From Pixels to Pop Culture
How David Wise’s 90s masterpiece became the internet’s latest obsession
In the age of the internet, sometimes it can feel like we’re trapped forever listening to the same melodies. Each time I think that I’ve heard “Makeba,” “Oh No,” or the first ten seconds of “Blake Belladonna VS Yuri” (at least that’s what Shazam tells me the song is) for the last time, it comes back again with a vengeance.
When the internet decides on songs, it can be difficult to escape their reach. They make their way into reels and TikToks and even ads. Sometimes, the internet’s peculiar taste for music is enough to revive songs from the dead entirely.
It happened with Hanz Zimmer’s “Cornfield Chase” from the movie Interstellar; it happened with Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” after the release of Stranger Things’ latest season, and it happened with Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” when a man decided to film himself longboarding to work with a bottle of cranberry juice in hand on one fateful morning. There’s little rhyme or reason to the songs we resurrect.
The trends in music seem to revolve less around pop stars and state-run radio, and more around the whims of our most popular content creators and viral streaming phenomenons. And once they catch on, they recycle themselves enough times to impress even 98.9 and 102.1.
Occasionally, a true masterpiece will poke its head through the surface. Such has been the case recently with the return of a song from the 1994 hit video game, Donkey Kong Country, “Aquatic Ambiance.”
Until 2023, though, “Aquatic Ambiance” was a song that few had heard of. But for those who played the Super Nintendo classic, it was a song like no other. To fully appreciate exactly how groundbreaking this musical achievement was, it might require an understanding of where exactly the world of games began.
There are few industries that have moved more rapidly over the past few decades than video games. When we consider the enormous worlds of today’s games — some of which could take entire years to explore in their entirety — it can be easy to forget their humble beginnings.
The ability to interact with a screen at all was once a revelation. Games consisted of little more than the blockiest of moving pixels and lone, monotonous beeps. At first, it wasn’t a given that the games we played would ever have soundtracks at all.
Until the 1990s, the melodies of our video games were by and large disposable. They were characterized by simple tones, bleeps, and bloops that rarely rose to anything musical. The theme of 1985’s Mario Bros. was a catchy enough tune to endure generations, but it was far from evocative. Music in games rarely seemed like much more than an afterthought.
Game developer Rare would be the company to challenge that convention, and the man most instrumental to that effort was none other than David Wise.
David Wise is not just a composer but a visionary in the realm of video game music. Born in England in 1967, his journey began as a self-taught musician, playing the piano and drums. By the time he joined Rare, he had already honed a unique voice that would eventually set him apart in the gaming world.
Prior to 1994, though, he was actually the lone musician on staff at the up-and-coming video game company. Originally, he wasn’t even expected to stay with the company beyond the first project he was hired for, creating a soundtrack to a game called “Marble Madness.” Seeing how well he worked within his constraints, though, Rare hired him for a full-time position.
It wasn’t until crafting a soundtrack for the game about an ape and his chimp sidekick, though, that he earned a legacy for himself. Utilizing creative programming and sound design techniques to get the most out of the limited hardware, he crafted sounds and textures that many didn’t think were even feasible on such a system.
David Wise’s creation of “Aquatic Ambiance” was not just a feat of catchy melody making, however. He delved deep into the Super Nintendo’s sound hardware, manipulating its limited channels to produce layered, atmospheric tunes that evoked an emotional depth never before seen within games.
Unlike many scores of the time that leaned heavily on high-tempo, chipper beats, Wise’s melody is the stirring masterpiece that never needed to be. It’s equal parts haunting, poignant, mysterious, and ethereal. Its inclusion in this game about launching primates from barrel cannons is both wildly superfluous and an unexpected gift that keeps on giving — a blessing in 16-bit disguise.
In the weeks since the rediscovery of “Aquatic Ambiance,” various versions of it have popped up all across the social media landscape. Musical artists across Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music have taken to remixing and reworking the song. The original version, however, can only be found on YouTube.
Even before its arrival in the realm of Reels and TikToks, “Aquatic Ambiance” had achieved a certain level of notoriety within musical circles. Wise himself, though, hadn’t actually realized the gravity of his achievement until a couple of years after the game was released when he chanced upon a recording of a Japanese orchestra performing his song.
But in its weeks in the digital limelight, the song has become practically synonymous with nostalgia and 90s yearning. The viral rediscovered song has been overlayed onto the videos of nearly every wistful millennial across TikTok and Instagram.
David Wise’s “Aquatic Ambiance” is more than just a rekindled flame from the 90s. It’s a testament to the power of innovation, passion, and the timeless appeal of great music.
So for those millennials suddenly swaying to this infectious beat, it’s not just nostalgia — it’s an anthem and a reflection of the genius of David Wise. It was a profound musical achievement from our early digital days that the world almost forgot. So here’s to lost soundbites, unappreciated melodies, and unexpected musical gems still waiting to be found.