ReMix:Xenogears "Theme of a Sailor" 2:09

By The Pancake Chef

Arranging the music of one song...

"Thames, Spirit of the Men of the Sea"

Primary Game: Xenogears (Square , 1998, PS1), music by Yasunori Mitsuda

Posted 2002-05-23, evaluated by djpretzel


Cool, unexpected stuff from the Chef. The most conspicuous element here is a very slick upright acoustic bass, which adds a lot of flavor. This instrumental coverage of Xenogears reminded me of Protricity's Final Fantasy 5 ReMix, but really only because it has that pirates / sailor quality to it, as the title might suggest. Piano, strings, and the afforementioned bass make for a fairly minimal arrangement compared to some of the Chef's other work, but the piano part is spread over the stereo field and it's ensemble strings that also have some nice stereo movement, so the mix never feels spartan or incomplete. In fact, the ways it ebbs and flows might appropriately remind one of actually being on a ship - sort of a liquid, back and forth motion to the mixing and dynamics as well. Not as obviously catchy or accessible as some of the PC's other stuff, but I'd say it bears repeated listening quite well and is compositionally stronger in some regards. As always, sound quality is high, and overall I found this a quirky and memorable mix, with a certain atmospheric miasma to it. Recommended.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 14 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Liontamer
on 2018-06-14 16:41:38

The piano and strings lacked body, but the writing was pretty forceful. Would love to hear this done with higher-quality instrumentation to better realize the potential here. Too bad Pancake Chef disappeared; he was one of the old-school ReMixers that always merited a listen.

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DragonAvenger
on 2009-11-26 23:09:56

The quality of sound on this mix made me think this was over 1000. I am really impressed with the piano sound especially. Also, the panning throughout is very nicely done, and I definitely recommend listening to this with headphones.

I'm not very familiar with the source, but while short, the melody is sweet and pleasant to listen to. This is a little gem I'm glad I found.

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Superrpgman
on 2007-03-11 05:34:41

This remix makes great town music. Definately gonna add it to my town stream in Oblivion.

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OA
on 2006-12-29 13:18:34

Awesome panning all around. I love the exposed feeling throughout, and the complete transformation of the track. It's very different from the original, and I didnt recognize it for a long time. The samples are great all around, and you use them to their strengths. Very reflective. I am digging it.

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Sirocco
on 2005-08-10 17:30:31

The bass guitar strum was very smoothing with this piano. I was a huge fan of the original so i was very excited to hear this remix, and it did not dissapoint. The song is completely re-arranged! Very good work, you continue to surprise me, chef! )

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DJ Pili
on 2005-08-05 20:51:30

A very soothing piece! I was especially captivated by the violin.

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Vexxon
on 2005-06-12 20:37:33

Long live the Pancake Chef! This mix is among my favorites from this site. I also had trouble finding Thames theme in this...seemed way to ambient for Thames. Owell, works anyway. If only there were more Xenogears mixes...sigh...

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jordex
on 2005-02-10 22:38:46

Excellent song!

It was extremely short though... I was hoping for it to build up to this big dramatized climax but the song was over before I knew it.

Still a great song

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kirbenvost
on 2004-02-02 05:40:41

I like this...it's sending chills down my back...that bass piano...very, very good...dramatic, and I love the 'acousticness' of this song... Kudos to the Pancake Chef :wink:

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tistou
on 2003-11-17 20:22:49

hello,

that's my first post on oc but i already downloaded more than 80 remixes and i wanted to say that this remix is by far the best i have ever heard on oc.

Ok it's quiet minimalist but that's a good point : not to "surcharge" remixes with tons of effects.

That song is so melodramatic and the guitar bass is uplifting and giving it a jazzy blue touch, with the masterpiece piano melody. I'm a fan of mitsuda's work and now of the pancake chef's excellent "remixes" or reworks (like dubbing the body johnny bike).

Keep it up !

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Tiberiansam
on 2003-11-07 18:44:01

I liked this remix a lot... even if I can't associate it with the song of Thame! :oops: To me, it sounded at some points, a bit like the music of "The Undersea Palace" in Chrono Trigger! :P Althought, it's really a very great remix! 8)

"He could be my friend if he was not my enemy" -Shadow-
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fadeaway
on 2003-07-24 22:40:06

This song is the best example I can think of to illustrate just what is so special about this website.

Pancake Chef takes the upbeat, energetic theme song of the Thames boat in Xenogears (one of my 3 fave songs from the game), and then changes it into something so totally different that I actually didn't recognize what it was the first few times I heard it. Then, when it all finally came together and I suddenly thought, "Oh wow.. this is from that boat with the Men of the Sea... this is awesome!", it was a great moment.

Although a tad on the short side, this little tune remains one of my favorites.

I give it a first class recommendation.

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Deryck Khusial
on 2003-01-01 07:06:42

count on the chef to dish out sincere-sounding pieces. yeah this is short, but the slow and deliberate take on it makes it seem stretched out to infinity. lovin’ the strings

if you’re looking for a similar sound, get his wondrous Seiken Densetsu 3 - Sea Breeze Strings mix

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orkybash
on 2002-06-06 00:30:33

Xenogears 'Theme of a Sailor'

It's Xenogears and it's Pancake Chef, what's not to like? :D While this is a pretty simple arrangement, it's very, very cool. Plus, a fretless bass combined with the classic piano-n-strings is something you don't hear every day. On the downside it's a tad short, but I don't think there's much you could do with this without ruining it's simplicity, so I won't mark off for that. Recommended.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Xenogears (Square , 1998, PS1)
Music by Yasunori Mitsuda
Songs:
"Thames, Spirit of the Men of the Sea"

Tags (9)


Genre:
Jazz
Mood:
Jazzy,Mellow,Solemn
Instrumentation:
Piano,Strings
Additional:
Arrangement > Minimalist
Time > 6/8 Time Signature
Time > Duration: Short

File Information


Name:
Xenogears_Theme_of_a_Sailor_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
2,669,072 bytes
MD5:
96c17e9e69c5d9535f1761253a156be9
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
2:09

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