[djpretzel]

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

[Garde]

Ah yes... "The" GrayLightning is back with an excellent Final Fantasy OC ReMix...

The intro to this song is incredible, in my humble opinion. I've heard several versions of this song, and I must say that this is a huge improvement over the previous version's intro. GrayLightning is a master at making songs that build up, and that's what this intro does, and then goes right into the "main" theme. Excellent transition work here. But to go back to the intro, it sounds exotic, sort of like egyptian or something like that. I think of walking through a pyramid and looking at hyroglyphs and painting of pharoahs when I hear the intro to this song, I have no idea why, but it's probably due to the sound of the intro and the title, since Egyptians believe in the "After Life."

Anyways, onto where I left off... The transition quickly awakes me from imagining pyramids and all that stuff, since the style changes quite a bit, although it's not jarring. The synth just doesn't fit the exotic tone, and that's what I'm referring to when I say it ends that little imagination wandering off... The strings come in and then the song picks up tempo, along with that cool drum (can't be more specific because I'll confuse you, but it sounds sort of like a frog, as Gray put it). I really enjoy that part, the beat is fresh, especially during the time where it's playing alone.

After the beat goes off on a tangent, the song comes back to a more instrumental approach and after a short re-introduction, picks up the "main" theme again. Ah yes, the piano comes in and dominates this portion of the song, near the end... This is a great way to pick the song up and end it. The piano you used gives a very satisfying sound on that last note.

Overall, this song is pretty darn good. GrayLightning strays from his traditional new age style to deliver us a more techno-ish sound. Very daring, and I think it's pretty successful in its execution. GrayLightning does an excellent job in orchestrating this song, as he does with all of his songs ;). Everything transitions pretty smoothly also... This mix is definitely GrayLightning quality stuff, though there's much more in store for you avid GrayLightning fans ;). I won't ruin any surprises, but you'll love what's he's got hidden up his sleeve! ;)

[myf]

GrayLightning does it again. His recent works (including his DK mix for the DKC project ) have shown an excellent level of musical maturity that has only increased from his previous mixes. This mix does not disappoint; it features some extremely cool ethnic vibes and manages to sound ice cold (what's cooler than cool?) without sounding arrogant and loud. His vibe is subtle and beautiful. The plucked instruments add a feel of realism to the mix, and the piano is vibrant and emotional. The back beat is subtle but complements the mix very well, pacing it just right. I would count this mix amongst my favorites from GL. Nice work!

[Sleepy Emp]

Unique "GrayLightning" style, excellent composition and presentation. Download the mix now, you won't be disappointed.

[Bruk]

This song rocks my planet.

[Fray]

It seems almost like a guilty pleasure to be excited to see that Gray Lightning did an electronic dance style piece. I always feel like a bit of a poser for gravitating towards that sort of music, and I feel like I can hold my fairly large collection of GL tracks up as if to say, "I'm not completely lame! I enjoy something cultured and challenging!"

Actually, I should better clarify my tastes -- My favorite kind of music is that which takes the electronic dance style and does something new and innovative with it. When I saw that GL had made a more electronic piece, I expected to find just that; hence my excitement.

I was not disappointed :) "AfterLife" is a wonderful and unique blend of GL's tried-and-true new age style and electronic dance. The result is something akin to newer (read: last decade or so) Tangerine Dream music -- it has groove and punch like dance music, but the structure and general aesthetic are decidedly classical.

Production quality is excellent. Both the synths and the "real" sounds are great; they're well-chosen and mix together smoothly. I this is particularly laudable considering it's the author's first foray into a different style of music. It sounds effortless -- as if he's done this sort of thing before. One of my favorite tidbits is an odd little synth that enters around 1:36 -- it sounds sort of like a guiro with a filter sweep. I can honestly say I've never heard a synth guiro before :P

I love how the piece is structured. There are two big tempo changes -- something you don't see every day. They're definate attention-getters -- the shifts from slow to fast and back again are quite drastic -- but they don't sound jarring or unnatural. The tempo shifts are a major contributor to the complete, epic feel of this piece. I didn't actually look at the total time until after a couple of listens, and I was quite surprised to see that it was only 4:10. So much happens musically that I felt like I had listened to something considerably longer; I was expecting something in the 5-minute range. It's not just the tempo changes that create such a sense of completeness in such a short time; there's a lot of musical action packed into every moment and detail. Just like a great classical piece :)

I love the percussion. I know so little about percussion that it's hard for me to say much more than that... It sounds great and it's not repetitive.

One minor gripe:

Also, the tremolo strings at the end sound like they could use a little polish. It sounds like it's not quite on the beat when it drops to the lower note at 3:47. Maybe that was an intentional human touch?


If it's not already clear from what I said, or if you're just skimming the review:

This is excellent, and I highly reccomend it to anyone. For techno fans especially, it's a great way to expand your horizon a little bit in the new age/classical direction without giving up too much of the style you know and love.

Like a lot of Gray Lightning's work, it's not as instantly accessible as your average remix. I liked it the first time I heard it, as I imagine anyone will, but it took a couple of repeats before I loved it. So I suggest giving this piece at least three listens before moving on.

[Veovis]

I always download work by GrayLightning because I always know it is quality work. Once again, I was not let down. Excellent. A great and memorable track redone flawlessly.

[Nigel Simmons]

Nice work, GrayLightning!!

[bakemaster]

very nice, very nice indeed :D

[Trenthian]

Sux! :)





I dig the groove it lays... excellent use of synths, and the texture... geeze man. complete suprise. You somehow manage to keep it playful even though it is a very serious peice. i was dissapointed with the way some of the mid stuff is so stiff.... but its okay... a few listens later and all was set right, and it felt more natural. Excellent work.