ReMix: Final Fantasy 'Hardcore'

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Final Fantasy

Mr. Hudson steps outside of his usual high-quality orchestral/rock arrangement shell with this heavier (and more interpretive than usual as well) take on . . . that's right, the mighty FF prelude! Also known as "The Arpeggio That Refused to Die" or "Mr. Uematsu's Opus" depending upon which circles you travel in :) At this late point in the game, any new mix of this oft-covered material has a lot to prove in terms of originality, as several dozen iterations exist that are worthy and take the theme in interesting directions. Jared's slick, though, and I think he knew this ahead of time when he set out to put his latest mix together. It's definitely different from the other prelude homages I've heard over the years - though titled "Hardcore" and indeed including some heavy guitars, there's also some great jazz saxophone that comes in surprisingly but not inappropriately, and the actual notes of the arpeggio are modified to fit Jared's mold, at times dramatically. Beginning with what sounds like a more (too) traditional mix, using harp and piano, drums and shred guitar quickly enter and tell the listener blatanly and defiantly - this ain't your momma's prelude. When purists hear how the chord progression's been modded at 1'19" they might not like it, but tough cookies - I for one enjoyed it quite a bit, and a piece this "done" certainly lends itself to more poetic license than usual, in my book. Jazzy sax section circa 2'06" is what really sold me - sure, it's more Hudson than Uematsu, but it works, fits with the adaptation, and is twice as tasty with half the fat and cholesterol. Check this out to see how a prelude which, if it were feline, would have expired its ninth and final life long ago can continue to rise like the phoenix from the ashes of overexposure. Recommended.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
Some of the samples are a bit dirty, but this is a pretty capable mix. I wish a little more attention to velocity was paid, as some of the piano bits were a bit clunky, but overall this is a really nice mix and a good way to mix things up in an unexpected way (extra funny, as I try to personally rock just about everything). Synth guitar was obviously fake, but higher quality samples than i'm used to, and the only real spots it sounded off were some of the fast runs. I think part of that was again the velocity issue.
Nice interpretation, as well. Some of the melodic lines went to unexpected but welcome places. The breakdown with the sax solo was very Falcom sounding, and sounded awesome. Overall this is a really nice prelude, and if the sample usage could have matched the arranging skill, this would have been perfect.
As is, it's still very very strong, even considering the age. Nice work. :-D

- OA on March 17, 2009
Great interpretation on an oft-heard theme. The jazz sax solo is cool, but kind of a strange addition to a song called 'Hardcore.'
I felt like some things could have been a little louder and almost rougher to make it feel more...well, hardcore.
A good mix, not my favorite, but still very enjoyable to listen to.

- DragonAvenger on August 18, 2008
AWESOME it makes me feel like getting on my drums and playing to this!!!!!!!!!!! :D

- Xx~~Zangetsu~~xX on February 2, 2006
I never imagined the prelude could give way to this!
Good job.

- Drack on October 2, 2005
Now that´s a surprise. For being a prelude, JH sure could draw some real cool stuff out of it, like a wizard with a hat stuffed with bunnies. Begins with a calm harp and ends with the same, but it´s the middle that´s so awesome. In one moment he plays some real thrashing guitar and in the next he throws it away to have some hands to play some piano and sax. We have respect packed into a remix here people!

- Bummerdude on October 2, 2005
o_o H'oman. This is the single coolest prelude remix I have heard to this day.
I love it. I want it to bear my children. :lol:

- Stalwart Jester on September 9, 2005
I've been listenign to this song for some time, and I must say, it's an awesome remix. Mixing the style of rock, with jazz, with a Final Fantasy, and actually making it sound good is definetly an impressive feat.
I love the bit at 2:55, how the Prelude starts playing again alongside the guitars. It's an awesome, yet highly underated remix.

- Zero_ on August 22, 2005
TheWired wrote: Wow.. just wow, the prelude is one of those harp-things .. and jared here turned it into this really nice-sounding coolass ... hell theres so many genres in there..
You know, im at loss of words, but this is one of the most talented artpieces out there, i mean ..[i] so many genres[/i] .. from monotony... Jared gets 10/10 for this piece, good job.

so true.
it's hard to comment on this because there is nothing i would do to improve it so...erm... yeah this is an awesome mix

- Brinnswf on April 17, 2004
Can the Prelude be remixed in any other style? Great song, great sounds, great work! This one'll go in MY playlist!

- Ax on May 31, 2003
I liked the jazzy parts a lot, I felt they were very polished and had a spontaneous feel. I don't know, the harp and guitar just seemed too rough, I guess; the instrumentation detracted too much from the experience for me. Original enough take on an overdone song, though.

- foxyshadis on May 31, 2003
Man this is very good... very original. alot of stuff you don't expect. at first it seems like a generic run of the mill prelude mix.. as has been mentioned a couple times before... but it just keeps getting better and better. I absolutely love the part were the sax comes in. its so original and different yet it flows so smoothly with the rest of the song. ~a top notch remix.

- Avien on September 25, 2002
Love it. Puts a great twist on an already superb song. This mix truly is "hardcore". ^^

- AlwaysAlone on August 23, 2002
Man, this is a fantasic remix. At first it brings out the nostalgic feeling of the old school final fantasies, then followed by an awesome guitar/piano remix. This is one of my favourites. If you like the old school FF's, you have to download this. It's amazing.

- Mystical on August 21, 2002
I have to say that this is possibly the single most original FF Mix I've heard in a LONG while (I've been lurking here for the past 8 months) ... the guitar and sax are INCREDIBLE! I could go on and on but I won't, I'm sure everyone gets the point

- archlyn on August 20, 2002
Wow.. just wow, the prelude is one of those harp-things .. and jared here turned it into this really nice-sounding coolass ... hell theres so many genres in there..
You know, im at loss of words, but this is one of the most talented artpieces out there, i mean .. so many genres .. from monotony... Jared gets 10/10 for this piece, good job.

- TheWired on August 20, 2002

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