OCR00939 - Socket 'Trip the Light Fantastic'

[djpretzel]

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

[Orange Pylon]

Good song as usual, DJP. I'd have to say that you do trance very well. Keep up the good work.

[DarkeSword]

Listening to this song simply makes me happy. It never gets in-your-face over-the-top. It's great driving music, or chillin' music. I find myself bopping in my chair as I type this. It does that have disco flair to it.

Really great stuff here DJP. As I am often inclined to say: SOLID™!

[Frelice]

Not only did Socket have a great and underrated OST, i think that it was just an underrated game. Yeah, it was a Sonic clone, but it was still pretty fun.

As for your remix, very good. I usually don't like trance, but this was nice. Very good, djp. :D

[AnotherOneBitesTheDust]

Listening to it...

Whoa, sounds like your Phantasy Star II mix a little. Probably just that one sample.

Call me crazy, but the main melody sounds partly like that one song in that one episode of Spongebob Squarepants that I've seen like 5 times the only 5 times I ever watched the stupid show where he's singing about being the loser on the beach.

This is good web surfing music, not something I say much with djp songs, since there's a lot more emphasis on the effects and the controlled reverb and not much on the melodies.

I've never heard of this game EVER! But I'm going to check it out now. Can't really say much right now for some reason.

EDIT: Upon further listening and analysis, this is probably the only mix djp has made without some solo or drastic arrangement of the original melody.

[spacepony]

It’s beautiful.

[sgx]

Quality. My favorite part of this is the drums. It's got a trance beat that changes things up a little and isn't the stereotypical boring trance beat that I hear a lot.

[Beatdrop]

Well, title stolen from BT aside, this remix kicks ass just like all the rest.

I do think it's a bit too timbre-rich in contrast to, say, djp's Cyan remix on Squaredance, but I'm glad it didn't turn out as cheese trance. Quality is very, very high, but I'm reluctant to say that this probably won't get that many listens from me, since it's a bit too happy for my liking. However, don't let that fool you. This remix is easily one of the very best non-anthem trance remixes on the website.

[LordGerald]

Wow! This is incredible!
A great remix! And a great song to be remixed! One of my favorites!

[I Eat Time]

A very good remix, and a great joy to listen to.

No lipservice to the owner here, I promise, I don't do ReMixes myself. I'm a big fan of having complexity, and depth to a piece, the subtle sounds you put in there just because you can. Gives it a higher quality, and you have all that. A very good adaptation of a song I've really never heard. Heh.

[NeoPhoenixTE]

BT made a song with this same name on Ima Disc 1 FYI :]

Anywho, the remix aint too shabby. Tis worth the download for sure. Good piece of techno to jes kick back n hang out too. Not really any parts in it where it kicks up. It feels like a backdrop to the mind..or something like that. Am I getting too metaphysical? ^_^;;

[Disco Dan]

Wow... showin' your (young) age! BT, for reference, did not pioneer the phrase "trip the light fantastic." It's been around for years and years, and you'll probably find multiple artists have used the title throughout pop music history.

Anyway, as for this mix, it's quite well done. As per usual, Monsignor Pretzel, has a knack for combining all the right sounds in all the right places. Though I wouldn't call it trance, I would call it high quality. I really dig the flanger used on the syncopated synth there. Can't say I'm a big fan of the ending, but it ends as any standard DJ mix would end, with enough beat for him to mix into something else, but no real sense of ending.

If you listened to this song through speakers, listen to it again with headphones. You miss the subtle panning and stereo nuances without a close-up approach. Check out the addition of the panned synth at :43 for a good example.

Plus the mastering is just godly. I put this in the playlist, and then put my Chronotrigger mix after it. It just didn't stack up. I need to really work on EQ'ing. While djp and I don't always agree musically, I have to give him credit for having some of the consistently highest quality mixes on the site.

Anyway, well worth the download, and probably makes good fast driving music for late at night through empty city streets lined with sky scrapers...

D

[Beatdrop]

This remix kicks ass just like all the rest.

I do think it's a bit too timbre-rich in contrast to, say, djp's Cyan remix on Squaredance, but I'm glad it didn't turn out as cheese trance. Quality is very, very high, but I'm reluctant to say that this probably won't get that many listens from me, since it's a bit too happy for my liking. However, don't let that fool you. This remix is easily one of the very best non-anthem trance remixes on the website.

[Dyne]

I can only summon two words at time to describe this mix: KICK ASS!

[DaleNorth]

:D

very very very nice sir

[Taige]

Sounds reminiscent of Acid Tetris music. Very cool.

[AnotherOneBitesTheDust]

Wow, this game's soundtrack isn't anywhere.

[OverCoat]

WOW! SOMEONE ELSE HAS PLAYED S[]CKET!

Yeah, cool spelling huh? Get it, cause of the socket? Well anyways enough about the name. The game and it's soundtrack are REALLY great and I still play it sometimes. I'm seeing a lot of uncommon Genesis remixes lately, there's this and NoppZ's Zombies ate my Neighbors remix. Both are outstanding. What's next? Zool? Bubsy? ...hey that'd be cool :D

First of all, after I settled down from the excitement of knowing more than 5 people actually bought this game, I started to listen to the remix, and seeing as how I'm really familiar with this soundtrack, I decided to review. Love the intro, it feels like I'm getting pumped for one of the racing levels, but now that the melody comes in, I see you did the weird water level :roll: Oh well, but I would have liked to have seen another song remixed, like the Futura song. Nice variation on the song, too. I like the instrument choice and the style. Not one of your best, however, but I still highly recommend this 1) cause it's from Socket and 2) it's a pretty good take on the song.

[Hidden_Variable]

This drips with professionalism, but synthesized clap samples always get on my nerves. They're not loud or anything though, and can easily be ignored ;)

[AnotherOneBitesTheDust]

I just finished 4 areas with an emulator, meaning beaten 4 of the bosses. This plays in the first area and the 5th area. So, it's not just the water music. Maybe there's even more of the stages that I don't know about it.

Oh well, now I can name the Socket originals for the original name database that's in hiding right now.

Socket - 'Area 1'
Socket 'TripTheLightFantastic' by djpretzel

Socket - 'Area 5'
Socket 'TripTheLightFantastic' by djpretzel

Please don't comment on any of this. Carry on with the reviews.

[djpretzel]

I just finished 4 areas with an emulator, meaning beaten 4 of the bosses. This plays in the first area and the 5th area. So, it's not just the water music. Maybe there's even more of the stages that I don't know about it.

I thought it was from two different stages :D As a note of potential interest to others, and sort of ironic at that, I composed this ReMix after not hearing either original song for well over a year, and it's one of my closer adaptations. I had a feeling it was two separate songs, but wasn't sure - they do blend pretty seamlessly, if you ask me.

[Kuribo's Shoe]

I have to agree with the words "kick ass" when used in a description of this mix, but somehow, it's kickass in a subtle way (notwithstanding the inherrent contradiction therein).

Case in point: I've been listening to this for about an hour straight now (immersion is how I like my music - I've been known to submerge into my headphones for the better part of a day when a new Jamiroquai album comes out) and I'm still hearing new nuances and harmonies and syncopations that blow me away in their subtlety and detail. The style is drastically different, but the listening experience itself is decidedly similar to hearing "DubNoFantasyAloneMan" - layer upon layer of delicately and deliciously constructed complexity that leaves me with just a single thought in my mind:

Wow*.

As ever, thank you DJP.




*actually "wow" is probably an understatement (and coincidentally, a palindrome) compared to how this song makes me feel when i listen to it, but that's probably as close as i can come with the cumbersome alphabetical amalgamations of written language.


...probably makes good fast driving music for late at night through empty city streets lined with sky scrapers...
So very, very true.

[Joe Redifer]

Very well done. While this mix doesn't have the super high energy of the original game music, it is still upbeat and very enjoyable to listen to. There are a few interruptions now and again in the beat which I felt brought the mix down a tiny bit... it just happened too often. DJP is very impressive musically, though I think he prefers to impress technically more than musically. But like always this is a great mix and gives Socket some much-deserved recognotion. I recorded the sound test onto MiniDisc years ago when I rented it and still listen to it often. Great stuff!

Edit:
Here is a link to the original Genesis version of this tune (in MP3 form) for those of you who can't find it. Be warned... this was recorded from a real Genesis and not some emulator! So the sound quality is 100% genuinely authentic.
http://joe.film-tech.net/oc/socket.mp3
Listen to DJP's tune first. Then this. Then listen to DJP's remix again. You'll raise your opinions like I did. Great mix DJP!

[OverCoat]

Wow yeah, it IS the forest level. My mistake :) But no, this doesn't play anywhere else. See, I hadn't played the game in so long. Maybe I should pop in the cartridge again.

[DM Lee]

I really love the ping ponging synth that was mentioned earlier at :43 also that percussion sample that sounds liek someone going "shhhaa!" is great. This like someone said, doesnt really pick up, it builds back into itself well, and has tons and tons of wonderfully delicious sounds. But overall i thought this wasnt really worth keeping on my hard drive.

The main reason im not keeping this is because of 1:52, it sounds like its going to go all anthem on us (if im using the word right) but then as its picking up it trips out and brings you down from the high you almost get.

This mix pulls me in too many different directions without really exactly going anywhere. I would have liked this more if it were harder and had something that stood out a lot. I like the synth strings and i like a lot of the processing.

Ok, this mix wreaks of awesomeness, but its just not that good in my tastes. I expected something more maybe.

Also, its waaaaaaaaaaay repetitive in my opinion.

this seems liek one of those mixes you hear thats constantly building to some super fat awesome part of the song... but doesnt really go anywhere, and i dont like the ending.

Great work djp, just not my preference of musical style.

[oldtimer]

It's totally great.
1:01 - "ooooooWOOOOOOOoooooooooo"
That makes the song, right there.

[Tidus Of Spira]

Oh! I love this one! Has a certain...how you say...happy-quality to it. Very nice.

When I first heard it, I was just sorta doing a little passive-listening. Then later on I came back and heard it again. "Hey, sounds cool."

Then I came back again and listened to it without the headphones with the volume most-of-the-way up. WOOO, that just shows that you cannot judge a mix by listening to it one time. It grows on you just like video games themselves do. Neato.

Final verdict... MY SCORE-- 9.0/10

[Isosceles]

Goddamn i love this remix. Easily in my top 5 favorites here.

I usually dont post my comments on mixes cause no one cares what i think, but i gotta make an exception here.

This remix is guaranteed to make me do 2 things everytime i hear it:

1. dance
2. smile


I love upbeat trancy/techno stuff. makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

[Kazin]

OOOO.....I really do not know what to say except "WOW" the memories brought back to me on this mix was insanely great! Heh..makes we want to bust out the ol'school systems an start playin with this tune on an the TV on mute. Phenominal mix I must say...as a proud lover of electronica & games I just can't get enough must have reapeated for the 50th time already hah. In my opinion, this game definately deserves a remix, and from the looks of it this has got to be the best SOCKET music I have heard yet! Thanks....and a TERRIFIC JOB Dj Pretzel!!!

[Troika]

Wow. This is a great remix. Why... I remember back in the good old days, I used to stop by Blockbuster every Friday after school and rent a game for my at the time only console, the almighty Genesis, and this was one of the many Sonic ripoffs that I played through between school days. Awesome Possom being another. :p *shot* I'm not sure what level this is from... Antiquity or whatever it's called. Anywho, excellent remix that brings back painfully distant memories and makes me want to play Socket one more time.

[Wingsinadream]

First of all, I want to congratulate djprezel for making a suitable trance that did not sound as repetitive as the genre usually includes. The sounds melded nicely together, forming a smooth rhythm, that, while providing excellent backround the the melody, did not over-power it(Which isn't a bad thing, but it just wouldn't have fit in such a song.). Around 00:56' I started hearing some notes that reminded me of the ending theme of Pee-Wee's Playhouse, the nightmarish show I so loved in my childhood. David and I are among the few who acutally played this game in its prime. While I did not own it, I had quite a fun rental session courtesy of my local Blockbuster. This is one of the few songs which actually make me want to buy a brand new computer and pump it full of all sorts of music programs. Again, kudos to you, Mr. Lloyd, for revitalizing my youth in such a happy way that reminds me of summer times at the beach. You have my thanks.

[MisterBiggler]

I've had this remix for some time now. I listened to it a few times after having initially aquiring the song, but I had forgotten about it until just recently. I was listening to my OCR songs while hittin' the books the other day, and by the power of random, this popped on somewhere along the way, and I just couldn't stop listening to it. It's so mellow, and I like that a lot since a lot of the trance/techno induced remixes (and trance/techno in general) I tend to hear are extremely high energy, can be repetitive, and sound unoriginal. And I like trance, just not bad trance, but this isn't bad by any means of the word. I've had it for a least a year, maybe 2, and I'm just now hooked. I've been listening to it all morning. But I'll tell you the true reason that this remix is so damn good; I had never heard the original sample before until I hunted down the game last night and played it. This is a great song sans the original, but I do like the game's soundtrack (what little of it I actually heard anyway). Thank you for the good music, djpretzel.

[Trygon]

This remix has quickly become a favorite of mine, to the point where I can dig it out of my Winamp playlist in a matter of seconds. For relaxing, there's none better anywhere on OCRemix.

[SirRus]

I am really digging this. djp you rule

[Liontamer]

My favorite djpizzle mix and I never dropped a comment. This track was smooooth back in the day. Still is. Infectious groove, great sounds, polished production. I still give Dave a little crap every now and then about how he'll never make anything else that I'll like more than this and that he's jumped the shark. But driving to Baltimore with him last year for a meetup, he was nice enough to throw this ReMix on a mix CD he made for the drive down. If I'm remembering it right, I also got to hear his Summoning of Spirits mix "The Koan of Drums" (http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01500/) right after he finished it.

In any case, this was also a track that made me go back and check out the original, as well as snag a ROM of the game. Well, to me the game sucked, and I don't recall any other tracks being as good as the one's djp arranged, but I definitely love what he's done with the source material here. Seamless fusion of the two themes, I never would have known there was more than one source if I hadn't checked the soundtrack out. Great stuff, and of the few tracks that lots of people around here have taken a chance on and liked despite not knowing the game. The number of reviews back in the day definitely illustrated that.

[Palpable]

This just came up on the roulette and I couldn't recall having heard it before. It made me very happy. :) I must have somehow missed out on it the first time around, and I think it might be my new favorite song of yours, DJP. I hear a lot of shades of Erasure in it and I kept waiting for Andy Bell to come in. The pieces just gel together sublimely, and even without hearing the original, I loved it.

[K.B.]

Ah... so dreamy......

I absolutely love this sort of sound: heavy, simple beat pattern with bright, airy instrumentation. I was accordingly whisked away by this mix and immersed in its soundscape. The exits/reentries of the beat interrupted the mood a bit, but I'm not going to complain - some of the most delightful sections were the breaks where the instruments were made to sound as if they're being played underwater. Which fits perfectly with the Antiquity stage. And the frog sounds: heh, they were a nice touch.

As has been said, there's a lot going on here even if the arrangement was relatively straightforward (notwithstanding a seamless blending-in of the first part of Emerald Forest, that is). The soundscape is full, both with layering and with a... breezy... wind sound in the background that fills in any gaps. Of course, it's not just layering, but a host of different sounds/instruments being used with varying effects on each. I can't do much more than smile and nod when folks like Disco Dan laud a track's production, but I can definitely say that end result sounds beautiful.

So, it has that light, ambient feel that you can drift off to, but it also has plenty of depth that can keep you engaged... whichever you're in the mood to do. Plus, most of all, it's feel-good. And that's good in any age.

[OA]

Nice melody- the beats coming in and out were a bit distracting, but the melodic fixtures and the pads were awesome.

Not to get in line on the asspatting, but this is close to The Koan of Drums for my favorite DJP mix. Super great stuff.

[KyleJCrb]

This remains my personal favorite djpretzel remix ever (closely followed by Koan). I remember Larry and I gushed at length about this remix sometime ago (http://kngi.org/p=1046), and I have to say that this is another example of a subpar game with a good soundtrack. Fantastic remix.

[Bahamut]

I'm surprised I never commented on this - I've always loved this mix since it was first posted. It has a nice happy sound and puts you in a trance. It's not too often where you see songs doing both well.

[SubNormal J3]

Another classic djp track, staying pretty close to the pretzel formula, albeit there are more trance elements than usual. I like the pitch bends on the lead bells (1:00). We also get some neat kick drum build ups (1:20). By about 3 minutes, it all comes to together with those nice wobbly synths. If you like most of djp's other tracks, you'll definitely like this one, and the same applies with the converse.