As FLOHIO, south London native Funmi Ohio makes forward-thinking rap that punches with razor-sharp precision. Drawing on a vast array of influences, from grime to trippy house to US hip hop, the 29-year-old’s highly-anticipated debut album Out Of Heart is a visceral exploration of childhood, loss and self-discovery. Inspired by memories of long evenings spent playing video games on the Nintendo, the 12-track album pays homage to these formative sounds, which are peppered throughout the album like tiny Easter eggs.

“I’m bringing back the nostalgia of me in my living room playing games with my friends at age 10,” she says, “[hearing] game soundtracks like Final Fantasy and Super Mario. I wanted [Out Of Heart] to speak to my inner child and where it all started while bringing me back to now and who I am today.”

From bubblegum textures to stripped-back soundscapes that hark back to simpler times, FLOHIO uses these memories to rediscover her sense of self. Here, Flohio selects five of her favourite video games that influenced the album. When you‘re done, head over to the Dazed Spotify and listen to FLOHIO‘s heartbreak playlist.

TEKKEN 7

FLOHIO: I didn’t play the earlier Tekkens, but there’s one thing I’d always do before playing this edition. There’s a music menu where you can pick which soundtrack you want, and there are some nice bits there. I don’t play games anymore unless I’m with my nephew or there’s a console turned on, so having to revisit these games for the album was a fun experience – I enjoyed getting lost in it again. Tekken has some nice soundtracks, but they can sound more on the dubstep side. There are complicated sequence patterns and not as many melodies, but it works well when playing the game.

SUPER MARIO

FLOHIO: Super Mario is one of the first games I ever played, it’s usually the first game that comes to my mind as it was a lot of fun playing it as a youth. I would take turns playing with friends, taking ages to finish the levels. The soundtrack is joyful and feels super nostalgic for me. I feel like Mario has some underrated themes, the switch-up in the speed of music and the suspense when a level starts getting difficult – I like all that.

STREET FIGHTER II

FLOHIO: I remember Street Fighter 2 having really good soundtracks and it would be for each fighter. Not all of them were my favourites but there’s a range of nice complex sounds in Street Fighter: amazing flutes, synthesisers, big chords, and you can hear the old analogue hardware that creates those 8-bit, 16-bit sounds. I like the uplifting side to the music and sometimes when a player gets defeated, they have their own end music for that extra melancholy feeling.

FINAL FANTASY VII

FLOHIO: I remember playing this game and feeling like I’d been transported into another world. I would fully get lost and get sucked in with the epic trance music. It’s as if you’re listening to a movie soundtrack, not a game. Crazy melodies and nice arrangements. I like the fullness of the soundtrack, how it sets the tone for the atmosphere. A lot of times, the composers didn’t have a lot of tools to work with, but what they’ve managed to produce is mind-blowing. It easily switches from melancholy to insanity.

MORTAL KOMBAT

FLOHIO: This one probably has the least to do with the album, but it’s one of my favourites. Like all the games, you grow with the characters, you look forward to the latest instalments of the game – and wherever you go around the world, if they have a console, I’d bet there’s Mortal Kombat lying around somewhere. For a while, I’d watch my friends play because it was a lot of combo this, combo that, too many buttons to remember. Eventually, I jumped on and got my ass dealt with a few times. But I found my way in the end. I’m not the best now, but I’d bet on myself if I can refresh my memories on those combos again.