ReMix:M&M's Minis Madness "virt's Madness" 1:51

By Mustin

Arranging the music of 2 songs from 2 games ( view all )...

"Q!Dina", "Stage 4"

Primary Game: M&M's Minis Madness (Majesco Games , 2001, GBC), music by Jake Kaufman

Posted 2002-05-23, evaluated by djpretzel


Now here's something you don't hear every day: Mustin makes a return to OC ReMix with his first new submission since January, ReMixing music from M&M's Mini Madness, composed by none other than Jacob Kaufman. He actually throws a little bit of Q*Bert for GBC, also by Kaufman, in as well. This is beatnik-style jazz, the type you'd see goofy men snapping their fingers to in coffee-house scenes from late 1950's movies. Whether related or not, there's even a little coffee-sippin' audio break that adds levity to an otherwise serious musical arrangement that features some groovy acoustic bass, piano, drums with some great hi-hat action going on, tasteful horn stabs, and just the right amount of forward momentum. Tremolo strings help as well, and the walking bassline keeps the low-end interesting. Transitions all work well. I do prefer the more acoustic drum portions to those that are merged in with a more electronic kick and snare (entering at 0'23"). Some beautifully understated work on a couple solos as well. Concise piece that does a lot with its time and represents some great jazz arranging. Mustin used Cakewalk SONAR 1.3, GigaStudio, and various sound fonts on the piece, and the original music's available here for comparison, btw. Recommended.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 14 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Marmiduke
on 2010-01-03 01:10:08

Nice to hear from a time where music from licensed games was worth a goddamn. And also from a time where mixes could be short and sweet, without the pressure of being overshadowed and lost between the cracks.

This isn't the snazziest mix in the world, but it's got a great beat and has quite a bit of swing under the hood. Really love the left-field idiosynchratic style that goes on here; this could only be Mustin.

Does a decent job with the samples, supplies some undeniable swank, and then lets us move on. More than I can ask for from a game commissioned by MMs.

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Emunator
on 2009-12-08 19:07:44

Eww, the brass doesn't sit well with me, but aside from that I think most of the other elements in the song are cohesive enough, even though they sound a little bit mechanical. This still has that traditional Mustin feel to it, so even for an old mix I was surprised by the personality to it :-) Obviously Mustin's improved a lot since this but it's still not bad by any means.

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Bahamut
on 2009-10-31 04:25:34

Here's a nice change in pace as far as quality of the songs back then goes. The samples show off their outdatedness here, but this song takes a nice approach, which makes it even more unfortunate that it's so short.

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yosefu
on 2009-07-09 05:27:39

I totally love this mix because the beat and it was fun to listen to so GREAT JOB.

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justinj212
on 2009-01-15 01:20:43

I honestly had no idea what to expect when I started listening, but it was really fun, upbeat, toe-tapping goodness. The keyboard sounds especially nice! Good job.

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42
on 2008-12-06 22:08:54

For some reason, this remix reminds me of that one episode of Loony Toons where Daffy Duck was Duck Twacy.

Don't know why :

I guess it's got a good gumshoe beat.

This is one of my favorite remixes and keeps me wanting more.

I agree with previous sentiments about how this should have been longer.

If anything there should be a sequel or something to this remix.

The bit starting at 0:23, which is after the "Damn good coffee", is my favorite.

Even if you know the coffee part is coming, afterward you're left with a feeling of "wait... what the heck" and the remix continues on like it never happened.

This is a definitely must download.

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-06-13 11:28:27

This could definatley be a bit longer, but it's a keeper for me. Quite catchy, and reminds me of "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiago". Lolz

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MechaFone
on 2007-12-03 21:56:17

That 'Damn good coffee' bit didn't make a damn bit of sense to me. And yet, somehow, thinking of MM's and coffee together is just too good not to have together. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this song and I play it whenever I lay eyes on it. Mmmm...I've suddenly developed a craving for MM's and coffee.

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OA
on 2006-12-26 23:53:27

Jazzy and fun, this is a great bite-sized Mustin track, and one I could easily imagine in an animated short for Pixar. My favorite part is the piano; great flourishes throughout. It sounds very off-the-cuff, and improvised, even though it was all planned. The brass is tastefull and lends itself well to the samples used, and the bass is vibrant and fun.

My on;y complaint is that like most of the earlier mixes on the site, it could stand to be a bit longer.

Overall, a "damn good" mix. :D

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jordex
on 2004-12-28 21:44:08

Very cool

The jazz/blues type feel is excellent

The solo around 1 minute is great

i love that drums near the beginning especially that snare intro

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fisherman
on 2003-02-27 17:53:46

Fabulously infectious swingin' track. Reccommended.

I agree with the previous comment about the brass, some kickin' brass licks would have added a whole 'nother wing onto the building.

The Twin Peaks clip blew me away. Totally unexpected, but somehow it works!

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Fopher
on 2002-10-07 22:45:30

Damn good coffee.

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DarkCecil13
on 2002-06-14 01:59:15

This ReMix has been stuck in my head ALL DAY. I was humming it while at a funeral! Do yourself a favor and get it today. Does the original more than justice (which, by the way, kicks much ass. Get yourself a copy of MMs Mini Madness too. It's a fun quirky game.). Cool stuff, Mustin :)

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orkybash
on 2002-06-06 00:37:07

MM's Minis Madness 'virt's Madness'

Well, it's nice to hear some of Virt's stuff get more attention. Overall I like this arrangement, as well as the effect the small room reverb gives - props to Mustin for not concert-halling the hell out of this. However, although I'm loath to criticize anything that Mustin does, I do have some comments here. The voice sample in the middle needs to be more audible, and I would have liked to hear a bit more power out of the brass. There, I'm done. :) No, I'm not gonna criticize the length - it's short, but it's well developed. Do yourself a favor and grab this song.

Sources Arranged (2 Songs, 2 Games)


Primary Game:
M&M's Minis Madness (Majesco Games , 2001, GBC)
Music by Jake Kaufman
Songs:
"Stage 4"
Additional Game:
Q*bert (Hasbro , 2000, GBC)
Music by Jake Kaufman
Songs:
"Q!Dina"

Tags (14)


Genre:
Swing
Mood:
Funky,Goofy,Jazzy,Quirky
Instrumentation:
Bells,Brass,Electric Piano,Piano,Strings,Vocals: Voice Acting
Additional:
Arrangement > Medley
Time > 4/4 Time Signature
Time > Duration: Short

File Information


Name:
M&M's_Minis_Madness_virt's_Madness_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
2,748,275 bytes
MD5:
2dd13ba8e74ca0ff492e8e5fbb8b3cb7
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
1:51

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