All you have to do is tap, tap, tap the drum.

The classical music genre has some specific fans, and it’s rare that you’ll find a room full of people who throw their hands up for a classical music jam. You’re probably not going to “get the party started” by slamming some Mozart over the speakers, even though these classics form the basis for a lot of the music we hear today, and people often find themselves humming well-known melodies that happen to be written centuries ago. Maybe you didn’t even know it was a piece of classical music, maybe you thought it was the final boss battle music that played the last time you took a team of heroes to the top of a castle to save the world. Sounds a little farfetched, but by simply adding a hard-hitting drum track to Mozart’s Dies Irae, @taks34 found it hard not to imagine a boss fight full of magic and clashing swords.

With a simple drum machine, and some quick fingers, this classical tune, which is already known for its epic nature, transforms into its “final form”. Given the way the song is performed in the video, it’s either a boss fight, or a level of extreme difficulty in a popular arcade rhythm game.

Turning classical music into video game stages is not a new idea, and the influence of the classical style in-game music is fairly evident, given the numerous touring orchestras playing music from our favorite games. However, who knew it would be so easy to evoke memories of gaming with just a drum track? It makes you wonder about what other classical depths could be mined for inspiration, or to help pass a Sunday afternoon playing with your drum machine.

Source/images: Twitter/@taks34