Hashtag Blessed: Bruno Mars Comes to ‘Synth Riders’ in Groovin’ Essentials Music Pack

Pop pop, it’s showtime! Synth Riders is back again with a big new update, which features some of the most popular songs from Bruno Mars. The Groovin’ Essentials Music Pack is now available on the Meta Quest and Rift Platforms for $7.99 USD for all five songs, or $1.99 USD per song if you want to purchase them individually.

Kluge Interactive has been steadily adding new songs to Synth Riders since it launched more than four years ago. But this is the first time the team has worked with a well-known choreographer: For Groovin’ Essentials, they partnered with Phil Tayag, the former co-founder of the legendary Jabbawockeez dance crew and frequent Bruno Mars collaborator (that’s him playing the game in the new trailer). Tayag helped design the movements and dances for each song.

In addition to the “Uptown Funk” star, Groovin’ Essentials has tracks from New York-based music producer Starcadian:

• Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”
• Bruno Mars – “Runaway Baby”
• Silk Sonic (feat. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) – “Skate”
• Starcadian – “Manuals”
• Starcadian – “Supersymmetry”

Also included in this update is the new Liquid Disco stage, which features lights and visuals that evoke the music pack’s funky roots. To celebrate the release of Groovin’ Essentials, we spoke to Phil Tayag and several people from the Synth Riders team—CEO Arturo Perez, Creative Director Abraham Aguero Benzecri, and mappers Steven “Teebo” Arguijo and Sharky—about what it was like to work with each other and how they translated real-life dance moves to the game.

How’d you end up adding Bruno Mars to Synth Riders?

Arturo Perez: Phil Tayag’s business partner, Abe Lim, reached out to us because they were interested in exploring VR. We loved the opportunity to work closely with a professional dancer and choreographer. The fact that he was Bruno’s choreographer happened to be the cherry on top as he was someone we were already thinking about for the game.

Phil Tayag: Coming from many years of performing, choreographing, and directing live shows, Abe knew that exploring VR would be the next step in exploring my artistry. This is my first time tapping into the VR world and creating this game has brought me even closer to my eldest son. He’s a gamer, an artist, and a young genius—we had a great time collaborating on this project.

Why was he a good fit?

AP: We were really interested in Bruno because he has so many great dance tracks of different styles. We were thinking of putting together a “Groovin’ Essentials” music pack for a while because we really wanted to play up the dance aspects of the game. When Phil’s business partner knocked on our door wanting to amplify dancing in VR, we knew we had a fit.

Phil, how did you approach the choreography for this pack? Did you incorporate elements from your performances with Bruno?

PT: With help from my son and the Kluge team, I was able to maintain a dancer-like flow within a game that can look like I’m just hitting objects in the air. I wanted to help maintain the spirit of dance physically while also having fun with the musicality. I think the Bruno fans will definitely appreciate some of the signature moves—there are definitely some gems in there.

Was this Kluge’s first time collaborating with a dancer? What was that process like?

Teebo and Sharky: The OST Team already takes a lot of inspiration from choreography and dance, but this was our first time working with a live dancer like Phil. Not only is Phil very good at what he does, he takes direction well which helped a lot for something as unique as Synth Riders. Over the course of several sessions, both the team and Phil worked together to design choreographies and movements that could be easily translated into Synth Riders. It was a lot of fun!

Dancing and exercising is very popular in VR apps and games. Why do you think the medium is so well suited for these experiences?

PT: The VR experience is so immersive, from the aesthetics to the sound and the real-time interactivity. I have fun and I get a good sweat in from the cardio. It’s a win-win for me. I’m happy to be a part of the evolution of dance and VR. I’m happy that these games are getting people of all ages to get up and get active.

What’s your favorite part about the Groovin’ Essentials pack?

AP: At first glance this update seems like just another music pack, albeit with a pretty big artist. But there’s a lot of subtle details to it that make it even more awesome. Our Liquid Disco stage is the most involved stage we’ve brought to Synth Riders. It’s the first time we’ve made a custom map for a music pack. And Phil’s help with the choreography hopefully comes through to all of the fans of our mapping. Can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks!

Synth Riders just turned four this year. Does it surprise you how much the game has grown since launch?

Abraham Aguero Benzecri: Four years on, I am still amazed and delighted by the growth of our community and their creativity—how they connect and share the game and the experience of playing it with others. With this music pack we now have more than a hundred songs in the game, a milestone that I never could dream of back when we first started working on it in August 2017. We’re still going strong, and I am excited about what the future of Synth Riders will bring!

Add Groovin’ Essentials to your Synth Riders library today for the Quest and Rift Platforms!