I recently lived through a very intense experience. For the following week, I kept waking up in the middle of the night reliving it. I was scared, restless, and there were a few times where I couldn’t even move.

It was extremely distressing and I had trouble falling back asleep each time it happened. Throughout those sleepless nights, I often found myself returning to a 10-hour version of David Wise’s Aquatic Ambience. I’d press play, close my eyes, and breathe. David’s song grounded me back into the present as I tried to restore my sense of inner peace.

As I sat down at my computer to make music the next day, I realized that I wanted to make myself something for those moments I wake up in the middle of the night with PTSD-fueled insomnia. I also wanted to make an album that told the story of the intense experience that sparked this whole situation. Keeping in mind how powerful Aquatic Ambience was for me through those few days (and much of my life as I’ve gone through similar experiences), I decided it would be the thread I followed for my next project.

Over the next week, I created Donkey Kong Tropical Dream. It’s a love letter to the DK series and its music, and I really do think my adoration for it all shines through in the music I’ve created. The album follows the journey of what I lived through while alchemizing the pain and stress into something that I find beautiful and grounding in its own right. I hope you enjoy the 14 tracks I came up with!

Special thanks to the original artists, but especially David Wise & Grant Kirkhope who have created the enigma which is the music of Donkey Kong Country. It’s special and has somehow gotten me through a lot.