The 1992 computer game Dune, based on Frank Herbert's novel and the then-poorly received movie by David Lynch, was my first encouter with the science fiction epic and all its futuristuc feudal shenanigans. And it was mindblowing, too, a high point for the 16-bit era, with lavish pixel art and sampled music by Stephane Picq. Picq has remastered his soundtrack, Dune: Spice Opera, and made it available online.
Carefully remastered using modern tools, this 2024 version features spectrally enhanced sound, wider stereo, and clearer dynamics, rendered in Hi-Res Audio 96/24 format. Includes also a special bonus: The full game OST in a yet unveiled quality!đ
I wasn't sure how much I'd like it after all this time, but I liked it a lot. It lands exactly where you probably suspect it will: at a very French place and time where new agey 80s-style synth (Jean-Michel Jarre) meets sampled-and-technoified world music (Deep Forest, Enigma). Mon AlgeâArrakis, mon Dune!
Picq's YouTube channel has the whole album, but you may buy it on Bandcamp.
When Denis Villeneuve's movie came out I thought it would be cool to remaster the game with the new cast, but otherwise in keeping with the original's Amiga "photos of real actors but also pixel art" aesthetic.
