Posted 2001-08-18, evaluated by djpretzel


Interesting - even though this is from the first Castlevania, it's actually a ReMix of the same track I covered in ma CV4 HouseParty ReMix (CV often reuses motifs or entire tracks). Pollard has a really different take on it though, a bit slower, with a hip-hoppish drum track, a badass symphonic organ at one point, and in general just a cool hybrid of hip-hop and classical. My absolute favorite spot is when the drums drop totally out at 1'32" and the piece takes on a very spacious, distant sound, with a delicate piano and double reed over bells and ambient fx - VERY cool, adds a lot to this piece. When the drums do come back in, I would have liked for them to have done something a little different I think, but the creativity overall is really impressive - a much less obvious interpretation of the original that, while not as danceable, has more variety and some truly inspired passages.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Salluz
on 2009-09-01 19:00:47
no matter how good of a rapper you are, not even 2pac or biggie could touch a beat like this,and their supposedly the best out there(despite being dead that is) i'd laugh if anybody said that eminem could rap to somethin like this, your outta ur f'ing minds if you say that.

Dude, I so could kill it. All I would have to do is make the dynamics/rhythm/pitch (if I felt like singing) of my voice match the song and lace the duration with meanings that could blow your mind away. It's nothing to me.

Even better would be a music video of people dancing to it with all of the same instances as the track itself.

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Godah
on 2008-03-04 15:18:18

I agree, this song begins so brilliantly, but it has a poor end. I love the whip sound effect hahaah But in general is a good remix, although its rough end.

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OA
on 2008-02-26 12:38:11

The ending sucks.

The rest of the mix, however is really good. Creative intro, nice beats, and a very well-interpreted version of the source. Nice samples, well used, excellent expansion. Too bad about the ending. :-(

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Klub Kid
on 2006-04-30 18:46:19

i've never really played castlevania(go ahead,laugh at me) but i know a really good hiphop beat when i hear one, but sometimes with beatmaking, you make a beat that would just be absolutely defiled if you put lyrics to it,no matter how good of a rapper you are, not even 2pac or biggie could touch a beat like this,and their supposedly the best out there(despite being dead that is) i'd laugh if anybody said that eminem could rap to somethin like this, your outta ur f'ing minds if you say that.

Peace and stay frosty!

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SixthFlyingMan
on 2005-05-06 18:38:58
The Whips in castlevainia mixes are starting to get a bit stale. But then, it wouldn't be a catlevainia mix without 'em.
Y'know, I've actually had people SERIOUSLY ask me if CV was a BDSM hentai game... Of course, they got kicked. Hard. In the shins.

But yeah, the whip SFX just make it more CV-ey.

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DragonFireKai
on 2004-08-18 17:26:19

The Whips in castlevainia mixes are starting to get a bit stale. But then, it wouldn't be a catlevainia mix without 'em.

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HumpteeFree
on 2004-07-29 17:54:04

Good stuff. That'd fit well in the movie. The part DJP wrote about is my favorite too. It sounds a bit like Angel's theme song, which was sadly the best thing about Angel.

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scionick
on 2004-07-18 20:45:17

One of my favorites. The structure is excellent, marred only by the arbitrary drum solo section at 2:06. The sound is top-notch, marred only by the distracting sound of the snare drum after 0:57. I would have preferred the stop at the end of the remix without the echo effect. So, all in all, it's a near-flawless piece with just a few minor issues. This one's on my regular-listens playlist and is one of my favorite Castlevania remixes.

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Deryck Khusial
on 2003-10-28 04:22:02

whenever i hear this there’s always the same image in my head: a castle with hollow corridors, against a black nocturnal background, someone slowly [0:18] walking down [0:28] the staircase to open the door.. until..

hell yea, the party begins [0:38] and people start wil’in to the beat. first-rate example of classical hip-hop going hand-in-hand

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zircon
on 2003-09-08 08:07:09

Thumbs up. Creative yet solid arrangement, high quality samples, and a fresh way of hearing a classic theme. I don't have any problems with this remix except for one- the melody doesn't *quite* seem to finish. If it does, it must be heavily rearranged and I probably missed it. Other than that, though, this is one of the best Castlevania remixes I've yet heard.

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I_am_Torgo
on 2003-09-05 03:27:10

Castlevania, eh?

This one's a winner here folks. A great take on 'Vampire Killer,' a tune that's been a favorite of mine since I heard the Minibosses rendition a couple years back.

Really my only beef with the song is the bit that comes in at 2:06. It just seems out of place with the rest of the tune. I'm sure it's intentional, but it's just not my thing.

I love the way it starts, though. Especially the footsteps. What a great addition!

Some pretty heavy ReArrangement here. What's really noticably there is there, but overall very good. The darkwave sound is used almost perfectly, and the main tune belted out in piano (something I absolutely aprrove of). The organ part in the middle is also quite excellent. And of course, the whip sound effect is just the icing on the cake.

In the end, we got an excellent and unique Castlevania tune. Nice change of pace from all the metal (which I like too, don't get me wrong.)

Score: 9/10

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Gnam
on 2003-07-24 13:49:26

As much as I tire of the over-mixed Vampire Killer theme, this is a damn good remix. Good blend of that sort of late 90's darkwave sound (as seen in the song Clubbed to Death from the Matrix) and classic orchestral. The unique mood of this peice really makes it stand about all the other Vampire Killer remixes. I love rock/metal remixes as much as the next guy, but the Dracula Battle albums and the Minibosses got that covered, and they're tough to top. Therefore, if you're going to do a remix of one of the Castlevania hit songs like Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears, etc. you gotta have a unique take on it, you can't just do another metal mix. That's why I think this particular remix is great, it stands out.

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SpikedBladeZero
on 2003-06-27 22:03:45

Thank you for capturing the feeling of a Castlevania game....that up tempo/eerie feeling. Finally a remix done right. Well done

10 / 10

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Kamikaze Noodle
on 2003-06-03 08:21:05

Yeah wow this is good quality stuff. The drop-out at 1:31, which is the best part, makes me question if it was good to even have drums in this song. I like I like.

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neostormx
on 2002-11-12 07:54:54

I love the soft part at 1:31. gave me goosebumps cuz it was so delicious.

I aggree this IS a creative take on Vampire killa

Sources Arranged (3 Songs, 2 Games)


Primary Game:
Castlevania (Konami , 1986, NES)
Music by Kinuyo Yamashita,Satoe Terashima
Songs:
"Poison Mind (Boss BGM)"
"Vampire Killer (Breaking Into the Castle BGM)"
Additional Game:
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (Konami , 1988, NES)
Music by Kenichi Matsubara,Satoe Terashima
Songs:
"The Silence of the Daylight (Town Stage BGM)"

Tags (12)


Genre:
Electro,Hip Hop
Mood:
Chill,Mellow,Sad
Instrumentation:
Bells,Electronic,Oboe,Organ,Piano
Additional:
Arrangement > Medley
Time > 4/4 Time Signature

File Information


Name:
Castlevania_Midnight_Slayer_(Solemn_Mix)_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,236,795 bytes
MD5:
804b9d23bf78fc026f61de8e9d551270
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
2:53

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