Mike Shinoda releases the second installment of Dropped Frames, Vol. 2, via his own Kenji Kobayashi Productions (ADA). The album follows the recently released Dropped Frames, Vol. 1 and builds on the catalog of music that Shinoda is creating live on Twitch in collaboration with thousands of fans worldwide. Vol. 2 has almost no vocals on it at all, making it a true instrumental album and allowing Shinoda the freedom to experiment with a wide variety of different sounds. The 12-song set has an emphasis on digital samples and classic game themes, featuring everything from Nintendo Game Boy sounds to 80’s synth, and even a toy drum loop pulled from Money Mark’s Instagram page, culminating with a fun, silly track which Shinoda fittingly describes as the “dessert tray” after a good meal.
At the onset of quarantine, Mike Shinoda began creating music and art live on Twitch in front of and in collaboration with thousands of fans each day. He committed to a daily 10am PT livestream, making music four days per week and visual art one day per week, something that continues to this day. Viewers participated in the creation of these tracks by tuning in and communicating via the live chat. Fans earned points called ShinodaBucks which they could spend on things such as “Suggest A Musical Theme.” With suggestions ranging from “Mariachi,” to “Bollywood Hip Hop” to “90’s Boy Band Pop” – Shinoda then mashed them together, live, in one track. “The fans have been a part of every track in the Dropped Frames series—watching, commenting, and suggesting the whole way through. Some days, that’s like being the driver of a car with a couple thousand navigators…other days, it’s like piloting a spaceship with a community of eager passengers,” explains Shinoda. “We have a lot of fun on my channel, and I think it shows.” The stream essentially became a new instrument, and in the process, turning what might’ve been a creative low point into a communal creative revitalization.
Dropped Frames, Vol. 2 Tracklisting
1. Transitions
2. Crystalina
3. Julio’s Revenge
4. Isolation Bird (feat. Money Mark)
5. Side Scrolling
6. Dungeon Crawler
7. Dog Whistles
8. Astral (feat. Elise Trouw)
9. Sunset Drive
10. Channeling Pt. 2 (feat. Dan Mayo)
11. King Paprika
12. Party Meow