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Minecraft – Volume Alpha

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Minecraft – Volume Alpha
Close-up image of a Minecraft grass block rendered in 3D, viewed from the corner.
Soundtrack album by
C418
Released4 March 2011
Genre
Length58:59
Label
C418 chronology
Life Changing Moments Seem Minor in Pictures
(2010) 		Minecraft – Volume Alpha
(2011) 		72 Minutes of Fame
(2011)
Minecraft soundtrack chronology
Minecraft – Volume Alpha
(2011) 		Minecraft – Volume Beta
(2013)

Minecraft – Volume Alpha is the first soundtrack album by the German electronic musician Daniel Rosenfeld, known by his pseudonym C418. Created for the 2011 video game Minecraft, it is the first album to come from the game's soundtrack. It primarily consists of simplistic ambient music, though some tracks are more upbeat. The simplistic nature of the albums music was caused by technical limitations of the Minecraft sound engine, which made earlier concepts unfeasible. Volume Alpha was released digitally in March 2011 as Rosenfeld's first commercial release, with a physical release issued by record label Ghostly International in 2015.

Since release, Volume Alpha has been lauded by critics, who praised its usage in the game as well as a separate ambient album. It has been considered to be a major part of Minecraft's popularity, and four of its tracks are among the most streamed video game pieces on Spotify. Due to its association with Minecraft, some have considered it to be an influential album, as well as one of the best video game soundtracks ever made. A second Minecraft soundtrack album, Minecraft – Volume Beta, was released in 2013. A third soundtrack album has been finished, though is yet to release.

Rosenfield has considered Volume Alpha to be his most important work, leading him to pursuit music creation full-time. In 2022, the album experienced a resurgence in popularity and appeared on numerous charts, and was nominated for the Top Dance/Electronic Albums category at the Billboard Music Awards of 2022. In August 2023, the album led to Rosenfeld reaching number one on the Billboard Emerging Artists. In December of that year, Volume Alpha was labeled Certified Gold by the RIAA, with the track "Sweden" receiving its own Gold certification in August.

Background[edit]

See also: Music of Minecraft § Background and artistry
A front-facing image of the face of a 21-year old German man with bronw hair and wearing a blue jacket
Daniel Rosenfeld, the composer of Volume Alpha, in 2011

Volume Alpha was the first album to come from the soundtrack for Minecraft, a 2011 sandbox video game originally developed by Markus Persson.[1] In the game, players have the ability to build anything they want in a randomly-generated world made out of "voxels."[2] As of 2023, it is the best selling game of all time, having sold over 300 million units.[3] Prior to creating Volume Alpha, independent music artist Daniel Rosenfeld (known online as C418) was a small artist mainly producing albums inspired by Aphex Twin that he described as "making no sense."[1] During the development of Minecraft, Persson met Rosenfeld via indie game development forum TIGSource, and the two became friends.[4] When Persson began showing the game to Rosenfeld, he requested that Rosenfeld become the games sound designer. Rosenfeld accepted, and began work on the game's sound effects and music.[2][1]

Production and composition[edit]

Volume Alpha consists primarily of simplistic ambient and acoustic music that mainly uses piano and strings.[5] This design was primarily caused by the technical limitations of Minecraft's sound engine, which Rosenfeld described as heavily limiting the capabilities of the game's sound design. Originally, Rosenfeld wanted the game's music to include more epic music that would play during fights, music that would play depending on what type of biome the player was in, and music that would play exclusively in caves, all of which were unfeasible due to how the game's sound engine worked, or were based on events that would've lasted too short for the music to be worthwhile.[2] Instead, Rosenfeld opted to create more quiet, simplistic music, with his approach being inspired by Dwarf Fortress (2006), where he viewed the games lower graphical quality that would otherwise be a turn-off to be backed up by guitar music that would intrigue the player, encouraging the them to continue playing.[2]

"Sweden"
A 21-second excerpt of "Sweden," considered the most popular song in the Minecraft soundtrack.[6][7]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The first three tracks from Rosenfeld to be added to Minecraft early in its development, and were referred to by Persson as "Calm" 1, 2, and 3 (known in Volume Alpha as "Minecraft", "Clark", and "Sweden"). After these tracks were added, Rosenfeld continued experimenting with soundtracks direction, concluding that the composition style present in the "Calm" tracks was the most well received by players.[4] The rest of the tracks in Volume Alpha used the "Calm" tracks as the basis for their composition.[8] Not every track in the album followed this design, with ones such as "Cat" and "Dog" instead being upbeat chiptune themes.[5]

Rosenfeld primarily composed the soundtrack using Ableton Live in combination with other software and plugins, as well as synthesisers such as a Moog Voyager. After every track was composed, Rosenfeld organized the final versions of the music in a way where each track would lead into the next, sometimes extending tracks to achieve this. Rosenfeld's goal was to make it where Volume Alpha could be presented separately from Minecraft, as well as be listened to in one sitting while being interpreted as a single piece. In an interview with Vice, Rosenfeld stated that the albums track order was designed with a narrative in mind, though had forgotten what the narrative was.[1] Despite this ordering on the album, the music in Volume Alpha is played randomly in game, with no set moments where specific tracks are supposed to play.[9]

Release[edit]

Volume Alpha was first released digitally on 4 March 2011 via Bandcamp.[8][10] It was Rosenfeld's first commercial release. The commercial release of the album contains several tracks not included the game,[11] ranging from those cut from the game (such as "Excuse") to ones from Rosenfeld's previous albums (such as "Droopy Likes Ricochet").[8] The album's cover art is of a 3D version of a Minecraft block of grass.[1] On 23 June 2015, a physical release of the album was announced by the record label Ghostly International. Alongside the standard CD and LP releases, a limited edition version was announced that came in the form of a transparent vinyl, with only 1,000 units being produced. These were released on 21 August 2015.[12] Those who purchased physical releases also received the album digitally.[13] It has been reprinted since its initial release.[14]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Mojo[16]
Sputnikmusic[17]

Several critics have highlighted the usage of Volume Alpha in Minecraft, believing its music to work alongside the aesthetic of the game.[5][15][17] A staff writer of Sputnikmusic praised the albums role as a soundtrack and its consistency between tracks. He described it as an immersive album that "will wash over you," which made it what he viewed as one of the best ambient and electronic albums of 2011, and a "stunning piece of ambient work." He did, however, believe that the soundtrack could have used more track variety.[17] Similarly, AllMusic's Andy Kellman wrote Volume Alpha to be one of "many immersive aspects" of Minecraft, and believed that the album had a good variety of tracks, ranging from simpler piano medleys to upbeat pop tunes. Highlighting this track variety, Kellman believed Volume Alpha had good replay value, writing "none of the recurring elements are pronounced or simple enough to become fatiguing with repeated play."[15]

Original Sound Version's Richard McDonald highlighted the album's usage in Minecraft as leading to "very strong emotions that few games manage to master, or even hint at", which he viewed as consequentially being heavily nostalgic. He described the similarities between most tracks in the album as being beneficial to its presentation when it came to "providing an overall style while keeping each track unique," while also finding the composition of each track to be a style that he "couldn’t imagine the game without." He believed that Volume Alpha was "one of the most stand-out game soundtracks" of the 21st century, and one that was an "example of beautiful, elegant, and strongly emotional composition that transcends the game music genre into something much more."[5] Kotaku's Luke Plunkett described Volume Alpha to be "as tranquil as a good night's sleep," and a great ambient album.[11] Evan Tridone of The Review described Volume Alpha as "the best ambient album to be released this decade," one which contents have become synonymous with Minecraft and its community.[18]

Some critics believed Volume Alpha to be a good example of Rosenfeld's work, being some of his best.[15][16] Kellen found Volume Alpha to be a good demonstration of Rosenfeld's work, one that made it "easy to hear [...] why he has been compared" to influential composers such as Erik Satie and Brian Eno.[15] Stephen Worthy of Mojo was indifferent, believing Volume Alpha to be an album that highlighted the "simplicity and unique personality" behind Rosenfeld's work, as well as one that diverted expectations in comparison to other soundtracks behind popular video games, which Worthy found to typically be large scale orchestras instead of vignettes. He described Volume Alpha as one of the most influential albums of recent times due to Minecraft's widespread popularity, as well as some of the "loveliest."[16] Digital Trends believed that Minecraft might not have been as successful as it was if it were not for the work of Rosenfeld, including Volume Alpha.[19]

Legacy[edit]

Following the release of Volume Alpha, Rosenfeld continued to create music for Minecraft,[20] with the second soundtrack album, Minecraft – Volume Beta, releasing in 2013.[21] He also composed the score for the 2012 documentary film Minecraft: The Story of Mojang.[4] Afterwards, Rosenfeld contributed music to console versions of Minecraft in 2014,[22] and three more standalone tracks to the full game in 2018.[23] In 2015, Rosenfeld told Fact Magazine that a third soundtrack album would be released.[24] When asked about the third album in a 2021 interview with Anthony Fantano, Rosenfeld commented, "I have something—I consider it finished—but things have become complicated, especially as Minecraft is now a big property, so I don't know."[25] Since the release of Volume Beta, other artists besides Rosenfeld have created music for the game, primarily Celeste (2018) composer Lena Raine.[26]

Several staff teams of different news outlets have considered the Minecraft soundtrack, including Volume Alpha, to be among the best video game soundtracks of all time. These include the editorial teams of NME,[27] Digital Trends,[19] GamesRadar+,[28] and VG247.[29] Volume Alpha has been found to be a popular album to listen to while studying or working due to its calm nature;[30][31] Marquette Wire considered Volume Alpha to be an example of video game and movie soundtracks improving focus due to their purpose of keeping listeners engaged.[30] As of April 2021, "Sweden" is the most streamed work in the Minecraft soundtrack on Spotify, and the most streamed track from a video game overall on the service, with over 77 million plays. Alongside "Sweden," three other tracks from Volume Alpha are in the top 25 on Spotify, these being "Minecraft" (2), "Subwoofer Lullaby" (7), and "Wet Hands" (8).[6] On 22 August 2023, "Sweden" was labeled Certified Gold by the RIAA, having sold half a million confirmed units.[7]

The album has been considered by Rosenfeld to be his most important and successful work, and the one that helped him create his career as an independent music artist.[8] In 2011, Rosenfeld told Kotaku that the success of his Minecraft music allowed him to pursuit making music full-time rather than part-time.[11] According to Fact Magazine, the success of Minecraft makes Rosenfeld one of the best selling artists by proxy.[24] In 2022 and 2023, Volume Alpha experienced a resurgence in popularity, leading to its appearance on numerous global charts and its nomination for Top Dance/Electronic Album at the Billboard Music Awards of 2022, though lost to Illenium's Fallen Embers.[14] In 2023, the album led to Rosenfeld reaching #1 on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart.[21] On 14 December 2023, Volume Alpha was labeled Certified Gold by the RIAA, nearly four months after the individual certification of "Sweden".[7]

Track listing[edit]

Accolades[edit]

List of awards and nominations for Minecraft – Volume Alpha
Awards Year Category Result Ref.
Billboard Music Awards 2021 Top Dance/Electronic Album Nominated [14]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for Minecraft – Volume Alpha
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[48] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Pangburn, DJ (30 June 2015). "Minecraft's Composer Explains Why the Music Is 'So Weird'". Vice. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Stuart, Keith (7 November 2014). "How Daniel Rosenfeld wrote Minecraft's music". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 November 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  3. ^ Parrish, Ash (15 October 2023). "Minecraft has sold over 300 million copies". The Verge. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Q&A: C418's Minecraft – Volume Alpha Soundtrack". Indie Games Plus. 17 May 2011. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d McDonald, Richard (29 April 2014). "Minecraft – Volume Alpha (Review)". Archived from the original on 9 February 2019.
  6. ^ a b Gardner, Matt. "Spotify's 25 Most Streamed Game Songs: Smash Hits, Snubs And Surprises". Forbes. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "American certifications – C418". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Rosenfeld, Daniel (4 March 2011). "Minecraft Volume Alpha". C418.org. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  9. ^ Ramsey, Chase (11 August 2015). "The quiet importance of the Minecraft soundtrack". Kill Screen - Previously. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  10. ^ Rosenfeld, Daniel (4 March 2011). "Minecraft - Volume Alpha". Bandcamp. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Plunkett, Luke (9 March 2011). "The Soothing Sounds Of...Minecraft?". Kotaku. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  12. ^ Cox, Jamieson (23 June 2015). "One of Minecraft's soundtracks is getting a fancy physical release". The Verge. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  13. ^ Hall, Charlie (23 June 2015). "Get one of 1,000 special edition vinyl Minecraft albums before they're sold out (update)". Polygon. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Atkinson, Katie (15 May 2022). "Here Are the 2022 Billboard Music Awards Winners: Full List". Billboard. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d e Kellman, Andy. "Minecraft Volume Alpha Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  16. ^ a b c Worthy, Stephen (20 November 2015). "Less computer game soundtrack, more instant ambient classic" (PDF). Mojo. p. 89. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  17. ^ a b c Emeritus, StrangerofSorts. "C418 - Volume Alpha (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  18. ^ Tridone, Evan (12 May 2019). "Five fantastic albums to put on when studying | The Review". Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  19. ^ a b Gurwin, Gabe; Michael, Hicks (24 October 2021). "The Best Video Game Soundtracks of All Time". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  20. ^ "Q&A: C418's Minecraft – Volume Alpha Soundtrack". Indie Games Plus. 17 May 2011. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  21. ^ a b Zellner, Xander (3 August 2023). "C418 Hits No. 1 on Emerging Artists Chart Thanks to 'Minecraft: Volume Alpha' Soundtrack". Billboard. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  22. ^ Mahardy, Mike (9 December 2014). "Celebrate the Holidays With Minecraft Mash-Up DLC". IGN. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  23. ^ Östergård, Adrian (16 July 2018). "Minecraft 1.13 Pre-Release 10". Minecraft. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  24. ^ a b Fenwick, Tom (5 September 2015). "Can You Dig It: FACT meets Minecraft composer C418". Fact Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  25. ^ Rosenfeld, Daniel (8 January 2021). "10 Years of the Minecraft Soundtrack | C418 INTERVIEW". The Needle Drop (Interview). Interviewed by Anthony Fantano. Event occurs at 31:40 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ Bailey, Dustin (20 October 2021). "Minecraft just got new music". PCGamesN. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  27. ^ Barker, Emily (20 July 2015). "23 Of The Coolest Ever Video Game Soundtracks". NME. Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  28. ^ Bentley, James; West, Josh (25 June 2022). "The 25 best video game soundtracks of all time". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  29. ^ Raynor, Kelsey (22 April 2022). "The best video game soundtracks to revisit in 2024". VG247. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  30. ^ a b Drewel, Izzy Fonfara. "Music of Midterms: Students' favorite songs for studying". Marquette Wire. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  31. ^ Antrim, Rayne (17 February 2023). "The Top 10 Best Game Soundtracks for Studying". Paste. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  32. ^ a b Ghostly International (21 August 2015). "C418 - Minecraft Volume Alpha". Bleep. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  33. ^ "Australiancharts.com – C418 – Minecraft - Volume Alpha". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  34. ^ "Ultratop.be – C418 – Minecraft - Volume Alpha" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  35. ^ "Ultratop.be – C418 – Minecraft - Volume Alpha" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  36. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – C418 – Minecraft - Volume Alpha" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  37. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – C418 – Minecraft - Volume Alpha" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  38. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 27 May 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  39. ^ "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 21". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  40. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  41. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  42. ^ "C418 Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  43. ^ "C418 Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  44. ^ "C418 Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
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  46. ^ "Soundtracks – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  47. ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  48. ^ "American album certifications – C418 – Minecraft Volume Alpha". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
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