This is the sound of a man who’s about to execute a plan with bad intentions.

I’ll be honest. If I’m ever in a club and this song is playing, I’m getting out of there. Because you know something going down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wXRvvGr8Ug

M.O.O.N. - 'Paris' [Hotline Miami Soundtrack]

YouTube
Show threadChris TrottierJun 6, 2023

“A New Morning” by Eirik Suhrke has an almost yacht rock sensibility about it – as though it could be the backdrop to a Michael McDonald song. But with much more synth! But of course, it’s that guitar-like sound that really makes the song what it is.

Short but sweet!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhJYlpZu_1g

Hotline Miami Soundtrack ~ A New Morning

YouTube
Show threadChris TrottierJun 6, 2023

For some reason, “Inner Animal” by Scattle really reminds me of “Oh Yeah” by Yello – which is well-known from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. But with way more tension and danger. Again, what makes this soundtrack so good, so perfect is the mood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyw32Ttkn4s

Hotline Miami OST - Inner Animal

YouTube
Show threadChris TrottierJun 6, 2023

Now we get to my favourite song on the Hotline Miami soundtrack: “Crystals” by M O O N. It starts off being funky fresh. Something that could be sampled by some 80s rappers. But then the slow bass starts rumbling, and the reverb kicks in. Then you realize we’re in business. That something violent is going to happen, and people will die.

To me, this is the best song on what has proven to be a legendary video game soundtrack – something so good, you don’t even need to play the game to get what it’s about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVblOqZBlJw

M.O.O.N. - 'Crystals' [Hotline Miami Soundtrack]

YouTube
Show threadChris TrottierJun 6, 2023

Now don’t get me wrong. There’s been a lot of great soundtracks in video games. Street Fighter II is legendary. The Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack is truly a New Jack swing classic.

But I find myself pining for the Hotline Miami soundtrack – wishing there would be something else that encapsulates such a defining mood in a video game. But there hasn’t been.

From what I can see, this has been a once-in-a-generation soundtrack. Not even the sequel could live up to the original Hotline Miami’s music.

When your hear a distinct sound and immediately know what it’s all about, you know that something incredible has been created.

Show threadBrianKrebsJun 7, 2023
@atomicpoet I'll check that out. My all-time fav is still the Mirror's Edge Catalyst by Solar Fields.