ReMix: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest 'Brambly Rivers'
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- Game: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (Nintendo, 1995, SNES)
- ReMixer(s): Wintermute
- Composer(s): Dave Wise
- Song(s): 'Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast)'
- Posted: 2002-03-10, evaluated by djpretzel
Very impressive FruityLoops work and a great first submission from Wintermute, who offers "pure synth techno, with some distorted, old school drum samples" in a great DKC2 brambles remix. I really enjoyed Protricity's take on this track as well, which was more laid back. This is definitely a more upbeat rendition, edgier, with a less ambient feel and more old school style, as Wintermute himself suggests. FruityLoops can be used or abused, and many just starting off on the soundtrack lean towards the latter, but this is clearly a more informed, mature usage of the software's many features, with a well-formed, balanced mix. No extensively clever drum programming, but quality synth textures with great attention to panning (great movement across the field for the leads) and effects (varied reverb and echo, distributed usage of filtering and modulation). The ending was a little abrupt for my tastes, as I expect to hear a reverb and echo trail and instead the filter sweep used at the very end has no processing, but that's a single second out of an even three minutes of an overall great mix that I wholeheartedly recommend grabbing - 2002 has seen some great new artists join the OC ReMix ranks, and you can chalk up one more right here!
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the old-school chiptune goodness on this one; Some of the frequencies
on the high end can be a bit harsh, but the vibe of the track i
thought was pretty good, except for the super weak drums. They seem
like cardboard cutouts of the drums that should have been used.
Flat and fakey. The patterns were also somewhat boring, but the
kick drives the track pretty well. The lack of noticeable fills or
variation hurt the track.
There are some nice points, like the shimmering runs, and the lead tone chosen is pretty good, having presence, but keeping things from being too hardcore. The panning effects used throughout are very well done as well, making this extra interesting on headphones.
Arrangement is pretty conservative but sounds unique due to the chiptune treatment. Overall pretty good, and I enjoyed this, despite some of the production issues.
- OA on June 11, 2008
There are some nice points, like the shimmering runs, and the lead tone chosen is pretty good, having presence, but keeping things from being too hardcore. The panning effects used throughout are very well done as well, making this extra interesting on headphones.
Arrangement is pretty conservative but sounds unique due to the chiptune treatment. Overall pretty good, and I enjoyed this, despite some of the production issues.
- OA on June 11, 2008
I like this mix.
I should say that I love the original track's ambient feel and relatively solid melodic lines. It makes for a really good nostalgic experience.
This piece mostly retains what I loved in the original, while jump-starting the energy. This is due in large part to the fact that the instrumentation of the melody starting at 0:29, along with the tempo, gives a real impression of soaring.
A couple notes. When the melody starts, I think an echo effect would be more effective than a slow pan (same goes for any of the quickly repeating motifs). For example, I like the echo effect at 0:35.
The rhythm of the ting-y bells often feels disturbingly random (first time 0:31), in spite of the fact that they clearly follow/echo the melody.
And I agree with others about the ending being too abrupt. Other than those things, I really like it.
- musenji on May 22, 2006
I should say that I love the original track's ambient feel and relatively solid melodic lines. It makes for a really good nostalgic experience.
This piece mostly retains what I loved in the original, while jump-starting the energy. This is due in large part to the fact that the instrumentation of the melody starting at 0:29, along with the tempo, gives a real impression of soaring.
A couple notes. When the melody starts, I think an echo effect would be more effective than a slow pan (same goes for any of the quickly repeating motifs). For example, I like the echo effect at 0:35.
The rhythm of the ting-y bells often feels disturbingly random (first time 0:31), in spite of the fact that they clearly follow/echo the melody.
And I agree with others about the ending being too abrupt. Other than those things, I really like it.
- musenji on May 22, 2006
My first impression of this mix was "UGH!"...the opening annoyed
the hell out of me. It sat in my OCR folder for quite a while
before I dug it out and listened to it again, and somehow it has
grown on me. The opening still bothers me, but once it gets past
the first 13 seconds or so, I find it to be an enjoyable, upbeat
remix.
Overall, I give it a [b]7/10[/b]. Not bad, Wintermute...I prefer your DKC3 remix over this one, though.
(Why the hell has no one made more DKC3 remixes???)
- Krythan on March 8, 2006
Overall, I give it a [b]7/10[/b]. Not bad, Wintermute...I prefer your DKC3 remix over this one, though.
(Why the hell has no one made more DKC3 remixes???)
- Krythan on March 8, 2006
Is this how it would sound if you enhanced the speed on this song
twice? It´s very catchy and all that. But I have compared this one
to the original, well, it´s not the same synths really I think, but
he does a good job making it sounds like it. This is just a speed
up version of the org. But I still thinks it good, the org was a
much calmer and quiter one that didn´t do that much noise out of
itself, Wintermute piffed his style a little a here it is, in a
form of a partytrack.
What are you waiting for? It´s party! :D 8) :tomatoface:
- Bummerdude on September 30, 2005
What are you waiting for? It´s party! :D 8) :tomatoface:
- Bummerdude on September 30, 2005
I'm kinda just echoing what most other people are saying...but yes,
Protricity's mix was much better. It's not horrible but...I'll just
say it's not something I'll be listening to over and over...at all.
In fact, I probably won't listen to it ever again. All right, I
hated it. It was too much of a departure from the original, and the
ending was too abrupt. See this statement right here?
It is now officially a lie.
- Scufo on June 20, 2005
I wrote: I've yet to find a bad remix of DK2 music.
It is now officially a lie.
- Scufo on June 20, 2005
Well yeah, I saw a lot of Brambles mixes in my time, although this
was the first one I ended up downloading. One thing I heart about
Wintermute is that he's the only person on here with a DKC3 mix
here, however that's beyond the point. For this incarnation I
managed to dig it for what it was at first; the grab isn't quite as
hot now, but it's still pretty firm for what it is.
Here's my opinions relating to all this ;)
---
[i]Remix[/i]
The track is one of those that play really conservatively on the source material via two straight riffs of the melody line. The execution was well thought out even for something like this; one thing that seemed to rub me the wrong way though was a light glitch that came through at 1:56 where it sounded that little bit off-key from this angle. That could be just a light nit-pick though, although everything else is pretty okay in terms of tonality. Variance on the actual theme is minimal at best, although in the second half there's been some light variance upon the accompanying synths to help add in some much needed spice to the overall formulae. The structuring is generally good in spite of the conservative nature; however one thing that seemed to rub me the wrong way was that the ending just went on a chord on a sweep pad and that was it. I wanted to hear a stronger ending than that. When I first heard it a couple of years back I appreciated a lot of the simplicity that came into it; even though it's starting to rub off a bit, I still think it's been able to stand out. Not the best Brambles mix, but it's still well thoughtful for its place here.
[i]Creativity[/i]
I didn't sense much that breathed in much life into the track, although I feel that some of the accompaniment variance has managed to help on that aspect; it would have helped to involve some more creative aspects on that field to be able to match. The sections link together pretty fluently, although I would have wanted to see more fluency taken towards how some of the backing sounds left and entered their parts of the mix. There's some fresh pacing work within the feel of the genre, which may fit okay if you're into electronica; not sure if it will be able to remain itself at a stale pace after a few listens, but it's still not bad. Even here, repetition is a qualm as shown with the repeated melody line in the second riff and a lot of riff recycling brought throughout the piece, so don't be afraid to change of some of the measures to help create a lightly more exciting song. I could recommend it to some people who are into electronica, but outside from there I can't really think it'll fit too well. It's still interesting if you want to hear a small sample of what OCR was like in its elder days.
[i]Production[/i]
The samples feel retro-like to say much; I feel that some of the synths that were incorporated sounded like default FL loops, although much of which have been programmed in a reasonable fashion to help go against that. The EQ range could have been given a light looking into though; some of the material sounded to be mid-range dependant, so don't be afraid in thickening out the sounds some more. I managed to see that the sounds taken were well thought out with the release and delay effects that came on cue. The encoding of the instruments isn't bad and I can admit that, but there's something about the drums that feel a bit faint; they sound like a NES kit, so I'm sure a boost in EQs or a change in samples may make them sound a bit more realistic. One quirk I've noticed about this was how the leveling was done; I actually dig the volume taken into account here, although it would be advised to turn down the melody a bit and bring in the drums and bass to help round it off. I can admit I was pleased with the panning techniques taken what with the effects and instrument positions n board. I would have wanted to hear some cleaner distinguished positions though, but this is still neat. So yeah, there are some elements that have aged well, and some that have aged not too well, but it's still not bad to take on board.
---
I have to chip in and say that I preferred Prot's incarnation over this, with the main reasons linking towards the vast difference in compositional and production depth. It's still pretty decently levelled out and thought over for what it is, but with attention to a more polished sound this would work well as a stronger mix. I don't think it's painful to listen to as such; that's better off being saved for his Fear Factory mix.
nonetheless, it'll be interesting to see him get back in touch with the site sometime soon, and I'm sure he'll be able to take his arrangement ideas to that next level, I assure you ;)
- Rexy on June 20, 2005
Here's my opinions relating to all this ;)
---
[i]Remix[/i]
The track is one of those that play really conservatively on the source material via two straight riffs of the melody line. The execution was well thought out even for something like this; one thing that seemed to rub me the wrong way though was a light glitch that came through at 1:56 where it sounded that little bit off-key from this angle. That could be just a light nit-pick though, although everything else is pretty okay in terms of tonality. Variance on the actual theme is minimal at best, although in the second half there's been some light variance upon the accompanying synths to help add in some much needed spice to the overall formulae. The structuring is generally good in spite of the conservative nature; however one thing that seemed to rub me the wrong way was that the ending just went on a chord on a sweep pad and that was it. I wanted to hear a stronger ending than that. When I first heard it a couple of years back I appreciated a lot of the simplicity that came into it; even though it's starting to rub off a bit, I still think it's been able to stand out. Not the best Brambles mix, but it's still well thoughtful for its place here.
[i]Creativity[/i]
I didn't sense much that breathed in much life into the track, although I feel that some of the accompaniment variance has managed to help on that aspect; it would have helped to involve some more creative aspects on that field to be able to match. The sections link together pretty fluently, although I would have wanted to see more fluency taken towards how some of the backing sounds left and entered their parts of the mix. There's some fresh pacing work within the feel of the genre, which may fit okay if you're into electronica; not sure if it will be able to remain itself at a stale pace after a few listens, but it's still not bad. Even here, repetition is a qualm as shown with the repeated melody line in the second riff and a lot of riff recycling brought throughout the piece, so don't be afraid to change of some of the measures to help create a lightly more exciting song. I could recommend it to some people who are into electronica, but outside from there I can't really think it'll fit too well. It's still interesting if you want to hear a small sample of what OCR was like in its elder days.
[i]Production[/i]
The samples feel retro-like to say much; I feel that some of the synths that were incorporated sounded like default FL loops, although much of which have been programmed in a reasonable fashion to help go against that. The EQ range could have been given a light looking into though; some of the material sounded to be mid-range dependant, so don't be afraid in thickening out the sounds some more. I managed to see that the sounds taken were well thought out with the release and delay effects that came on cue. The encoding of the instruments isn't bad and I can admit that, but there's something about the drums that feel a bit faint; they sound like a NES kit, so I'm sure a boost in EQs or a change in samples may make them sound a bit more realistic. One quirk I've noticed about this was how the leveling was done; I actually dig the volume taken into account here, although it would be advised to turn down the melody a bit and bring in the drums and bass to help round it off. I can admit I was pleased with the panning techniques taken what with the effects and instrument positions n board. I would have wanted to hear some cleaner distinguished positions though, but this is still neat. So yeah, there are some elements that have aged well, and some that have aged not too well, but it's still not bad to take on board.
---
I have to chip in and say that I preferred Prot's incarnation over this, with the main reasons linking towards the vast difference in compositional and production depth. It's still pretty decently levelled out and thought over for what it is, but with attention to a more polished sound this would work well as a stronger mix. I don't think it's painful to listen to as such; that's better off being saved for his Fear Factory mix.
nonetheless, it'll be interesting to see him get back in touch with the site sometime soon, and I'm sure he'll be able to take his arrangement ideas to that next level, I assure you ;)
- Rexy on June 20, 2005
I know this has to be a reply, but i can't hold it. Hi I'm
BloodFalcon, I'm visiting ocr since the beginning. Now i'm member
2.
Now going to the song. :wink:
Quite good work, the instruments has something from the GameBoy output. Speed up, that's best about it. I liked the song as it is, but this remix shows how you can make a quitly song whit sence to an unsensual song, whit enough beeps to get a headake!
Proticity (did I spell it well? :oops: ) maked a remix, you made one. If there is going to be a DCK2 project on ocr, I think your mix must be on it (sorry Proticity, your song is good as well, but, man, I like those Beeps!)
Keep up the good work!
BloodFalcon
- BloodFalcon on May 11, 2005
Now going to the song. :wink:
Quite good work, the instruments has something from the GameBoy output. Speed up, that's best about it. I liked the song as it is, but this remix shows how you can make a quitly song whit sence to an unsensual song, whit enough beeps to get a headake!
Proticity (did I spell it well? :oops: ) maked a remix, you made one. If there is going to be a DCK2 project on ocr, I think your mix must be on it (sorry Proticity, your song is good as well, but, man, I like those Beeps!)
Keep up the good work!
BloodFalcon
- BloodFalcon on May 11, 2005
I have listend to both remixes of this song and it is clear which
version is the superior and that would go to Protricity's version
of this song. To me this song kinda sounds like an upbeat MIDI
version to the Bramble Theme.
- Slime Master on February 20, 2005
- Slime Master on February 20, 2005
Yeah, it may not be fall on the floor amazing, but I wrote lyrics
to the tune of this ReMix. 8) So...it's alittle heart-n-soul to me.
HEY! If anyone want to see them (I know, I know, BORING!), just
lemme know! I'll happily...make them...available...for...well,
reading, I guess. :wink:
- Mary_mari on October 29, 2004
- Mary_mari on October 29, 2004
This is the worst remix I have ever heard, you are destroying a
classic. Stilll thanks for trying.
- ConcordiaY2K on December 20, 2003
- ConcordiaY2K on December 20, 2003
Right from the off I knew I wouldnt like this one.
The drums are annoying...
The choice of synths is good, but pulled of very very badly.
And then at 0:50 some more synths come in that stab at your ears...thats always fun. They sound like you just took a MIDI, sped it up and these stabs were piano chords that you stuck with the wrong soundfont...
The panning of the melody is done nicely, though...thats an upshot.
The ending is also bad...just a direct cut-off after a few beats...I would have preferred this one last note to have been longer...then it would actually be a good enidng.
OVerall, I really dont like this at all...and I cant think of anyone I recommend it to.
- Eccles on July 4, 2003
The drums are annoying...
The choice of synths is good, but pulled of very very badly.
And then at 0:50 some more synths come in that stab at your ears...thats always fun. They sound like you just took a MIDI, sped it up and these stabs were piano chords that you stuck with the wrong soundfont...
The panning of the melody is done nicely, though...thats an upshot.
The ending is also bad...just a direct cut-off after a few beats...I would have preferred this one last note to have been longer...then it would actually be a good enidng.
OVerall, I really dont like this at all...and I cant think of anyone I recommend it to.
- Eccles on July 4, 2003
Not the greatest, I'd reccomend Protricity's better. Unless of
course, you like speeded up songs of slower music.
- Ultimo Hedgehog on May 12, 2003
- Ultimo Hedgehog on May 12, 2003
