Animal Crossing: K.K. Slider Themes
K.K. Slider is a good example of how video games can stretch reality for utilitarian purposes. The real purpose of K.K.'s music is the way that his "airchecks" function as a form of interior decorating. The player has the option of matching the music to their house. If they're confused about how to do this, their animal neighbors provide clues: A character with lots of lace and doilies in their house might play a delicate classical piece like "K.K. Etude," while one with a Wild West theme full of cow skulls would include "K.K. Condor" or "K.K. Western." Decorating one's house is an important part of the gameplay of Animal Crossing, so this music plays a key role in the game, even if it is technically just an "extra."
I was very eager when starting this project to see how fans reinterpreted the music of K.K. Slider. I was a little distressed to find out that most of them were for piano, especially on NinSheetMusic (which, granted, seems to specialize in piano scores). Animal Crossing's sound design, even from earlier games, is more sophisticated than the 8-bit scoring of the original Pokemon games. It tries to suggest particular instruments with the timbres of each piece. It is really easy to hear the difference between something like "K.K. Etude," which is designed to sound like a late 18th-century piano piece, and something like "K.K. Aria." The latter is designed to sound like opera, and therefore, has a flowing legato melody that does not really work for the more staccato sounds of a piano.
I found more varied orchestrations on MuseScore. Many fans attempted to score the music for ensembles close to what was suggested by the "aircheck" in the game. For example, this transcription of "K.K. Jazz" tries to recreate the original song's jazz ensemble, including with a guitar as the melodic instrument, a walking upright bass, and so on:
The composer, a user named j215'06, starts in the middle of the piece, and slightly alters the harmonies in places, but otherwise it sounds very similar. A midi version can be listened to here.
Most interesting were the people who attempted to re-write the music for completely different ensembles. The hip-hop-esque tune "K.K. Cruisin'" doesn't sound like it was written for a percussion ensemble, but a high school student (according to their MuseScore profile) who goes by WinglessWings arranged it for two vibraphones, a marimba and drum set. It retains the "funky" character of the original piece, but sounds completely new. It can be listened to here. The inclusion of it in the MuseScore group "Pit is Love. Pit is Life." (presumably referring to marching band pits) indicates the arranger likely wrote it for a school ensemble. This is yet another example of how utility can breed creative new twists on video game music.