ReMix:Arkanoid "1999 (2000 Mix)" 2:25

By Chris Abbott

Arranging the music of one song...

"Loader"

Primary Game: Arkanoid (Imagine Software , 1986, C64), music by Martin Galway

Posted 2000-02-09, evaluated by djpretzel


Arkanoid was another classic that ate up quarters like no tomorrow and gave Taito some major attention. It apparently was also one of the first games to use samples in the soundtrack (sampled instruments, not voice!) This heavy-hitting industrial strength update of the commodore version's soundtrack was contributed by the incomparable Chris Abbott, who runs WWW.C64AUDIO.COM , where more such treasures are stored for your listening pleasure

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
BladedEdge
on 2023-12-12 18:32:05

This is happy music. It makes me happy.
Arrangement-wise I don't think it's actually all that different from the c64 original, but it feels more fleshed-out. Like we're going from 8-bit c64 to an amiga cracktro from some warez group that's full of dumb kids but somehow snatched up some amazing demoscene musician who should rightly be out of their league. Arkanoid 16-bit glow-up. Sometimes that's all you need.

avatar
Marscaleb
on 2020-07-19 20:44:04

This one gets points for having one of the best names for a remix ever.

avatar
Brandon Strader
on 2011-12-03 19:18:04

Digging the beat, and I'm so glad the highs of the percussion are not too loud. That's something that plagued a lot of these earlier mixes. The arrangement is not particularly enticing, but the synths are used well and have good use of panning to add some body to the mix. The drums might actually be a little soft as a whole and could use more punch. The drum clarity is better at 1:27 when the song is much less busy, but there is a bit of mud earlier on. The song was easy to listen to a couple times but it doesn't really introduce additional song structure or go anywhere interesting.

avatar
Gario
on 2011-12-02 00:49:23

Woa, first remix that's not a DjP classic. I'm liking it, too.

Nice synth combination - wet lower synths with springy, catchy dry synths. They create a nice synergy and fill the soundscape quite effectively. It's a rare thing to have an older remix where I'm perfectly happy with the sample quality, but here's such a remix.

The arrangement doesn't seem to move too far, harmonically. Fortunately the textures are changed up considerably, so that keeps the mix interesting enough. Even still, more harmonic motion would've been great.

Good stuff - eight destructible blocks out of ten.

avatar
Crulex
on 2011-10-18 10:23:50

Impressive! This is a very nice little ReMix that seems to be a few years ahead of its time. Although it's a bit short and could do with a little more expansion, for what it is and when it was made, this is an amazing piece to listen to.

avatar
Skinner3D
on 2010-10-13 15:41:44

I listened to the original and then listend to this song. I really like how this one feels more 'full'. It carries over the tone and feeling of the original nicely.

:)

avatar
Tables
on 2010-07-06 15:05:36

Our first non-DJP remix and it... is pretty cool

The intro is fantastic, and as a whole this reminds me of something Frank Klepacki would do if he was happier (especially with that snare and the squishy synths near the end). Some samples could be better, but for this that's nitpicking. A good oldie, I just wish it weren't so damn short

avatar
OA
on 2008-02-14 14:55:05

Before I had even loaded up the song I was cringing, due to the reputation the oldest songs on the site have, but as soon as it started i was very pleasantly surprised. Shows what I know. :P

Cool start up intro with some blippy glitchy percussion, and well-processed and panned synths filled out the soundfield pretty well and though it won't be winning any creativity awards anytime soon, I do have to admit I was jammin a bit to this one.

Great synths, pretty rockin beat, this is a really nice one.

avatar
Jaybell
on 2007-10-24 15:14:52

The eighth song posted EVER still holds up to this day. Awesome awesome.

avatar
Inv1ctus
on 2007-10-09 04:11:40

wow this guy has skills... no sorry lets make that skillz with a z.

Im seeing in 16 bit color again and its a beautiful thing!

Whats really cool about this track is that the panning of the tricked out sound effects makes it sound like a paddle hitting a ball and making it bounce all over the place like a really difficult level.

Really crisp clean sounds that give the feel of arcade simplicity that is very appropriate.

*busts out the SNES emulator and arkanoid rom*

avatar
Liontamer
on 2007-02-08 16:50:27

Classic VG arrangement goodness, and an old favorite. Even just from a historic sense, it's a must download.

avatar
RimFrost the Tourianist
on 2005-10-25 01:19:02

Just like watkinzez said, it needed some expanding..

But otherwise it's fun electronica ,and a good solid reminder of the 80's golden gaming era.

avatar
watkinzez
on 2005-10-20 21:24:17

The soundscape at the start of the song works well- it feels full and rich after the preceding beep intro. Problem is, the song is so underdeveloped. At its current state the it just doesn't go anywhere beyond the basic drum loop with a few variations. There was some great ideas here that desperately need expanding.

avatar
meccaneer
on 2005-10-09 14:20:38

More chirps!

Excellent beginning. Poor ending; too abrupt.

The pads are slick. I would have made the entirety more minor. The drums work really well with the ambience. It's a good track so, let's make it longer!

avatar
atomflux
on 2004-06-14 09:54:37

This is the first remix I ever downloaded from this community, I like it.

What scares me though is I actually heard this before I'd even heard of this community as the remix appears as a backing track to a trainer patch on a psx burn I have. So it was hauntingly familiar to me for a while, until I figured out where I'd heard it before.

10/10.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Arkanoid (Imagine Software , 1986, C64)
Music by Martin Galway
Songs:
"Loader"

Tags (10)


Genre:
Downtempo,Industrial
Mood:
Dark
Instrumentation:
Choir,Electronic,Synth
Additional:
Effects > Glitching
Time > 4/4 Time Signature
Time > Duration: Short
Time > Tempo: Moderate

File Information


Name:
Arkanoid_1999_(2000_Mix)_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
2,118,333 bytes
MD5:
57613722bf23044e02a1ccabff5dbefb
Bitrate:
112Kbps
Duration:
2:25

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes