ReMix: Ecco the Dolphin 'Dorsal Dub'
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- Game: Ecco the Dolphin (Sega, 1993, GEN)
- ReMixer(s): djpretzel
- Composer(s): András Magyari, Brian Coburn, Spencer N. Nilsen
- Song(s):
- Posted: 2000-02-09, evaluated by djpretzel
ECCO the dolphin, for the Sega Genesis, was a very strange game with very strange music . . . there was really no single melody, just kind of ambient new age / jazz stuff that changed and played constantly . . . it fit the game quite nicely, actually. I decided to do my own "DJ Shadow" style DUB remix - if you have a problem with jazz, or think songs should have a distinct melody, stay far, far away, but otherwise . . come a bit closer, and download the ECCO dorsal dub.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the I can hear the edges of the looping drums! Almost as if the tempo
of the song is just the slightest bit different to allow the
smallest pause between repetition. I do think the sounds are pretty
dry here and could use some reverb. Especially the right-panned
ePiano seems very dry as well as being very right-panned. :-P
There's also some sour notes here and there in some of the chords.
I definitely think some reverb would help complete the atmosphere
that is going on -- maybe brighten the string pad a bit (or chop
some low-mids) as well as adding reverb. Widening the string pad
just a touch would have been great -- not to the extreme that the
ePiano is, just a little bit.. maybe L35. I think if the ePiano and
String pad had a similar panning, the sound would be more
effective. The bass instrument could have come up as well, possibly
as much as 4db.
- Brandon Strader on December 3, 2011
- Brandon Strader on December 3, 2011
Sexy funky electric piano. That about sums up the review -
everything else is a nitpick, in comparison. No, really, the
electric jazz piano pretty much dominates the entire track, and
it's worth listening to based on that alone.
The background harmonies are pretty neat, as well. Unfortunately, there's no real satisfying bass to complete then ensemble, in my opinion. It makes the track sound more empty than it is.
The drums are a little eclectic (and not in a good way). They're a regular set with basic bass & snare on the one hand, and crazy compressed SFX on the other. They don't mesh well when they're together.
The arrangement is a bit meandering, though that might come with the source not really having as much direction. I'm not familiar with the source, and DjP mentions that it's more of an ambient track, anyway, so I'm going to take his word for it.
Fun track, even if it does just wander around a bit. Certainly seven dolphins out of ten.
- Gario on December 2, 2011
The background harmonies are pretty neat, as well. Unfortunately, there's no real satisfying bass to complete then ensemble, in my opinion. It makes the track sound more empty than it is.
The drums are a little eclectic (and not in a good way). They're a regular set with basic bass & snare on the one hand, and crazy compressed SFX on the other. They don't mesh well when they're together.
The arrangement is a bit meandering, though that might come with the source not really having as much direction. I'm not familiar with the source, and DjP mentions that it's more of an ambient track, anyway, so I'm going to take his word for it.
Fun track, even if it does just wander around a bit. Certainly seven dolphins out of ten.
- Gario on December 2, 2011
That sonar was so good! Perfect backing for this track, and for
such a simple idea, that sonar was probably the cherry on top of
this mix. I gotta say, I'm becoming more of a fan of jazz with
every ReMix I listen to that has some form of it, and I kinda dig
the ambient jazz that lets it switch up the melodies without
crashing. It feels like it's meant to bring up images of the sea,
and considering the game and source, that's a plus.
- Crulex on October 18, 2011
- Crulex on October 18, 2011
I love the sonar sound. I always think of Hydrophone Breakdown from
VotL when I hear this one. Ya, it does feel a bit hollow, like
there is a missing track, but the rhythm and improv are great as
always.
- SubNormal J3 on November 18, 2010
- SubNormal J3 on November 18, 2010
Obviously the sonar is great, but the rest of the instrumentation
feels a bit dry. Still some cool keyboards going on (although they
seem a bit frantic sometimes for the mood I think you're going
for), and the drums are interesting throughout. Feels like you
could squeeze another minute or two out of it, but perhaps the same
could be said of all songs of this genre with no real melody.
Overall, I dig it. Another decent early mix.
- Tables on July 1, 2010
- Tables on July 1, 2010
This brings back memories. l like how it fits with the atmosphere
of the ocean and how it really is great to listen to when you want
to relax.
- metalsnakejuice on April 12, 2009
- metalsnakejuice on April 12, 2009
Sounds like a ReMix of Opening Theme, from what I can tell. The
persistently changing melody is a bold choice and a commendable
strength of Dorsal Dub.
As others noted, the sonar is a slick touch, but I think it loses some of its mysterious vibe while other synths are in play. On the other hand, if it played three more pings at the end, the mix would wrap up on a more satisfying note.
I like the whistles (1:38 - 1:44); it's like they're calling out to the abyss. Before that, the brief minimalist lapse (1:28 - 1:31) could be a bit longer to distance itself from - and better emphasize - the rather offbeat percussion. Speaking of which, the popping drums, muted rubber band pluckings (that's what they sound like), and other percussive tidbits are a treat.
- Polo on April 11, 2009
As others noted, the sonar is a slick touch, but I think it loses some of its mysterious vibe while other synths are in play. On the other hand, if it played three more pings at the end, the mix would wrap up on a more satisfying note.
I like the whistles (1:38 - 1:44); it's like they're calling out to the abyss. Before that, the brief minimalist lapse (1:28 - 1:31) could be a bit longer to distance itself from - and better emphasize - the rather offbeat percussion. Speaking of which, the popping drums, muted rubber band pluckings (that's what they sound like), and other percussive tidbits are a treat.
- Polo on April 11, 2009
Vintage pretzel is like cold pizza or soggy cereal. Some people
love it and some people just can't get past the way it is supposed
to be eaten. Or in this case, listened to.
Would this have sounded better if djpretzel concieved this mix today? Of course. But does it sound great regardless? To me, it's hot.
I relay all the praise for the sonar sound effect; this gives the mix a gimmick, which is helpful in instantly remembering the song after it gets lost in the vast shuffle. Drums get a little spastic in relation to the keyboard melody, which is also get quite manic. At times, it sounds as though one thing is happening completely detached from the other, which throws me a little. However, then you have moments like at 1:17 - 1:45, which is just ubercool and very slick.
Being a track from the first days of OCR, this mix proves that the fun was always there, but also the quality has always been there too. This mix still sounds fresh, interesting and ear-pleasing even after 9 YEARS! And that's a tough thing to do, I imagine. Mind boggling.
- Marmiduke on February 28, 2009
Would this have sounded better if djpretzel concieved this mix today? Of course. But does it sound great regardless? To me, it's hot.
I relay all the praise for the sonar sound effect; this gives the mix a gimmick, which is helpful in instantly remembering the song after it gets lost in the vast shuffle. Drums get a little spastic in relation to the keyboard melody, which is also get quite manic. At times, it sounds as though one thing is happening completely detached from the other, which throws me a little. However, then you have moments like at 1:17 - 1:45, which is just ubercool and very slick.
Being a track from the first days of OCR, this mix proves that the fun was always there, but also the quality has always been there too. This mix still sounds fresh, interesting and ear-pleasing even after 9 YEARS! And that's a tough thing to do, I imagine. Mind boggling.
- Marmiduke on February 28, 2009
The echolocation pings for the intro and ending really set the
tone/place for this mix; they immediately tell the listener that
this is in the solitary dark depths of the ocean.
I like the lazy, laid back feel to it. Very good music to listen to while studying/reading.
It's a cool mix and worth listening to.
- 42 on December 15, 2008
I like the lazy, laid back feel to it. Very good music to listen to while studying/reading.
It's a cool mix and worth listening to.
- 42 on December 15, 2008
Pretty good ambient jazz track. Admittedly there's not a lot going
on, and it starts to sound a bit meandering. But, it still works
well as background.
I'm sort of surprised the sonar ping works so well despite being repeated for almost the entire track. The rest of the melody kind of dances around that and the percussion, so it has a pretty cohesive feel to it. All in all, it's a fun track, even if it does feel a little aimless. KF
- Kizyr on December 9, 2008
I'm sort of surprised the sonar ping works so well despite being repeated for almost the entire track. The rest of the melody kind of dances around that and the percussion, so it has a pretty cohesive feel to it. All in all, it's a fun track, even if it does feel a little aimless. KF
- Kizyr on December 9, 2008
Hmm.... this mix is a really pretty piece of keyboard work with
drums that feel like they're trying to accent the atmosphere.
There's parts in it where I feel like the drums throw me off
(mostly at the intro), and then there's parts where they're sucking
me back into the mix (from 1:15 - 2:00). After that I feel somewhat
meh about the whole piece. It's alright, but I definitely don't
feel like it's any of djpretzel's best work.
- Lint on December 7, 2008
- Lint on December 7, 2008
This is really cool. Starts with a breathing sonar ping, which is
pretty cool even on its own. Cool, soft, a little uneven tho for
something from 2000 it's still great. It's easy to find stuff to
appreciate in this, tho there are some detracting production
things. Still, it's certainly worth a listen or two.
- Rozovian on December 4, 2008
- Rozovian on December 4, 2008
I can't believe I didn't review this before. I listen to it a lot,
both because I'm a fan of Ecco and because it's a great
remix.
The EP is both played well and has a sweet sound. As OA pointed out it's a little on the dry side, but I tend to like that.
The only thing bothering me is that this is NOT dub :D Otherwise, give it a listen, it will not dissapoint.
- anosou on December 6, 2007
The EP is both played well and has a sweet sound. As OA pointed out it's a little on the dry side, but I tend to like that.
The only thing bothering me is that this is NOT dub :D Otherwise, give it a listen, it will not dissapoint.
- anosou on December 6, 2007
The sonar is a nice touch to the piece, and I like how it fits
throughout the entire song.
The song is very meandering, which isn't a bad thing, though I would have liked more of a...purpose...for lack of a better word. The song falls too much into a catagory of something I can really through into the background and ignore. From the sounds of it, however, the original music wasn't much different, so it's hard to fault DJP on that.
I like the jazz feel, and sometimes background music is nice to have. I'll keep this one.
- DragonAvenger on December 5, 2007
The song is very meandering, which isn't a bad thing, though I would have liked more of a...purpose...for lack of a better word. The song falls too much into a catagory of something I can really through into the background and ignore. From the sounds of it, however, the original music wasn't much different, so it's hard to fault DJP on that.
I like the jazz feel, and sometimes background music is nice to have. I'll keep this one.
- DragonAvenger on December 5, 2007
The sonar in this track gives it a somewhat underwater feel, but
everything else is a little too dry to complete the mood. There are
some pads that get the feel across, and the drum sound is good as
well.
One issue, however, is that the rhythm on both the drums and electric piano seems really uneven. It sounds more like a sloppy performance than a conscious descision, IMO. Though it is both detracting and distracting, there are a lot of elements in this mixthat are well done, especially for such an early work.
- OA on December 26, 2006
One issue, however, is that the rhythm on both the drums and electric piano seems really uneven. It sounds more like a sloppy performance than a conscious descision, IMO. Though it is both detracting and distracting, there are a lot of elements in this mixthat are well done, especially for such an early work.
- OA on December 26, 2006
