OCR02112 - Shantae: Risky's Revenge 'Baal Bhaagna'

[djpretzel]

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

[SwordBreaker]

Good stuff. Very Bollywood-like indeed. Not really my cup of tea to be honest, but I applaud virt's versatility here. Is there a genre he can't take on?

On a related note, I LOVE "Through the Trees" in Shantae RR's OST. Very DKC-like in terms of mellowness. A remix of that would be awesome. I'm going to download this game soon since I missed out on the original.

[SubNormal J3]

Well done. As you would expect from virt. Oh wait, that name seems to have been abandoned. jk, I mean. Either way, great mix, great source, and awesome use of Indian elements. Let's see some more Jake on the site!

[anosou]

This mix really is silly amounts of awesome. If you don't listen you're a loser, simple as that.

[Chernabogue]

Truly awesome! Great job, Jake! :)

[OA]

A mix this solid needs a new word to be created to describe how good it is. How about "Ri-sick-ulous"? I believe that will suffice.

Excellent atmosphere, flow, and something interesting at all times, a solid melody, and great supporting parts. Samples and production are great, and it's got a great beat. Nothing not to like.

VIRT R BADMEN? Moar liek VIRT R BADASS.

highly recommended. :-D

[DarkeSword]

Yes! This is like the soundtrack of my childhood right here! Starting out it doesn't really have a "Bollywood" vibe; it's more of a "western guys writing 'Arabian' music vibe," but later on it sort of gets into some A.R. Rahman territory in terms of composition. But even then, there are those great sections where the melody sort of breaks into a more traditional melodic VGM section that could very well be written by one of the old school Japanese composers.

IN ANY CASE, all of that world-hopping makes for a groovy piece of music. Very awesome.

[DjMystix]

Doesn't sound anything like "Bollywood" but awesome remix. Very fitting to a 2D old-school platformer. Thank you for the nostalgia. I love this remix.


On a related note, the only people who still makes music like this in today's games is Platinum Games. Rest just goes to Paris to record a full blown Hollywood Orchestra which pisses me off most of the time.

[Liontamer]

This mix is FIRE!

[Nearly]

Just severely brilliant. As an isolated fan of Banghra music this made my day.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

Is this like an OCR record for a new game being released with a remix being posted so soon after?

[djpretzel]

Is this like an OCR record for a new game being released with a remix being posted so soon after?

Actually, no: http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02028/

Which is interesting, because that mix is probably the most similar to this one in terms of blending electronica & world music. Both are amazing.

[Guifrog]

@__________________@

Yea, this is RI-SICK-ULOUS! It's everything I dream about \@/
Damn, I'm pretty impressed, really!

[zyko]

yeah, pretty much?

[Guifrog]

Pretty much. :P

[eboku]

This is seriously one of the most epic songs I have ever heard on OCR.

great work, love it!

[a_d]

Hmm. Same Eastern sound as newcomer Guifrog's DKR remix Shiva Nataraja. Not a bad thing!

[jk]

Guys, I love you all! Thanks for the reviews and encouragement. I still lurk here frequently, but I'm really happy to submit music again. Actually a little nervous about whether my production quality is up to the site's standards nowadays -- there are too many pro-level musicians here to count anymore, it's insane.

Starting out it doesn't really have a "Bollywood" vibe; it's more of a "western guys writing 'Arabian' music vibe
Hahaha, BUSTED, that's something I beat myself up over the entire time; hearing other dudes do that makes me cry tears of blood, since it disregards 2000+ years of classical theory, and basically amounts to a mocking racist caricature.

My priority with music in general is to progress from pastiche to authenticity, which only comes with tons of study and immersion. Been listening to a metric assload of Carnatic music over the past few years, but it's not a field where you'll make much progress in a small amount of time (or, say, 10 lifetimes). At the very least, my semitic heritage grants me a +5 bonus to harmonic minor scales, so maqams are less of a stretch for me than ragas.

In hindsight I think I may actually have ended up closer to Lollywood / Lahore here --it's crazy how different the styles are in different areas of the subcontinent.

As an isolated fan of Banghra music
WORD. I like Bhangra even a little more than I like Bollywood soundtracks, because it's such a perfect fusion of folk music and hip hop and dance music all wrapped up in a crispy pakora of delight. Scratches several itches at once.

[ddavis1979]

I was under the impression that "Shiva Nataraja" was the first Bollywood?

Am I off the mark there?

http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02072/

[djpretzel]

I was under the impression that "Shiva Nataraja" was the first Bollywood?

Am I off the mark there?

http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02072/

Nah, good call. I think in the excitement of posting this I had a brain freeze on that one, also a great track.

[zyko]

i don't see how "authenticity" is an issue here. after all, jk is a western guy doing "eastern" music (where's the arabic?)

it's hard enough for a western middle eastern guy (me) to do middle eastern music (despite listening to a metric fuck ton of it) so i'm genuinely impressed by this "foray into eastern horizons!" lol

your next challenge, jk: tuvan throat singing

[Maxx Skywalker]

I guess it took a virt remix for me to finally post something worth notating. With the sudden demise of VGmix, I've been out of the community for awhile. I'm not a composer, I'm a listener, and I've always been a fan of Jake's stuff, regardless of whether I recognize the source or not.

He's a got a creative spark all his own, that always seems to inspire multiple listens in a row. I can't describe how awesome it is to hear something new.

Lest I drown my keyboard in a mess of drool, I shall conclude with this.

I missed you virt. Loved the new mix. Peace.

[ktriton]

My people and I are proud :)

[SnappleMan]

Like half the notes are wrong. Next time use a better source MIDI.

(this shits bangin, and I still hear that pearl 1 DFHS snare that you've been using since the count of tuscany was in office, love you, ^w^)

[Gollgagh]

effing sweet, I totally didn't expect a remix for this to come out so soon

[meboeck]

Wow, I think this is my first time posting on a song here. I really love this mix. It captures the Bollywood style so well. I can see a huge dance number on a movie screen when I listen to this. Great job.

I was under the impression that "Shiva Nataraja" was the first Bollywood?

Am I off the mark there?

http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02072/

Well, this one is more directly based on the Bollywood style and not just Indian music in general. Bollywood is a pretty specific genre in India.

[Dhsu]

I...I think I peed myself a little. I hope you're happy, Jake. I hope you're happy.

[Mad Lust Envy]

Good lord. This song was so freaking incredible that it made me stop lurking and comment on how ridiculously awesome this remix is. OMFG. One of the best. EASILY. That's saying a lot.

[Vampire Hunter Dan]

Not yet being familiar with the original, and with lack of time to post a review with actual details, I found this to be tremendously fun to listen to, and (not surprisingly) well done.

[AkumajoBelmont]

I've been listening to this mix for DAYS. ReMix of the Week it is on my podcast too!!! But THAT section at 1:24... WOW. It's totally, TOTALLY everything to me. I'm SO all about that section. Reminds me of every Bond theme and every 70's TV show theme all mixed together. Love it man, seriously. The intro also reminds me of that brilliant CV mix you did years back. Words cannot express how much I love this remix. Really, they can't.

[Kadosho]

Just listened, and delighted over the sweet sound.
I love the fast paced beat, and rhythm. Honestly reminds me of Ninja Gaiden,PoP, & a bit of Sonic (but in a great way!)

This new teaser is just sweet on so many levels.
Hope you're working on the soundtrack. I may have just become a new fan, of this neat series.

[halc]

i like to think that I have a pretty high tolerance for loud volumes, but this track is dangerously loud at full volume. this is certainly, as djp put it, a 'juggernaut of production' but in comparison to some of the other high-volume guys like bLiNd and PrototypeRaptor, listening to this above 75% volume is unbearable. perhaps it's just me.

anyway, this mix (at a listenable volume) is incredible. virt always shows amazing versatility as a musician and I hope that we will see more mixes from him on the frontpage (and after this mixpost, I am confident that we will! :D)

fantastic mix!

[Martin Penwald]

Excellent atmosphere, flow, and something interesting at all times, a solid melody, and great supporting parts. Samples and production are great, and it's got a great beat.

All of that. And more.

The intro is great and a lot of fun. 1:20 onwards has a very 70s TV show vibe to it; I could see Charlie's Angels (the original ones, of course) do some poorly performed stunts to this.

Awesome work.

[Nutritious]

Man, this track is fantastic. Love the energy it brings and pacing. Whether or not it is "authentic", it definitely captures the movie vibe he was reaching for. I wouldn't have batted an eye if someone had introduced this to me as part of a film soundtrack.

Excellent work.

[aceazure]

I've been coming back and listening to this again and again, I can say I'm hooked. I really love that voice, it sounds a bit artificial but in some mysteriously haunting way.

[Vyse of Arcadia]

I am reminded of tracks from mid to late 90s Sonic Team games. It's as if virt was channeling the ghost of Tomoko Sasaki (who isn't dead, actually, but still.)

[Emunator]

Not just you, Drew - I also had a problem with the volume level on the mix, it's definitely not easy on the ears. However, that critique aside, this mix is pretty much untouchable. Stunning sequencing, as I've come to expect from virt, in a much more unconventional genre than I'm used to seeing him mix in. That combination of virt's usual goodness with an unusual style that you don't hear on OCR everyday really makes for a memorable remix.

[Marmiduke]

Good grief. What a flurry-kick of colour and spice... unmistakable Indian-influence, if not a somewhat cartoony version of Indian music. But hey, that's how I like my videogame mixes.
There's really not a lot to say, other than there is a lot to love here. The sound is loud and has some real weight to it, which is always a good way to win my undivided attention. Despite so much going on at any given moment, it never feels overly chaotic or strenuous to listen to. It's been masterfully produced, and is almost unrivalled in sheer thunderous rhythm.
If you just happen to be after a stampede of sound coming in from somewhere in central Asia, look no further. It's got hooky melody lines, neat sounding vocals and an assload of ethnicity working at once to form a must-hear mix. Love it.

[42]

I love this mix a lot; its one of those mixes that I would label as having a story to tell, especially with it's energetic pacing and a "go big or go home" feel.

My only complaint with this is a minor one: the intro police chase sound effects were never followed up on. I want to know what happens next, darn it!

But anyway, this is truly an amazing song, pure and simple.

[Nobbynob Littlun]

Now that's what I call video game music.