ReMix: Secret of Mana 'Time in the CloudsDX'

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Secret of Mana

Kailem's first OC ReMix comes in the form of a delicate Secret of Mana mix he's been working on awhile. He submitted a previous version a considerable time ago, but has improved upon it since then. Panning pianos, breathy bell pads, and very cool percussion that goes through phases of sort of an ethnic feel, to rolling military snares, to booming timpani. The sheer variety of percussive feels is quite impressive, esp. as they meld together well. Not something you see much of, and very listenable and peculiar. Along with piano and pads, there's also some interesting pizzicato textures that have a really unique attack to them and some brassy/string pads when the more dramatic timpani line enters. The arrangement itself is very cinematic, taking the types of twists and turns you'd expect from film work. Oh yeah, and there's a bassoon near the end, which always helps for that 'film' feel simply by raising its hand for attendance :) Dig the ending as well - it's clear that Kailem's time on the piece has let him extract, interpret, and expand extensively on the source material in ways that are far from obvious and excellent in their unique character. Recommended.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 12 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
A pleasant building piece that really doesn't structurally evolve, rather lathering more and more whipped cream on the melody line. And there's nothing wrong with bountiful amounts of whipped cream.
The samples are pretty adequate, and I like the fact this develops into some contained ethnic-style bombasticity, because that is the last place I expected it to go, judging from the first 30 seconds or so.
On paper, this probably would have sounded like an extremely annoying concept to me, but I'm glad to be proven wrong in its execution. A bright mix, albeit not a very deep one.

- Marmiduke on July 14, 2009
I never really noticed the panning on this mix until now, and it adds a nice touch at first but, does the song pan back and forth for the entire time, or is that just me? Gets annoying after a while.
The percussion is nice. The hand drums, snare (not entirely crazy about the snare sound, but it's decent), and timpani work nicely together. Changing around from one to another and mixing them keep the piece interesting.
Melody is nicely done, though the main line is left pretty straightforward. Little details here and there, like the pause at the beginning, and the altered bit at the beginning, really bring this piece alive.
Nice work. Not the best SoM mix out there, but worth keeping and a good listen once in a while.

- DragonAvenger on December 3, 2008
Pretty mechanical sequencing, but there are enough cool touches to make it stand out as a good mix. Instrumentation-wise it's very nice, with some very creative percussive textures. The brass is mixed pretty quietly, and sounds really good because of it, it sounds like the samples are being fully taken advantage of.
So despite the unintentional clockwork sound, this is good stuff.

- OA on June 21, 2007
Sweet stuff, catchiness is enhanced by the composition a tell-tale sign of a good song. Some FX and other stuff coulda been added.
Some of the slight panning is def a nice addition. This def has the old school OCR feel in a good way. Simple and catchy, it's good music. I really like how the arrangement went places, with all types of similar elements coming in and out, the ideas really fit well with the source. YES MORE SoM LOVE. :D

- avaris on December 29, 2006
I love this remix, it's the only one that's based on "What the Forest Taught Me", I got attached to it the first time I heard it. I'm glad that Kailem the positive and joyful feel this track has, the bell pads fits perfectly. The prescense of a piano and drum snares just makes this piece better, I've listened to this so many times that I've lost count.
Great stuff, you gotta listen to this. :D

- Bummerdude on April 27, 2006
Wow. I like it. Especially the percussion. Good work!

- synthetic_realities on July 24, 2005
Wow. This is magnificent, Kailem. I have one of two speakers on either side of my computer, and I noticed how your piano flows flawlessly back and forth... not choppily, but gradually fading in one as it pronounces in the other. That was an awesome touch, and almost added a feel of personality to the song.
Your interpretation of this is awesome. You added magic to the Upper Lands, but also kept it fun, as it was meant to be.
Wow, the ending caught me off guard. It just kind of... echoed away... almost as if the entire song is the hero chasing something through the Upper Land, and at the last second, it escaped. Rather interesting, and I think I like it.
Magnificent work, Kailem.

- Angelus Laminarum on April 3, 2005
I'm admittedly partial to SoM remixes, but this one is great. It was a good song to begin with, and Kailem only improved on it with his (her?) instrument choice and interpretation. 8/10

- ghaleon on December 15, 2004
I think this song is pretty hip. The ethnic instrument choices really stand out. I like the strong orchestral interlude. The hand percussion sounds pretty cool, too. The marching snare is a nice addition.

- MrNemo on August 23, 2004
8) Kool ReMix. Love it. This ReMix is taken from the Upperlands level in SoM and is also called 'What the forest taught me' if you'd care to download the original.
I like the extended piano intro then it suddenly kicks in with the famous melody and drums are then added to the beat. It gets better at bout 2'00 when other orchastral rythms enter the melody. Not the most hardcore of ReMix's but definatly a joy to listen to, especially for SoM fans like myself. Reccomended to d/l immediatly.
I would personally like to see Kailem ReMix the SoM theme from the Weird Theif Group also known a 'A Curious Happening'. Keep up the good work Kailem. :)

- the warlock on March 15, 2003
In my grand tradition of reviewing those songs in which I love, I've decided to take a moment to give a few words to Kailem's new work. Now, I only say new here, because DJ Pretzel says he (she?) has written other things... but those aren't on the site, and since he says this is an improvement on the others, they probably weren't worth listening to anyway.
This one is.
Unless I'm entirely mistaken, this song is based off of "The Upper Lands"... the forest you go to in order to find Sprite's home. You know the one... where you start off in the four seasons land, you fight really hard monsters for your level (at least, for my level... maybe I should have leveled up a bit more before going to the Upper Land?) and you find a moogle town? Yeah that place. Catchy tune, remember? Nice fluty sound throughout it. Well, this peice doesn't have flutes, but it's still catchy and fun...
It starts off with a dramatic series of short repeating piano runs that really grab your attention. That was the first thing I liked about this peice. And then the melody comes in, with what I can only describe as bell tones, mixed in with this shimmery sound that's the aural version of sparkly bits comming out of the top of your camp fire. Then theres a more oriental style bell, with echoey stuff in the background. And then at 1:03, everything cuts out suddenly, dropping you into three seconds of silence...
And then it comes back in with a driving series of repeating chords! I like this piano stuff! It just fits the song so well, even if it wasn't part of the original melody (maybe it was though, and I just don't remember it...). When the snare drum starts in, it just adds to the peice, making it start sounding like a marching band tune. And that bass drum does nothing to disuade me of that!
A nice rythym is beat out on a flat drum of some sort. I'm also enjoying that. And at the end, everything cuts out, except a harp... which slowly fades out....
Ooh! I hope to hear more by this person! Well done Kailem!

- Fieari on June 10, 2002
Secret of Mana 'Time in the Clouds DX'
An interesting mix.. moving around trying to decide just how it wants
to go.. switching between orchestral sounding arrangements to soft
ballad, then to piano and back again. The instruments don't
sound half bad either.

- m68030 on June 5, 2002

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