Donkey Kong Country stands out in the minds of many gamers as a quintessential classic on the Super Nintendo console. For that matter, the sequels and follow-ups have been big hits as well. But it’s the original that resonates so well. And Mega Mixtape founder Pablo Noap knows this.
Mega Mixtape recently went into the foray of publishing music, and one of its first efforts is the Donkey Kong Country Arranged tribute album. Available digitally and potentially coming to physical form this year, it lovingly revisits the classic 16-bit game, but with modern touches. These include arrangements ranging from bossa nova to progressive rock. (And, of course, loving homages to original composers David Wise and Eveline Novakovic.)
We had a chance to sit down with Noap to talk about the creative process, where users can check out the album, and so much more. Groove on!
Why a tribute album now? Do you believe Donkey Kong Country still holds a great deal of relevancy in today’s gaming world?
Absolutely! The original trilogy might have been released 31 years ago, but its characters, design, and music have left a lasting impression on gamers worldwide. Newer generations have also been introduced to the games thanks to Nintendo Switch Online and the music has been preserved in the Nintendo Music App. Rearrangements of the most iconic themes have also been present in some of the later entries in the Donkey Kong series, such as Tropical Freeze and Bananza. The soundtrack to the original trilogy also remains one of the most covered and remixed by artists from online communities such as OverClocked Remix, and of course Dwelling of Duels.
How did the idea of a tribute album come together?
The project was originally proposed by Logan “Biggoron” Tucker, cover artist and frequent participant in the Dwelling of Duels competition. After “David Wise Month” in November 2024, where artists were tasked with coming up with new arrangements of music composed by Wise, Biggoron wanted to continue exploring the Donkey Kong soundtracks with his covers. He proposed an album and Mega Mixtape decided to help, since it’s also some of our favorite video game music.
What process went into selecting the tracks for the album?
After the original proposal, we recruited the help of more artists from the competition. As Mega Mixtape, we wanted to provide a hassle-free space for artists to come up with their own creative arrangements, in order to showcase the diversity of styles in the Dwelling of Duels competition and the video game music cover scene. As such, artists were free to choose what tracks they wanted to cover, with the only restriction being that they should be licensable.
How did you go about getting artists together for the album?
We directly invited artists who had previously collaborated with Mega Mixtape, be it with interviews for our podcast or even entries to the Dwelling of Duels competition. We prioritized people who had already gifted us their music, since we felt indebted to them and wanted to give something back to the community. This included several Latin American artists, some of whom we’ve even met in person at concerts co-organized by us in Mexico City.
Did you consult the original composers at all to get an idea of what to put into the tracks?
Sadly, our communication with David Wise has been mostly through social media, and we haven’t had the chance to collaborate directly. But we have the dream of bringing him and his band to Mexico City for a concert sometime. We will certainly send him the album as well, but reaching Eveline Novakovic might be a bit harder to accomplish, since she retired from the industry a long time ago.
How has reception to the album been thus far, based on what you’ve seen?
We’ve been thrilled to bring the world of video game music covers to new audiences in Mexico, Spain and Latin America. Several Spanish-speaking outlets have helped spread the word and the album has gained a lot of attention on streaming services. Some of the participating artists have reported that their tracks have performed better than most of their solo works.
How can people give the album a listen? Is there a vinyl version available as well? CD maybe?
For now the album is only available on streaming platforms and Bandcamp, which is the recommended way to listen and download, since it includes our 60+ booklet with lots of extra content. It’s also the best way to directly support the artists. But a physical CD run is definitely in our plans! We are aiming to produce it and sell it at in-person events throughout 2026.
What other tribute albums would you guys like to work on in the future?
Believe it or not, the crew wants to keep making monkey music, so a “part 2” is definitely on the horizon. But before that, we are putting together a project from the franchise that motivated us to conceptualize Mega Mixtape in the first place: Mega Man X. It will include tracks from new Mexican artists such as Mike Norvak and SerchBoogie, as well as tracks from the Feature Length roster.
We look forward to sharing more details with you soon! Thanks for listening and supporting independent cover artists.
You can learn more about the Donkey Kong Country Arranged album over on the Mega Mixtape website. Give it a listen! Thanks to Pablo for sitting down and talking to us!
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_keDXHD5O0TLWs6SPRb_6SFIA_ZGm3sJtc
Want more interview fun? Check out our discussion with Raptor Claw for Fur Squadron Phoenix!
