Marceli Klimek

Persona 4 Dancing All Night (Embroidery Practice)

To express yourself you have to believe that there is someone out there that understands you. A fervent bet on something unknown. With it being impossible to truly know how someone sees you from their perspective. You build new versions of yourself with every person you meet. 

This is what I believe Persona 4 Dancing All Night represents. The following analysis and review are based on the 2015 video game published by Atlus. It is a spin-off from the main series of Persona games and specifically Persona 4 Golden. 

A soundtrack review, looking at the themes behind certain individual tracks but mainly the whole album. Coming from the perspective of someone who knows nothing of music theory or instruments but has played the games and listened to these tracks extensively.

A DANCING GAME!!!! Full of remixes of songs from the original game. I felt compelled to write about it because the sense of absolute joy it induces in me through its use of music and my understanding of it has inspired me immensely. I would implore you to listen to this soundtrack on any platform available to you as I want to cut straight to my thoughts on everything and experiencing it firsthand/ compared to the original is time worth spent in my opinion. 

A REMIX. There is something so continual about remixing any existing piece of art or media. You use up the existing parts of a song to create an alternative version of it. Usually with input from various artists not tied to the original. One can move from one to another but seldom is a remix considered a sequel to the base, not a remaster or enhanced version but a continuation of ideas. Like a branch of a tree that grows outwards in another direction. I think the topic of identity follows a similar pattern sometimes. You feel like yourself but also like there are many versions of you that exist in the eyes of others. Each ‘other’ an artist on a different track. 

To desire communication with another person you sometimes feel like you have to dance, to express yourself through the lens of someone’s eyes and face the gaze of people who represent a deep unknown. Presenting yourself is what true communication is, the way light bounces off you and into another person's eyes. Light that cuts through misconceptions and false perceptions. Light that exists around you and one that you use to express a sense of self. If we understand the world as not shrouded in darkness but clouded in a heavy fog, then this idea could work as you refine how you feel about yourself throughout your life and cut through the fog with light as much as one can cut to the feeling of something. This is all very metaphorical and full of references to the themes of Persona 4. Facing yourself and reaching out to the truth. Yet these ideas come to me as I listen to this soundtrack and reflect on it. A lot of it reminds of this idea of the truth and how it can represent a number of things. 

What I am interested in specifically is the furthering of truth that comes about through an effort to relate and communicate. I don’t expect people to dance to a dancing game soundtrack but more so to believe that through art one can move through life violently. Bursting with effort to change oneself similarly to the remix, through the involvement of others. To dance is to actualise, to create a simulacrum of the song and through a never-ending cycle of dance, sing, play much like songs (that you stream or play in different contexts, never the same as the original) are simulacra of themselves, so are ideas. Always changing, with nothing ever being the same because of the passage of time. The inevitability that the world will move on with or without you whether you move or you don't. That is what might drive one to live and to change. With it all being as fun as possible because you get to hear some fantastic jazz along the way. 

Aesthetically, the visuals remind me of clubs and disco (visuals) none of which I’m super aware of because I don’t go clubbing nor really ever have. So perhaps there is something I’m missing with how I perceive this game, but that question doesn't linger much in my head. I’m not sure why, I just feel fulfilled with my experiences, so it doesn't feel like I am missing anything. I could make a comparison of when I went to go see Ethel Cain live. The concert was fantastic but hearing her live did not live up to me sitting in my room with pink mood lighting listening to her “homecoming” demo or with her “crush” music video up on the screen above me with my head on the desk, eyes closed. The context here is what I’m on about. Just like with any experience there is no universal ‘better’ way of experiencing something. Hearing Mitski live was probably the best vocal performance I have ever witnessed, and I still think about it all the time but it's my experience in a moment in time and it was as true then as it might not be now. In the same way a lot of things aren’t the same as they were before. 

What’s not the same as a club is the people you are with vs by yourself in your bedroom, or at the mall, library, high street. What fulfils me is the lack of the emptiness that usually comes around from experiencing something without the perceived need for others to be there. The feeling that something is wrong, denominated into loneliness. The aesthetics (long tangent sorry ^^) don’t channel this loneliness. How I believe the game does this is through the masterful way that energy is presented, which is mainly consistent. A lot of bright saturated colours, mainly extremely bright lights and over stimulating effects throughout gameplay. This is despite the plot which centres around somewhat negative and insidious themes of death or mental suffering, somewhat exasperated by this contrast with bright colours. Persona 4 Golden does this consistently too so what the difference is, is the ‘dancing’ as the title says kind of obviously. Dancing is the absolutely crazy energy injected into these visuals. Character renders for both 2d promotional art and 3d dancing segments have extremely expressive silhouettes and animations. Especially when we compare it to the base game, which we should because character designs are extremely considered in the Persona games. I would recommend you listen to Hiding In Private’s Persona 4 colour analysis because a lot of what I am about to say is inspired by their work. 

Every main character is pretty much wearing slightly different versions of their casual uniform outfits. Looser and unbuttoned or street wear inspired for practical reasons. All for the purpose of dancing. All presented in a very casual way, not as if these characters are professional dancers at all. The plot supports this, being invited to participate in a music festival by a member of the main cast who is a professional performer. Whilst existing as a plot point to set the scene of the game, I believe it is a very relevant and grounding situation. It is far from fantasy. Far from escapism. It is a progression into a different branch of reality. Like how I mentioned with the mechanisms of the remix, the characters are remixed for this new setting. Canonically because of their choice to participate and choice to modify their outfits and change themselves to suit their new chosen situation. Choice that comes from self-expression. Self-expression that drives and comes about from change. 

Another interesting element is the yellow ribbon, all of the characters wear it and thematically it represents both good and evil motives. Characters are bound in yellow ribbons, Yuko Osada (a performer) commits suicide by hanging herself with a yellow ribbon, they tie up members of the supporting cast and mind control them/ feed into their misconceptions. Most importantly, our cast wears these matching yellow ribbons around their bodies, as a bandana, necktie, headband, cape. It unifies their designs but in an individual way. Yellow in Persona 4 most likely represents happiness, and positive energy, brightness but also deception and cowardice. Decay too, urine, crime scene tape. It’s always about showing different sides of one thing. A myriad number of ways to look at one thing. As much as a ribbon can be a symbol of binding or death it can also be a tool for self-expression and good. Dependent on choice, initiative. Realistically you can’t control everything but what you can is up to you and a lot of what is up to you is how you express yourself. Characters dancing with a yellow ribbon tied to them is a transformation of the meaning inscribed to the ribbon by Yuko Osada, the performer who intended to bond with people but couldn’t express her feelings and believed she could never form genuine bonds with anyone. These feelings transforming into something destructive, were not from a place of malice but one of loneliness. Loneliness doesn't justify forcing other people to connect with you but the challenge of transforming it into a passion and drive for positive action isn’t something one can always achieve alone either. So, in their own way, these characters show this drive that came about from their bonds with each other. Ribbons that promise to bind healthy relationships together can be as strong as any chain. They are far from restrictive and don’t have to rely on being close together because as mentioned in the epilogue of the base game 

“The bonds we’ve made will remain strong; everyone’s heart is connected to the people they know and trust. It’s those bonds that let us all search for our purpose in life. As long as it’s a purpose you believe in, there will always be someone to help you fulfil it”. 

A consistent theme presented in the Persona 4 series of games. That bonds with others are important in the furthering of your understanding of reality and yourself. 

This can all seem very basic and obvious, maybe childish but I would disagree. They are foundational in the communication between and understanding of others. Skills that everyone possesses even as adults. When so much of everything changes around us, it is useful to have the tools to understand and perceive things clearly and to make informed choices on how to move forward. 

I like to interpret light as a strong symbol of communication. Visuals that represent light; lasers at concerts, the light in someone’s eyes. Some more metaphorical and some more literal. In a very romantic sense, pretty much anything (well light is so universal, so it depends on how much you want to stretch it). I believe the game narrows it down to the usage of light as something that allows you to see things clearly, like I mentioned before, to make confident decisions in understanding reality. Truth in a way, reflected in the track names ‘Pursuing My True Self’, ‘Now I know’, ‘True Story’, ‘Reaching Out to the Truth’, ‘Like A Dream Come True’ (all remixed by various artists). It’s a interestingly thematic subject to tackle in a soundtrack and a dancing game. I think it is communicated pretty well through its visuals, and it is what I think is primarily important to me as an artist. I listen to music all the time, I have attempted to turn what I listen to into direction, composition, colour as embroidery but it never has felt complete or justifiable. I could also just be completely delusional and perfectionist because I never feel fulfilled completely when I make embroidery. Then again it is not delusional because with anything that is created it needs to be used and destroyed and used and rebuilt. All things that I am not in charge of control of and things that will happen in the future that I cannot possibly account for. A remix allows for a change and the passing on of an object. Contributing to a passage of time and allowing for it to change. I’m being vague but things need to change otherwise they feel incomplete. So, I would say if I don’t give my art to someone, or it isn’t used then it doesn’t feel complete. It feels stagnant, it would be much more rewarding for me if it was used for something else. Destroyed or cut up. If it all comes back to how time is something everyone must come to face metaphorically and literally in their life, then maybe what I create also should. Not passively but actively!!! Like how you would dance! Take action!

Dancing as much as a performance and anything art related is never an individual effort even when thought so on a surface level. It is all collaborative because people are inspired by others when painting or inspired by a city other people have built, someone's existence and face, vibe. Embroidery seems extremely individual. I hear a lot about how people do it in silence, to get away from things, as something relaxing. Embroidery from cross stitch to advanced techniques. Again, not always done alone but commonly so. There are benefits to it but ones that I find not applicable to me. I don’t want it to relax me, never has and I don’t like to feel like I am running away from something. How would you make embroidery feel as engaging as much you would feel engaged at the club or a party? Through the process, blasting loud music, technicolour lights that won’t allow you to see what you’re sewing clearly. Just surface level suggestions but they can contribute to a different outcome. Even if the embroidery still looks the same, is it really the same if the experience of making it was different? Is that valuable? Is it worth the time? If it only works some of the time then is it unreliable? 

When I embroider and design, it never is just about me. I need it to be about someone and how I may feel about them or what I mean to them. Sometimes when I will go out of my way to buy something that I know other people have bought or are wearing. Trends and all but in the sense that it feels special to experience something that is on the same trajectory as what other people are experiencing. It is something I like about going to the shopping centre and just choosing anything over thrifting or finding vintage pieces. Trying to be unique can feel incredibly lonely. Not always but even jealousy is a two-person activity, you need to involve others in your experiences. Everything I do will always be about me as much as it will be about everyone. Yeah, I know this was supposed to be a game review lol. Even writing this was a process and many people have influenced what I’ve written here and there. Some paragraphs are almost dedicated to certain situations or thoughts or people. I think you have to choose to be compassionate and therefore to move forward and further your practice, understanding, knowledge, interactions. The game shows this through dancing, through how anything menial or expressive or focused on the furthering of your understanding and communication is worth your time because it is aligned with time and time moving even if it is ultimately stupid or contradictory. There are so many possible things my work and embroidery and I could be as of this moment but what’s important is what I do with it and not to devalue it just because it could be something else. It can always change if I make sure it does. 

Please do listen to the tracks and don’t treat this as a formal review, it is more of a diary entry but I think there are some valuable ideas here and there for me to reflect on maybe. 

Here are some of my favourite tracks:

Dance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=497kvOLTH4A&list=PLKnNtzNfg7jfy2LN-xeK92DxvVWMrBLQr&index=1 

Heaven - Norihiko Hibino Remix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sbo2uDgORQ&list=PLKnNtzNfg7jfy2LN-xeK92DxvVWMrBLQr&index=8 

Best Friends - Banvox Remix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxAo6P7xcSk&list=PLKnNtzNfg7jfy2LN-xeK92DxvVWMrBLQr&index=12

Signs of Love 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9z20nnS9CE&list=PLKnNtzNfg7jfy2LN-xeK92DxvVWMrBLQr&index=35 

Collective Will of All Who Yearn For Bonds 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFBheIchVk0&list=PLKnNtzNfg7jfy2LN-xeK92DxvVWMrBLQr&index=69 

An afternote but I would recommend for you to have a look at other instances of remixes and music in pop culture. Charli xcx brat album remixes are quite unique, the remix with lorde is a good example of furthering art through the addition or change. It works in a way because the remix comes after the original. There is a sense of suspense and conversation that happens in that gap of in between speculation. There is a call and response perhaps, definitely a change in context. Then looking at live performances and audience reactions etc etc. It is all a part of the art… 

Other links and sources:

Homecoming Demo - Ethel Cain

https://youtu.be/ogXPr3RmnWM?si=WjzCBeom2osroHPE

Crush MV - Ethel Cain

https://youtu.be/xu-t3tqDyAY?si=dbnCB2EF62tvsAlK 

Persona 4 colour and general analysis

https://youtu.be/GAgmxNx6vNk?si=NwraoDLdaRnlDyeb 

Yuko Osada

https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Yuko_Osada 

Game Info

https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Persona_4:_Dancing_All_Night 

Game Epilogue Cutscene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-zjR2riCmA