ReMix:Final Fantasy IV "Ground Up" 2:43

By FFmusic Dj

Arranging the music of one song...

"Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY IV"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy IV (Square , 1991, SNES), music by Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2001-10-04, evaluated by djpretzel


You can't keep a good ffmusicdj down. Though there was a little tension after he submitted a mix that fell outside the submission guidelines and had to be pulled, he unflinchingly returns with a techno take on the FF4 main theme that was constructed element by element. So kudos to the man for being persistent and not letting anything get in the way of music. This track features a good solid techno / house beat, undulating pads, your garden-variety (though quality) techno bass, some very nice apreggios in the background, and a cymbal intro / outro to tie it all together. A little shorter than some of his other mixes, but solid.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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aerious
on 2016-07-19 13:53:38

i love it when i'm looking back through the archive of older mixes and i come across a gem like this. its' pure electronic bliss, and the fact that it's 15 years old doesn't make it any less danceable. songs like this are just good clean fun.

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Necrox
on 2014-06-20 16:59:03

I would like to see what happened if bLiNd got his hands on this mix.

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Polo
on 2012-09-01 16:53:36

This mix = "super smooth joyride in the hovercraft in the desert."

That is all.

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Nareusm
on 2010-02-07 19:47:29

I wasn't quite sure what to make of this Remix at first, I adore FFIV and love the main theme. At first I was a little cheesed about it but then I quickly grew to enjoy the techno beat that has been added. All in all I will say that I think he did this song justice. It may not be what one is looking for in a FFIV remix but it definitely does a good job. It's definitely going to be added to my library.

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Lucentas
on 2009-07-22 01:07:34

What can I say, this is just a great, solid mix that really gets me dancing like a maniac, much to the chagrin of anyone who happens to be in the same room, car, or county.

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OA
on 2008-01-23 12:39:31

A pretty straightforward arrangement, but very listen able and some nice synth choices. The gated synth and the pads give a very nice foundation, and I think the lead being slightly pushed back was a interesting choice that worked out pretty well.

One issue I do have with the mix is the clap layered on the snare is fricking loud and it repeatedly pierces my liver with it's burning hot sharp pain thing. Seriously, FFdj, WTF? I need my liver intact, thanks. :-(

That said, this is a solid if unambitious performer, with an excellent source selection. I'd have preferred it to take a few additional risks, but just the fact that it played it safe doesn't make me want to dance any less.

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Bummer
on 2005-10-04 03:05:43

Can everybody stop all this chit-chat about techno or not? Qonas may have some point, an orchestral mix would surely release this track´s true and majestic form, plus I like orchestral too, but a techno is not a bad thing either. This site was made to give gamemusic a better or DIFFERENT look, besides are techno good at giving calm themes a liitle more spice so it gets alot more funky to listen to. We all got our tastes, we shall not complain about others, instead focusing on having your own style.

With that put aside, I really did enjoyed this mix, the techno groove gave this track a whole new outfit, those synths and beats are quite good. FFMDJ still kept the origibnal melody and let it do its calm race at the back, together with the rest this mix isn´t a thrashing trance hit, but more of a mix perfect to chill too.

FF music Dj, keep on fighting. Your obviously good at it. 8)

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SixthFlyingMan
on 2004-09-07 20:46:03

Kai's right. Just 'cuz it's techno doesn't make it terrible. I actually think that techno does it PERFECT justice, Qonas. After all, it isn't that rock bullcrap. (Sorry, couldn't resist!) Now, this guy had some pretty meager source material, and he made it sound pretty tanj good. It IS pretty repetitive, but it does loop perfectly, and so makes great background music for a party.

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DragonFireKai
on 2004-07-20 20:54:13

I am SICK of people whining about techno, if you have a problem with the genre, then don't mislead others by writing a review in blind ignorance of a song that you have judged by something that it sounds like. You must let the song stand upon it's own merits. in this songs case it is an excellent representitive of the techno remix, it's not another song with no changes but a enhanced baseline, the song has been changed in most aspects, except for the melody. It exemplifies what OCRemix is about. once again, I must beg DJPretzel to overlook it's size, and let FFMusicDJ's remix of Falling Star stand on its merits.

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zircon
on 2003-07-14 09:18:39

This piece is not simplistic techno per se, but one step above. The arrangement is good, as is the use of synths and percussion without drowning out the main melody. It's a solid remix, but the fact that it is basically less than two minutes (the identical repeat doesn't count) doesn't help it stand out in the crowd.

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Gnam
on 2003-07-11 01:08:45

Despite the fact that Qonus's words were unnessesarily simplistic, not to mention rude, I feel obligated to say a few words in his defense simply because I can relate to his frustration. There have been way too many times when I excitedly downloaded a song, only to be disapointed to find out it was another bad techno remix. Not to say that there are no good techno remixes on OCR, on the contrary, if you know where to look there are very many... However, I think everyone's been there and knows the disapointment I'm talking about. Every genre has its weaker ones, but the techno/electronica genre seems to be notorious for it. For every good one there's atleast 2 or 3 bad ones.

My point in saying this is not to just bash a genre I don't like. I allready stated my high opinion of certain works in the genre. I just wish that:

1) More artists would branch out into different styles of music and try new things instead of sticking to the same old tried/true techno formula.

2) DJPretzel and other reviewers would not be so diplomatic and over-enthusiastic in there comments. Granted, there's no need to be criticize everything, and I think it's great that they love music so much they can find something good about almost any remix, but I think they could be more forthcoming when a peice not be horrible, but may not necessarily stick out above the rest.

It would be stupid to say "people who make techno mixes should stop doing bad ones". However, if remixers were more aware of how easy it is to fall into a rut on a techno mix, it would probably help them to avoid it through either looking for ways to break the mold of the genre, or trying out a different style. I don't think the policy of "it doesn't have any gaping flaws, therefore it's great!" helps.

Anyway, sorry to go off on a rant, it's just something that's been on my mind for a while.

And also, I want to make it clear that I didn't go on the preceeding rant because this particular mix, Ground Up, was one of those "notorious bad techno remixes". I hadn't even heard it before I wrote the preceeding paragraps. I just wanted to comment on some of the preceeding posts. After listening to it, it's not bad at all, however, techno is not my favorite genre, and I've been a bit jaded by the professional performances of the song on the japanese arrange albums like FF4: Celtic Moon. Furthermore, the song is among my favorites of the game, and FF4 is my favorite game in the series, so I have particularly rough standards for the song. If I have to pick favorites, I like Silent's Totorian Love song much better, even though the lyrics put it in a completely different category. Still, I don't want to discourage anybody. I sure couldn't do it, I have my opinions, but I'm no musician.

Oh yeah, and about "sterotyping"... Electronic music is a genre with very blurred lines, especially at Overclocked Remix. As far as I'm concerned, any song that you can immitate by rapidly going "oom-tss! oom-tss! oom-tss!" with your mouth fits under the "techno" blanket term for all practical purposes.

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Bahamut
on 2003-04-29 14:24:49

Please don't bash a remix due to genre, it's very unnerving to music enthusiasts, especially those who do enjoy electronica (by saying techno, that's stereotyping). Stating your preference fine, but your post belongs more on the Request forum.

Anyway, I might as well give my own review. Personally, I thought this remix was repetitive. I know Mr. Piracha has improved much over the course of time, one only has to look at his more recent remixes, but strictly speaking, I would've preferred the melody having a more driving role in the song, maybe a less muffed-sounding synth. Also, I didn't like the beginnings and ends of the song too much, they kinda took out interest for the remix. Third, there is the other instrument synths, they are pretty annoying. And finally, it could've probably been longer and been packed with a lot more.

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Qonas
on 2003-04-29 14:00:33

Would someone please remake this amazing song into a sound that does it JUSTICE, like rock? Or orchestral? None of this techno bullcrap.

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Domukaz
on 2003-03-08 01:46:33

I've always been a fan of that lonely-yet-encouraging FFIV overworld theme. This mix makes it sound at least 100% better. It's a pretty sound, with the melody being played by a cool wind instrument-thing (Pardon my newbiosity). I agree with the others. If they ever remake FF!V in 3D, this should be the overworld tune.

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tranceblue7
on 2002-09-15 01:45:01

This remix is one of my favorite FF remixes...it just pulls me back to the endless days I spent playing this game! The thing is, I never realized how great the overworld music really was until I hear this remix of it! :)

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy IV (Square , 1991, SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY IV"

Tags (6)


Genre:
House,Trance
Mood:
Happy
Instrumentation:
Synth
Additional:
Time > 4/4 Time Signature
Time > Tempo: Moderate

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_4_Ground_Up_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
2,688,942 bytes
MD5:
671ca231c1e3169fcf63c63e769f9315
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
2:43

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