7 Years of the Horse Music Herald

*This looks like the same cake as last year…*

I was a little late to realise, but we recently reached the 7th anniversary of our launch date! We turned 7 on 27 January, and we’re still waiting on that pony we asked for last year…

I’ve been reflecting on the past year – my first back at HMH after a few years of reduced involvement – and am just amazed at the incredible resilience and continued creativity of the people in and around the music community of this fandom. In 2022, we have:

Posted around 360 individual songs, meaning someone wrote a nice article promoting brony music roughly once a day. And we’re well aware this is only a fraction of all the music created by the fandom!
Posted 30 albums, both compilation albums and releases from individual artists.
Covered the monthly Top Tens, several compilation album release parties and multiple charity concerts.
Reworked parts of the website, including a new way to submit music to us and an updated staff page that honours the work of everyone who’s ever been on our team.
Brought several new writers onto the team to help share the love for horse music.

Thank you so much to everyone in the fandom producers and musicians for giving us wonderful music to enjoy, to everyone on the HMH staff for helping keep this passion project alive, and to all our followers for all the moral support. Here’s to another 7 years 🥂

brambleshadow4 – Inspiration | Orchestral

G4 may have ended, but its memories and reminiscences will forever be celebrated, just like brambleshadow4’s new gorgeous orchestral track – “Inspiration”. With various layers of instruments blending together, his lovely instrumentation has reminded us of how wonderful our beloved G4 was, but rises and falls in the music also reflect the remarkable journey the Mane 6 went through. The pony squad is packed with a plethora of personalities like these glamourous melodies in the arrangement, and you can certainly feel the magical power of friendship as they come together to create harmony. Friendship will forever be magic and this show-stopping masterpiece has demonstrated that friends are what make our life special. Spectacular work, brambleshadow4!

RosePoni Roseluck – Princess of the Night (NeighGative_’s “Day of Reckoning” Mix) | Trance

NeighGative_’s remix of RosePoni Roseluck’s “Princess of the Night” is a adventure full of twists and turns! In its epic, near seven-minute duration, the piece takes us on a journey through a multitude of different sections, each with its own unique sound and character, keeping the listener hooked! At times, it is dark, groovy, and focused with its synths, only to give way to a new section that’s elegant, introspective, and hopeful, backed by gorgeous strings. Then it turns to something energetic and intense, with its synth stabs and wubbing bass. Throughout, you’ll hear the same Luna chops that RosePoni used in the original—they complement the piece so well as the different aspects of Luna’s character match the sections of the track! The piece eventually comes full circle and returns to its original section before closing out with the scratching sounds of a record stop. Overall, it’s breathtaking, so make sure to give this a listen through!

Nugget – Connections | Orchestral Album

Nugget’s been slowly feeding us individual orchestral pieces over the last few months, leading up to this – the release of his debut album. Connections features 12 of Nugget’s original songs (plus 1 with further ‘layers’ to it), many of which we’ve previously featured already. There’s a very ambient feel for many of the songs on this album, but we also get to see some of Nugget’s metal influence on Resistance! A lot of these pieces also creatively explore music modes that create tension – perfect for some of the dark and mysterious settings.

You can check out our previous articles for Midnight Sonata, Serenity, Sisters Castle, The Winter Gala, Sad to See You Go and The Winter Gathering.

Ice Angel & KiTSUNE – Colorful (Sylvver & FORSAKE Remix) | Future Bounce

What a beautiful and wholesome remix do we have here of Ice Angel & KiTSUNE’s Colorful. Funnily enough, it’s the perfect way to describe BOTH this extremely joyful tune and its remix. Forsake & Sylvver absolutely NAILED this, with their remix complimenting the cute, happy and lovely sound of the original by Ice and Kit. Ponies are truly a joy, and I am happy to both see & hear that being celebrated throughout this song. Adding colour to the beauty of life – wonderful! Well done all 4 of you! Make sure you check out both the original and this fantastic remix!

Proto_ssin & GrazySmash – Depth pt. II (feat. Koa) [Ice Angel Remix] | Dubstep

Ice Angel’s remix of Depth pt. II begins with the lush tones of piano and Koa’s voice reverberating to create an ethereal space. But don’t let that fool you—as the drums and orchestra come in, it all builds up to when the electrifying drop hits. Here, the heavier dub rhythms blend nicely with the ethereal pads, still floating effortlessly above. The track then interludes with the sound of rainfall and xylophone-like bells before a four-on-the-floor bass drum delivers us to the track’s intense climax.

MC-Arch & PrinceWhateverer – Yay on! (feat. Drummershy, BlackenedBlue, SnugBugVA & Namii) | Rock / Hip Hop

MC-Arch and PrinceWhateverer’s first track of the new year is a collaboration powerhouse featuring not only these two legends, but also Drummershy, BlackenedBlue, SnugBugVa, and Namii! The track begins with mellow e-piano vibes and the incredible rapping talent of MC-Arch. Then a minute in, the electric guitars kick in, along with a couple of chiptune-esque synths and a drum feature, creating an incredible cross-genre texture unique to this song. My favorite bit though is the duet between MC-Arch and PrinceWhateverer singing, “You deserve love.” It’s simply gorgeous and a fantastic message to everypony listening!

This track will be featured on the third installment of “You got me, I go us”, so make sure to check that out when it drops later this year.

Wandering Artist – The smell of books | Orchestral

Wandering Artist is back again with another track made specifically for one of Pony Town’s newest updates: The Library Update. In a similar fashion to their previous Pony Town tracks, this song aims to bring the idea and atmosphere of a quiet library with its soft instrumentation selection and slower tempo. Right out of the gate, the simple melody of woodwind & acoustic guitar fills you with a sense of calm and security, which is only heightened as the track progresses. This song is perfect for anyone who wants to cozy up by the fire with a good book or write the final three pages of their university thesis.

Daniel Ingram – Flawless (EveryDayDashie Remix) | Electro House

EveryDayDashie’s high-energy remix of Flawless from Friendship is Magic will have you dancing on your hooves for sure! With its ridiculously catchy synth line between verses, and its vocal chop swell before dropping into the final chorus, there’s plenty to grab your attention. In addition to featuring the Mane 6 vocals on top of a fresh beat, Dashie also blends in Pipp Petal’s “Show me what you got!” from Tell Your Tale’s “It’s The Pony Hip Hop,” delivering this delightful cross-generation remix.

TM – Still Pone | Drum & Bass

TM, is still pony baybee… (just like how Dre is still D.R.E.) after 12 years of this fandom going on. I think that by itself, is a beautiful statement; and with that statement, Toby brings us a epic D&B track featuring Rainbow Dash to celebrate! The energy just keeps flowing doesn’t it? Whether you want it to or not, whether you KNOW it or not, hell, whether you feel it or not. Let this track through its festive synths, electronics and power-boosting beat, show you that even if you feel down, or sad, or whatever, the pone will ALWAYS be with you, always.