[Liontamer]

Original Decision: http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3623

ReMixers: ambient, DragonAvenger

Game: Streets of Rage, Streets of Rage 2
Track Arranged: Stage 7 (SoR), Dreamer (SoR2)

You know the rest.

Guys,

I know, I am submitting another mix, even though last year I was convinced that I had pretty much retired from mixing, and I indicated that in my submission of Back 2 Skala. And I actually didn't touch anything related to music until a couple of months ago, when I felt this craving to do something creative. Not so easy to give it up, remixing is quite addicting. Unfortunately, I noticed that my skills got rusty even in such a short time, and I couldn't start a mix from scratch. Or maybe I was just lazy. Either way, I decided to dust off an old mix of the elevator stage from SOR that was rejected back in Jan/Feb 2006, and fix it up. I replaced the drums, gave them a lot more pump, added some transition (including a section from SOR2 - Dreamer), and was pretty much ready to submit. But, somewhere in the middle of that, I started listening to a little more of vocal house, and started kinda digging it. So, to make a long story short, I got in touch with DragonAvenger, who very kindly agreed to help me add some vocals to the track. She was great to work with and I'm looking forward to working with her again soon. Here is what she had to say about the mix:

"This was a first time for me doing a song like this, so it was difficult at first to come up with something that was short and sweet. I knew the basic idea of what I wanted to go for, but finding the right words took some time. It was pretty sweet to see how my voice could be manipulated in the end."

I am very happy with the result, and I hope you guys are too. This is a fun little track. It is not quite as edgy as B2S, but I hope you find it funky and energetic.

Once again, zircon helped a great deal with this remix. His advice pushes my work beyond what I would be comfortable with. Tamer also had some useful advice that I have implemented.

Special thanks to Skryp for hosting the submission file, and Nina V. and Will H. for exposing me to some good house music.

Till next time!

ambient

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http://project2612.org/download.php?id=53 - "Violent Breathing"
http://project2612.org/download.php?id=56 - "Dreamer" (influenced 1:43-2:12 of the mix)

The arrangement, I'm generally feeling. I think the a lack of a true melodic hook based off the source felt like a negative at first, but there doesn't need to be one for this to work, so that initial thought was just personal bias.

I was never really feeling how the claps sounded from :14-on. They're layered nicely, but something wasn't right in how they sat in the mix, and they felt exposed as a result.

I liked the writing on DA's vocals, but it was the production that felt off for some portions. It could be a byproduct of having heard the instrumental to this mix several times, but for some portions her voice felt too upfront and stapled on top of the track, not really meshing into the overall soundscape. As a result, the source arrangement sometimes felt inadvertently drowned down compared to the vocals. The timing was awkward for the "You bring me down" sections of 1:57-2:12 & 2:56-3:12. I would have adjusted them to be more on beat.

Cool lyrics. I actually would have gone for the more provocative "Let me show you what our bodies can do" instead of "Let me show you what my body can do", since there was "Let our hearts collide" earlier, but it's not a negative criticism. I thought the lyrics were very smart for the genre.

Awesome effects on DA's voice at 1:00 building into the chorus section at 1:06. Same from 2:49-2:56 where the vocals got turned into a ethereal pad. Little touches like that really hooked it up.

Overall, I would have balanced the parts differently, but I can see how it would be tough given the level of density here. Nonetheless, I loved Alex's very interpretive treatment of "Violent Breathing", while DragonAvenger's vocals added a nice new dimension that filled in the gaps. As a instrumental track, there was something missing to really make the whole thing click. DA's involvement gave the piece what it needed to feel complete. Definitely a great mix for the club.

YES

[Malcos]

Wow that kick in the intro packs a punch. DA's vocals could have maybe been taken in a little to make it blend with the other track elements, although with so much going on in the track I can understand the reason for having them stand out at the front in the way that they do. Sections like 1.43 keep this mix constantly fresh and high energy, and the vocal effects towards the end of the mix are great. That section at 2.57 with the 'You bring me down' lyrics really sounded off time, and does bring the mix down a bit (pardon the pun). This does pass, but the off timing brings it to borderline for me. Great collab.

YES(Borderline)

[Palpable]

Oh I really dig this one. Has that club banger sound and the filtered pads and synths all fit together to make swirly goodness. DA's voice fits this very well, though the rhythm of her vocals was a little stiff at times. I also think the beat could have used some mid-range parts to give it more fullness, maybe an open hi-hat or a kick with more mid. It's still a pretty sweet groove and the blend of instruments is gorgeous.

I was waiting the entire song for DA's voice to get glitched and I almost thought it wouldn't happen. Then it happened.

YES

[DarkeSword]

Yeah, I have no real problems with this. Fun house-y track. The kick might have a little too much presence, but that's a personal gripe. Very groovy and very fitting of the SoR soundtracks. Nice job!

YES