OCR00983 - Xenogears 'The Lost City of Shevat'

[djpretzel]

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

[sgx]

YAY! Awesome super stuff. Every different instrument sound is picked and used really well. This mix just straight up sounds great. The 'soundscape' created is really just super duper. The atmosphere created is awesome and it really takes me back to the many hours I spent playing Xenogears. Veryvery cool!

[J-Dogg]

While I have never heard the original, nor played the game (which saddens me, btw), the "soundscape," as it is referred to, created by this arrangement is very well suited to the title, methinks. I find myself to be very fond of the intro, I like what was done with the windchimes combined with subtle accompanying cymbal. I like the almost mysterious overarching tone of the whole piece. I didn't initially like the very end of the mix, but after listening to it several times, I find that it came together appropriately. Nice work.

[Freemind]

What can we say for the abilities of GL?? Nice ambient atmosphere, with lots of ethnic moods...
Gray is proving to us that the sense of remix isn't only a trance remix made by FL....
Good work Gray...keep up the good work

[Eccles]

*copy-paste*
Brilliant from the off....another fantastic chillout mix.

Im not over-keen on the tinkling/smashing at the beginning, but thats not to say I hate it either.

4:03 is a little BAM! And could shock you...

But overall its brilliant.

[DarkeSword]

Very sweet sounding. This mix is very relaxing. I especially like how all of the sounds fit together nicely. Nothing seems out of place, and everything is very smooth. Pads seem a little hissy (or 'breathy' as DJP said), but I like that in a pad so it's all good. Transitions are subtle and effective.

This is definately some great chillout/reading music.

SOLID.™

[Dark Heart]

just a few words since I have to go...wow!

[Schwaumlaut]

GrayLightning was kind enough to let me have a listen before it went up on OCR, and I like it just as much now as I did then. THis is one of my favorite tracks from Xenogears, and he's done a great job with it. GrayLightning is the man.

[Israfel]

Really like this- nice dreamy atmosphere. And alot of nice little touches help this one stand-out, like the wonderful piano passage at 1:51 or the well done climax at 4:00

Also, maybe it's just me, but at around the 2:30 mark the bass synth and percussion really starts to remind of the first Panzer Dragoon. :P

Cool stuff. Nice new age sound.

[OmegaPhoenix128]

The remix is a nice remix. It has a good, somewhat calm tone to it that I like. Very good. :D

[Vig]

i heard this a while ago, but didnt remember it. till i heard it again this morning.

AH! i love the intro! great transition to the melody.

i think the drums are decent. not great
i would like to hear more harmony in the section around 1:00. seems a little empty. i dont think the drums should be the most audible instrument at any point, but they are at aruind 2:00. 2:30 a nice mute guitar comes in, the song starts building again. nice.

ending is cool, but kind of comes out of nowhere. it works i guesss.

this mix is clearly OCR material, but i think the section from between aproximately 1minute to 2 minutes is uneceessary, and it makes the song drag.

good stuff tho. really like the intro and the section after 2:30

[Garde]

Uber Coolness from GL! YAY! :D I've listened to this song for about a half of a year now.... I went to mp3.com to check out his songs and dled them ALL! Very good stuff. The whole thing is really laid back and flows together well. It's good to see a GrayLightning mix posted once again (after ds, which the guitarist has STILL not come through for the new version, and dezoris winter, I was beginning to wonder if the OCR judges were at least still slightly sane, they are, BARELY). Keep up the good work GL!

[GrayLightning]

I'm thrilled to see this up on OC, and even more to know that people are enjoying it. This kind of genre isn't popular or probably familiar to most OC listeners, so I'm especially glad to see people dig the slower, mellower side of things.

Thanks to those who took the time to review. I appreciate it. ^_^

[GreatLeo]

Wow just got back from camping and I am thrilled to finally see your Shevat mix up. If I havent said it enough I will say it again definately one of your finest works Gray.
Very smooth, great atomosphere and use of instruments what is there not to like in this? its all good in my mind. :)

[MC]

Some remixers are quite versatile, while others have distinct niches. I hold that GL belongs in the latter category, having produced some very thoughtful 'soundscapes' as we like to call them. I wish I had heard the original, only so I could better track the movement of this remix. Nice usage of all the instruments employed, along some interesting chords. A very quality mix, any way you look at it.

[neminem]

I have nothing specific to say, as everything was right-on. I'm simply adding another post to the unanimous praising of your remix. Yes, people "dig the slower, mellower side of things" quite greatly (at least I do). Write more - hopefully to a song I know next time.

[Kamikaze Noodle]

This es muy bueno. I was a little iffy at the start, but once the melody really got goin i was pulled in. I loves it. It's really high quality. And everytime the notes do that little "fall" (3:26) it makes me happy. I'm glad more of GL's work got thru, OCR needs this kind of stuff every once in a while.

[Joe Redifer]

I haven't decided yet as to what I think about this. The tune remixed is my favorite tune from Xenogears. Sometimes the melody seems out of sync with the tempo for some reason. Maybe I am just too used to the original song, as this is quite a departure. I'll give it more listens, though.

[GrayLightning]

...OCR needs this kind of stuff every once in a while.

More than that, if I can do anything about it. ^_^

[SnappleMan]

I dig, indeed.

And because I'm a lazy bastard, I too will copy and paste :

Man, I don't know why, but so far all the mixes I heard done by you kick ass. This one is no exception.

I love the instrumentation, very well balanced and mellow. It's a really smooth flowing track, it looped twice over before I realised it was repeating.

The varying velocity layers add a very natural sound to it (especially the drums).

Overall, this is a great song, remixed into another great song.

[k-wix]

It's an excellent mix, I'm just glad OCR put it up. Great work Gray. I would give you a big review, but.. you already know I like it. good stuff.

[Rapyer2986]

This was my favorite song of the Xenogears track and I wasn't expecting it to sound so DAMN good! I had to replay it twice, since some parts sounded to be quite off tempo. I got through it and feel in love. It's sound is just as relaxing and ambient as the original, and it's a completely refreshingly different arrangement. Extra nice submission! OCR needed this one!

[mv]

something different and refreshing for OCR thanks to graylightning :)

very soothing xenogears remix, nice instrumentation (some lovely patches in there) and a very keen sense of setting up the ambience. i particularly like that odd synth bass used loudly in spots to back up the builups. the second half of the mix is particularly enjoyable when more instruments interact with each other.

my only gripes would once again be the percussion samples used, but that's because i prefer abstract sounds and beats when dealing with ambient, and a few spots in the first half that could have used more substance. those don't stop this mix from being very enjoyable though, and thus i definitely recommend it! :)

thumbs up! now go make more! ;)

[Quinn X5]

Summons some really great memories.

I played Xenogears around the time it was released, and it still remains my favorite RPG on the console. I played it during a....hectic time of my life, and for that reason, it's embedded in my memory in a way that many other games aren't....only Lunar : Eternal Blue (SCD) stands higher in that regard....

As such, it's a great RPG for a rainy day, and this music is as well....appropriate since it's been raining like madness here in Indy for the last few weeks. There's an undeniable sad, blue theme to the song which lies under a subtle yet massive 'field', so to speak.

I remember this music better than I thought, from memory, and this remix helps. THIS is the kind of drama a GrayLightning mix should create; not that of other diatribes in sister forums. This is an individual that without question has improved dramatically in the last year, and if the pace keeps, we can expect some very nice things from Gray in the next year or two.

This remix might be a tie as my favorite GL mix, with Dexoris Winter, but it evokes memories that the previous didn't, so it makes the mix a little more.....bright. :)

So in other words, I love the mix, I'll never delete it if I can help it, and the song choice is superb. Keep at it!

~Quinn

[Psycrow]

Good stuff gray. You pretty much coulda mixed these two together Maybe someday you'll find more similar songs and do a big new-age megamix or something.
I *think* I heard these both on VGmix (could be wrong), but I remember having at least one in my playlist for a long time Very good to listen to in the background when you don't want anything too heavy distracting ya. Keep these coming :)

[Omniverse]

This song is well-produced and definitely captures the emotion of the original piece. The drumwork is also really interesting. I really like the pads used here, they seem to flow into your head so smoothly and carry you along. A great mix.

[elman]

8.5/10- I heard the original remix back when it was posted at VGMIX ( :cry: ), and I have to say, this version is INFINITELY better than the first. The beat still kinda throws me off, but the intro is fantastic the song's more complete. Good job.

[Aetherwalker]

Xenogears is one of my top 3 favorite games, which includes other systems. The soundtrack to the game is one of the best I've ever heard, so I was glad to get this track from OCR.

This remix takes me back, as I played this game quite a while ago. 'TheLostCitOfShevat' is a standout, on a par with Xenogears' own music and I wouldn't doubt that you'd make it big if you ever got into writing original music for games. This track in particular conveys the mystery and intrigue that surrounded the story of Xenogears. I felt I was transported, put right down in the middle of that world.

A spot-on, exemplary job, Gray Lightning. You have made me a fan of your work and I will be watching for your future mixes.

Kudos,
Aetherwalker

[kirbenvost]

Hmmm...pretty good....the beginning was really making me drool (I like that kind of music :D ), and later on when the percussion comes in it's still fairly good, though a little slow and erratic for my taste. Still a good ReMix nonetheless.

[OA]

The intro was great, the soundfield was just seemingly massive; I love it. It seemed like once the melody started, it thinned out just a little too much until maybe the halfway point. I understand the need to break things down to build them back up, but it seemed sparse for a bit.
From the halfway point and on it was really nice. I think I would have brought down the high end of the pad, but really a minor detail; it comes out clearly and i'm not sure if the melody would have been as pronounced if the high end was dulled.
Overall a really nice mix, good for a rainy afternoon looking out the window.

[Marmiduke]

Xenogears was the first game soundtrack that I thought was too good to belong to a game, back when I considered games something to entertain kids while parents did whatever. Even though those days are gone and my views have changed, I can still understand what I was thinking at the time.
GrayLightning really did a great track justice here. I've always thought that Lightning had a great ear for instrument selection, and this is exactly why. Just listen to this track and everything sounds right. The melody is weird and complex, but that's what made it the best one in the game. There's some really nice sounds in this one. I don't know whether it is Lightning's biggest or most creative mix, but for what it is, it's practically unbeatable: Great music to accompany a meandering mind.