ReMix: Axelay 'Citylights'
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- Game: Axelay (Konami, 1992, SNES)
- ReMixer(s): posu yan
- Composer(s): Masanori Adachi, Taro Kudou
- Song(s): 'Mother (3st BGM)'
- Posted: 2001-07-04, evaluated by djpretzel
Axelay - yet another shooter with great graphics that kicked my booty. This was a little different, because it used the SNES Mode7 effect to achieve a rolling-over-the-horizon look that, while a little freaky and out of proportion, was nevertheless cool looking. I'm serious when I say it took me a full half hour just to past the 1st stage ^^ po is back in effect with a smooth mellow groove that's heavy on a solo instrument we just DON'T see much of here at OC ReMix - Vibes!! Viva la vibes! Overtop a well-constructed hip-hop beat and a subtle upright bass (that does a neat lil pitch bend at the end), po plays away at dem' vibes. The feel is very laid back and slow - you can just imagine Isaac Hayes or Barry White talking over top of things i.e. "Ooohhh Axelay baby . . . you know your love is hard". But even without it, it's a strong ReMix and another solid contribution from the reliable po.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the I remember this game as one of my favorite shmup for the snes, with
R-type III, Area88 and Pop'n Twinbee.
The remix totally contrasts with the fast paced original.
Certainly wasn't expecting that take on the source, but its all for the better this way.
The laid back, jazzy atmosphere perfectly fits a city scenery at night.
I love how the groove is so subtle, with simple drums & bassline, but really have a life of its own.
The vibe is an obvious choice when considering the style, but is used so rarely in game remixes that this makes it pure genius.
Very nice mix.
- Dj Mokram on May 13, 2009
The remix totally contrasts with the fast paced original.
Certainly wasn't expecting that take on the source, but its all for the better this way.
The laid back, jazzy atmosphere perfectly fits a city scenery at night.
I love how the groove is so subtle, with simple drums & bassline, but really have a life of its own.
The vibe is an obvious choice when considering the style, but is used so rarely in game remixes that this makes it pure genius.
Very nice mix.
- Dj Mokram on May 13, 2009
Killer beat on this one. The upright sample is a little bit dated,
but that groove will live on forever. The vibe sequencing could
have been a little looser IMO, but seriously, this mix is
completely awesome. I agree with previous commenters that it has a
laid back intensity, and isn't afraid to just sit in the pocket for
awhile, adding layers slowly. The beat is very compelling, and
keeps interest, even when it's just the bass groove.
Good stuff.
- OA on June 3, 2008
Good stuff.
- OA on June 3, 2008
This deserves more than one page of reviews.
It's one of those simple songs where less is more. If you tried to fill the sonic space in this one, you'd be missing the point. It just plain does what it does and is so sweet to groove to. Mustin described the chords as "intense". You wouldn't normally say something like that about such a laid back affair, but it really does have that quality. Awesome.
- metaphist on June 15, 2007
It's one of those simple songs where less is more. If you tried to fill the sonic space in this one, you'd be missing the point. It just plain does what it does and is so sweet to groove to. Mustin described the chords as "intense". You wouldn't normally say something like that about such a laid back affair, but it really does have that quality. Awesome.
- metaphist on June 15, 2007
Po! definitely knows what he's doing, being a veteran in the
remixing community and a musical powerhouse. It's tough work trying
to establish a groove without getting too repetitive, and that's
where this song succeeds. If you label this type of music as
elevator music, then that's one groovy elevator you're travelling
in. An OCR classic.
- watkinzez on October 21, 2005
- watkinzez on October 21, 2005
Am I in an elevator? This is a very interesting take on the
original but, somehow manages to retain a small degree of the
feeling. The smooth lounge-style is just a little too... loungy...
for me. It's too relaxing and cheesy. I do like the remix and it's
got some cool variations. But, not enough, really.
- meccaneer on October 3, 2005
- meccaneer on October 3, 2005
Level 3 was always my own personal favorite level anyway.
This jazzy version rocks my pants once again.
- RimFrost the Tourianist on August 18, 2005
This jazzy version rocks my pants once again.
- RimFrost the Tourianist on August 18, 2005
Because I'm a huge fan of Po!s laid back hip hop work, I figure I
should probably review this.
The choice of instrumentation in this piece is spot on - Posu knows how to work the vibe without having to pile on the instruments. In the case of Citylights, we've got the stand up Bass, the hip hop drumkit, the EP jamming minimal in the background, and those vibes. Oooh, those vibes. First off, I've never played Axelay - my bad, I'm not much of an old school gamer - so I don't know the context for this piece.
I do know that the name is perfect, brilliant choice. This track reminds me of a cityscape at night, in so many groovy ways; it's also important to mention that the style of this track reminds me of some of the pieces in Final Fantasy VIII, specifically the Deling City music (I think - Can't remember it off hand, at the moment).
At first one of the precussion choices that irked me was the panned snare/hat thingie that came in at :12. It stood out, until I began to associate it with the imagery of the cityscape that po! was creating. It sounded like someone banging away at something, or construction work, not uncommon to hear in the city. After that, it clicked and I appreciated its presence moreso. I couldn't bring myself to like the snare choice, though. It hardly deviated from its pattern and it was a bit too meaty in the lower areas, when I would have liked to hear a bit more snap in the higher zones.
Small nitpicking aside, the two things I love about this mix: DAS BASS. That bass is perfectly funky and well tamed, fits the mix like a glove. But the real stars are the vibes. po! has written the most awesome stuffs for these vibes. There's no way you can't like them. The freeflowing (I assume) soloing around 2:12 sounds brilliant. I love it. The doubling at 2:31 is perfectly timed and not overused. Very jazzish feel to the improv.
The mix was short, but something like this would overstay its welcome if it dragged on for five minutes. Short and sweet is the key phrase here. Very delicious work here. Nice stuff.
- myf on August 17, 2005
The choice of instrumentation in this piece is spot on - Posu knows how to work the vibe without having to pile on the instruments. In the case of Citylights, we've got the stand up Bass, the hip hop drumkit, the EP jamming minimal in the background, and those vibes. Oooh, those vibes. First off, I've never played Axelay - my bad, I'm not much of an old school gamer - so I don't know the context for this piece.
I do know that the name is perfect, brilliant choice. This track reminds me of a cityscape at night, in so many groovy ways; it's also important to mention that the style of this track reminds me of some of the pieces in Final Fantasy VIII, specifically the Deling City music (I think - Can't remember it off hand, at the moment).
At first one of the precussion choices that irked me was the panned snare/hat thingie that came in at :12. It stood out, until I began to associate it with the imagery of the cityscape that po! was creating. It sounded like someone banging away at something, or construction work, not uncommon to hear in the city. After that, it clicked and I appreciated its presence moreso. I couldn't bring myself to like the snare choice, though. It hardly deviated from its pattern and it was a bit too meaty in the lower areas, when I would have liked to hear a bit more snap in the higher zones.
Small nitpicking aside, the two things I love about this mix: DAS BASS. That bass is perfectly funky and well tamed, fits the mix like a glove. But the real stars are the vibes. po! has written the most awesome stuffs for these vibes. There's no way you can't like them. The freeflowing (I assume) soloing around 2:12 sounds brilliant. I love it. The doubling at 2:31 is perfectly timed and not overused. Very jazzish feel to the improv.
The mix was short, but something like this would overstay its welcome if it dragged on for five minutes. Short and sweet is the key phrase here. Very delicious work here. Nice stuff.
- myf on August 17, 2005
I think all the axelay songs rock, especially this one. I think
this track was great, but I say we need a faster version too. More
similar to the original. And more Axelay lvl music in general!
Yeah!
- Dectilon on March 15, 2004
- Dectilon on March 15, 2004
This has just become my all-time favorite remix. It just represents
everything I'm trying to do with my own music. Damn. po!, you rock.
- Longinus on January 24, 2004
- Longinus on January 24, 2004
Laid-back jazz with some vibes makin' it cool. I agree with Noodler
Sensei about the secret agent part: for some reason this reminds me
of James Bond. Definitely one to listen to if you like mellow jazz.
- Durinthal on January 11, 2004
- Durinthal on January 11, 2004
On my quest to download every mix on OCR, recently I downloaded
this one. Vey nice. The play similar stuff like this kind of jazz
on winamps "Groove Salad" station. Anyway I love it. Loops again
and again.
- Dinobot 2 on July 20, 2003
- Dinobot 2 on July 20, 2003
CLASSY! That's the one word that comes to mind when I hear this.
Another one of the songs I use to convert MTV watchers to OC Remix
fans.
- Elvenstar! on May 20, 2003
- Elvenstar! on May 20, 2003
8O gotta give it...another type of rating for a game I never heard
or saw this musics great~!
- Dark Heart on February 12, 2003
- Dark Heart on February 12, 2003
Very good stuff goin on here. I loves me the vibes. Everything is
so well blended and mellow. Almost secret agenty if you ask me. I
mean, you can sorta imagine some guy peakin out from around a wall.
He spots his target talking to someone, he ducks low and listens in
on their conversation. Well I don't give number ratings, so I'll
just say it's damn good. :)
- Kamikaze Noodle on January 2, 2003
- Kamikaze Noodle on January 2, 2003
My absolute favourite remix of all time.
This is a 100 on a scale of 100. And po!'s "Forest Starlight" off of [b]SQUAREDANCE[/b] is a 99 out of a 100.
So, po!'s got the OneUp on all other remixes.
I'm not sure why I like this so much. I think it's just the closest to main stream this hobby of arranging video game music has come.
The instrument choice is perfect. And the chords are intense. The drum part is perfection. The starts and stops are so well-timed. The vibe solo is totally awesome - I love how po! does a lot of quotes in his soloing. It shows that he has a full understanding and appreciation for music. And of course, there's a good ending, which can dramatically change an opinion on a song. All's well that ends well, I believe is what "they" say.
Mad props to po! He's the man. I can't wait to meet him, and I can't wait to hear more music from him.
My favourite remixer.
- Mustin on December 4, 2002
This is a 100 on a scale of 100. And po!'s "Forest Starlight" off of [b]SQUAREDANCE[/b] is a 99 out of a 100.
So, po!'s got the OneUp on all other remixes.
I'm not sure why I like this so much. I think it's just the closest to main stream this hobby of arranging video game music has come.
The instrument choice is perfect. And the chords are intense. The drum part is perfection. The starts and stops are so well-timed. The vibe solo is totally awesome - I love how po! does a lot of quotes in his soloing. It shows that he has a full understanding and appreciation for music. And of course, there's a good ending, which can dramatically change an opinion on a song. All's well that ends well, I believe is what "they" say.
Mad props to po! He's the man. I can't wait to meet him, and I can't wait to hear more music from him.
My favourite remixer.
- Mustin on December 4, 2002
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