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In 2007, Mike Skinner of The Streets played a song called "That Boy, That Girl" on BBC Radio One during a guest DJ spot. This was Britain's first taste of Hadouken! - an eclectic mix of electronic music influences from two former Leeds University students, James Smith and Daniel Rice. Since their first national airplay, Hadouken! have established themselves among fans and the music press as a force to be reckoned with. Their videos, rapid-fire compilations of astonishing viral video clips, have received views in the millions. As you can guess from their name, Hadouken! are gamers whose lives and careers have been highly influenced by electronics and video gaming. Also, their music has appeared in recent Electronic Arts games such asThe Sims 3: Late Night, EA Sports MMA, and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, amongst others.  Hadouken! recently granted GameDynamo an interview to discuss their views on electronic music, gaming, and the future of both, so read on to find out more about them and their thoughts! GD = GameDynamo (Tom Becker) HDK = Hadouken

GD: What's the first video game you remember playing?

HDK: Probably the Mario / Duck Hunt split cartridge on the NES. I still have it sitting in the loft and bring it out occasionally.

GD: Our readers are probably familiar with the word "hadouken" from the Street Fighter series, but how did you choose your name?

HDK: We're all into gaming but James is the one that came up with the name. We had a shortlist of about 20 different names and the other 19 were really, really bad, so in retrospect we're pretty pleased we went with Hadouken! We just like it because it sounds energetic and aggressive, which we figure suits our music pretty well.

GD: What are your biggest musical influences?

HDK: We're influenced by big crossover dance acts like Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, and Leftfield, as well as more recent dance music genres like garage, grime dubstep & bassline. There are also traces of some heavy guitar bands like Rage Against The Machine and Nine Inch Nails in our music.

GD: How have video games and video game music influenced Hadouken!?

HDK: Our first record had a lot of lo-fi 8-bit synth sounds that are similar to those found on retro computer games. It wasn't really a conscious decision to use them, I think those sounds just sounded right to our ears because we grew up hearing them! We've kind of moved away from that sound now, but I'm sure there are still traces in our current tracks.

GD: What sort of games are you into now?

HDK: At the moment we're playing FIFA 10, Battlefield: Bad Company, Dead Rising 2 and NFS Hot Pursuit. I'm also playing a lot of Cut The Rope and Aqueduct on the iPad!

GD: What kind of gaming set up do you take with you on the road?

HDK: We have a PS3 on the tour bus, which is used mostly for very competitive clashes on FIFA. Next year we're going to try and rig up an Xbox, a screen, and some speakers inside a big flight case on wheels so that we can roll it into the dressing room everyday.

GD: What are you listening to these days?

HDK: Across the five members of the band probably a little bit of everything! prog-metal / dubstep / math rock / indie / hardcore / UK garage, etc etc etc!

GD: What other bands would you recommend to Hadouken! fans?

HDK: Although we all sound different, I think we share a lot of fans with Does It Offend You Yeah, Crystal Castles, Chase & Status, Enter Shikari & Pendulum. So fans of any might find something to enjoy in the others! Also, our last album was produced by Noisia, so if you liked that and don't know them already, definitely get to know their own material.

GD: What's your all-time favorite place to play on tour?

HDK: We always have a great time playing in Japan, it's a fascinating place to visit  (especially if you're into gaming!) and the audience there is always incredible.

GD: What do you hope the future of video games will be?

HDK: Not sure really but I'm excited to see what does happen. One of the most fascinating things about the gaming industry is the fact the technology is changing at such an incredible speed and that new developments could take it in all sorts of different directions.

Tom Becker An inspired actor, photographer, writer, and musician who also likes to have a good time playing and writing about video games.

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