[orkybash]

Mega Man 2 'Rapid Fire'

Disco Dan is cool. or rathre, this mix is. If you're familiar with DD's style, you should know what to expect - it's obviously him right down to the specific sounds used. My only complaint is it's pretty repetative, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth a download.

[Antonio Pizza]

(originally posted Apr 01, 2002 8:45 pm)

Okay...take 2.


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Rapid Fire (Mega Man II)
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by Disco Dan. You may remember him from such remixes as Mario Paint's "Load/Save the Last Trip Hop For Me" and Donkey Kong Country's "Hard Candy"


Mega Man II gets covered yet agin. No, no. Don't run in fear. It's okay. Disco Dan to the rescue! 11 layers, 10 simultaneously playing at it's peak, and 30 (count 'em, THIRTY) layer transitions. So should I rate it now or at the end of the review? Hmmm...maybe I'll throw it in midway and only mention it once to insure that the whole thing is read. And in case anyone wants to be a smarty pants and look for the word "slices", you just found it. On with the show!

The first three seconds greet you with a spooky ambientlike bass foundation. Very soon thereafter, it is joined by the real bassline, after which a soft flowing ambience kicks in (boy, was THAT redundant!). At 0:26, everything stops and you are introduced to the main melody's underlayer. Over the next 40 seconds, a hihat, the bassline, the beatdrop, a SECOND hihat, and an oscillating/pulsing layer join in one by one. The oscillating/pulsing layer leaves to make way for the main melody which is created though lovely synth horns. Accompaning the horns are a drum loop and another synth which I call "the bubble thingy." Trust me, you'll know it when you hear it.

At 1:33 "Rapid Fire" snaps you back to reality by dropping all but the main melody's underlayer. Within three seconds both hihats, the drum loop, and the beatdrop reaquaint themselves back into place. They are then respectively rejoined by the bassline, the bubbly thingy, and the ambience. At 2:13, Disco Dan brings the horns back in, but drops the bubble thingy. Thirteen seconds later, only the ambience, the horns, and the underlayer remain...but their isolation is only temporary. At 2:40, the bassline comes back, joined by the bubbles three seconds thereafter. At 2:51, the horns, the underlayer, and the bassline either drop off or fade off, leaving the bubble thingy and the ambience a mere 2 seconds to play by themselves. The bassline comes in and enjoys the solitutde until the underlayer comes in. By 3:13, only the underlayer is playing.

Starting at 3:13 however, the layers begin a gradually rebuilding of the song. In what takes almost a minute to accomplish, "Rapid Fire" readds the hihat, the beatdrop, the second hihat, the bassline, the oscillating/pulsing layer, the drum loop, the horns, the bubble thingy and the ambience (in that order). For fourteen seconds (4:06 - 4:20), you get to enjoy the climax of the amassed instrumentations before Disco Dan prepares his closing.

At 4:20, the remix undoes the work of the previous minute and starts to fade the layers out. Taking only 20 seconds to fade them (as compared to 53 to build them up), the beatdrop, the bass, the drums, both hihats, the oscillation/pulsing layer, and underlayer are all gone by 4:40. The final moments of the song are lovingly spent with the ambience, the horns, and the bubbles until they too fade out, closing the song with a length of 4 minutes and 56 seconds.

"Rapid Fire" is one of the longer tracks on the site. Disco Dan uses very little (if any) improvisation on this track, yet it still earns a rating of nine. Why? First off, Disco Dan's choice of instrumentation. The buzzing of underlayer, the flow of the ambience (my favorite), the lighthearted bubbliness of the...well, of the bubbles. And of course, the horns (which came in at a close second for favorite). Second, the amount of instruments. True, quality is more important than quantity. But what's wrong with having LOTS of quality? Third, the sheer amount of changes. Thirty. Thirty switches 'n twists 'n turns 'n additions 'n subtractions...
You're allowed to get comfortable with what's going on, but not for too long. It's okay, because you've almost always got a familiar instrument leading you into the next change.

I don't think anyone will debate what Disco Dan earned on this track (keyword = earned). I'm pleased on a personal level, because Heat Man's theme was the one I disliked the most from Mega Man II. Our buddy Daniel has somewhat redeemed the boys at Capcom. Thank you Dan. Fandamntastic and unnotlistentoable. I know Dan's pleased on a personal level, because he's been waiting for SOMEONE to comment on this song since before it was posted. There? ARE YOU HAPPY NOW :D


Folks, these opinions are just that. I ain't a remixer. I'm a listener. But if you've been a regular visitor to the message boards since July 10th of 2001, you already know that. Please, listen to this track more than once before you make your own opinions. Listen to it through decent speakers. And keep comin' back.


Kudos to Disco Dan.
Well done sir, well done.

[Woffester]

Dude, you write too much. I love this song and I'd just like to say this:




I ::HEART:: THE BRASS!

[skawttieboy]

Interesting story I thought I'd share with you about this mix...

I just listened to this mix for the first time in a while last night, and my roommate turns to me and goes, "Hey, Phil Collins, good song...."
I look at him and go, "Uhmm...what the hell are you talking about?"
He goes, "This song...isn't this "In the Air Tonight"?"
And I go, "No, this is Mega Man 2..."

Well, after downloading it, I noticed that the introductions to both sounds sound sorta similiar. :)

[suzumebachi]

Originally Posted by Antonio Pizza

Donkey Kong Country's "Hard Candy"

wot wot?

disco dan be holdin out on us eh?

[A-RoN]

Disco Dan's old hit Mega Man 2 Rapid Fire Remix is great. It's not neccessarily the coolest of all his tunes, but he's got the synths, the perfect but repetitive dance beat to keep the party hoppin', and what is this? Brass? I've never heard brass in techno, but it fits well with the other electronic stuff. Good work Dan! But do something other than Mega Man for once.

[LibertyCabbage]

if curiosity killed the cat, then that trumpety-sound killed the song @@

[Coucou]

That's the kind of remix I like,
with simple synths, stereo delays,
a big bass and a little pad.
Well, it's true the brass lead sound
is special...

[Bummerdude]

Disco Dan, you have done it again. Bravo!

[RockyRan]

I really, REALLY wanted to enjoy this piece...but the brass just...didn't fit in. If it was only another lead instrument used, I would've loved this piece. But other than that, the rest was great.