10 Songs That Would've Been Perfect for EA Sports' "2014 FIFA World Cup"

From June 12-July 13, 2014, the 32-team / 64-match 2014 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament will be contested in Brazil. However, not unlike a great percentage of people reading this article, I will not be present in South America, though I will absolutely be contesting my own, separate World Cup. Yes, this means exactly what you think it means: I, like so many readers of this site likely are as well, am a huge fan of EA Sports' popular FIFA Soccer games. Yes, I'm in possession of FIFA World Cup '14, and I'll be piloting the American squad during my first few matches. However, what may interest you (like me) as much as the game play is the game's soundtrack–moreover, I'll probably be considering 10 tracks not presently on the soundtrack that could have easily been chosen.

EA Sports has had a license with soccer's governing organization for 21 years. Thus, there's probably somewhere in the range of 500 songs that have been used in various moments of FIFA gameplay overall. However, what makes the World Cup being in Brazil in  2014 unique is that Electronic Arts has had an amazing history with including tropical bass as a part of the FIFA franchise, and at-present, tropical bass is arguably a hotter and more diverse scene than ever before. Thus, the argument can be made that an entire soundtrack could have been comprised of tracks in genres as wide-ranging as zouk bass to kuduro to dembow and more. Let's scratch the surface and put together an ideal soundtrack of ten MORE songs ideal for FIFA World Cup game play.

Trap is ubiquitous with EDM at present, thus of course, Mad Decent's Major Lazer–tropical bass' ambassadors to the globe–of course would release a dancehall-flavored trap banger in "Dale Asi" on Apocalypse Soon, the trio's recent EP. DJA goes ham here, with a track tough enough for Nacogdoches, Texas-native and US National team midfielder Clint Dempsey to want to turn up to while on the pitch.

Rasterinha is zouk bass' pitched to near-90 BPM cousin, and this is a raucous anthem of a track. Thick, heavy and powerful, it builds like thunder and drops with lightning. This one feels like how I'd imagine Neymar scoring for the home country Brazilian team should be sound-tracked.

Given that zouk bass was created by Buraka Som Sistema, it would make sense that one of the nascent genre's most peculiar yet ear-worming tracks would be released on group leader Branko's label Enchufada. Deep and strange, the track from the Peruvian duo has a tone, feel and style unlike most any release of 2014 to-date.

Tribal guarachero maestros Erick Rincon, Sheeqo Beat and DJ Otto are stars in their native Mexico, but their sound blends as much Euro-friendly electro house as it does native Mexican folk, thus making their unique stylistic take worthy of possible addition to this theoretical soundtrack.

Native pop wow drum may be the most intriguing of all percussive styles at the moment, as it connects with a listener in not just a way that lends itself to the dance floor, but rather in a manner that could feasibly inspire sociopolitical motivations, too. "Bread and Cheese" kicks off A Tribe Called Red's Nation II Nation with a funky and intense mood. Playing as England's Steven Gerrard and preparing for a penalty kick? This would be the perfect track to faintly hear in the background as you set the ball on the mark.

Though not necessarily tropical, hightly tropical styles like moombahton owe a debt of gratitude to Dutch house, and arguably 2014's hardest Dutch house so far has been Sidney Samson's percussive rave anthem released on DOORN Records. The global appeal of horse-drawn kick drums certainly applies to a game with players worldwide.

Deep, throbbing tech house-flavored moombahton truly gives the summer vibe of hanging out on the beaches of Rio de Janiero in the summertime. Released prior to the drop of Nadastrom's latest EP Fallen Down, it showcases the moombahton masters at possibly one of their finest moments.

Panamanian producer/DJ Rell the Soundbender's latest for OWSLA's NEST errs more in the direction of industrial acid funk, but it's thumping bassline and techno vibe certainly could provide an accurate sense of what Miroslav Klose leading the German attack would feel like in modern musical form.

As much as most of the world may love Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez, "We Are One (Ole, Ola)" may not exactly be everyone's cup of tea. Thus, what about adding this particular moombahton re-working by DC's Locomotive of legendary salsa superstar Celia Cruz's "La Negra Tiene Tumbao" to the FIFA soundtrack. Wholly modernized while still remembering the thick drums that inform it with a notion of what made it a hit at the turn of the 21st century, it also allows space for the timeless melody to breathe. Computerized Lionel Messi needs something to sprint downfield to as he guides the Argentine side to victory. This is an ideal choice.

Arguably a progenitor of the heavy tropical bass sound is Brazilian metal act Sepultura's rave friendly remix of 1993 album Chaos A.D.'s lead single. Remixed by drummer Ray Mayorga (of both Sepultura, and Sepultura lead singer Max Cavalera's later project Soulfly), it's a pulse-pounding and percussive track that blends elements of carnival, industrial techno and heavy metal for a track that may be 21-years-old, but feels timeless. If again, wanting something a bit different from the world cup experience, this track is certainly anthemic in a different way.