OCRA-0017 - Donkey Kong Country 2: Serious Monkey Business

[Bahamut]

COME GET SOME: http://dkc2.ocremix.org/

[Spoool]

Torrent is up.

http://dkc2.ocremix.org/

[OA]

hey guys, good luck with your project. :-)

[Level 99]

It's out. Finally. TA-DA! Big moment. Go download.

[Quesm]

PARTEH TIME BITCHES!!! >:D

btw, what kind of file is the FLAC file? will it play on my mp3 or will I have to convert them?

[Level 99]

DKC2 – Serious Monkey Business reactions (beware, I nitpick random things and this is not attempting to be unbiased, just my response to the songs):

Disc 1:

Djpretzel – Sturm und Kong: One of the strongest opening tracks to an album I’ve ever heard. The introductory orchestral composition is foreboding and tense, with the two-note strings keeping rhythm while some other instruments play chilling lines of the melody. All comes to a head when it switches to synths and dancey drums…but wait, the orchestra is still there. I am in LOVE with the French horns used, above all else. A great balance of digital textures and classical instruments. Production quality is top notch. This soundscape is complex and sounds meticulously planned, though there were a few parts in the middle where I almost got bored. Things changed enough to keep my ADHD interested, though, which means one thing: Great work!

Joren de Bruin – Simian Soiree: Jazz lounge intro piano teasing the main chunk of source. I’m not sure how I feel about using an electric bass here, when the drums and piano sound so much more chill. I guess a standup would have been more my preference, but the playing and processing here is still good. It doesn’t sound like it doesn’t belong, and plays the parts well. Once the ensemble backing and electric guitar come in, the piece really starts to come into its. The acoustic guitar is gorgeous. A great adaptation of the source to a new genre and style, all while keeping it fresh with plenty of original spice. BAM! Sax could have been a bit better, but it’s not bad.

Ross Kmet – How Krool Went Insane: chimes and stereo-panning effects bring it in as the bass and other instruments take their time to really get going. The chimes and epiano sound very fitting, and the lead synth feels like a love-it-or-hate-it choice, though I enjoy it. When the chopped stuff comes in with the wah hits, it starts to drift from what I enjoy. It doesn’t stray too far, and when it goes back into the main progression I don’t mind. During the later half of the song, I started zoning out. This one’s pretty unique, also pretty chill. The ending FX hurt my ears a little though.

OA – Party’s Over Here: I swear I facepalm every time I hear the intro to this. This is so cheesy that it not only loops around again to be not cheesy, but it goes even further again back to being unbelievably cheesy. Nice rock-synth party song. Splashes of violins mixed in with the synth lead and the distorted guitars. One can tell it’s an OA song from that specific synth lead. Crisp drums, and all-around good production, which is what I’ve come to expect from him. Ending is a little bland, and….A FADEOUT!? MAAAAN! Nuh uh. Go back and fix it. And while you’re at it, tell that happy chick to lay off the valium a bit (read: I enjoyed this song quite a bit).

Patrick Burns – Rare Respite: Wow. The piano is outstanding for an opening, I really wish it went on longer in that manner. Even if I can’t get my way there, though, what you do have after it is phenomenal. This is exactly what I envisioned as an arrangement for the jig, and it’s pulled off great. The piano is great throughout, and those acoustics are…I’m pretty speechless. You even had creaking planks on a ship. The choice of instruments, the playing, the production. I have to say this is my favorite song from disc 1. I really can’t think of anything negative, and it kept my attention throughout. Even if I try to nitpick, I can’t find anything to nitpick. And even my personal preference about the piano was fulfilled, bringing it back at the end with even more well-placed environmental sounds. FANTASTIC! AHHH!

Hemophiliac – Tetanus: His skill in orchestral composition is quite great. It shows here that he knows exactly what he's doing. The opening oboe hooked me immediately, and once the snare section comes in, I’m fully immersed. An uplifting and adventurous-sounding piece, my only real qualm is when the synthetic sound is brought in. It ruined the warm soundscape that had been developed a bit, but it doesn’t ruin the song (just brings it down a notch for me personally). The ending piano is superb, especially the notes with the dissonant strings behind it. This is still a winner of a song.

Nutritious – Old School: Not my favorite Nutritious piece, but still a very good one, and a lot different than what I’ve heard him do before. Very synthy, very 80’s, and it’s awesome regardless. Even the strings played sound almost disco. Not much else to say in regards to feedback on this one. Production is good.

Bustatunes – Monkey Merengue: great epiano, and…is that a marimba? These instruments are stellar. Lounge-style with great string reinforcement. Hand percussion work in the middle is a nice touch. I could listen to this on loop while enjoying a martini talking to a saucy waitress. Busta impresses very much with this song, which I can’t do justice to with words since I am not that familiar with the genre. I’ll close with saying that this feels like it should be
performed by a live band.

Zyk0 – Token Up: Nice rotating leslie on that organ, good tone on the guitar. This is a smooth adaptation of one of the most recognizable DKC-series songs to the freestyle approach it seems built to do. I’m not that big a fan of the middle section as that guitar wankery feels a little off to me, but other than that, this was enjoyable to an extent. Female voice to the right was a good choice. Production is good, but the drums seem just a bit too quiet in comparison to the guitar. That hand percussion needs to be bumped to say the least. There were a few guitar bits throughout that seemed a little sloppy, but I’d associate that more with your chosen approach. Not really my cup of tea. The song is also a bit too long. By all means it’s not a bad mix, but I was left a little disappointed.

Joshua Morse – It’s a Jungle Out There!: Ah, now this is interesting. Some various hand drums, really has a DKC feel. I don’t know how I feel about that metallic instrument (I don’t know what it is, but it’s for most of the beginning part, stops at :54). Regardless, cool choices for instruments. The flute is great, another smooth lounge jazzy arrangement in-total.

Zyk0 – The Apes of Wrath: Ah, now I like this a lot more. This one feels very chaotic with the drum-guitar playing. That cool organ from the other song is back (or something that’s very close). I really enjoyed this one, and don’t have much to say besides some of the timings threw me off. Got the effect of “wrath” conveyed very well, even without going screaming metal. Rocking. Also the length of this one is more digestible.

Djpretzel – Welcome to the Funky House: SHAFT! That’s all I gotta say. Donkey “Shaft” Kong. That’s the total vibe I get from this, especially with that talking guitar-style synth. Not as flashy as Strum, but still well put together, and very enjoyable. It’s a funky house, indeed. Don’t have much else to say. I could be a jerk and say “whoa, it’s too minimal and doesn’t change up enough” but that would just be rude. This fits the desired style very well.

Fishy – Beneath the Canopy: This is definitely a runner-up for my favorite song on the first disc. I don’t think this could get any more Pink Floyd-esque without actually infringing on one of their songs. Great lead guitar tone, and the backing pads do a great job fleshing out the mellow soundscape. Guitar performance is standard Fishy (read: AWESOME!). There’s a reason this guy is going to school for music, and it’s hard to not see why if you listen to his songs. Drums are kickass and don’t overplay at all.The addition of the section with primarily strings was a great touch. Overall, nice rockwork. Ending piano is like a cross between DKC2 and FF. Me likey very much.

Nicole Adams feat. M.J. Ault and Starla – A New Place: Nicole did a great job adapting the melody for vocal performance, and this duet is near-orgasmic. Performances from both vocalists are out of this world, and the production is top shelf. The guitar is a nice touch, too, both electric and acoustic. This song flows incredibly well, and it reminds me a bit of a more synthy Fleetwood Mac. Drums get a little repetitious at one point, but I’m constantly distracted by the vocalists so it’s not a big deal. Wonderful way to end disc one.

Disc 2:

Zylance – Roller Disco: *dances* Even if this doesn’t expand that much on the original, this is an absolute fun song to listen to. Disco + video game music = unbelievable cheese, especially when pulled off with a combination of authentic disco flavor and newer “retro” sounding digital instruments thrown in. Zylance (Zoola) definitely achieves here, and the musical inclusion of pitched monkey SFX is great, especially as an homage to how it was used in some songs of the original soundtrack. Nice energy and fine production. Wish it was longer, had a better ending, and went a bit farther with the arrangement. Still fantastic.

Prince of Darkness – This Chase is Haunted: *stops dancing and facemelts to the floor*. Tony, you magnificent bastard. This is so kickass. My only qualm is that the lead is a little out of tune at one point or another during the song (very slight, I guess I can only hear it because I’ve had similar minute issues with tuning myself). That’s about it, other than that, this mix hits you in the face like a freight train and keeps going for miles of guitar and synth wankery. This man is crazy, and this song is crazy awesome. Utter rocking out in this one.

Bustatunez – Paleolithic Park: Well, after picking my melty face off the floor from the last one, moving on to…John Williams? This is essentially John Williams on DKC2 tunes. Bustatunez has a range so versatile and unrestrained with what he can do musically that I am always impressed yet rarely surprised. This song, however, surprised the pants off of me and had me imagining running from a T-Rex the entire song. This symphony is 100% believable. Either he got the money to record with a live orchestra, or he has mastered symphony sample libraries. I could believe either one. The phrasing and articulations are impressive to the point of jawdropping. This is my absolute favorite song on disc 2.

Patrick Burns – Rhumba Rumble: Hand me a tropical umbrella drink served in a coconut shell with some synths thrown in there! Island groove fused with some cool digital stuff here, and it’s so happy chipper during the first section that I feel like the sun’s going to shine through the walls. Then funky…with a wah’d guitar and some organ ditties. Mr. Burns, my hat is off to you. The Kong’s better open a beach resort and have this as their theme song.

Flickerfall – Us Monkeys Together: Flickerfall is a powerful force. Does this count as synth pop? It’s got synths, it’s pop, so I’d say yes. The Chinese vocals make me feel like I’m listening to the next big thing from the eastern countries. Amy, Vinnie, great work here. No negative feedback whatsoever. This thing was stuck in my head from my first listening months ago. When a song has the listener so hooked they start singing in a language they don’t understand, you KNOW a song is good (I like to call it “99 luftballons syndrome”).

Diggi Dis – Club Klubba: I be diggin’ dis, Diggi. For some reason I’m reminded of what horror punk would sound like if they decided to become club artists. Must be the chord progressions. Nice motifs splashed throughout, and an adequate, albeit standard, club sound pervades this rendition. Enjoyable, but not really standout to me. This feels very middle-of-the-road, but is by no means bad.

Another Soundscape – Swamp Gases: Ever since Daijiru (Too Hot for Clothes), every single song I’ve listened to by Anso seems porn-y in some way, shape, or form. The BPM here is very softcore-style, and the synth choices actually kinda feel dirty. OR maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks on me. Standard Anso style, which is always a pleasure to listen to, as it is varied and well-produced. Cool beans, dude.

Zyk0 – Backwards Room: The opening reminds me of Marilyn Manson’s contribution to the score of the Resident Evil movie. Very unsettling. The song, as most from zyk0 for this project, is very unique. I can’t say I’m a big fan of the vocals or some of the instrument choices, but it’s still catchy for some reason. I can’t put my finger on it, but I really like this. Bizarre, to sum up. Bizarre but listenable, for the most part. Some of the FX hits and loops are a bit corny, and the drums get old quickly, though. The song also feels long, just like the first zyk0 song on the other disc.

Geoffrey Taucer, José the Bronx Rican, and Hale-Bopp – Trapped in the Minds: Great mix except I’m not a big fan of the distortion used by Taucer. That’s more an aesthetic opinion, though, and this mix shines very brightly despite that. The drums could have been a bit stronger during the chorus, I feel. The rapping is fantastic, as well as the chorus vocals, and the arrangement itself is A+. Definitely can tell the differences from the DoD version, and this one is a world improved in many areas.

Tepid – Crystal Swamp: I’ve been a fan of Phil’s since back in the VGMix 2 days. This is a great relax electro version, and I can tell this is Tepid just from the way it sounds. The production is great, the variation in sounds and tempo is awesome. Everything sounds great. I got nothing else to say about it.

Virt – Dance of the Zinger: What a way to make a comeback! I have to say, on a small personal note, that one of the most satisfied and happy feelings I’ve ever had as a musician was after the DoD announcement this year when Jake runs up to me yelling “what the fuck, man? WHAT THE FUCK?” and then gives me one of the biggest hugs of my life. Anyways, getting back on topic, Jake may have changed his physique drastically (this man looks slim n’ trim these days) but his musical skills have only exponentially increased. This feels like an anthem, and I’m quite afraid to drive to this song for fear of it making me want to speed like a madman. My second favorite track from this disc. The mesh of calm sound instruments, like the piano and strings, so seamlessly with the buzz synths, swelling pads, and awesome drums…highly impressed, I am. The arps were the icing on the cake. Someone get me some glow sticks!

Rest of Disc 2 here (http://ocremix.org/forums/showpost.php?p=656195&postcount=77).

[Bahamut]

PARTEH TIME BITCHES!!! >:D

btw, what kind of file is the FLAC file? will it play on my mp3 or will I have to convert them?

It's lossless (or close enough anyhow - was told earlier that it's technically not quite but close). you can convert from FLAC to mp3 if you want, or you can just grab the mp3s if you don't need that level of quality. The mp3s should suffice for most.

[whilst]

PARTEH TIME BITCHES!!! >:D

btw, what kind of file is the FLAC file? will it play on my mp3 or will I have to convert them?

you'll prob have to convert it unless you have rockbox installed on your mp3 player. basically it's a lossless compression of .wave files...sorta like a zip file. except you can play .flac files in VLC and other various programs

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yay torrent! except my d/l speed isn't super super fast :(

we need more seeders!!


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yay project! so pumped.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

HIGH FUCKING FIVES ALL AROUND!

Thanks to everybody who made this possible.

[Sir_Snooze]

...My pants are dirty now. Thanks, guys.

No, serious - holy SHIT, son! This is FUCKIN' NOBLE! I've already decided to not go to class tomorrow. In fact, I'm not leaving my apartment. I'm doing this nostalgia-style - just me, DKC 2 and Serious Monkey Business.

And pizza. I may or may not return to this post - I'll try to remember - but on first listens everything is frickin' awesome! Thanks Geoffrey and Bahamut - you guys should be proud of yourselves for producing this colon-crushing album of victorious mega-win.

[KyleJCrb]

I haven't had the chance to listen yet, but I just wanted to congratulate you guys on a great release. I'm sure it'll be excellent based on the previews, and just the fact that you've gotten so many awesome names on board (especially the original composer, which is huge). Good work, dudes!

[GTAHater836]

I like darn near everything I heard from this album. A really good recovery from 2009's apparent losing streak. (people didn't like the four 2009 albums compared to everything dated 2008 and before, did they?)

Back to Serious Monkey Business: I can't decide if I like this or Kong in Concert better. When that happens, you know you have a superb album.

[Hemophiliac]

Such a pleasure to be a part of this.

I enjoy every track on this project.

*round of applause for all*

[halc]

boy do i wish i could've been a part of this ;-)

congratulations and kudos to everybody involved for putting this together. imo, this is the best album to have come out of this community - Tepid, Skryp, Sole Signal, Fishy and Morse's tracks in particular really hit home with me. djp's mixes were 110% worth the wait, and the Dave Wise collab is simply legendary. personally i could've gone for a little more electronica but that's just a personal bias - what's here is fantastic and the artists deserve every bit of praise.

gg next project lol

[jett]

Just finished listening to the whole thing. Amazing work guys, truly. The best ocremix album yet, easily. Excellent production on all tracks.

I'll say this, though, I don't think death metal is for me. :P

[The Vagrance]

I haven't had a chance to listen yet but I'd like to thank whoever is hosting the .zip, makes things SO much easier considering my Uni doesn't allow Bittorrent.

[Brandon Strader]

Just finished listening to the whole thing. Amazing work guys, truly. The best ocremix album yet, easily. Excellent production on all tracks.

I'll say this, though, I don't think death metal is for me. :P
Hah! The first comment comes in. ^_^

I had a blasty blast recording those vocals, as well as the recorder solo at the end. It was actually the first time I'd ever recorded a recorder, so that's special. And I haven't been able to match those growls since then. :-( I gotta practice more. Thanks to Nekofrog for thinking I was good enough to vocalize his song. ;-)

[bananabomberman]

......

It's so good it makes studying for finals fun!
Another great album by OC Remixers and interestingly enough, there's always a new one during finals. :)!!

[Djinn]

Yay. :)

I love this album's consistency. "A New Place" is easily the best vocal track that I've ever heard off of OCR. And how cool is it that Dave Wise contributed? I'm really honored to have the chance to listen to this free of charge. Of course, I can't wait for the opportunity to buy a physical copy. ;) Congratulations everyone on a job well done!

[metalsnakejuice]

After the longest thirty minutes it is finally here. This album as a whole is the best one so far and it shows with all the incredible talent that everyone has put in to it.

Congratulations people!

[nugzta]

Just listened the second song, I'm already impressed. Good work remixers!

[yosh]

I waited so long for this, hell yeah! <33

[SwordBreaker]

Wrote a small blurb for the site I work for. More coming later as I listen to the whole album. All I can say is David Wise's track ROCKS!!!!

http://www.projectcoe.com/blog/2010/03/16/ocr-has-some-serious-monkey-buisness-to-do-dkc2-remix-album/

[Liontamer]

Of course, I can't wait for the opportunity to buy a physical copy. ;)

We're not selling any. We might do some promo copies for conventions though, but no selling.

[Lord Exor]

Overall, an outstanding effort. The album does a good job showcasing the talent of the individual artists, and although there were some questionable genre choices--in my opinion anyway--most of the tracks were enjoyable to listen to.

It's a well-known and oft parodied fact that I do not fancy vocal music for various reasons--aside from the "social conformity" vitriol, which was purely farcical--and so I will refrain from commenting on the vocal tracks. However, I will acknowledge the work and dedication put into them, and the fortitude of the vocalists for being comfortable with their voices. I'm also grateful to Neko for providing us with an instrumental version of his piece, which allowed me to thoroughly relish his music.

David Wise and his fellow composers also deserve accolades of course, and I thoroughly enjoyed his reinterpretation of "Donkey Kong Rescued". My next favorite track happens to be Mazedude's "Dead Raggening"; I knew I would adore it ever since I first heard a preview of it, and I love his work.

[KyleJCrb]

I listened to it all. Standouts were Sturm und Kong, Rare Respite, Monkey Merengue, Token Up, Apes of Wrath, Beneath the Canopy, A New Place, This Chase is Haunted, Us Monkeys Together, Club Klubba, Swamp Gases, Backwards Room, Dance of the Zinger, Pickin' Out The Fleas, Bramble Reprise, Castle Crescendo, and of course Re-Skew. It really is an all-around amazing album, though. Phenomenal job by everyone involved!

[SwordBreaker]

Spontaneous comment!

I had to listen to Stickerbrush Symphony first since it's my favorite track and I gotta say...AMAZING JOB, Joshua. You really did the track justice. I feared that this track in particular wouldn't be good or completely deviate from the original's calm vibe, but man you went above and beyond. Love the soothing sound ambiance that complements in the original...love the acoustic guitars...love the orchestrated samples...love the electric guitar solo. Couldn't have this track any other way to be honest.

[-RK-]

I may do reviews later, but just wanna say to everyone involved, good shit, and it was an honor to do work with you peeps.

Oh, and JM, I wanna reprise your brambles. :)

[Level 99]

I made something just for occasions like these (big album releases and whatnot), inspired by one particular reviewer jerk. It's called "gohito's prayer". And it goes like this:

"Dear Remixing Entities.../sarcasm
Let us not ruin this like we apparently ruined FF7./sarcasm
Let us not taint the music with our lame originality,/sarcasm
for we are not the original composers/sarcasm
and are not worthy of ruining the music we so love./sarcasm
No non-fitting chords or bad sample choices. /sarcasm
Just cookie-cutter revisions./sarcasm
Learn to make the good remix/sarcasm
and stop doing it wrong./sarcasm
Amen."/sarcasm

You can highlight the prayer for additional effect.

[Giga Bowser]

This album is amazing ,but it would have been better if they at least do an instumental version for each vocal track the vocals really did piss me off I myself am not a fan of vocal music bu who knows if they had thought of adding this option things may have been alot better and they won't lose anything except time and I think its worth it.
Oh yes and if only proticity had joined this I think that things would have turned out much better.Dont get me wrong I really appreciate all the hard work they have done and I thank them all it really took a long time to finish but it was worth it ^^.

[Patrick Burns]

This album is amazing ,but it would have been better if they at least do an instumental version for each vocal track the vocals really did piss me off I myself am not a fan of vocal music bu who knows if they had thought of adding this option things may have been alot better and they won't lose anything except time and I think its worth it.
Oh yes and if only proticity had joined this I think that things would have turned out much better.Dont get me wrong I really appreciate all the hard work they have done and I thank them all it really took a long time to finish but it was worth it ^^.

I'm beginning to feel like I'm in Shutter Island... I know in my heart that people should under no circumstances be angry about any aspect of a free offering of music, but it keeps coming up again and again that I'm beginning to think that I'm the crazy one.

Granted, I know most of the posters who say these things really aren't ANGRY, but still... OCRemix is an offering. Let's keep things in perspective.

[José the Bronx Rican]

...the vocals really did piss me off I myself am not a fan of vocal music bu who knows if they had thought of adding this option things may have been alot better and they won't lose anything except time and I think its worth it...

Because it's 100% impossible to engineer, program, or play an instrument badly.

[-RK-]

they won't lose anything except time and I think its worth it.
Oh yes and if only proticity had joined this I think that things would have turned out much better.

You're right, we just should have lost a shit ton of time on a project you think would have been better had protricity done the whole thing.

I'm on your side all the way.

[Lucryst]

I'm about halfway through the first disc and I'm really loving this so far. I'm looking forward to the rest, especially the track that David Wise was involved in. Thanks everyone.

[Gario]

Pretty much pissing my pants, right now.

I suspect this may be my favorite album release on here, to date... and I have yet to listen to the whole thing. David Wise produced a incredible track, but so far I'm giving Virt's track a listen and proclaiming it as the best one on here... so far. Of course, gotta give David Wise credit - without him, this whole project would never have existed :lol:.

Yeah, a remix album of one of my favorite soundtracks... Until there's a FFVI remix album that comes out soon I'm pretty sure this one's going to top my list for a long time.

Great work, everyone.

Oh yeah, and your prayer is awesome, 99.

[Velocifero]

This album is amazing ,but it would have been better if they at least do an instumental version for each vocal track the vocals really did piss me off I myself am not a fan of vocal music bu who knows if they had thought of adding this option things may have been alot better and they won't lose anything except time and I think its worth it.
Oh yes and if only proticity had joined this I think that things would have turned out much better.Dont get me wrong I really appreciate all the hard work they have done and I thank them all it really took a long time to finish but it was worth it ^^.
Wow way to crap on the singers of those songs. Music is music man, and this site is as open-minded to music genres as it gets. Maybe this site isn't your thing if your mentality is going to be like that.

No bLiNd tracks? :( The tracks sound fantastic. I've always loved this soundtrack, probably more than the first DKC.

[Arcana]

I'm beginning to feel like I'm in Shutter Island... I know in my heart that people should under no circumstances be angry about any aspect of a free offering of music, but it keeps coming up again and again that I'm beginning to think that I'm the crazy one.

Granted, I know most of the posters who say these things really aren't ANGRY, but still... OCRemix is an offering. Let's keep things in perspective.

Everyone has the right to offer their opinion on something, just as we each have a right to dismiss their opinions ans biased, unfair, or just plain silly. Alas music is something people feel strongly about regardless of how much it cost them.

Personally? I skipped directly TO the vocal tracks. :) The two that I knew where vocals (Flickerfall and Nicole Adams, et al.) were just fine. The only reason I would want to see an instrumental version of them would be so we could karaoke at a meetup or something.

[The Vagrance]

Jesus Christ why is Giga Bowser getting such a beating? People are allowed to say negative things about the album too, don't take it so personally or feel the need to defend the album. Not exactly the best welcome to the site he's (she's?) had.

Anyway, checked out the album, dug some tracks, not so much others, but overall the production was nice and the remixers who took part did a great job.

[Dunther]

First listen DONE. Not enough to have a complete opinion but aside from some tracks it seems all done well :) .
I need to listen it again and again until I will classify (with stars, I mean) all of them...

[anosou]

Meh, 's ok.


And by ok I mean probably fucktastic! Downloading.

[Giga Bowser]

For all those who think that everyone here should accept anything because its free I don't think that way in fact I don't mind either paying or not since its valuable to me,I really want the best for these remixes I didn't complain I just wished that those two remixes on hot head bop and the mining melancholy could've been instrumental they're also one of my fav therefore this means its my opinion I don't have to mention that since we all know that!!! The only thing that bothers me is that no matter how hard you try to put vocals its a vg music track therefore the best for it is be that way why try and destroy or seperate from the original? Oh and I didn't mean that protricity would have done everything its just that I really got upset that he had'nt joined since his remixes are the best (IN MY OPINION).

[Giga Bowser]

Everyone has the right to offer their opinion on something, just as we each have a right to dismiss their opinions ans biased, unfair, or just plain silly. Alas music is something people feel strongly about regardless of how much it cost them.

Personally? I skipped directly TO the vocal tracks. :) The two that I knew where vocals (Flickerfall and Nicole Adams, et al.) were just fine. The only reason I would want to see an instrumental version of them would be so we could karaoke at a meetup or something.

Thanks I've had a hard time thinking what is the best way to say all this.

[Giga Bowser]

Jesus Christ why is Giga Bowser getting such a beating? People are allowed to say negative things about the album too, don't take it so personally or feel the need to defend the album. Not exactly the best welcome to the site he's (she's?) had.

Anyway, checked out the album, dug some tracks, not so much others, but overall the production was nice and the remixers who took part did a great job.

I think that I should thank you too I'm sorry if my English is crappy cause its me second lang anyway I hope there will be a future DK3 album I know its tracks weren't awesome as 1 and 2 but its had some amazing ones I personally would like to hear the water level remixed (forgot the name)

[José the Bronx Rican]

The whole "no vocals" opinion has been done to death, and it still doesn't make sense, except in a context of irrational prejudice. Not a single person on this planet can sing well and offer good lyrics!? That's my peeve. VGM in the era before Redbook had almost no vocals simply because it couldn't be done, not because that was the rule. The voice is an instrument, as much or as little an important part of a piece of music as anything else. It's always up to the composer(s) and artist(s), not the listener. That said, in the interest of studying and appreciating a song's construction, I would love instrumentals as a supplement, NOT as a replacement.

Now that I'm out of the context of preparing a trailer, it's time for me to have a listen.

[Arcana]

Thanks I've had a hard time thinking what is the best way to say all this.

You don't get off quoting me scott-free. :)

Yes, it's a free album and you reserve your right to comment on the tracks, but it is polite to give the tracks a good listen and then to comment on what elements that you didn't like. Be specific. Maybe you didn't like the timbre of the vocals or the lyrics or the annunciation, or you thought vocals didn't fit into the originals.

But, don't be rude. Be critical, but not rude.

I'm still going through a lot of the tracks personally. A lot of them are really funky tracks. I like the style and the overall vibe the album's presenting so far. It's a very fast-paced, upbeat album. Lots of heavy beats and rhythms. It's a very fun listen. I imagine that a lot of this music will become a permanent part of people's car music.

[Giga Bowser]

You're right, we just should have lost a shit ton of time on a project you think would have been better had protricity done the whole thing.

I'm on your side all the way.

I know I made this a long story, but I forgot to mention this important point when I brought protricity I didn't mean that your all worthless piece of shit compared to him no matter what the way I see it every remixer here has different skills and I respect everyone, I'm if I offended anyone here in any way. The reason I said Protricity isn't just because I find him the best dk2 remixer its because that I listened to every remix in fact I listened to almost every remix on this site and I never found someone like him who can do a metal remix, symphony, synthetic and so on, I can't say that I am sure that he's the best cause I am not a remixer or composer myself and I don't have any exp (hope to in the future).
I really enjoyed this album and all its tracks except the vocals and the most and best of all I enjoyed was Mazedude's Dead Ragenning (Bad Bird Rag) and secong was Tetanus then brambles and forest interlude

[Giga Bowser]

Well the biggest part I hated is the voice of the vocals,but I only feel that the vocals fit with "in a snowbound land" but the other too I disliked the lyrics and the voice if there wasn't an instrumental version on monkeys disarm their kremlings it would've been three cause I think the vocal on that one was horrible V_V if I'm being rude please tell me the correct word I should use and I will change them.
Thanks

[anosou]

No offense but you REALLY need to learn to edit your posts and not post new ones.

Taking a quick listen through the album for the first time, us guys are good.

[Gario]

I hope there will be a future DK3 album I know its tracks weren't awesome as 1 and 2 but its had some amazing ones I personally would like to hear the water level remixed (forgot the name)

Stay tuned, folks... (http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?p=655841#post655841)

[JH Sounds]

I ended up listening to the album at work after downloading it the night before. Now I'm playing it again so it scrobbles on last.fm. :razz: I'm not sure if I can even comment on the quality of all the remixes, because the quality is just there. Good music is good. I hadn't even looked at the artwork until a short while after listening to it. I'm interested in a physical copy just so I use it as a conversation piece on a shelf somewhere.

As for the vocals: I may be nostalgic for the game, but I don't let that cloud my judgment. Then again I've been calling it Diddy Kong's Quest when it's actually Diddy's Kong Quest, so maybe my memories of the game aren't as strong. :oops: I think the vocals were implemented well, and I particularly like the concept of Nicole's track.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the project!

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Guys, quit shitting on giga bowser. If he doesn't like some tracks, he doesn't like some tracks. That's fine. Obviously I disagree with his reasoning, but I don't think anything he's said is out of line.

Giga (and everybody else): thanks for listening and thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[zyko]

omg, u ddont like my voice3?
i should throw a fit.......

c'mon, folks, leave gigabowser alone... he doesn't have to like your music in order for it to be validated. this album rocks. everybody who participated in it rocks. gigabowser rocks, too

(i rawk)

[Kaxon]

This album is really really good. Definitely the best since Voices of the Lifestream, if not surpassing that one too. The level of consistency here is high. But the standout tracks in my opinion are:

- The first djp track (classic djp)
- Both Patrick Burns tracks (who is this guy? I've never heard of him and he has two of the best songs on the album)
- A New Place (reminds me of some late 80's / early 90's song I can't place, starting at 2:53... either way I like it)
- Dave Wise's song is obviously good
- Plenty of other good stuff like Simian Soiree, Roller Disco, and Us Monkeys Together.

The only song on here I really don't like is the death metal song, which just isn't my style... even then the instrumental version of that one is fine.

Also, there are some cool points that sound like references to other songs to me... the thing I mentioned in A New Place, plus Beneath The Canopy seems to have an Anxious Heart reference and This Chase is Haunted reminds me of Still More Fighting.

[Brandon Strader]

Well the biggest part I hated is the voice of the vocals,but I only feel that the vocals fit with "in a snowbound land" but the other too I disliked the lyrics and the voice if there wasn't an instrumental version on monkeys disarm their kremlings it would've been three cause I think the vocal on that one was horrible V_V if I'm being rude please tell me the correct word I should use and I will change them.
Thanks
The correct word you should use is none.

LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!!

Hehe.. ok.. :-(

I guess you could say my vocals were a success since so many people don't like them. :-D

[Black Mage]

Hemo's Tetanus really had me. Loved the contrast of the soft orchestra and the grating, electronic breakdown(?). It was kind of like insanity takes hold then dissipates.

[GTAHater836]

I stand by my previous comment: I believe Serious Monkey Business has broken records as best OverClocked album. The vocals, as a whole, were fair, if you ask me. Everything else is nigh insurpassable.

I read GigaBowser's comments, and I thought, "Hey, at least (s)he still liked the tracks without vocals."

So to GigaBowser: The vocals were not the absolute best thing about the album, but they're better than you make them out to be.
To everyone else: I implore you NOT to let this turn into a huge falling-out. I don't want any trouble from any of you.

[LuckyXIII]

Really, really diggin' the new album. :)

[DuskyFerret]

Alright so basically this entire album is amazing. Definitely my favourite release from OC Remix to date. I'm a sucker for vocals so major props to all the songs which had them involved.

The standout for me was Trapped in the Minds, I loved the DoD version and have been waiting for the finished result for ages. So impressed with how it turned out as well. Getting Hale on board was defintiely a good move, can't get that chorus out of my head. The vocals remind me of "Carry on my Wayward son" for some reason, and the rapping was tight.

I also loved Monkeys Disarm Their Kremlings (the instrumental version though, sorry Brandon not a fan of the roaring vocals, but I'm sure they're great for people into that sorta thing :wink:). It was good to have both versions provided so that people can choose the one that suits their preferences. But yeah, just loved the overall energy of the song, such a good match for the what the original was trying to convey.

Special mention also to Pickin' Out the Fleas, basically cos its Sixto and the drums were crazy awesome.

Congrats to everyone who contributed to this album, such a great success

[ella guro]

Guys, quit shitting on giga bowser. If he doesn't like some tracks, he doesn't like some tracks. That's fine. Obviously I disagree with his reasoning, but I don't think anything he's said is out of line.

Giga (and everybody else): thanks for listening and thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Yeah, this is a review thread after all. People should be allowed to have their own opinion without everyone jumping down their throats if that opinion is at all negative.

I haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but I was impressed by quite a few of the tracks. Nice work, from what I've heard so far.

[GTAHater836]

Any links to the lyrics, before I forget?

[a_d]

Maybe it's because the source material is so awesome, but I was honestly a little disappointed by this album (actually, I've only listened to the first CD so far. The DIXIE CD is sounding a lot better). I still like it, though (I just like the SNES soundtrack more)

EDIT: Okay, the Dixie CD rocks
EDIT2: Okay, I've changed my mind on the second listen, not trying to compare it so much to the original songs. I think it's pretty good

[jmr]

This is not really a review, per se; just a collection of random comments and observations I put together as I was listening.

'Sturm und Kong'
Man, I forgot how much parts of the DKC2 soundtrack sound like David Arnold's Independence Day score until I heard the intro to this song.

'Simian Soirée'
Apart from an odd sounding guitar chord here and there and a rather annoying audio glitch near the end, this track is pretty damn good.

'Rare Respite'
Wow. I'm at a loss for words. Gorgeous.

'Token Up'
This one has an awesome beginning, but the timing starts sounding sloppy around the two minute mark; the various elements seem pretty out of sync at times. I like the random guitar noodling though; I just wish the rest of the song was a little tighter.

'Beneath the Canopy'
I definitely hear the Pink Floyd sound djp mentioned in the writeup. Probably part of the reason I like this remix so much...

'A New Place'
There are a few moments in the male vocal sections that sound autotuned, which is okay, but I kinda wish it was a little more subtle. I love the acoustic guitar bits, it provides nice organic touch among the electronic elements. And what is it about this song that lends itself to vocal tracks? First Darangen's version, now this... not that I'm complaining; this is one of my favorite tracks on the album. :D

'Roller Disco'
This was one of my favorite tracks on the Game Boy version (Donkey Kong Land II) of the soundtrack when I was a kid. Nice to hear someone *finally* do right by it.

'This Chase Is Haunted'
YES.

'Backwards Room'
Now this is more like it, zyko! It's much tighter, and all of the elements just 'click'. But... what happened at 4:09-4:10? Sounds like a bad splice or something.

'Trapped in the Minds'
I like this song. Performance wise, everything is great, and personally I love the vocals, but the recording / mixing sounds... flat. It's lacking the kind of 'punch' that it deserves.

'Dance of the Zinger'
I know I wasn't the only one who was expecting virt's remix to sound, well, nothing like this. That being said: way to knock it out of the park, man. :D

'Dead Raggening'
When I saw the title I immediately wondered if there were going to be any nods to Clint Mansell's Dead Reckoning, and at 2:56 I was like 'totally called it!'

'Exit Row'
OMG THOSE DRUMS. :D

'Pickin' Out The Fleas'
OMG THAT GUITAR. :D

'Bramble Reprise'
OMG EVERYTHING. :D

'Castle Crescendo'
Another of my favorites. Something about electronic music that incorporates orchestral elements does it for me all the time... :)

'Monkeys Disarm Their Kremlings'
Alright, so I'm not a fan of growling vocals in general, but I can't deny they work well in the context of this arrangement. (I also won't deny that I'm glad an instrumental version was included, because I really like Nekofrog's approach to this song.)
By the way, is that a recorder at the end? :lol:

'Re-Skewed'
What is there to say? Well, other than that I STILL can't believe that Taucer and Bahamut managed to get this TRIO OF LEGENDS on an OCR album.

'Bonus Bop'
My toes were tappin'; my head was bobbin'. Can't ask for anything more.

Overall, a very solid album; my favorite from OCR in quite some time. Definitely worth the wait.

[Brandon Strader]

'Monkeys Disarm Their Kremlings'
By the way, is that a recorder at the end? Yes, I played that recorder at the end - it was my first time recording it. Had fun with it. Would have been good to have a little reverb on it but that's on Nekofrog, hehe... I said it before much earlier in the thread and I don't mean to sound 'needy' or anything by saying it more than once, but I didn't get credited for it on the track so I just thought I'd let people know. o_o

Also there's a difference between the vocals being "bad" and not being your personal preference. I know a lot of people don't like death metal but to sit there and say the vocals are horrible is just mean. If you don't like death metal then it's not for you, no reason to insult. <_<

[Sole Signal]

Really some great stuff throughout; immediate highlights for me the first time through were "Sturm und Kong," "Rare Respite," "This Chase is Haunted (just awesome)," "Dance of the Zinger," "Beneath the Canopy," "Bramble Reprise," and "Re-skewed." Now let's tackle DKC3. :3

[dabattousai]

Worth the wait. I am a bit iffy with the choice for Bayou Boogie, but I guess that's because there have already been remixes that would have fit the album a bit better already released beforehand. Otherwise, the songs are nice arrangements. Keep up the good work and hoping to see DKC3 remixed in the future :D

[Cyril the Wolf]

I have more comments later on probably, but I want to get one thing off my chest.

Prince of Darkness, for incorporating a riff that sounds similar to Lamb of God's Laid to Rest, you are now officially my hero...

Please make me your disciple.

[underthesun]

Only just got this album -- but Joshua Morse's remix is phenomenal. PHENOMENAL. Off to listen to the rest..

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Just so everybody knows:

Mithius did a mix of Game Over that was actually pretty good, and I hope we'll still be able to release it; the reason it isn't with the project is that we couldn't get in touch with him for a submission policy agreement. But let the records show that he did a mix, it was good, and it should have been on the project.

[SwordBreaker]

Just so everybody knows:

Mithius did a mix of Game Over that was actually pretty good, and I hope we'll still be able to release it; the reason it isn't with the project is that we couldn't get in touch with him for a submission policy agreement. But let the records show that he did a mix, it was good, and it should have been on the project.

Man...that's too bad. I LOVE mithius' work. Been a fan ever since his solo outing for "The Story of Hyrule". There's just something that screams style in his guitar playing and tone.

I hope this gets a bonus release in the near future.

[Sir_Snooze]

Man...that's too bad. I LOVE mithius' work. Been a fan ever since his solo outing for "The Story of Hyrule". There's just something that screams style in his guitar playing and tone.

I hope this gets a bonus release in the near future.

Ditto. Stick it on the end of Cranky, perhaps?

[whilst]

ok, well i just finished my fourth listen...and I have one small complaint. no, two:

1. Why weren't the tracks longer!? They could've been longer. Everyone wants more!! 5 minutes should be the bare minimum. :smile:

2. I was kinda waiting for one track to work itself into the next, oh well. Not necessary though.

Overall? 9.8/10 <-- A+ !! 4.0 GPA! with distinction.

[Rozovian]

This album is amazing ,but it would have been better if they at least do a less shrill version for each shrill track the shrill frequencies really did piss me off I myself am not a fan of shrill music bu who knows if they had thought of adding this option things may have been alot better and they won't lose anything except time and I think its worth it.

:P

It might just be my earbuds and the lack of bass from the music while in the bus, but it seems half the tracks are mixed really shrill. Something felt wrong on my mixing headphones too, but haven't listened enough on those to know for sure.

So far, I've enjoyed bustatunez' tracks the most, but Tensei's is pretty awesome too. And flickerfall and sixto and djp and wise and... yeah. Lots.

[sefirosu]

Loved the album. Still love the album. Listened to it a few times all the way through and I have to say: the only track I personally don't like is 'Us Monkeys Together.' No offense intended to Amy and Vinnie, but it just sounds like it could've been better.

Overall, though, great work by all parties involved!
(I don't have much else to say without repeating myself. "LOVED IT!")
(There, I did anyway.)

[liquid wind]

I've had the whole album on loop for the past couple days, GOOD SHIT EVERYONE

should put up lyrics for the vocal songs on the project site IMO

[OttoKrieg]

This album is amazing ,but it would have been better if they at least do an instumental version for each vocal track the vocals really did piss me off I myself am not a fan of vocal music bu who knows if they had thought of adding this option things may have been alot better and they won't lose anything except time and I think its worth it.

I too would like to see an instrumental version of Trapped in the Minds particularly. Great job and congrats to all.

[Richard]

Alright so after listening to this album a good number of times I give it a 4.2/5. The album as a whole is well done and everyone who worked on it did a great job, your work is greatly appreciated.

I enjoyed the majority of the tracks, and despite not looking forward to the ones with vocals, I found most of these well done such as Backwards Room (Run, Rambi! Run) and A New Place (Hot Head Hop). Backwards Room (Run, Rambi! Run) is the best vocal song on the album and one of my favourite tracks on the album. Many of the remixes are very reminiscent of the originals, with Roller Disco (Disco Train), Dance of the Zinger (Flight of the Zinger), Rhumba Rumble (Steel Drum Rhumba), Beneath the Canopy (Forest Interlude), It's a Jungle Out There! (Primal Rave), Token Up (Token Tango), Rare Respite (Jib Jig), Bramble Reprise (Stickerbrush Symphony), and Re-Skewed (Donkey Kong Rescued) being some of the highlights. The other songs I didn't mention are also very well done with a few areas that could have been improved on.

Now for the things I disliked. Party's Over Here (Cranky's Conga) is well done, but the incredibly campy, "Hey, its the party song! Party's over here, c'mon!" ruins the beginning of the song. Fortunately, since its only at the beginning and the rest song is reminiscent of the original and so well done, I can look past it. Us Monkeys Together (In a Snow Bound Land) I didn't really enjoy largely due to the Chinese singing. I've got nothing against Chinese culture, I just did not enjoy the singing. I found Club Klubba (Klubba's Reveille) to "clubby" for me, too fast of a beat compared to the original, though it is still a nicely done remix.

Trapped in the Minds (Kannon's Klaim) is not bad but not great. The beat and the music is great but the lyrics are so-so. Monkeys Disarm Their Kremlins (Crocodile Cracophony) ruined a completely good song. I listen to the original and can see it as a great rock song, but the death metal style ruins the whole song. I'm sorry, but this is the worst song on the whole album. WI'm not a fan of death metal, sorry. The instrumental version is great, though I keep thinking about the horrible lyrics whenever I listen to it. I can't really hear the original song from Simian Soirée (Klomp's Romp) and unfortunately most of the song is just noise, I can't really hear any theme or style to it. Same goes with Paleolithic Park (Lost World Anthem).

So other than a few tracks, this album is an incredible collaborative effort. I loved Kong in Concert and Serious Monkey Business deserves to stand beside it as a great remix album of a great soundtrack. Great job to everyone!! I'll be listening to this album every day for a couple months.

[Level 99]

Part 2 of my album review (apparently, there's a 15,000 character cap and I hit it with a little over half of my review (http://ocremix.org/forums/showpost.php?p=655546&postcount=6)):

Mazedude – Dead Raggening: A slow-starter of a song, and I’ve never known Mazedude to rush to make his musical point, so I’ll go with it. Very layered soundscape with some very nice delay effects. It’s hard to describe this song, other than being slow and almost malevolent-sounding in its progression. The key switch was cool. This was definitely enjoyable, although not something for every day. Almost feel like this should be on a Silent Hill soundtrack. The one riff in it reminds me a lot of the Requiem for a Dream soundtrack. Nice one, Dude of Mazeish Intent.

Nutritious – High Seas: This is Nutritious where I think he shines most, right up there with VHD and bustatunez: orchestral work. This could easily be a DKC2 segment in a Fantasia movie, as this moving and dynamic piece is completely expressive and results in vivid mental imagery. From the same person who unleashed a free soundfont based on squidfont, I expected nothing less. This dude can take samples and arrange/process them to where they shine like diamonds, so when he has better samples…well, that just ups the ante. Great work, Justin. Very enjoyable and great expansion on the source.

Skrypnyk – Exit Row: I keep expecting that dude from Police Academy to make bird noises the moment this song starts. It quickly fades from a jungle environment to some superbly chopped drums. The processing on those drums is ridiculous, and I very much approve. It actually reminds me a lot of Boards of Canada, or Aphex Twin (the less psychotic-insane stuff). This takes a sweet spot in my heart, just because of the genre and how well it is executed. Effective use of stereo effects to make me feel like this song is very ethereal. Awesome song, and foreboding at the end as well!

Sixto – Pickin’ Out the Fleas: RAWK! Sixto = rawk. That’s basic math for you. Sixto + some brass splashes = rawkinger. If we still had training montages and had a movie made for DKC2, this is a must-have for it. It lays about equally half on the all-out wankery and half on subtle variations and harmonies. This is great. Once he gets his hands on the eleven rack, I’d say that the rest of us guitarists are in for even STIFFER competition than we already have with this beast on the axe. Damnit, Sixto, why must this be so awesome?

Joshua Morse – Bramble Reprise: While I understand everyone’s obsession with Stickerbrush, granted it’s an incredible song, I think it’s a bit overhyped. That being said, however, Mr. Morse does 197% justice to it and takes it into the upper parts of the atmosphere with a moody and gorgeous ambient-and-jazz approach. The clean guitars are orgasmic, and the other instrumentation is perfectly selected. Everything sounds great, and the bits of synthy fx are well placed. Disc 2 is extremely strong, and this song is a perfect example of why.

Sole Signal – Castle Crescendo: a hard act to follow Joshua’s Bramble Reprise, but I actually feel the flow from there to here. The strings and low buzz bass, along with the high chimes feel like it almost is a continuation of what was used in the song right before it. It is clearly different, and the style varies to become a tense orchestra-meets-electronic song. It has a lot of drive behind it’s pacing and tempo, so the mix really feels like it’s going somewhere. It feels like the final stretch of a journey, just barely missing the mark of sounding like another montage song.

Nekofrog, Brandon Strader – Monkeys Disarm Their Kremlings: Oh, it’s THIS mix. The one from DoD last September. THIS one! I have to say, that if they wanted to capture the essence of brooding metal kremlings with their gutturally vocal king being very overtly vocal about their hatred for the simian protagonists, they nailed it. Except for that recorder part at the end. This is a mix from neko where I really, really enjoy the guitars, as they aren’t too showy, and Brandon’s vocal…umm…abilities, actually feel like they belong. It does get a bit bland every now and again with how long the verses and choruses go on. It should have stopped before the recorder outro, though, as that really feels like it was slapped on and doesn’t quite fit. If this song had to be taken in this direction, then this is the best it could have hoped to be, and commenting on a genre that I’m not the biggest fan of, that’s a big compliment.

David Wise feat. Grant Kirkhope and Robin Beanland – Re-Skewed: And THIS one. The one that Taucer and Wes have been drumming up since it was started (they kept the secret pretty well, too, so that was quiet drumming until the big reveal). David Wise, game composer and now a remixer, bringing his rare buddies on the guitar and flumpet. You couldn’t ask for more approval of fan work than having the original composer do one himself and set it right beside the rest on a project. While it doesn’t expand that much on the original, it is a pitch-perfect revision and upgrade for it. Remixing one’s own music seems to have the potential to be difficult, considering there is attachment to the original melody. That being said, this rocks. Hardcore. The live instrumental performances on the sax, flumpet, and guitar are stellar. Production is, as would be expected, excellent. Everything about it shows the love for the music. Kudos for making many fan-lings happy.

Final thoughts: I’ve discovered that, as I work more and more with artists on the site, and grow more and more as a musician myself, that there’s something similar to the uncanny valley effect in regards to musical knowledge and critiquing. The more you know about the how-and-why something sounds good or bad, the more likely these things will stick out to you in almost-perfect songs. The better a song is, the more small issues can be glaring and obvious, but they are only much more present if you know what you’re looking for. If I seemed harsh on any of the songs, besides my opinion on aesthetics and genres, then it is only because of how truly good this album is, as a whole and as individual songs. There wasn’t a single song that I genuinely couldn’t find something to like, though there were a few that weren’t exactly my thing. On the whole, though, this is a major accomplishment for the remixing scene, for the people involved, and for OCReMix. I’ve definitely found a lot to love, and even the vocal haters will be very likely to find a song or two they enjoy. The sun can’t be shinning any brighter today.

[Mirby]

Disc 1 - Diddy
1. Sturm und Kong (K. Rool Returns) - djpretzel 3:30
Starts out slow, and then gets into the meat of the track; a sweet hybrid of orchestral music and synthesizer. Highly noticeable source material, and pretty strong rhythm backing. A faithful conversion of the original track; the delays to make this were well worth it. Everything fits right into place; nothing ruins the track. One fluid track that keeps moving, and ends just as quickly. One hell of a job. Now what does it mean?
2. Simian Soirée (Klomp's Romp) - Joren de Bruin 3:33
Mellow feeling, a great way to go from the source. Nearly infectious rhythm. At 1:05, it really begins. Full big band feel, works great. Nice piano sounds. 1:38 or so, guitar backing comes in. It keeps building and building, almost like a jam. More and more instruments keep coming, and they all contribute to create a beautiful rendition of Klomp's Romp. Simmers down a little at about 2:24. Ends on a quiet note.
3. Party's Over Here (Cranky's Conga) - OA 2:56
"Hey! It's the party song! Party's over here!" From these words, music cheesier than Wisconsin ensues. But it works. Calms down at 1:10. At 1:31, guitar comes in, making the song a five-cheese nacho sauce. But it works, and it's a faithful rendition. More guitar at 2:05... Starts wrapping up at 2:35. Fades at 2:45.
4. Rare Respite (Jib Jig) - Patrick Burns 4:29
A calm, orchestral rendition of Jib Jig. Very pirate-y feel; would fit right in during a calm scene of a pirate movie. The piano and acoustic guitar add to the whole feel; give it a classical touch. Creaking boards are a great addition. The wind instrument at 2:55 helps massively. Every new instrument contributes to the whole a sense of excellence and completeness. Water at 3:46 helps too. Ends perfectly; subtle, sweet, slow.
5. How K. Rool Went Insane (Welcome to Crocodile Isle) - Ross Kmet 3:17
Very interesting take on the overworld theme. The title explains it all. Take the source, add a dash of insanity, a pinch of lunacy, and a whole helping of electronica, and this is what you get. And this is the perfect example of the right combination. Pretty cool effects at 1:37... Slows down at about 1:55, and builds back up to the finale. Breaks down at 2:54. Crazy effects for the last 30 seconds; I like them!
6. Tetanus (Lockjaw's Saga) - Hemophiliac 3:54
Slow, faithful rendition until 0:38 when it starts to mix it up. At 0:57, something big is about to happen. Main source ends one loop at 1:23. Slow for the next 30 seconds, slowly building up until the main meat. At 2:00, it gets serious, and Hemo's trademark style comes into play, mixing, fusing with the previous faithful rendition. At 2:40, something massive is going down, and soon. Explosion of epicity, and slow finale.
7. Old School (School House Harmony) - Nutritious 3:54
Slowly builds up for the first 40 seconds. And then gets into a synth-sounding mix; odd for Nutritious' sweeping orchestral style. Yet it still sounds awesome. And at about 1:30, the orchestra mixes in. Slows down at the two minute mark. At 2:19, it starts to rebuild itself. Drums come in, then the synth. And the main mix returns at 2:38. Slows down at 3:11. Who knew Wrinkly's theme would be fodder for such a great mix?
8. Monkey Merengue (Bonus Intro) - bustatunez 4:03
For a track that most skip instantly, bustatunez busted out all the stops. I'm punny... Anywho, xylophone-sounding thing works great. Along with the horn backing it. At about 1:40, it starts to get a lounge music feel, and that's a good thing. Slows down at 1:55, then hand drums come in. And the track is even better. Horn-thing at 2:24. At 3:00, returns to the lounge feel. Ending of MMX feel at 3:40. I like that! Ends at 3:57.
9. Token Up (Token Tango) - zyk0 6:46
The longest mix is what follows the shortest source. Huh. A bit of Kongo Jungle thrown in for good measure. Weird la-da-daing in the right speaker... creepy, but great! At 1:22, the la-daing enters left side. More Kongo Jungle at 1:40. Slow... Picks up at 2:28. Slows down at 2:55 or so. Starts to build up until 4:07, when it gets serious. Tempo increases. At 5:07, it gets even more serious. Keeps going until the final seconds.
10. It's a Jungle Out There! (Primal Rave) - Joshua Morse 4:32
Ambience helps out immensely. Sounds primitive; that feel was captured like a Master Ball was thrown. Horns at 0:47. Pretty cool strings at 1:15 or so. Nice wind instrument at 1:55 or so. More strings at about 2:35. The source is instantly recognizable, and pervades the entire track. At 3:12 it breaks down; Morse brings his style into full effect from here on out. Slow winding finale, and a beautiful descension as well.
11. The Apes of Wrath (Boss Bossanova) - zyk0 4:20
Starts out interesting, and then busts into the track at 0:09. At 0:29, something epic will occur imminently, and at 0:44, it starts. Silent for 10 seconds. 0:56 guitar comes in. Sweet riffs from the guitar throughout. Quiets down at 1:45, then monks come in? Restarts at 2:08, with the monks still there. More epicity at 2:44. Wait... silent at 2:49, returns at 3:00. Guitar returns at 3:15. And balls out at 3:30!
12. Welcome to the Funky House (Funky the Main Monkey) - djpretzel 2:10
With the shortest track, it busts out early with funktacular bass. At 0:47, more guitar comes in. Even more funk at 1:01. Almost makes one want to bust out on the dance floor. At 1:34, even more funk. Slowly builds little by little until the quick finale at 2:04.
13. Beneath the Canopy (Forest Interlude) - Fishy 4:54
Subtle build-up until 0:45, when the guitar enters the fray. Not too overpowering, it matches the source's feel perfectly. Faithful until 1:31, when he busts out with his own mark on the track. Slows down at 2:39. Tension builds within the track until 3:50, when the guitar returns, more powerful and sweet than before. And slows down at 4:15, and simple piano until the end of the track.
14. A New Place (Hot-Head Bop) - Nicole Adams ft. M.J. Ault, Starla, Tepid 4:32
Lyrical piece, eh? Music starts at 0:09. Lyrics begin at 0:26. Backing vocals reinforce the words. Singer swap at 1:18. Echo-y! Golden strands? Squitter? Tepid's guitar at about 2:08. Source at 2:50, pretty sweet!Back to M.J. Ault at 3:07. Then starla once more at 3:26. Instrumental from about 3:46 to the end. Great way to end the first disc!

Disc 2: Dixie
1. Roller Disco (Disco Train) - Zylance 3:15
Disco Stu likes this track! Somehow, I don't know how, but this track is even more disco than the source! Cool retro effects! Source at 0:55. I can't help but move and do bad disco moves during this track. Breaks down at 1:58. And gets even MORE disco infused into it! Monkey sounds signal the end, and work perfectly with the track. Especially since it's Diddy Boom Box to end the track!
2. This Chase Is Haunted (Haunted Chase) - Prince of Darkness 3:03
Epic track is epic. Begins without hesitation at 0:01. Epic guitar source coverage at 0:27. Even more epic guitar at 0:47. This track keeps on coming! Many parts that are Prince of Darkness' own contribution, but they fit in magnificently. He has squeezed as much into 3:03 as he could. Sweet solo-thing at about 2:22. More source at 2:45 up until the epic finale.
3. Paleolithic Park (Lost World Anthem) - bustatunez 3:42
Sounds kinda like Jurassic Park... But then again, this is the Lost World Anthem. Soo.... Intense feeling to the entire track. Nice descension at about 1:45. Slows down at 1:52, whistles enter the track. More epic orchestration at 2:05 or so. Quiets down again at about 2:40. Builds up until 3:04, when it gets intense once more. The only escape from the chase feeling is at 3:25, when it slowly, gradually, fades away.
4. Rhumba Rumble (Steel Drum Rhumba) - Patrick Burns 3:23
For the File Select theme, it's pretty upbeat. And Patrick Burns captures the original feeling quite well. This track makes me want to dance as well. The synth at about 0:54 adds to the feel. Funky at 1:28; feels great. Mixes in with the previous melody magnificently. Groovy melody comes in at about 2:10. More synth at about 2:50. Fades away at 3:02 or so until the end.
5. Us Monkeys Together (In a Snow-Bound Land) - Flickerfall (diotrans, Palpable) 4:13
Good sound, typical of Palpable. I can only understand a single word in this song. But it sounds good. And the lyrics in English make sense. True to the source. Entrancing melody with her voice. More source at 2:30, with lyrics. Who knew Chinese words went with this track so well? At 3:02, the only word I can understand is said; "Forever." Instrumental from about 3:20 to 3:30, chorus redux, end. Cantopop is weird.
6. Club Klubba (Klubba's Reveille) - Diggi Dis 3:02
Phaser until 0:16, more beat until about 0:26. Rhythm at 0:30. Fast moving! Source at 0:44. Uns uns uns uns... I can see this in a club on an episode of CSI:. Cranky's theme at 2:00 or so. Old ape can get down! Starts descending at about 2:35 to end. Instruments end, and track ends nicely.
7. Swamp Gases (Bayou Boogie) - Another Soundscape 4:42
A pretty... "minimalist" as anso would say, take on Bayou Boogie. The murky landscape feel of the source translates into a haunting soundscape with this. Aha! Phasing sound at 1:32. Typical anso fare, but just as high-quality. Harp-y sound at about 2:00. Gets intense at about 2:30. And there's still two minutes left! Dies down at about 3:10. Builds back at 3:26. Simple melody at 4:00-4:18. Basic beat to the end.

[Mirby]

8. Backwards Room (Run, Rambi! Run!) - zyk0 5:58
Hey, it's zyk0 again! Simple until about 0:35, rhythm to 0:48. Source begins. Lyrics at 1:13 out of the blue; sound good. Run run run run run... Intense music at 2:02. Metal clangy sound's cool. Run, run, run... Cool sounds at 3:08. Even cooler at 3:30. Lyrics back at 3:54. Run, baaby, run! Run! Intensity at 4:25 or so. Pretty long track... main source at 5:10. The run run run makes me laugh.
9. Trapped in the Minds (Kannon's Klaim) - Geoffrey Taucer, José the Bronx Rican, Hale-Bopp 5:30
Rap in my OCR! Good cover of the source; rockin'! The rap works great with the source. And José can rap! And sing; Hale-Bopp's backing makes it work even better, more emotion is conveyed. Great lyrics! Nice bridge thing at 2:20 or so. Guitar at 2:45 or so. Great arrangement! Lyrics return at about 3:30. Nice background rhythm mix-up at 3:54 or so... More source at 4:30. Swearing at 5:03! But it's rap, so...
10. Crystal Swamp (Snakey Chantey) - Tepid 4:21
A complete 180 of the source. The melody is vaguely recognizable. Sounds almost... magical, mystical... Source at 1:20 or so... Weird background noise, but works with the track. More source at 2:15, speed up! Speed up! More source at 2:38. Speed down at about 2:53. More source at 3:02. Guitar redeems this track's repetitiveness with instantly recognizable source. Quiets down at 3:42. Finales from 3:58-4:13.
11. Dance of the Zinger (Flight of the Zinger) - virt 5:09
Highly faithful to the source, but with a dance feel to it. Source at 1:04. Trance feel at 1:40 or so. Returns to basics and more source at about 2:48. Nice source at 3:14. Third to last track to finish; I can see why. A lot of effort was obviously poured into it. More trance feel at 3:40. Nice background arrangement at 4:08. Mega-trance at 4:30 on to the end, and dies down.
12. Dead Raggening (Bad Bird Rag) - Mazedude 4:25
Simple, minimalist, electronic, slow, basic Mazedude fare. Not in any hurry to get to the main source, it builds up by adding the basic melodies that comprise the source every 10 seconds or so. Gets intense at 1:05 or so. Main rhythm at 1:38 or so. The increasing scale part of the source comes in at 2:08 or so. Kannon's Klaim mix or something in the background at 2:58 or so. More source at 3:20. Fades out at 4:02 or so.
13. High Seas (Stronghold Showdown) - Nutritious 4:20
Here's the sweeping orchestral feel that Nutritious has mastered! Masterfully done, it keeps building almost as if he were conducting a massive orchestra himself! Every little part comes in fluidly, and fits like a glove. And when it leaves, you don't miss it, for the rest is still beautiful. Slows down at about 2:08, hastens a bit at 2:32. Nice rhythm at 3:01. Great horn at 3:30. Nice finale at 3:58 to the end!
14. Exit Row (The Flying Krock) - Skrypnyk 3:39
Weird sounds... Interesting take; sounds urban. I like the background rhythm, if it can be called that. Chime-y sounds at 0:45. Synth at about 1:08. Voices at 1:29... Like the Flying Krock is an airline? Weird, but works with the odd feel of the track. The entire thing sounds odd, but enjoyable as well. It breaks down gradually starting at about 2:32.
15. Pickin' Out the Fleas (Swanky's Swing) - Sixto Sounds 4:12
TVs would explode if this was a game show's theme song, it is so awesome. And it's one of Sixto's longer tracks. Guitar starts at 0:13 or so, source at 0:25. Some of Sixto's best work, to be honest. The horn adds to the whole feel. More source, with Sixto's usual mix-up at 1:08. Repeat at 1:40-2:00. Sixto's mark is made at 2:09-3:22 (his longest solo-thing since Lunatic Moon). Ends perfectly, beautifully, and Sixto-style!
16. Bramble Reprise (Stickerbrush Symphony) - Joshua Morse 4:35
Melody begins at 0:30. Pretty beautiful interpretation. Humming at 0:55. More source at 1:09, with what sounds like acoustic guitar. More background at 1:38. This is honestly a beautiful, lovely remix. Captures the natural feel of the source, and ups the ante. Fluid and ever-changing is all I can say. Nice chime at 2:45. Guitar at 3:08, just what this track needed! Very basic stuff from 3:50 on.
17. Castle Crescendo (Krook's March) - Sole Signal 3:39
Retro-sounding beginning, and then main track at 0:10. A dramatic, sinister take on the source. Nice source at 0:45. Token Tango mix a bit in there? Trance-y source at 1:38 or so. More other track mix in the back, or is this still Krook's March? Haunting sound, even, but beautiful. Returns to main feel at 2:50 or so. More Token Tango from 3:25 to the end mixed in.
18. Monkeys Disarm Their Kremlings (Crocodile Cacophony) - Nekofrog ft. Brandon Strader
When did Dethklok remix a track? BANANAS! Nice growling, Brandon! I like how the lyrics describe the battle within the K. Rool Duel stage. YUM YUM YUM POTASSIUM! Great source coverage by Neko at 1:18. Now for K. Rool's lament... I like how the GBA-exclusive boss is mentioned at 1:51. More source at 2:14. GRRRRRRRRRR..... Climactic! Final lyrics at 2:48. SWEARING! DRAMATIC END AT 3:37 IS DRAMATIC!
19. Re-Skewed (Donkey Kong Rescued) - David Wise ft. Grant Kirkhope, Robin Beanland 3:20
This is the reason to download this album. The original composer, the master of the soundtrack himself, steps into the ring a delivers a masterpiece along with two fellow composers. Very faithful to the original, but Grant's guitar shreddage and Robin's trumpet are the chips to David's arrangement dip. More guitar at 1:27. And at 1:51. Trumpet at 2:11. And the best guitar at 2:40 to finish the track with trumpet accompaniment.

Disc 3: Cranky (Bonus)
1. Bonus Bop (Token Tango, Bonus Lose, Bonus Win) - Xenon Odyssey, The UArts "Z" Big Band 3:34
For the bonus tracks now... Has a very live feel, which is cool. Noticeable source. Very faithful to the original. Piano at 1:21. Horn at 1:58. OH NO YOU LOST! Time run out? Did you run into an enemy? No wait, source is back. Jazzy, I like it! YOU WIN! YAY! Now go to the Lost World. You can hear Joshua Morse's and bustatunez's remixes there too, I think...
2. Monkeys Disarm Their Kremlings (Crocodile Cacophony) - Nekofrog 4:03
The other bonus track is an instrumental of track 18 on Disc 2. It's pretty metal, pretty sweet, and pretty faithful. Without Brandon's growling, the track sounds almost completely different. It's still quite awesome. One second shorter though... hmmm.... Nice source at 1:18, still. It's cool to hear it without the lyrics. Intense behind where the final lyrics go at 2:48! And, yes, dramatic conclusion from 3:34 on is still dramatic!

Conclusion
I remember posting in the project topic when it was just announced, back in Nov 2007. I remember seeing early album art, that wasn't supposed to be seen. I remember giving title ideas (including the horrible Kong in Concert 2, and Simian Symphonic, or something like that). I feel like I've been part of this project myself just from having posted in its infancy, and by writing the poems and song parodies in the thread days before its release. That's only one reason I've been waiting for this. The other reason is that Donkey Kong Country is one of the earliest games I remember actually going out and getting. My family traded in a crappy Hot Wheels set my brother got for Christmas one year to K-Mart, and bought this. The gameplay was addictive, and fun. It looked crisp and fresh. And the music was highly memorable. It has stuck with me ever since, and that was back in '95 or '96, so it's been a while. Not only did this album have to live up to the wait, but also to the memories of childhood fascination and adoration of the music. And, although it seems it would be an insurmountable feat, it has achieved it, and more. The tracks are beautifully done, obviously perfected to the point of redundancy, and have the classic-yet-new feel to them all. Not only are they highly faithful to their source tracks, but they are also vastly different. And the fact that David Wise, the original composer, decided to work on a track. And to get two of his Rare buddies to help him out! That alone is cause for celebration!
To get back on-topic here, this track is everything it could've been, and then some. Even Crystal Swamp, which I hated at first, has grown on me. It not only brings me back to my childhood just by listening to it, but it gets under my skin, in a good way. When I finished listening to this the first time, I felt like I had taken some sort of drug. I was happy, unbelievably happy, and all I had done was listen to this. And it was a good happy, the kind of happy you can no longer obtain upon puberty. Pure childhood bliss is how I'd describe. Thank you to all the remixers who put their time and effort into this project. Let's hope the DKC3 one turns out as well!
-Taylor Brown
Mirby

NOTE: This was finished at 2:03 AM on the morning of March 17, 2010. I worked late on this for no other reason than to show the love to this album, and the OCR community as a whole, the same love they give to all their tracks. And I still don't think it was enough.

[evesira]

I suppose this is a good place to bring this up.

Everyone seems to think that it's "StickerBRUSH", when it's actually "StickerBUSH". See vgmdb, wikipedia, and track 17 of this image:
http://www.game-ost.ru/covers/1151_653225.jpg


Most other sources list it as "stickerBRUSH", but vgmdb and wikipedia are the most reliable of them all, so I chose to trust them. Plus, sticker bush, as far as I've known, has been a real word (which means a patch/bush of thorns or thistles), whereas stickerBRUSH has never been a word to my knowledge.

If you google "stickerBUSH", it says "did you mean stickerBRUSH?". I've never seen an error propagate so much to the point where even google thinks the incorrect spelling is correct. And notice if you google "stickerBRUSH", you only get hits related to the DKC2 piece, whereas when you google "stickerBUSH", you get the DKC2 piece along with some things about gardening and dictionary defintions.


Did anyone ask David Wise himself what the title is supposed to be? At this point, he's the only person I'd believe for an answer.

[Arcana]

For everyone who's listening "Us Monkeys Together", the lyrics are in Mandarin, not Cantonese or Japanese (as some people previously in this the read have implied). :-)

[Brandon Strader]

For everyone who's listening "Us Monkeys Together", the lyrics are in Mandarin, not Cantonese or Japanese (as some people previously in this the read have implied). :-)
Oh yeah? Mandarin, like the little delicious oranges. That's pretty cool. Good fun fact! :-D

[Mirby]

I only thought they were Cantonese because the lyrics are labeled in Cantonese.

Also, if this counts, the sound test in the GBA version labels it as Stickerbrush Symphony soo... does that count? Then again, I'm pretty sure it labels Stronghold Showdown as K Rool 2, so maybe not...

[Geneson]

The pronunciation on the Mandarin Chinese is a bit off and the lyrics are really cheesy, so I can't really objectively listen to that song without it bothering me a bit.

Anyway, I usually end up being disappointed by OCR albums, so take it as the ultimate compliment that I can't really find any glaring faults with this one. It's really, really good. I'm sure even Prot's digging it.

[jmr]

Yes, I played that recorder at the end - it was my first time recording it. Had fun with it.Haha, I thought it was a nice touch, personally; a sort of light-hearted counterpoint to the dark vocals.

Also there's a difference between the vocals being "bad" and not being your personal preference. I know a lot of people don't like death metal but to sit there and say the vocals are horrible is just mean. If you don't like death metal then it's not for you, no reason to insult. <_<Was that directed at me? :sad:
I didn't mean to imply that the vocals were bad, and I definitely didn't intend to to insult. To be honest, the vocal version is starting to grow on me...

Mazedude – Dead Raggening: ...The one riff in it reminds me a lot of the Requiem for a Dream soundtrack. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa33P9A5iHs <- Composed by the same guy who did the Requiem For A Dream score. Very similar riff.

[Brandon Strader]

Haha, I thought it was a nice touch, personally; a sort of light-hearted counterpoint to the dark vocals.

Was that directed at me? :sad:
I didn't mean to imply that the vocals were bad, and I definitely didn't intend to to insult. To be honest, the vocal version is starting to grow on me...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa33P9A5iHs <- Composed by the same guy who did the Requiem For A Dream score. Very similar riff.
Thanks :-P

No, I just edited it on to an earlier post, it wasn't directed at you. There's a lot of people saying the vocals were "horrible" and "bad", when actually they're pretty good by death metal standards. :-P It's just not everyone's cup 'o' tea.

Want to hear another fun fact? I bet the recorder is only still on the song because Nekofrog was using Reaper, and probably either forgot to cut it off or couldn't figure out how. >=) Hahah!

[Mirby]

It sounds like Dethklok to me, as I've already stated, so it makes me laugh. Also that you reference Kerozene, the GBA-exclusive boss, is great. But the lyrics are great; it's almost like K. Rool's thoughts during the final battle.

The "Red Mark" you mentions references after he gets uppercutted by DK, right?

[Brandon Strader]

It sounds like Dethklok to me, as I've already stated, so it makes me laugh. Also that you reference Kerozene, the GBA-exclusive boss, is great. But the lyrics are great; it's almost like K. Rool's thoughts during the final battle.

The "Red Mark" you mentions references after he gets uppercutted by DK, right?
Nekofrog wrote the lyrics, you'd have to ask him... But yes, he was asking for Dethklok vocals, so I'm glad people are hearing it that way. :-)

[GSwarthout]

'Simian Soirée'
Apart from an odd sounding guitar chord here and there and a rather annoying audio glitch near the end, this track is pretty damn good. Ah, so I'm not the only one who heard this glitch. It exists on both the MP3 and FLAC versions of the song.

It's at the 3:20 - 3:21 point in the song. Do the rest of you not hear it?

Greg

[halc]

I've been calling it Diddy Kong's Quest when it's actually Diddy's Kong Quest

whoa, mind=blown

Everyone seems to think that it's "StickerBRUSH", when it's actually "StickerBUSH".

omg, mind=blown again

[Spoool]

I love Neko and Brandon's track, clearly it has some humor to it as well as a strong presence and sense of desperation that fits a boss battle perfectly. Lyrics are excellent, ranging from short jokes to badass internal monologue from K-Rool. I think the vocals are excellent by death metal standards, they sound very professional. With all the elements of songwriting and production in mind I give it an A.

Favorite section is the second verse at 1:32 after the melodic transition, vocals are ridiculously powerful there.

[ocre]

Really enjoyed the album in general. Obviously a ton of heart went into the making of every song. My favorites of the bunch were Rare Respite, Backwards Room(which kind of gives me the same feeling I get listening to CKY's '96 Quite Bitter Beings'), Tepid's Snakey Chantey remix (which was a pleasantly surprising diversion from the source!), Nutritious's 'High Seas' is powerful and beautiful (gives me chills) and sounds so majestic in it's ending, and Skrypnyk's take on the Flying Krock definitely hit me the right way.
And I can't stop listening to Paleolithic Park.

All of this praise and every good thing so many are saying about Sixto, virt, djp, and everyone else is well-deserved!
Bahamut, Taucer, be very proud.

[Ski]

I've only listened through the album once, but I like what I hear so far. However, I was disappointed to hear Tetanus and Dance of the Zinger omit certain parts of the originals: Tetanus didn't have that one cool beep-like sounding rhythm, and Zinger didn't have the backround drums of the original. Of course, it's entirely possible that I missed these. They're still great songs, though!

[jett]

what's the deal with the moon language in Us Monkeys Together?

just...why

[Hemophiliac]

I've only listened through the album once, but I like what I hear so far. However, I was disappointed to hear Tetanus and Dance of the Zinger omit certain parts of the originals: Tetanus didn't have that one cool beep-like sounding rhythm, and Zinger didn't have the backround drums of the original. Of course, it's entirely possible that I missed these. They're still great songs, though!

yep you missed it, because it's all over the place, the synth bass and the percussion are playing it...so it's more of a rhythm based thing rather then a filter swept synth. so yeah i kept the rhythm of it, dropped the pitched part of it.

[zyko]

i've had a couple of folks ask me so here they are:

Backwards Room (Run, baby, run)

you run as soon as you get here
feed the illusion that you're near
sometimes we feel each other's moves
sometimes we're in each other's groove
you see me comin before i appear
your vision of me's rather clear
yet we resort to power moves
run, baby, run before i shoot
the words we speak are like the rain
flooding conscience, regret stains
where the flesh is torn by chains
that's why our backwards room remains
the budding family burns the same
a burning memory fries the brain
a crosshair flirting without a gun
run, baby, run, run, run
nothin is real, there's what you know
what you keep, what you let go
the real battles are in you
run, baby, run before i shoot

thanks for the love, peeps, glad you liked it.
(i apologize for the ghetto-ness of the other tracks btw hehe)

edit:
edit:
so... what an album. absolutely out of control good. I've been listening to this a lot in the past few days and i have to say, i'm impressed with the level of game that everybody brought. this is some of the best work i've heard from folks i'm used to hearing great work from. when you're listening to something by someone you're familiar with and you stand up, step back and say "WTF" you know something's right. i'm loving the eclectic mix of this album... talk about some contrasting extremes. while all criticism is valid by default, remember that what makes serious monkey business so incredibly good is its ability to, somehow on some track impress someone somewhere and in that sense, it is definitely very much monkey business and boy is it seriousssssssss.

lots of love go out to wes and tauce. great job fellas. you did this thing right and you've just raised the bar a few more inches (feet?) for the next big bopper to come along. in a lot of ways, this is how strides are made in a niche scene like this one... i mean, i still remember relics of the chozo when it was trailblazing this sort of thing and it didn't even seem like it was going to start a trend... it felt intuitive and necessary and it has afforded us compilations such as this.

mr. lloyd, way to start us off and lead the pack and then dirty us with some of that stanky swamp funkk. joren, you blew me away. OA, that has to be the most fun i've had in a long time, thanks. patrick, i'm jealous. ross, that's funkkky fresh. hemo, very powerful, guy - diggage. nutritious, your stuff is just ridiculous throughout... i like old school the most. busta, you're brilliant and paleolithic made me raptor bone. j morse, you are the only man capable of wooing me. fishy, i'm so totally calling david gilmour and telling on you. new place folks, y'all can sing - don't pay any attention to the natural variation in human opinion. zylance, you made me dance? pod, gtfo here, wut, wow! flickerfall, so fresh - it's unfortunate taste always gets in the way of appreciation... i know how you feel. diggi, man, i lov eyou. anso, you gave me gas, i think... in a good way. tauce, you're trapped in my mind. tepid, i've been a fan of yours for a long time now. jakey-poo, ilu. mazedude, see:jakey-poo. skrypnyk, i've tried saying your name for nearly a decade now knowing that it was never meant to be pronounced and enjoyed your music every step of the way, exit row included. sixto, you should marry a guitar if you seek happiness. sole signal, i don't know you but i will. neko+brandon, see:flickerfall and also, YOU FUCKING ROCK. mr. wise et al, thank you so very much. you're the class of this game.

let's go bananas!!!!!

[cobaltstarfire]

what's the deal with the moon language in Us Monkeys Together?

just...why

Why not? (and it isn't "moon language").

I like this album, and I even liked most of the songs with vocals even since people seem to be talking about that aspect.

I'm normally really picky about vocals in music, so I think it's pretty awesome I actually like most of these. (Not a big fan of the deathmetal sound though so I didn't give that one a good listen through, sorry to those who worked hard on that one. :-( )

[Spoool]

Zyko- Since you're here I have a question for ya and a couple comments on your excellent tracks.

Q: So how did you come about taking on 3 different tracks for this project, each one going in such a different direction too, did you start out knowing you wanted to take on 3 right away or did some of the unclaimed tracks fall into your hands after you got some good ideas for them?


Token up: Awesome sense of direction for this piece, you took it down a rollercoaster or two on your way to the finished project, you rock the melody in the smoothest way possible, take us around the world, and bring us back to the familiar melody with energy, and it's almost 7 minutes! Can't get enough of this one.

Apes of Wrath: imo the most reminiscent of your older work, loving the way you played around with the melodies, very free guitar, smooth organ, and creative percussion, there's a lot to love in this one.

Backwards Room: Left me breathless the first time around with its gritty new wave sort of feel, grabs my attention 100% every time I hear it. Great flow to it, although it loses a bit of energy by the time the last verse hits. That aside, this is exactly what I wanted to hear from the source material, something immediate and right there in your face, nice vocal mixing and use of effects.

[jett]

Why not? (and it isn't "moon language").

I like this album, and I even liked most of the songs with vocals even since people seem to be talking about that aspect.

I'm normally really picky about vocals in music, so I think it's pretty awesome I actually like most of these. (Not a big fan of the deathmetal sound though so I didn't give that one a good listen through, sorry to those who worked hard on that one. :-( )
Eh I'm just wondering what prompted the idea of putting chinese lyrics in a DKC track. :P

[Palpable]

Eh I'm just wondering what prompted the idea of putting chinese lyrics in a DKC track. :P

Then ask that question in the first place, rather than insulting 1.3 billion Mandarin speakers by calling it a moon language. :|

I should remember this, but I think diotrans went with the Mandarin because it seemed to fit the song better than English. Hopefully she can chime in later.

[evktalo]

Transition from Monkey Merengue to Token Up is smooooooth.

--Eino

[Liontamer]

Then ask that question in the first place, rather than insulting 1.3 billion Mandarin speakers by calling it a moon language. :|

I should remember this, but I think diotrans went with the Mandarin because it seemed to fit the song better than English. Hopefully she can chime in later.

Your fault for telling me it was Catonese. I will never ask you anything again. :-)

[Palpable]

Your fault for telling me it was Catonese. I will never ask you anything again. :-)

First of all, Cantonese, and second, you wish it was my fault. I have a log to dig through when I get home. :wink:

[Brandon Strader]

First of all, Cantonese, and second, you wish it was my fault. I have a log to dig through when I get home. :wink:
I remember thinking it was just really lazy English where I could only pick out 1 or 2 words per line... hahah.. Didn't realize it was a different language. :-P

[Ashamee]

Want to hear another fun fact? I bet the recorder is only still on the song because Nekofrog was using Reaper, and probably either forgot to cut it off or couldn't figure out how. >=) Hahah!

Actually, you may be absolutely right about that. I remember him using my computer to mix it, and he used to listen to it quite a bit before he left a few weeks ago. I remember, it was playing in the car one day, and he says, "Whoa, where the hell did that recorder part come from?" Maybe he forgot? :D I think it grew on him eventually, though.

[Shadow Wolf]

Okay, so I haven't had a chance to listen to the album yet. I'll be doing that in a minute when I jump in my car, and I'm rather excited because I haven't really listened to ANYTHING from this site since about mid 2009... so hopefully this will be my triumphant return.

But I wanna take a minute to say that the ARTWORK for this album is unbelievable. Oftentimes the web designers and artists for each of these releases kinda get lost in the fray and never get their proper due. But the artwork for this album is the best I've seen over 17 releases here. GREAT work. It's beautiful, imaginative, and well executed. I'm a whore for production, and this is just a cut above. Great work on the design guys!

I'll come back and gush about the music later. :P

[zyko]

Zyko- Since you're here I have a question for ya and a couple comments on your excellent tracks.

Q: So how did you come about taking on 3 different tracks for this project, each one going in such a different direction too, did you start out knowing you wanted to take on 3 right away or did some of the unclaimed tracks fall into your hands after you got some good ideas for them?

You know, I don’t exactly remember although I recall chatting it up with wes and tauce about Token Tango; that was initially going to be my contribution. I joined on pretty late so most of the tracks were taken and so the recruiting was at a slow but both boss bossanova and run, rambi, run were available. I believe boss bossanova had been previously claimed but largely neglected and run, rambi, run… I dunno, guess nobody had interest in it…

How they ended up going in such different directions is beyond me haha I was working on all three almost simultaneously and I rarely plan out my stylistic mood swings so it just sorta fell into place.

Token up: Awesome sense of direction for this piece, you took it down a rollercoaster or two on your way to the finished project, you rock the melody in the smoothest way possible, take us around the world, and bring us back to the familiar melody with energy, and it's almost 7 minutes! Can't get enough of this one.

Yeah, I’m glad you’re feelin that one. I’ve been getting the feelin that it’s my least popular one hehe the source naturally lends itself to this sort of style, me thinks and as far as the laziness goes, i'm a big fan of lazy, sloppy play and i embrace that aspect of my personal style almost religiously. Part of the problem with the drums is that this was actually the first time I had recorded live drums and I’m not a natural drummer =) I also experimented a lot with the keys, something I’m also not particularly proficient at. For me, it was a foray into complete darkness…

Apes of Wrath: imo the most reminiscent of your older work, loving the way you played around with the melodies, very free guitar, smooth organ, and creative percussion, there's a lot to love in this one.

Thanks for noticing the tribute back to the good ol’ days, it was completely intentional! boss bossanova was such an epic theme when i first heard it way back in the day. EPIC. i wanted to maintain that feel somehow while zyko monkeying all over it. i tell stories with most of my music, no doubt but this one in particular has a very distinct plot which might be part of the reason why my daughter loves this song so much... she likes to follow along with it describing what's going on... and there's certainly a whole battle going on from start to finish with all sorts of thematic respites and what not.

haha

Backwards Room: Left me breathless the first time around with its gritty new wave sort of feel, grabs my attention 100% every time I hear it. Great flow to it, although it loses a bit of energy by the time the last verse hits. That aside, this is exactly what I wanted to hear from the source material, something immediate and right there in your face, nice vocal mixing and use of effects.

I had no idea this track would be received the way it has but I am glad for it! I do have a knack towards this sort of grimy, gritty sound but it isn’t as if I sat down and said, ok, this is how I’m gonna do run, rambi, run. In fact, what really happened is that I instantly thought of an old bluegrass tune called run, rabbit, run and wanted to do something upbeat and folksy!! How it transformed gently into this romp, I have no idea haha… also, this song is definitely about a girl as much as it is about simian conflict. Weird stuff.

[Mirby]

Hey, Palpable, does that qualify as Cantopop? Also, when I read the English lyrics, I realized they fit perfectly. But the Cantonese singing is beautiful. Great work!

zyk0, is that you singing in Backwards Room? Pretty good! And nice guitar. It makes me laugh... Run run run baby run run... lol

Now where's Nekofrog... I have a question for him...

[Nicole Adams]

Now where's Nekofrog... I have a question for him...
Nekofrog is in the Air Force.

I haven't listened to the album yet; I'm saving it for the listening party. I did skim through the old preview that contained most of the tracks and was happy with what I heard. Nice job everyone!

[Ashamee]

Mirby, Neko's in Air Force bootcamp for the next month-and-a-half. However, I happen to be his wife and I write him quite often, so if you want to ask him something, let me know and I'll see what I can do!

[José the Bronx Rican]

Like I told Amy a while back, after watching Chang Cheh's Shaw Bros. kung fu classics in their original dubs countless times, I would've recognized the language right away. Fun fact: they said "bu guo" a lot in those films, which is why in the lazy English dubs you heard characters say "but still" so many times.

I have to offer my standout moments on this album when I have time, but I do recall having Talking Heads flashbacks listening to "Backwards Room." :P

[Brandon Strader]

Actually, you may be absolutely right about that. I remember him using my computer to mix it, and he used to listen to it quite a bit before he left a few weeks ago. I remember, it was playing in the car one day, and he says, "Whoa, where the hell did that recorder part come from?" Maybe he forgot? :D I think it grew on him eventually, though.
Omg hahah! That is just too funny. I'm glad it grew on him, it would have been bad to find a mystery instrument in your song that totally sucked. :-P

[Contricity]

I've had alot of favorites in this album but one track stands out to me and that's Us Monkeys Together by Flickerfall. TOTALLY love that song, currently on Repeat as I type. Oh, and someone tell me how they got David Bowie to sing in Backwards Room. o_O

[Xenon Odyssey]

Finally got around to listening to the whole thing, and the only word I can think of is phenomenal. Everyone really pulled out in spades for this one, and it really shows throughout all of the tracks.

However, Tepid stole the show for me with Crystal Swamp. Not only did he take a favorite source of mine and make it beautiful, but THEN he dug up more nostaglia by throwing in Donkey Kong LAND. I was completely not expecting that at ALL, dude; if praise was a physical object I would shower you with it. And praise for Mr. Burns as well, with Rare Respite. Such a seamless extension of an already amazing song, I don't think I'll ever need another arrangement of this tune (well, that may be a lie, but I'm satisfied for at least a couple of years :razz:)

Also, I would to thank Jeremy and Wes not only for the fantastic job they did, but also for letting me be apart of the album as a bonus track. Believe me, I bothered them with enough messages to probably warrant a restraining order, and I'm very thankful they didn't tell me off or something. So thanks again guys!

i was also going to write a nasty comment for all the vocal mix-haters, but hey, if you don't wanna listen to the music, not my problem! i'll continue to head-bang to Monkeys Disarm Their Kremlings.

[Bahamut]

Actually, you may be absolutely right about that. I remember him using my computer to mix it, and he used to listen to it quite a bit before he left a few weeks ago. I remember, it was playing in the car one day, and he says, "Whoa, where the hell did that recorder part come from?" Maybe he forgot? :D I think it grew on him eventually, though.

He told me you liked the recorder and I think that's why he kept it :lol: . He definitely didn't forget though!


And thanks everyone for the kind words! Glad you all enjoyed this, and got some more where this came from :-)

[kefkafloyd]

I can't be the only person getting a Pink Floyd vibe from Beneath the Canopy, right? Some Breathe/Shine On stuff going on there in the intro. Good work.

[KyleJCrb]

I can't be the only person getting a Pink Floyd vibe from Beneath the Canopy, right?

Nope, you are not. (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02002/)

[AMT]

I just got done with my second listen-through on real speakers. In general, I think it was a solid album. My main gripe is that there were a lot of tracks where it was either difficult to identify the source or it completely changed the feel of the original. It made it seem like those tracks didn't get fair representation on the album. There were a few on here that I couldn't even link to the source without comparing them side by side, and I know this game really well. The tracks that were great, though, were absolutely amazing. Rare Respite, Dance of the Zinger, and Re-Skewed are probably my favorites. Tetanus, Beneath the Canopy, and A New Place were all fantastic as well. While I wish it were more coherent in places, it was good and I enjoyed it overall. Good work everyone!

[Brandon Strader]

I was sad that the panel NO'd Roller Disco, I really enjoyed that song. They just DON'T UNDERSTAND, man. I like how it's actually fairly disco-y and has some retro-sounding synths and drums. Also the gate synth near the end is really epic. Oh well. At least it's on the album. :-P

[Thrik]

Just got through the whole thing. God damn, lots of amazing stuff on there.

My favourites are definitely Rare Respite, How K.Rool Went Insane, Boss Bossanova, Beneath the Canopy, Bad Bird Rag, The Flying Krock, and Castle Crescendo. Not just the interpretation but also the production of these is superb. Beneath the Canopy hit so many nostalgia strings when it changed its tone halfway through.

Also really enjoyed Monkeys Disarm Their Kremlings, albeit the instrumental version — I don't mind the odd death growl but this track is a bit heavy on it for my liking. Really love how it segues into DKC1's K.Rool boss music.

Wouldn't mind hearing some of the others without vocals too but I guess that was a design decision and won't happen.

[Zoola]

I was sad that the panel NO'd Roller Disco, I really enjoyed that song. They just DON'T UNDERSTAND, man. I like how it's actually fairly disco-y and has some retro-sounding synths and drums. Also the gate synth near the end is really epic. Oh well. At least it's on the album. :-P

Thanks for the kind words. I was (still am) surprised at the attention my song got when I slipped onto the project (that was over 2 years ago!), but I'm not suppressed it didn't pass the panel. I not sure how none of them "got" the ending though ;-)

[Chernabogue]

Awesom album, awesome remixes ! Everything is perfect ! Congratulations to everyone on this project, it rocks ! :wink:

[kefkafloyd]

Nope, you are not. (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02002/)

Good to know. As a gigantic Floyd fan, I approve. We need more of this stuff.

edit: Also, I loved Roller Disco. It does have an ending, it has the level clear jingle right there. ;)

[Liontamer]

Wouldn't mind hearing some of the others without vocals too but I guess that was a design decision and won't happen.

Hate vocal haters with hate. No instrumentals. :banghead:

[Palpable]

Thanks for the kind words. I was (still am) surprised at the attention my song got when I slipped onto the project (that was over 2 years ago!), but I'm not suppressed it didn't pass the panel. I not sure how none of them "got" the ending though ;-)

Hey, I got what you were going for, I've played the game dozens of times. :-) But I think there was a way you could have worked it in so that it ended less abruptly, which was the big complaint (though not from me).

[Thrik]

Hate vocal haters with hate. No instrumentals. :banghead:

I don't hate the vocals, but I would be interested in hearing the instrumental work more clearly. For an album based on a purely instrumental soundtrack surely I can't be the only one with such curiosity? :o

Kind of like how I like to sometimes listen to metal bands' instrumentals, even if I do enjoy the music with vocals too. You can't appreciate how intricate some of their background orchestration and such is when it's overlaid with vocals, although the vocals add a power of their own. :)

I don't question the decision to use vocals at all, but as I say it'd have been nice if the bonus disc contained more instrumentals. A clear opportunity to satisfy all.

Edit: I meant to say actually, the vocal work in A New Place is fantastic — best of the album by far IMO. Major props to those involved!

[Nicole Adams]

I don't hate the vocals, but I would be interested in hearing the instrumental work more clearly. For an album based on a purely instrumental soundtrack surely I can't be the only one with such curiosity? :o

Kind of like how I like to sometimes listen to metal bands' instrumentals, even if I do enjoy the music with vocals too. You can't appreciate how intricate some of their background orchestration and such is when it's overlaid with vocals, although the vocals add a power of their own. :)

I don't question the decision to use vocals at all, but as I say it'd have been nice if the bonus disc contained more instrumentals. A clear opportunity to satisfy all.

Edit: I meant to say actually, the vocal work in A New Place is fantastic — best of the album by far IMO. Major props to those involved!
Thank you for the explanation, Thrik, and I'm glad you like "A New Place." However, my decision about not providing an instrumental version remains the same. Posted from the review thread:
I will never provide instrumental versions of my music because removing the vocals would destroy the feeling I was going for. The lyrics tell a story about where Diddy and Dixie are headed both physically and emotionally; both are reasons why the song is called "A New Place." The shifting to the major key represents Diddy and Dixie overcoming the dangers that lie in Crocodile Cauldron and lyrically, their feelings towards one another have developed. The music and lyrics benefit from one another throughout the entire song.

[Mirby]

Good to know. As a gigantic Floyd fan, I approve. We need more of this stuff.

edit: Also, I loved Roller Disco. It does have an ending, it has the level clear jingle right there. ;)

Actually, it's technically Diddy Boom Box, which plays, if you didn't already know, when Diddy breaks the barrel at the end. Dixie has an electric guitar; same jingle but sounds different. The level clear jingle, which plays if you don't get the bonus item at the end, is different.

And I'll see if I can trick my brother into listening to Beneath the Canopy. Maybe he'll get a similar vibe; he loves Pink Floyd.

[diamondfalcon]

Thank you, all the remixers for contributing to this project! It's something I've been looking forward to since I joined the site years ago. It was pretty amazing.

Also, I'd like to especially say that Patrick Burns and OA are two of my favorite musicians ever! Your remixes are just awesome. I thought Rare Respite was beautiful.

As for vocals, I prefer ones without them (A New Place was fine though), but I think maybe if instrumentals are not possible/fitting, two different remixes of the same song could be allowed. I may be the only one, but I feel the rap and Japanese lyrics detract from the music.

[Brandon Strader]

That's the thing though about vocal vs. non-vocal, clarity isn't a legitimate argument if the song is produced properly. If nothing else, you could put on headphones and turn it up. The vocals don't stop you from enjoying the intricacies of a song. :-P

I actually recommend turning it up for all songs but Nekofrog's especially, since the instrumental version is so much louder.. You have to turn the album version up louder to match that and then you get the full experience.

[Zoola]

Hey, I got what you were going for, I've played the game dozens of times. :-) But I think there was a way you could have worked it in so that it ended less abruptly, which was the big complaint (though not from me).

Hey at least there aren't any vocals in it. :<

[Liontamer]

As for vocals, I prefer ones without them (A New Place was fine though), but I think maybe if instrumentals are not possible/fitting, two different remixes of the same song could be allowed. I may be the only one, but I feel the rap and Japanese lyrics detract from the music.

Hate vocal haters with hate. No instrumentals. :banghead:

[diamondfalcon]

^It's not that I hate vocals, it's much harder to do a good vocal song that everyone will like than a good instrumental, because IMO non-vocal music is more universal. No language barriers, less social difference, and the quality is much more controllable.

[Didaji]

I love the DKC remixes, downloading now. Thanks :)

[KyleJCrb]

This topic of vocals is getting old. NEXT PLZ

[Fridge]

Any chance we could get vocal versions of all these instrumental tracks? It's not that I hate music without vocals, but it's so bland and meaningless without a message or story being told. So yeah, if someone could get on that it'd be great. Thx.

[zyko]

Any chance we could get vocal versions of all these instrumental tracks? It's not that I hate music without vocals, but it's so bland and meaningless without a message or story being told. So yeah, if someone could get on that it'd be great. Thx.

for posterity

[Zoola]

Any chance we could get vocal versions of all these instrumental tracks? It's not that I hate music without vocals, but it's so bland and meaningless without a message or story being told. So yeah, if someone could get on that it'd be great. Thx.
Sure, I'll see what I can cook up.

[kefkafloyd]

Actually, it's technically Diddy Boom Box, which plays, if you didn't already know, when Diddy breaks the barrel at the end. Dixie has an electric guitar; same jingle but sounds different. The level clear jingle, which plays if you don't get the bonus item at the end, is different.

And I'll see if I can trick my brother into listening to Beneath the Canopy. Maybe he'll get a similar vibe; he loves Pink Floyd.

I did know this, I guess I was just using "level clear jingle" as shorthand. I was just trying to intimate that I knew what you were going for. :) It's a nice easter egg for those that have beaten the game; but I'm not sure how you could make it less abrupt.

On the subject of vocal mixes, I'm personally not opposed to them... so long as they're good. ;) The vocals have to work, though. The only track that I listen to consistently from the FFIV album, Eminence Grise, is a vocal track. It's also, strangely, my least favorite song on the original FFIV soundtrack. OA and DragonAvenger really put together a solid mix. It works because the singing is very good (in time, tune, etc), the actual written lyrics fit the overall feel of the song, and the arrangement still invokes the gestalt of the original track - an alien, airy, atmospheric tune. The lyrics only add to that.

The lyrical tracks on SMB (heh) are a mixed bag, in my opinion. A New Place is probably a pretty divisive song because it's so markedly different from the original, and then lyrics are thrown into the mix, and people don't know how to make heads or tails of it. The bigger problem with the song is that the main backbeat of the song doesn't come in till about 2:45. I guess my gripes are more with the actual musical arrangement than the lyrics. The singing is pretty well done and while a little cheesy there's a lot worse lyrical mixes out there.

Us Monkeys Together... I just can't get into it. The lyrical track takes me right out of it, and feels almost unnecessary. It's the only track I unchecked from the playlist. I don't mind a lot of electronica, and the stuff in this track is actually pretty good; I just won't be listening to any of it due to the lyrics. This has even less of a legitimacy, IMO, than A New Place because to 99.9999% of the audience the lyrics are gibberish until they're forced to look it up. Admittedly that is a very personal thing for a lot of people; I do not care for foreign language pop at all. Your mileage may vary.

Backwards Room... I still haven't completely digested yet. I know where zykO was going with it, but the singing need some tightening up with the beat. The actual lyrics and vocal production definitely add to the track. The only flaw, along with his other tracks, are that they really need some solid editing/tightening up; they just go on and on when you feel that, musically, you're spent by 3/4 of the way in.

Trapped in the Minds clearly got some work done inbetween its entry in the Jan 09 DoD and what we've gotten here. I did like the original entry in a sort of "what's going on here?" kind of way. In the end, I find myself going back to the original mix, even though this one has superior instrumentation. The mixing of the lyrics absolutely kills the track. The original still had some meshing issues with the beat and the lyrics, and the harmonic portions of the original had so-so singing. The rapping meshes up better in the original too. There's a ton of potential with this track - it just needs more work, and based on Hale and co's comments on the review thread they recognize that.

Lastly, Monkey Disarm Your Kremlings is clearly the best lyrical track. It perfectly gets the death metal sound (which I normally don't care for but find oddly compelling here), the lyrics are well written, and it feels like it could be what's going on in the game. The recorder section is still a bit of a WTF, and it's more out of place than the lyrics, but it's still played pretty well and fits the pirate theme of Kaptain K. Rool, so it's hard to argue with it.

All of this being said, I've got some criticisms of many of the instrumental tracks. I wouldn't take this as picking on the vocals, as there's several instrumental tracks that just aren't up to snuff. I just figure there's more room in the discussion than just black and white "Vocals are terrible!" and "Every track should be vocals!"

[Liontamer]

Us Monkeys Together... I just can't get into it. The lyrical track takes me right out of it, and feels almost unnecessary. It's the only track I unchecked from the playlist. I don't mind a lot of electronica, and the stuff in this track is actually pretty good; I just won't be listening to any of it due to the lyrics. This has even less of a legitimacy, IMO, than A New Place because to 99.9999% of the audience the lyrics are gibberish until they're forced to look it up. Admittedly that is a very personal thing for a lot of people; I do not care for foreign language pop at all. Your mileage may vary.

Usage of a foreign language creating a lack of "legitimacy" is NOT the word you're looking for.

Hate vocal haters with hate. :banghead:

[diotrans]

I am finding the complaints over my choice of language to be bordering on racism. OCR is a diverse community with listeners and remixers from all over the world. If a remixer's primary or only language wasn't English, I don't think this should prevent them from writing lyrics and singing on a remix. Nor should we alienate non-English-speaking remix fans by only allowing vocal remixes in English.

So, maybe to some people, my family's language sounds like "moon language" or "gibberish," but luckily for me, there are ~1 billion people out there who speak it.

[Geneson]

lol, moon language.

I'm just curious what inspired the decision to sing in a language that's clearly not as natural to you. Unlike most everyone else here I CAN understand Mandarin and while the pronunciation is a bit iffy, it's the undeveloped lyrics that kind of bother me. I'm not sure you put much thought into them, and I wonder if that's because you believed nobody would understand them anyway. Now I'm not expecting some poetic Chinese lyrics from a non-native speaker, but it sounds like something a 5 year old could write, no offense.

don't get the wrong idea, I've seen some of your youtube stuff and I like your voice, especially adore the Portal cover. Just questioning the appropriateness of the language choice if you knew there would be difficulty expressing yourself fully.

[diotrans]

I'm just curious what inspired the decision to sing in a language that's clearly not as natural to you. Unlike most everyone else here I CAN understand Mandarin and while the pronunciation is a bit iffy, it's the undeveloped lyrics that kind of bother me. I'm not sure you put much thought into them, and I wonder if that's because you believed nobody would understand them anyway. Now I'm not expecting some poetic Chinese lyrics from a non-native speaker, but it sounds like something a 5 year old could write, no offense.

I don't have much more explanation for my choice of language than "I felt like it." Actually, I was going for a child-like feeling to the lyrics. In fact, I likened it to writing a children's song in my submission writeup. So if you think it sounds like a 5 year old wrote it, I guess that fits. I wasn't trying to hide anything in the meaning of the lyrics by choosing a non-English language, as I did provide the English translation, and I'm glad that some people do understand the Mandarin lyrics.

[Level 99]

Okay, so I just listened to the bonus track Bonus Bop and, I have to say, that's absolutely stellar work. Shame it isn't in the album proper, but it is most definitely on my playlist.

[BlueTronic]

I WTF'd at 4:05 of Token Up. What exactly is that supposed to be?

[Skrypnyk]

I just won't be listening to any of it due to the lyrics. This has even less of a legitimacy, IMO, than A New Place because to 99.9999% of the audience the lyrics are gibberish until they're forced to look it up.

Two words:

Sigur Rós

[Mirby]

I did know this, I guess I was just using "level clear jingle" as shorthand. I was just trying to intimate that I knew what you were going for. :) It's a nice easter egg for those that have beaten the game; but I'm not sure how you could make it less abrupt.
It is the level clear jingle; but its the special one that plays when Diddy breaks the barrel at the end of the stage, not at the end of the game like you have insinuated. It can play at the end of EVERY level if you choose to. >_>


On the subject of vocal mixes, I'm personally not opposed to them... so long as they're good. ;) The vocals have to work, though. The only track that I listen to consistently from the FFIV album, Eminence Grise, is a vocal track. It's also, strangely, my least favorite song on the original FFIV soundtrack. OA and DragonAvenger really put together a solid mix. It works because the singing is very good (in time, tune, etc), the actual written lyrics fit the overall feel of the song, and the arrangement still invokes the gestalt of the original track - an alien, airy, atmospheric tune. The lyrics only add to that.
Good points there, I won't pick that apart, except that I love the source as well.


The lyrical tracks on SMB (heh) are a mixed bag, in my opinion. A New Place is probably a pretty divisive song because it's so markedly different from the original, and then lyrics are thrown into the mix, and people don't know how to make heads or tails of it. The bigger problem with the song is that the main backbeat of the song doesn't come in till about 2:45. I guess my gripes are more with the actual musical arrangement than the lyrics. The singing is pretty well done and while a little cheesy there's a lot worse lyrical mixes out there.A New Place is a beautifully sung song, in my opinion. Yeah, the main source may not come in until then, but the basic rhythms play throughout.


Us Monkeys Together... I just can't get into it. The lyrical track takes me right out of it, and feels almost unnecessary. It's the only track I unchecked from the playlist. I don't mind a lot of electronica, and the stuff in this track is actually pretty good; I just won't be listening to any of it due to the lyrics. This has even less of a legitimacy, IMO, than A New Place because to 99.9999% of the audience the lyrics are gibberish until they're forced to look it up. Admittedly that is a very personal thing for a lot of people; I do not care for foreign language pop at all. Your mileage may vary.
Gibberish? Really? I think quite a few people would like to talk to you since you just called their language gibberish. Just because you can't understand it doesn't make it gibberish. I can't understand it, but they're still beautiful. I view them as more of an instrument since I can't understand them, and that makes it even better. And because you can't understand them makes them illegitimate? Really? Show me the flowchart to explain your point, because to me and many MANY others I think your claim makes no sense.


Backwards Room... I still haven't completely digested yet. I know where zykO was going with it, but the singing need some tightening up with the beat. The actual lyrics and vocal production definitely add to the track. The only flaw, along with his other tracks, are that they really need some solid editing/tightening up; they just go on and on when you feel that, musically, you're spent by 3/4 of the way in.
But the run run run is funny...


Trapped in the Minds clearly got some work done inbetween its entry in the Jan 09 DoD and what we've gotten here. I did like the original entry in a sort of "what's going on here?" kind of way. In the end, I find myself going back to the original mix, even though this one has superior instrumentation. The mixing of the lyrics absolutely kills the track. The original still had some meshing issues with the beat and the lyrics, and the harmonic portions of the original had so-so singing. The rapping meshes up better in the original too. There's a ton of potential with this track - it just needs more work, and based on Hale and co's comments on the review thread they recognize that.
I honestly like it, and the lyrics are well written. I find that they mesh quite well with the track. The original was more of a WIP than this. To quote Geoffrey Taucer:

We submitted a rough, mega-rushed version to DoD at MAGFest 7 with me singing (which was finished literally seconds before I left for MAG), and while it was generally well recieved, I wasn't completely happy with it, and wanted to improve on it.
So the original was rushed and he wasn't happy with it. Hence the improvements, as I see it, found in this version.


Lastly, Monkey Disarm Your Kremlings is clearly the best lyrical track. It perfectly gets the death metal sound (which I normally don't care for but find oddly compelling here), the lyrics are well written, and it feels like it could be what's going on in the game. The recorder section is still a bit of a WTF, and it's more out of place than the lyrics, but it's still played pretty well and fits the pirate theme of Kaptain K. Rool, so it's hard to argue with it.The recorder makes it sound like "It's over... wait what's this! DRAMATIC!". And the lyrics describe K. Rool's thoughts before and during that battle on his airship. They're well written too! Even though Nekofrog wrote them a few years back. If you have any problem with those, tell him. You'll have to wait for a response though!


All of this being said, I've got some criticisms of many of the instrumental tracks. I wouldn't take this as picking on the vocals, as there's several instrumental tracks that just aren't up to snuff. I just figure there's more room in the discussion than just black and white "Vocals are terrible!" and "Every track should be vocals!"Well most of what you said was "Vocals are terrible!" sooo... Your point is moot. I know all this is your opinion, but you basically said you hate the lyrics in all these tracks.


Also, good music is when the vocals are treated as another instrument, not a way to recite poetry over the music. Even Trapped in the Minds' rapping is treated as an instrument, not just poetry. I find that the lyrics were well done on all these tracks, personally.

[KyleJCrb]

That's it, I'm going to start an all-vocal remix project. This is getting ridiculous.

[Nicole Adams]

The lyrical tracks on SMB (heh) are a mixed bag, in my opinion. A New Place is probably a pretty divisive song because it's so markedly different from the original, and then lyrics are thrown into the mix, and people don't know how to make heads or tails of it. The bigger problem with the song is that the main backbeat of the song doesn't come in till about 2:45. I guess my gripes are more with the actual musical arrangement than the lyrics. The singing is pretty well done and while a little cheesy there's a lot worse lyrical mixes out there.
A New Place is a beautifully sung song, in my opinion. Yeah, the main source may not come in until then, but the basic rhythms play throughout.
Um, no, the source is used throughout the entire song. The first and second verses are based on the minor key melody of the original. The break in "A New Place" has the same bass progression as the transition in the source (the part with the delayed piano).

[zyko]

I WTF'd at 4:05 of Token Up. What exactly is that supposed to be?

your face on the asphalt :)

and people, why is the run, run, run, funny?
because there really isn't much comedic element to that song at all unless you're mocking it.

[BlueTronic]

your face on the asphalt :)
lol

and people, why is the run, run, run, funny?
because there really isn't much comedic element to that song at all unless you're mocking it.
Who thought the "Run, run, run!" was funny?

[zyko]

lol


Who thought the "Run, run, run!" was funny?

yeah, man, i don't know...
it's popped up a couple of times in the thread

all i have to say is

http://images.paraorkut.com/img/funnypics/images/w/why_so_serious_cat-12947.jpg

[Mirby]

Last I'll say on the subject of vocals, because zyk0 wants to know.

The way the words are said make me laugh, because to me it sounds kinda cheesy. I love the song itself, but the way the lyrics are sung just seems cheesy to me, and I love it. The words themselves aren't cheesy or funny at all.

And I realized that after posting and re-listening, Nicole. Still, beautifully done album!

[BlueTronic]

The way the words are said make me laugh, because to me it sounds kinda cheesy. I love the song itself, but the way the lyrics are sung just seems cheesy to me
If you ask me, zyk0's voice in The Backwards Room is about as cheesy as OA's voice in Party's Over Here is badass. :razz:

[Mirby]

If you ask me, zyk0's voice in The Backwards Room is about as cheesy as OA's voice in Party's Over Here is badass. :razz:

exactly! That's my point exactly!

[diotrans]

That's it, I'm going to start an all-vocal remix project. This is getting ridiculous.

I'm only on board if every mix on it is done in a different language! :smile: NO ENGLISH

[Brandon Strader]

I'm only on board if every mix on it is done in a different language! :smile: NO ENGLISH
I'll open up my Babelfish. This should be fun. :-P

[analoq]

I'm only on board if every mix on it is done in a different language! :smile: NO ENGLISH
how about ebonics? That sounds like gibberish to plenty of folks.

[Fridge]

Just some quick thoughts on the tracks that hit me strongest on my first listen through the album. Disclaimer: I tend to be a fairly distracted listener of music, generally doing 3 other things at the same time, so if some of these are a bit general, or even just wrong, that's probably why. Also, if I don't mention a track, it wasn't necessarily because I didn't enjoy it as much, I was probably just focused more on what I was doing during it. On the whole I thought the quality bar on this album was really high. Usually on these massive collabs there's a track or three that stands out to me negatively in terms of production quality or just a failed central idea, but nothing here really hit me that way. Awesome collection, and much appreciation to everyone involved.

djp's tracks: Frankly, I have a nostalgic reaction to everything djp does that's quite similar to what I feel towards the original tracks themselves. His sound was what I originally got used to from this site, and all his tracks bear that familiar sonic signature. Particularly enjoyed the low-key (that's... probably not quite the right description) intro to sturm und kong.

Rare Respite: Once the meat of the mix was reached, I really loved the combination here of the light and playful feel much of the accompaniment had with the more melancholy and peaceful main melodic line. Just a really nice mood evoked by this track, very relaxing.

Old School: This track just had a really massive feel to it that I liked, most likely brought about by the combination of the really strong bass line and the slow pace.

Token Up: Have to wait and see the results of repeated exposure, but at the moment I feel like this is probably going to wind up being my favorite track from the album. I absolutely love the combination of things being fairly faithfully reproduced from the source tune with the various original guitar/synth bits thrown on top. Very nostalgic, and it just has a fantastic feel to it. The use of the many rather sharp transitions from the source kept what was an otherwise somewhat meandering track constantly interesting.

A New Place: Most of the time if I have an issue with a vocal track, it's because almost all of the arrangement work is done on the instrumental side of things, and then the vocal just feels tacked on - as an example, perhaps just duplicating a main melodic line already present in the underpinnings. This tends to leave me with the feeling that the vocals are really just a distraction, and I'd be getting more out of the mix if they were removed. From the volume of complaints on the subject, I suppose I'm not alone in occasionally feeling that way... but it was a complete non-issue here. This track was very clearly built as a vocal arrangement, with the human "instruments" carrying the main part while present and the rest of the track supporting them. Further making this track stand out was just how well mixed the vocals were with the rest of the track, it just had a very polished and professional feel that's frequently lacking. Fantastic job here. (Yeah, btw, I liked the song too :p)

Paleolithic Park: This was one of my least favorite source tunes from the game, dominated by a repetitive and verging on just downright unpleasant rhythm section, and featuring a short melodic figure that really didn't seem to go anywhere to me. Problem solved, eh? Fantastic cinematic feel to this, I found myself day dreaming some sort of indiana jones-esque action sequence while listening. Great production, and the many additions to the central melody really fleshed it out for me.

Backwards Room: No idea whatsoever how you got the idea for this out of the source tune, but I'm extremely glad you did. Love the dark, almost desperate, feel that this track has, put me in mind of Bauhaus style gothic rock. Plus I'm pretty much a sucker for anything that combines heavier rock/metal elements with the electronic.

Dance of the Zinger: This is just so cliché sounding, and so obvious from the source... but just so well done, and so damn fun, that I can't help but love it. Massive trance sound, massive nostalgic melody, 5 minute long constant build... it's great.

Dead Raggening: First of all, disclaimer: Mazedude's my favorite mixer on the site, by a fairly wide margin. I've absolutely loved pretty much everything he's put out, and his classic deconstruction of a familiar tune is something I always look forward to. As such, seeing his name show up late in the tracklist it was a pretty obvious song to look forward to as a likely standout for me. And... at first I was a bit disappointed. The atmospheric and low-key nature of the track just wasn't going to be able to live up to my hopes. Frankly though, given the simple and repetitive nature of the source, there really wasn't much chance of that to begin with. Really enjoyed the slow build this had, right up to the Requiem for a Dream-esque repeating synth line at the end. Tight, very tense mood, and it gets high marks as something that would actually fit into a game well itself.

High Seas: Not sure what specifically I like about this so much... it just _feels_ like a video game tune, despite not really recalling the source for me. Just something here that I really enjoyed, made me stop what I was doing and pay attention.

Pickin' Out The Fleas: Great late 80's hard rock/metal feel to this, a nice guns n' roses-like base with classic guitar god wankery over top. Fantastic all the way through.

Castle Crescendo: Another one that made me sort of sit up and take notice. The kind of industrial sounding rhythm parts combined with the string and synth leads really worked well for me.

Monkeys Disarm Their Kremlings: As someone who actually listens and enjoys a fair amount of the more extreme side of modern metal, I figured I should comment on this. First, while I wouldn't say Brandon's vocals stand out, they are quite acceptable, and that alone is quite an accomplishment in this genre. There're really only a handful of truly exceptional death vocalists, as despite the rather understandable "wtf is that noise" reaction many have, it's an extremely difficult thing to do. Brandon's vocals were clear and understandable, which puts him a leg up even on quite a few of the people who spend much of their lives traveling around touring this style of music... and it was very important, because the lyrics to this song are fantastic and hilarious. Not sure about the recorder finish, but since the lyrics themselves had already killed off any seriousness the track might have had, it worked ok.

Re-Skewed: There's something about having the original composer work on, or even just acknowledge, a project like this that just lends an air of legitimacy to the site. It probably shouldn't be necessary, the great music here stands up on its own merits, but it's still a nice bonus. Add in the fact that this really was a solid musical contribution, and you've got a truly wonderful conclusion to an already great album.


All in all, a fantastic album, and thanks so much to the many people that gave their time to make it happen.

[KyleJCrb]

I'm only on board if every mix on it is done in a different language! :smile: NO ENGLISH

Hmm. Do most vocalists in the game arrangement community know other languages? There aren't all that many vocalists to begin with. That may be TOO much of a limitation. :lol:

[Rozovian]

Hmm. Do most vocalists in the game arrangement community know other languages? There aren't all that many vocalists to begin with. That may be TOO much of a limitation. :lol:

Nah, the vgm community is pretty international. Dunno how it is in the US, but outside the english-speaking countries, it's not a problem. I recruited a friend of mine to sing for a remix, he could easily cover Swedish, Finnish, and German, plus probably do a passable Norwegian and maybe Estonian. Other languages vgm fans from the nordic countries might know would be French, Russian, and a couple of middle east languages. And Iceleandic. And Danish, if it's really a language. :D

And that's just the northernmost of Europe. ;)

[kefkafloyd]

Clearly there's a nerve on subject of vocals. I was not attempting to be racist (please), and for the most part I actually like the vocal tracks. That doesn't mean we can't think about them critically. You've got to keep in mind that I am not criticizing you personally; rather I am just looking at the track itself.

I am finding the complaints over my choice of language to be bordering on racism. OCR is a diverse community with listeners and remixers from all over the world. If a remixer's primary or only language wasn't English, I don't think this should prevent them from writing lyrics and singing on a remix. Nor should we alienate non-English-speaking remix fans by only allowing vocal remixes in English.


I'm not saying you can't do them; you can do whatever you want. They just didn't work for me as a listener. It was a risky choice creatively and sometimes people react differently to risky choices. My reaction was "WTF?" I just couldn't get into the lyrics. Maybe someone else likes them; good for them. That's not a slam against you (as I've never even talked to you before this). Since I don't speak Mandarin, my first reaction was that it was gibberish. Even then, I just found them distracting to the overall mix. If you feel that singing in a foreign language is the best way to express yourself, then power to you, but I wouldn't expect everyone to react to it positively. Also, if I offended you, then I apologize, as it was not my intent; I was just describing how the lyrics came across to me.

Um, no, the source is used throughout the entire song. The first and second verses are based on the minor key melody of the original. The break in "A New Place" has the same bass progression as the transition in the source (the part with the delayed piano).


When I say the main backbeat, I'm referring to the rhythm synthesizer present in the beginning of the original (which doesn't come in until later). Yes, obviously the main melody is there, but there's more to the track than that.

It is the level clear jingle; but its the special one that plays when Diddy breaks the barrel at the end of the stage, not at the end of the game like you have insinuated. It can play at the end of EVERY level if you choose to. >_>


Dude, all I was saying is that I got what you did with the end of the track and I liked it. I'm not saying it was end of the game; not sure where you got that from. I was giving you praise. I LIKE YOUR TRACK. You did good. :)

Gibberish? Really? I think quite a few people would like to talk to you since you just called their language gibberish. Just because you can't understand it doesn't make it gibberish. I can't understand it, but they're still beautiful. I view them as more of an instrument since I can't understand them, and that makes it even better. And because you can't understand them makes them illegitimate? Really? Show me the flowchart to explain your point, because to me and many MANY others I think your claim makes no sense.


I just didn't like it; it didn't click with me and if I was doing the track, I probably wouldn't have gone that way. Such is life. On its use as an instrument, I didn't feel that it added much.

But the run run run is funny...


I generally liked the lyrics/singing on that track. I just felt it needed a little tightening. My qualms with that track have very little to do with lyrics, and I overall enjoy it.

The recorder makes it sound like "It's over... wait what's this! DRAMATIC!". And the lyrics describe K. Rool's thoughts before and during that battle on his airship. They're well written too! Even though Nekofrog wrote them a few years back. If you have any problem with those, tell him. You'll have to wait for a response though!


I liked the song and the recorder, not sure why you think I didn't. I also think you missed where I called it the best lyrical track. It's one of THE best tracks on the album, lyrics or not. I clearly said I liked the lyrics. Doesn't mean, again, that we can't think critically about them and what they mean and how they could be improved.

Well most of what you said was "Vocals are terrible!" sooo... Your point is moot. I know all this is your opinion, but you basically said you hate the lyrics in all these tracks.


This is not what I said, the only track's vocals that I didn't actually like were Us Monkeys Together. That's fine; I just won't listen to the track. If somebody else really digs the Mandarin? Great for them. Go hog wild. I did not say "Vocals are terrible." So by not universally praising the vocal tracks, I am a vocal hater? C'mon. This is what I was talking about earlier; if we can't discuss the merits of the tracks without people taking it personally or going the wrong way with it, then I'm not sure where the discussion can really go.

The project just came out after a very long wait, obviously people are psyched about it, but in these post-release threads it seems that any sort of criticism seems to be dogpiled on and run out of the thread. Please don't take mine (or others') criticisms as personal attacks. They are just opinions; you are free to do with them as you wish. But before dismissing others' criticism (or taking it the wrong way), at least consider what they have to say.

[José the Bronx Rican]

...before dismissing others' criticism (or taking it the wrong way), at least consider what they have to say.

Just wanted to point out that since the "vocals" thing is one of the oldest and dumbest arguments we've had in this community, it's not as if that HASN'T been considered.

Mandarin lyrics are only "risky" to non-Mandarin speakers who don't like what they don't expect. It's up to the listener to decide how successful it was, but if someone argues that it's an inherently bad idea, then we've got a problem. I worry about the diversity of our sound being discouraged from some of these comments; the Fat Man starts to look like one of only five people who "get" what we do here.

[KyleJCrb]

the Fat Man starts to look like one of only five people who "get" what we do here.

Well, Mr. Sanger is a genius...

[shadowg3]

8-) Very Nice album , I liked especially:

1-02 Simian Soiree (Klomp's Romp) [Joren de Bruin]
B-01 Bonus Bop (Token Tango, Bonus Lose, Bonus Win) [Xenon
Odyssey, The UArts Z Big Band]

those were my favorites, but the whole disc is good,
recommended! :grin:

[LuketheXjesse]

anythin wit vocals sux lol

Anyone who hates a remix because of the inclusion of vocals is a retard.

Needless to say, the vocal tracks here are among the best ones on the album.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Honestly, when it comes to music with vocals, I prefer vocals in a language I can't understand. Actual meaning in the vocals is distracting; when I have no idea what the singer is actually saying, it's much easier to simply enjoy the sound of the voice itself, the variance in tone and expression which is unmatched by any other instrument.

[Fishy]

I don't like it = subjective, well done you expressed your opinion without offending anyone

IT IS BAD = objective, this probably isn't what you actually meant to say unless you are incredibly presumptuous about your ability to state facts about a perceptive art, please try again

[Cyril the Wolf]

I don't like it = subjective, well done you expressed your opinion without offending anyone

IT IS BAD = objective, this probably isn't what you actually meant to say unless you are incredibly presumptuous about your ability to state facts about a perceptive art, please try again

Thank you for voicing something I have been trying to voice for a million-bajillion years

[GizmoKSX]

Troubleshooting, please!
Some of the FLAC files decoded as 24-bit WAVs* which, when burned to CD, come out as static. (I used EAC to burn so that I could make my own cue sheet with CD-Text.) If I open them in Audacity and export them as 16-bit WAVs, will they come out at optimal CD quality, or should some other software be used for dithering?

Or, assuming that others are having this problem too, can we get fixed FLACs that decode to 16 bit WAVs? (Unless it's just a glitch on my machine.)

*I wonder if these are actually higher-quality versions, or just blown-up file sizes.

[Monobrow]

I am angry because I didn't like something you did

I am angry because someone doesn't like something I did

Where is Yoda he has something to say about fear and hate and suffering


OH I KNOW WHERE HE IS, HE IS GONE BECAUSE THOSE LAST MOVIES SUCKED

AND HE IS COMING TO MY HOUSE TO JEDI KICK MY ASS BECAUSE I INSULTED HIS MOVIES

edit: NININININININININININININININININININININININI GUARDS, GUARDS!!! NININININININININI!

[LuketheXjesse]

Hahaha.

FILTHY PICKPOCKE- FILTHY PI- FILTHY PICKPO- FILTHY PICKPOCKE-

[OA]

If you ask me, zyk0's voice in The Backwards Room is about as cheesy as OA's voice in Party's Over Here is badass. :razz:

Wasn't my voice, it was my lovely assistant's. :-)

[HitoriJaNai]

Wasn't my voice, it was my lovely assistant's. :-)
Oh, thank god. I was pretty sure that was a female voice... phew. :-o

[KyleJCrb]

Oh, thank god. I was pretty sure that was a female voice... phew. :-o

There's a few things most don't know about Mr. Luers...

[Swanky]

(wow this account is still active^^)

Anyway, just wanted to drop a note to everyone involved, since DKC2 is a thing from heart to hearts and I feel the need to leave a comment here: Thanks for making this possible.

As a listener, I can't say I like every song but I do like the way it's kept. Varying styles make for great accessibility and open lots of space for interpretation. As it is now, I'm liking songs that are shifting towards dance or pop (though I do not like putting musics in special groups) but were originally lounge music. I think it's great having so many great contributions, and not just DKC2 by that, but also all the other great titles hosted here.

As for Serious Monkey Business, I liked the slower pieces somewhat more - like I said, not because of production, sounds or anything else; more of a personal taste in music - Maybe this has come to be because of the original atmosphere breathing throughout the project.

My personal favorites were
- Sturm and Kong (one surprising opener)
- Simian Soirée (atmosphere)
- Tetanus (which got me thinking about military marching krems)
- Beneath the Canopy
- Dead Raggening
- Bramble Reprise
- Castle Crescendo
- Re-Skewed (that one grew on me as I kept listening)

I also liked Trapped in the Minds a lot, but I think it stands out because of its vocals. It's very diverse and complex and should be in an OC vocal compilation, as should A New Place, Backwards Room and Monkeys Disarm Their Kremlings. All are top notch works that stand out of the rest because of their nature. I cannot and I will not compare.

Same goes for the metal songs. While well made, they don't blend in for me as well as does the rest of the pieces. Maybe this is the thing I was looking for since I started writing this post.

Still, thank you for bringing this to us. Thank you for sharing, and thank you to all musicians.

(Will now begin waiting for either Final Fantasy 7 or one Megaman X remix project.)

[Fishy]

(Will now begin waiting for either Final Fantasy 7 or one Megaman X remix project.)

Uh... We have an FF7 one?

http://ocremix.org/album/1/final-fantasy-vii-voices-of-the-lifestream

[Brandon Strader]

Uh... We have an FF7 one?

http://ocremix.org/album/1/final-fantasy-vii-voices-of-the-lifestream
He's waiting for a good one ;-)

[HitoriJaNai]

He's waiting for a good one ;-)
Oh, good, then he won't have to wait at all. :-o

[KyleJCrb]

(Will now begin waiting for either Final Fantasy 7 or one Megaman X remix project.)

Someone is very far behind (http://ff7.ocremix.org/) on OCR's goings-on (http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=27078).

[windkirby]

This album was ridiculously awesome, and I'm really, really picky. While I've really enjoyed other albums from this site, this was the only one besides the Metroid project where there wasn't a song I disliked. This is excepting the penultamite heavy metal vocal, which just isn't my style of music - but I really liked how the album included what was almost a substitute for it.
On the whole I can't express how much I enjoyed it. Each and every track was extremely beautiful and musically interesting - it was just remixing at its best. Brobdingnagian kudos to the project's director and everyone involved - this album truly is a masterpiece I'll be listening to for a very long time.

[Kakumei]

Backwards Room is fucking phenomenal.

That is all.

[D-Lux]

D-Lux tested. D-Lux approved.

Everytime I hear Roller Disco, I can't help but want a 10 minute loop of the monkey sound effects portion. Groovy.

I'm only on board if every mix on it is done in a different language! :smile: NO ENGLISH

I'll volunteer for a Jive track.

[Swanky]

Ah yes I see. Will check out Final Fantasy later this week, saw progress on the other project as well. :) Thank you. Now let's get back praising Serious Monkey Business and staff. :P

[drummermg131]

I have to say, overall, I'm definitely in love with this whole album project. I'm one of those people who've been waiting for years while remixers gradually claimed tracks to work their magic on, and just as I kinda forgot all about it...BAM! It's done! :)

Now, I'm not in love with every single track - hence the "overall" earlier - but there's definitely quality creative workmanship throughout. I can't deny that. Standout favorites for me include "Roller Disco", "This Chase is Haunted", "Rhumba Rumble", "Us Monkeys Together", and "Re-skewed", just to name a few.

One of the things I really love about this site is when I go to check out a new OCR and it hits all the right "notes" in my mind. Like, how I feel the adjusted melody should go and what the dynamics and instrumentation should be like. I have absolutely no composing/mixing experience whatsoever, but I get a great feeling inside when someone else pulls off what I wish I could achieve myself. That said, I feel that "This Chase is Haunted" definitely nailed that. And when my brother hears that song, he will scream and shout in elation, let me tell you.

As for songs I did not mention specifically, some of them I just did not like. Perhaps additional listens are in order (probably all I need), but in some cases (at least for now), it's just my honest opinion that some OCRs that have already existed for a while have remixed those songs better.

In closing, two final remarks:
1) LOVE that you guys somehow managed to get Wise, Kirkhope, and Beanland to do an OCR for this project. That's just awesome.
2) To second a previous commenter's remarks, the artwork for this project is stellar. I love the front cover, the disc art, and especially that "map" inlay. Truly fantastic stuff.

Well worth the wait! :D

[Mirby]

To quote Taucer:
After reading David's OC ReMix interview awhile back, I thought "he seems pretty cool with the arrangement scene -- I wonder if I could talk him into doing a mix for this..." I e-mailed him asking if he was interested. His initial response was that he might be able to if he could find time. I sent him a follow up awhile later, to which he replied that he had a substantial chunk of work done, and that it would feature Grant on guitar and Robin on trumpet. To say I was psyched would be an understatement. This project is, first and foremost, a tribute to Mr. Wise -- to have him contribute a track was a real honor.
So it sounds to me like Wise decided, "Ya know what, I think I will do that track. That would be cool. I'll just call up Robin and Grant and we'll make many fans have massive nerdgasms."

Also, my favorite five tracks are, in no particular order:
Trapped in the Minds
Bramble Reprise
Pickin' Out the Fleas
Beneath the Canopy
Re-Skewed

Took me a while to realize Re-Skewed was a play on the word rescued. Clever!

[K.B.]

Awesome work. Both the quality and the variety are phenomenal.

I'm quite taken with this album. I haven't listened to it enough times to give proper analysis and praise, but I wanted to at least get out an initial thanks. So thanks. Mixers, coordinators especially, and everyone else who helped turn the cogs (or were the cogs)... you've created something wonderful. This will be queued up constantly for a while, and I'll no doubt return to it many more times after that.


Also, love love love love love Crystal Swamp. Thank you for that, Tepid.

[Mewtwo]

I forgot I even had an account on these forums but I chimed in just to say how much I love this project. You guys did an amazing job with this. I was waiting for something like this since Kong in Concert. This whole project is so diverse -- this is definitely my favorite OCR project, as great as many others are. Usually there are at least a few songs in a project that I'm not all that into, but that isn't the case with Serious Monkey Business. In all honesty, I think you all made great tracks, although I do prefer some songs way more than others. I'm not a reviewer or anything obviously, I just wanted to praise the artists for their work. Djpretzel's track, Sturm und Kong, did a great job building up an epic feel for the fittingly epic album that was to follow.

I strongly disagree with those bashing the vocal tracks since those were mostly my favorites. One thing I loved about the vocal tracks is they made the songs feel more connected to the game's story IMO.

"A New Place" is definitely my favorite song in the album. It really blew me away. Everyone involved made such an amazing track. The vocals really do add to it and tell a story and I can see what Nicole was saying there. The lyrics are very emotional and added such a touching feeling to an already great track .It reminds me of how closely Diddy and Dixie stick together throughout the game even though they're being attacked by hostile reptiles and barraged with dangerous obstacles. It adds a deep perspective to that situation. 2:45 and onward really hit me hard; that's my favorite part of the original track and the guitar added with the unique vocals sweetened the deal. It has such a romantic and serene vibe to it. Excellent job on this one. I can't stop listening to it.

And I just wanted to say that the death metal track was also fucking awesome. I know death metal isn't some peoples' cup of tea, but it really does take talent. Growling like that takes a fair amount of skill, and the genre chosen for K. Rool's song fits his character as well as the theme really well. The lyrics are comedic and awesome, K. Rool's commentary, like "A New Place" makes you feel more connected to the game's story rather than just the music itself. The part at the end is kind of random, but it isn't bad, it just caught me a little off-guard. I thought maybe the song was going to transfer into a second song, which would have been neat if it weren't so close to the end of the album. Overall, I think this track was an interesting and well-done deviation from the rest of the album. It makes sense that K. Rool's battle theme would contrast with the rest of the album, don't you think? I feel like it did a nice job concluding the album right before David Wise's ending song.

Flickerfall also did a nice job with the remix of Snow-bound Land. I may not know what's being said, but that doesn't take away from anything at all. I can appreciate the beauty of Latin choirs without knowing what's being said. I'm no stranger to music sung in foreign languages and the vocalist has a very nice voice. It has a catchy, pop-like charm to it, making it easy to get the song stuck in my head. I like the upbeat "icey" theme it sounds like you guys were going for. Just out of curiosity, what do the lyrics mean in English?

Tepid's "Crystal Swamp" also blew me away. I was hit with nostalgia at 1:15. Damn, this one is also one of my top favorites. It sounds very magical and beautiful. I really appreciate what's been done with this song. Very fresh

And I was stoked to see that David Wise, the man behind the original songs which largely contributed to the game's atmosphere, had actually made a track for this. It has that triumphant ending feel to it, coming right after the standoff with K. Rool. Dammit Nintendo, it's time to make a new DK game and put this man in charge of the soundtrack.

you peeps really outdid yourselves with this project. This is a quality compilation. I really just wanted to come in and say some things that hadn't already been said and give some feedback on a few of my favorite songs. anyway, I'm out. thanks for the music

[Mirby]

Hey, I've got an idea for a DKC RPG... maybe just maybe...

Anyways, I agree with you on all points there! Also, the lyrics for Us Monkeys Together in English?

ENGLISH:

Snowy day
I want to go outside
Fun in the snow
Us monkeys together

Fly like a bird
Quickly get the banana
Left, right
Watch out for dangerous bees

[Chorus]
Monkeys are the most fun
Always a happy feeling
Just let me STAY LIKE THIS
Monkeys are the best...

The cold outside
Won't scare us
Such an exciting time
Quickly, give me your hand!

We skillfully
Dance on the ice
You and me
Are happiest together

[Bridge]
Happy days
I wish to be with you
Happy days
I wish to be with you

FOREVER

Taken from the comments on the mp3!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT 3/26/10: I now have a hands-down favorite track from this album and it is...

DRUMROLL PLEASE...
*DRUMROLL*

Bramble Reprise

As I see it, it captures the beauty of the source, and also that of the level the source played on, and amplifies it ten; scratch that, a hundredfold. And it still sounds beautiful. Now, if only it would be released as OCRO20XX... I feel it deserves it, personally.

Also, would it be possible to get the... romanization I believe the term would be... of the Cantonese lyrics for Us Monkeys Together. I'd like to sing along...

[Lady Shinigami]

Good lord. It never occurred to me that vocals might be such a big deal to some people, but in hindsight I can see why since I generally prefer instrumental soundtracks for movies rather than something with lyrics. In my mind, instrumental music requires a bit more attention to detail because it has to find a way to clearly convey an emotion or message. Songs with vocals, on the other hand, are able to "cheat" in that regard because they have lyrics that can tell the story right away and don't have to rely entirely on the music to evoke a particular feeling; sometimes, though, the lyrics are difficult to decipher, the background music is inadequate, and as a result I feel pressured to try to find out what's being said so I can relate to the song properly. Still, that is absolutely not to say that I dislike music with vocals – there are plenty of vocal songs I enjoy and plenty of instrumental songs I do not – I simply find that I personally prefer that film and video game music be instrumental for the above reason.

With that said, I admit I was surprised by the amount of vocals present in this album, seeing as the source is entirely without vocals from title theme to credit theme. Nevertheless, I was quite charmed by most – if not all – of the songs with lyrics, perhaps because the source album was instrumental and everyone kept close enough to the source songs, musically and lyrically, that they were easy to enjoy. I'm not going to pick out an song as my favorite because as far as I'm concerned they all sounded stellar whether or not I completely agreed with the genre or interpretation or inclusion/exclusion of lyrics, but I will briefly comment on "Us Monkeys Together" because I made a particular comment on another song diotrans worked on and feel obligated to do so here as well.

"Destiny Forgotten" is diotrans's OCR debut song, and for me its memorability is not very flattering despite the potential that I could hear in it. I commented on what I felt were the vocalist's pros and cons, and will gladly say that "Us Monkeys Together" sounds much, much, MUCH better than "Destiny Forgotten"; I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw that the vocalist was the same for both songs. There still seems to be a nasal quality to her singing – one that is especially noticeable with the higher notes – that's a bit too pop-culture for my liking, but that's a minor issue. With "Us Monkeys Together" she generally stays within her vocal range and, because of that, sounds wonderful. I do enjoy this song, no matter the language. As for the Mandarin/Cantonese – my media player says it's Cantonese, and I don't know if there's even a significant difference between the two – I have no direct comment as to how the pronunciation is handled; unlike Japanese, I wouldn't know a word of anything Chinese if it slapped me. So I absolve myself of needing an opinion.


~LS

[Generic Asian Guy]

"Us Monkeys Together" is sung in Mandarin. Being Chinese myself, I can say that there is an English-accent to the Mandarin, but it's very bearable :) (I wasn't expecting there to be a Mandarin song on the album!)

I've been waiting for this album since I read about it 2 years ago? I was not disappointed! My favourites from the album are: Bramble Reprise, Castle Crescendo, Dance of the Zinger, Roller Disco, and Crystal Swamp (all from Disc 2).

I have to mention that Dance of the Zinger blew my Asian boxers off. I used to pause the game on that level just to let the song play in its entirety.

[Gario]

Just coming in here again to say that I can't... stop... listening... to... this...

Definitely my favorite album on OCR, so far. Shame Roller Disco got pushed to 'Resub' on OCR, but that's their call to make - personally, it's one of my favorite songs on there :wink:. Next to Dance of the Zinger.

Yeah, still completely stoked about it. I honestly can't say anything bad about it... generally there's at least one or two tracks that are ho-hum, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed every track on here. Congratulations again, everyone!

[diotrans]

Also, would it be possible to get the... romanization I believe the term would be... of the Cantonese lyrics for Us Monkeys Together. I'd like to sing along...

Sure! BTW apparently the MP3 says it's Cantonese, but it's actually Mandarin. I don't know how helpful this will be to those unfamiliar to pinyin, and also I think I got some of the spelling wrong anyway. But it's better than nothing I suppose:

duo xue de tian
wo xiang yao chu que wai mian
hen hao wan zai xue li
wo men hou zi zai yi chi

fei fei xiang xiao niao
quai na ne ge xiang jiao
zuo bian you bian
xiao xin mi feng hao wei xian

CHORUS:
hou zi zuei hao wan
zong shi kai xin gan
jiu rang wo STAY LIKE THIS
hou zi zuei hao...

wai mian de leng
bu hui dang zu wo men
zhe me xing fen de shi hou
quai gei wo ni de shou!

wo men yong ji qiao
hen huei zai bing shang tiao
wo geng ni
zuei gao xing zai yi chi

BRIDGE:
quai le de ri zi
wo xi wang geng zhe ni
quai le de ri zi
wo xi wang yong yuan geng zhe ni

[José the Bronx Rican]

I'm more used to the "pidgin" (I believe it's called), but I'm already familiar with the "pinyin" from the subtitles in the movies I watch, so it's all good, and it's much appreciated.

[Mirby]

Hey, I learned all about China in my second year of Academic Decathlon soo.... yeah I can probably figure out how to pronounce this stuff...

[Deathtank]

Good stuff people, this really is one of the best projects OCr has ever released!
:wink:

[liquwitmotionz]

Yes finally! Thanks guys! Keep up the good work

[Didaji]

Listened on all tracks some times now, love them all :)

[Ring Them Bells]

Once again, an extraordinary release from OCR !
I was expecting this one real bad (my F5 key painfully remembers the day of release), and on first listen, I went 'meh, not that good actually'.
What. A. Fool.

This album grew on me as fast as a monkey fired from a wooden barrel cannon, and now I can't stop listening to it ! Just wasn't open-minded enough in the first place is all...

I genuinely love all the songs on this album (well except for Neko's death metal tune, but like a lot of people said before me, it's mainly the genre that's the problem : I actually love the instrumental version, thanks by the way for having included it for those who are not into this kind of vocals :wink:).

Massive congratulations to everyone for a coherent, well-produced, risky album (so many vocal tracks ! Usually not my thing, but they just rock).

I'd like to add my little comment on some of my favorite songs :

@djp (Sturm und Kong) : E.P.I.C. Love the energy and the orchestral/synth duality.
@Patrick Burns (Rare Respite) : Wow. seriously. This is so rich and beautiful. A very original and complex take with so many things going on...
@Fishy (Beneath the canopy) : Shivers. Fuckin' shivers man, down my spine. It sounds like David Gilmour vs David Wise or something. Gorgeous.
@All involved in 'A New Place' : There are no words. Thank You.
@AnSo (Swamp Gases) : YAY a dub/electronica ReMix !! We don't hear enough of these. The result is brilliant, I gotta say.
@Mazedude (Dead Raggening) : shit man that's amazing ! This theme was kinda forgettable compared to the rest of the DKC2 soundtrack, but you turned into something totally different (absolutely love the slow, distorted kicks). Cool piece.
@Skrypnyk (Exit Row) : the rythmic work here is impressive, reminds me of early Autechre or Aphex Twin.
@Joshua Morse (Bramble Reprise) : I loved the constant dreamy feel and the overall quality of the execution. Very nice.
@Sole Signal (Castle Crescendo) : I think this is my favorite track of all. It's just plain awesome. Nice work doing justice to this great source !

Finally, congratulations to Taucer and Bahamut for making this happen (having David Wise feature 8) man that was cool), and to everyone that participated in any way to this project, for their time, energy and passion : the result is more than worth it.

sorryforthelongpost

[wvlfpvp]

Gotta say that this is an enjoyable album (moreso than some of the other recent album releases from you guys), but I have one bitch:

Monkey Merengue is not a fucking arrange of the song. It's a great tune. It really is, but it feels more "inspired by" the track than an actual arrangement of it. As such, it has no place on an arrange album. Maybe I'm nuts.

I mean, it's clearly related to the original, but neither the melody nor a semblance of the actual chord progression in the tune appear throughout its length. It's more of an original tune inspired by the Bonus Intro than an arrange of said song. It's like if I called the metal intro riff that I have running around in my head that's an amalgam of the individual band sounds of Mercenary and The Diablo Swing Orchestra, and that vaguely resembles one of the colossus fight tunes from Shadow of the Colossus an arrange. It's not. It's inspired by, or derived from, but it's not an arrange.


Still. Enjoyable album, which is saying something since I'm not the hugest fan of the originals (still prefer the DKC3 ost), and I love the last tune with all of the Rare guys putting in. Fantastic. And again: Monkey Merengue is a REALLY good song. It really is. Quality-wise, sound-wise, it's great. It's just not an arrange.

[ElGranPoder]

This is really good, but some songs are too much modified.
My favourite "Us monkeys togheter" and of course david wise track owns xD.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Gotta say that this is an enjoyable album (moreso than some of the other recent album releases from you guys), but I have one bitch:

Monkey Merengue is not a fucking arrange of the song. It's a great tune. It really is, but it feels more "inspired by" the track than an actual arrangement of it. As such, it has no place on an arrange album. Maybe I'm nuts.

I mean, it's clearly related to the original, but neither the melody nor a semblance of the actual chord progression in the tune appear throughout its length. It's more of an original tune inspired by the Bonus Intro than an arrange of said song. It's like if I called the metal intro riff that I have running around in my head that's an amalgam of the individual band sounds of Mercenary and The Diablo Swing Orchestra, and that vaguely resembles one of the colossus fight tunes from Shadow of the Colossus an arrange. It's not. It's inspired by, or derived from, but it's not an arrange.


Still. Enjoyable album, which is saying something since I'm not the hugest fan of the originals (still prefer the DKC3 ost), and I love the last tune with all of the Rare guys putting in. Fantastic. And again: Monkey Merengue is a REALLY good song. It really is. Quality-wise, sound-wise, it's great. It's just not an arrange.

Honestly, I have no clue what you're talking about. The melody from the original is very clearly audible throughout the entire mix. It's as much an arrangement as.... well, as anything else on this site.

[Mirby]

Scratch that... it's similar... but it's still an arrange...

ar·range·ment [uh-reynj-muhnt]
–noun
6.Music .
a. the adaptation of a composition to voices or instruments, or to a new purpose.
b. a piece so adapted.

Before you start calling things that are arrangements not, kindly read the definition I just provided. Every single song on this entire website, by definition, is an arrangement. And yes, the source is highly prevalent. In fact, I think it might be one of the most source-faithful tracks on the album! ^_^

[a_d]

can you buy this album as a physical CD with cover sleeve etc.--or any of OCR's albums, for that matter?

[Chaos Guardian]

A bit of a weird request, but does anyone have the exact wording for Exit Row? I try to get all the lyrics down for the songs I have on my iPod. . .

[Pyrohazard]

all the download mirrors for Castle Crescendo dont work. if i listen to them on iTunes it will skip to the end of the song after getting almost half way through it. i want this song! can someone help?

OH! and this hole album is awesome although i don't really like the ones with lyrics.

[Dunther]

OH! and this hole album is awesome although i don't really like the ones with lyrics.

Yeah I think that lyrics are like a double-edge blade, if they works, they're great, if they don't...this would probably ruin the song.
In my opinion not all the singed mix were bad anyway :) I enjoyed the updated version of "Monkeys Disarm Your Kremlings" or whatever...

[a_d]

all the download mirrors for Castle Crescendo dont work. if i listen to them on iTunes it will skip to the end of the song after getting almost half way through it. i want this song! can someone help?

OH! and this hole album is awesome although i don't really like the ones with lyrics.
Check again. the first mirror worked for me just now...

[Liontamer]

The album just blew up AGAIN:

http://blog.livedoor.jp/goldennews/archives/51480666.html

Congrats, everyone!

[xSHiNOx]

i really like Us Monkeys Together. love it for the fact that;

- sung in mandarin by a girl
- the arctic level music!

[thomasfrank09]

I love this album. Now it's a tie between Voices of the Lifestream and this one as to which is my favorite.

I wrote a review on this album at well, check it out if you like!

http://thomasfrank09.info/archives/21

[Mirby]

Hmm... two reviews on this album then; mine and yours! I'll check yours out now.

EDIT: Here's mine.
http://metakirby.110mb.com/index.php?p=2_5

I do my reviews a little differently than you do yours...

[handi]

I can't express how absolutely floored I am with the overall precision, talent & charisma this entire 3-disc effort has put forth. Speechless with how well the ensemble group of artists and production team has melded the intense cauldron of genres and tones with of each piece of work. Amazing soundscape as a whole.

[rodtod]

Thanks to everyone who put in so much effort for this album!!

Mega props to zyko for Backwards Room, that song has James Bond intro music potential

[Brandon Strader]

When they said this was the album to end all albums, they weren't kiddin :-P

[Chernabogue]

Still doing headbangs while listening to "Monkeys D... BANANAS!!" This track is so powerful. BANANAS BANANAS !

Great job to Nekofrog and Brandon!

[a_d]

Listening to this again, I realized how much of a downer album it is. The only songs that aren't depressing are Rare Respite, Monkey Merengue (my two personal favs) and that Geoffrey Taucer vocal collab

[Geoffrey Taucer]

What about Re-skewed? The whole song literally does not have a single minor chord in it

[Liontamer]

Listening to this again, I realized how much of a downer album it is. The only songs that aren't depressing are Rare Respite, Monkey Merengue (my two personal favs) and that Geoffrey Taucer vocal collab

Yeah, you're weird. That's not accurate at all. :lol:

Oh wait, you're right. It's totally depressing hearing "HEY, it's the party song. Party's over here. C'MON!"

[Brandon Strader]

Yeah, you're weird. That's not accurate at all. :lol:

Oh wait, you're right. It's totally depressing hearing "HEY, it's the party song. Party's over here. C'MON!"
Parties are depressing because we never get invited to them. Hearing that song is like them rubbing it in our faces. :-P

[a_d]

man, you guys are fast. actually, i was just listening to it again and realized, "you know what, this isn't that depressing. there are a lot of uppier songs". But overall, the album still seems kind of zoned out/downer. I feel sad when i finish listening to it :puppyeyes:. That's not to say i don't like the album. it just means i shouldn't listen to it if i'm already feeling down

[Sarad_Thamia]

For some reason I have an issue with Bit Torrent files.:banghead: I'm not sure why but I can never download them properly. Anyone have a copy of this album that isn't in torrent format? I would really appreciate if someone could help me. Thanks. ;-)
May the Force be with you.

[Rozovian]

Here (http://dkc2.ocremix.org/music.html). Click on the zip file link thing.

Or you might just have to learn what torrents are and how they work. If the problem is that all you're getting is a small file that does nothing and think that's weird, you don't know how torrents work. That file contains what the torrent client needs to download the files from other users.

if your torrent problems stem from being behind a firewall or your ISP has blocked torrent traffic, ignore the second paragraph and just go for the zip. :D

[Sarad_Thamia]

Thanks for your help. Once I got the track list from the link you sent, I was able to find all the songs on YouTube. I appreciate your help.
May the Force be with you.;-)

[Rozovian]

Thanks for your help. Once I got the track list from the link you sent, I was able to find all the songs on YouTube. I appreciate your help.
May the Force be with you.;-)

Not to tell you what to do, but wouldn't you get better quality by downloading the mp3's from the zip on that page? :P

[a_d]

For some reason I have an issue with Bit Torrent files.:banghead: I'm not sure why but I can never download them properly. Anyone have a copy of this album that isn't in torrent format? I would really appreciate if someone could help me. Thanks. ;-)
May the Force be with you.

You don't have to download it as a torrent file. You can download the zip file (album artwork included) from the site by clicking on "Download the Complete .zip file!" just below the torrent link. Just to make it easier, here's the link: link (http://ocr.blueblue.fr/files/music/albums/dkc2/Donkey%20Kong%20Country%202%20-%20Serious%20Monkey%20Business%20[All%20MP3s%20+%20Artwork].zip)

[Sansato]

It's a good thing this thing is free because it is of much higher quality than any CD that requires one to pay for it.

Truthfully, I expected the album to be mediocre at best and containing only a few good songs. Then I actually started listening to it and got punched in the eardrums for being doubtful. I'm especially pleased by the tracks that contain actual singing, although the death metal arrangement of Crocodile Cacophony amuses me to no end (I'm assuming that death metal is supposed to sound threatening, so I suspect that the song in question does the opposite of what the genre is trying to accomplish).

Kudos to absolutely everyone who participated in this project and here's hoping future projects come out just as great.

[Tensei]

Listening to this again, I realized how much of a downer album it is. The only songs that aren't depressing are Rare Respite, Monkey Merengue (my two personal favs) and that Geoffrey Taucer vocal collab

My song on this album (Simian Soirée) is probably the happiest and most upbeat piece of shit I've ever written, unless you mean it's depressing in terms of quality rather than mood, in which case, eh, I'm inclined to agree (looking back I would change so much about it).

[a_d]

I should've clarified. I only download and keep the songs that pass my judgment (bwa), soooo... what I said only applies to those songs. I've become rather picky!

[AuthenticM]

This is by far the best OC remix album. It's my personal favorite. You guys need to do Trixie's Double Trouble!

[a_d]

actually DKC3 album was started when this one was released. it's in the works (find it in the projects thread). Interestingly, they're remixing both the original SNES soundtrack by Eveline Fischer and the GBA version by David Wise

P.S. Dixie, not Trixie

[Bahamut]

actually DKC3 album was started when this one was released. it's in the works (find it in the projects thread). Interestingly, they're remixing both the original SNES soundtrack by Eveline Fischer and the GBA version by David Wise

P.S. Dixie, not Trixie

More accurately, DKC 3 was started a few months before this one was released.

[RDX]

so i was in the living room doin something when my computer turned on and rhumba rumble started playing (my laptop had run out of juice and i was recharging it).

it was at that very moment that i realized it was the greatest ringtone evur

(my review? the entire album kicks ass, but it definitely had to grow on me, initially i only liked a few tracks. the only song i dont like is the remix of the map screen, mostly because i expected it to be godly because the source is that in itself)

[Bahamut]

So, given that its been a little more than half a year, I should chime in with my thoughts about the album: http://www.bahamutwc.com/blog/?p=46

[void.pointer]

There are 3 original tracks in DKC2 that I don't seem to see in this album:

Rigging
Ship Deck
Ship Deck 2

These are the titles from the SPC rips. I know Rigging is on the level where you are climbing up the ship's rafts during the rain.

Why were these not remixed (or maybe they are and I just don't recognize them)? These, IMHO, are some of the best songs in the original DKC2 soundtrack.

Good job on everything else!

[Emunator]

The songs you mentioned are (in the same order you mentioned them) Jib Jig, Klomp's Romp, and Snakey Chantey, which WERE covered on the project by Patrick Burns, Joren de Bruin, and Tepid. Don't worry, they weren't left out :-)

[Plombo]

The album page for this album has the list of original composers wrong. It lists the composers for DKC (Wise, Fischer/Novakovic, and Beanland), not DKC2. Dave Wise was the only composer for DKC2, no?

[Palpable]

The album page for this album has the list of original composers wrong. It lists the composers for DKC (Wise, Fischer/Novakovic, and Beanland), not DKC2. Dave Wise was the only composer for DKC2, no?

It may have been explained further back in the thread (maybe in another thread), but since DKC2 uses tracks from DKC1 or based on tracks from DKC1, they are credited.

[Plombo]

It may have been explained further back in the thread (maybe in another thread), but since DKC2 uses tracks from DKC1 or based on tracks from DKC1, they are credited.

But if that's the case, why aren't they credited only on the album page and not on OCR's DKC2 page?

[Cody Wedel]

According to Rare, Eveline Fischer did Simian Segue, Candy's Love Song, Voices of the Temple, Forest Frenzy, Treetop Rock, Northern Hemispheres and Ice Cave Chant, none of which appear in DKC2 under any circumstances. Robin Beanland's only addition to DKC was Funky's Fugue and we all know that didn't appear in DKC2, heh. So therefore, all the DKC2 tracks based off those from DKC were done solely by David Wise.

I don't think it matters too much what the main OCR site says; even if it's slightly incorrect, oh well, who cares? :D

[loony]

I've known this album for a while, but it sort of got lost in my 'random play all' playlist, so I haven't heard it for some time...

Just to give the thumbs up to this whole album which features some amazing tracks (rare respite, crystal swamp...), and especially one particularly big thumbs up to Backwards Room by zykO, who worked on a 22 second long music featured only once in the game (I think.... I'm pretty sure) and created... one of the insan-iest rock track I know !

To me, this is the definition of what OCR stands for: working out of little, and producing masterpieces. And this is why I asked if somebody would do a remix of the 4-second-long Tune of Currents of Zelda, Oracle of Ages (*wink* *nudge* anybody want to get back to that? *nudge* *wink* :-D)

Anyway, I love you guys <3

[Thrik]

I'm guessing nobody checks this thread anymore, but anyway: while in a mall the other day I heard a song being played, and was immediately struck by its similarity to the Roller Disco remix in the DKC2 album. Am I going crazy?

Check out 2:23 of Roller Disco (which sounds like it originates from Donkey Kong Land's boss music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS6jMnYUrx4) but I might be wrong):

Serious Monkey Business: 2-01 Roller Disco (Disco Train) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNnCechD3NU)

Then check out 2:07 of this cack:

Calvin Harris feat. Example - We'll Be Coming Back (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHO3dE-IDWk)

It's not the just the melody, but also the use of synths. Probably just coincidence but I found it interesting nonetheless. :P