ReMix: The 7th Guest 'Fat Dance'

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Ladies and gentleman, I am proud to introduce our newest ReMixer and ReMix: The Fat Man himself, submitting a ReMix of one of his own compositions from the 7th Guest soundtrack!!

How cool is that? For those not in the know, The Fat Man a.k.a George Sanger has been a major force in the world of video and computer game music for almost two decades. Going beyond scoring amazing soundtracks to games like the 7th Guest and Wing Commander series, Zombies ate my Nieghbors, Loom, and more, The Fat Man has made substantial headway for widespread appreciation of game music as an art form, by doing interviews (check out http://dperry.com/george.html for a great piece that lists some pointers on getting into the industry, and also the gear George uses) and also running GamePlayMusic, an alternative way for game composers to get their music heard & used. He also hosts Project Bar-B-Q, a unique "interactive music think tank" that meets annually in Texas. Are you sold yet? Suffice it to say, when I received an email from The Fat Man himself (who, embarassingly for me, pointed out that he wasn't listed as the composer for 7th Guest, which I promptly fixed), I was quite honored. I literally remember reading about Mr. Sanger in the July '94 issue of Keyboard magazine, and several other places as well. I would even say that reading those articles contributed enough to my interest in game music such that OCR might not exist if I hadn't. Long story short - check out The Fat Man's site, especially if you're an aspiring game composer.

The Fat Man also mailed to say he enjoyed AmIEviL's take on The 7th Guest from a while back, so kudos to him for getting the "original composer nod" :) George also threw a ReMix of his own work from The 7th Guest my way - his only dance remix to date. Did I mention how cool this all is? Well, let me gush no more, I just think it's a great achievement for all the artists and fans here at OCR when a major industry figure submits his own mix, or even for that matter stops by to say hi (Mr. Uematsu, we're all waiting ^^), so like I said, be sure to check out what The Fat Man has cooking over at his site.



. . .



What, you're still here? Oh, right, the ReMix. I suppose I should speak to that as well :) There's some novel and unique synth textures in this subdued electronica arrangement that will tickle your ears after so many saw & square waves, starting with a deep FM-ish synth bass that has some of the qualities of an electric slap bass, coupled with detuned clangorous ambient pads that fade off into an abyss of reverb. Things build up to 1'03" where full drums come in and a great, gritty, flanged synth enters as well. These are the basic ingredients, and the piece is more subdued BGM than traditional song structure, but the atmosphere is there, the mixing is on, and the sounds used in particular are charismatic and individual. This is one instance where we don't have to guess much as to whether the original composer would think it were faithful enough to the original :) Highly Recommended.

Cool.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
It's always awesome when composers support OCR by subbing their own mixes. Love that slap bass throughout. There is a nice sound scape built here. There is a consistent groove that fills the spectrum without getting old. Then we have some classic resonant synths with some nice modulation. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of 7th Guest or any of The Fat Man's other work.

- SubNormal J3 on March 21, 2011
The novelty factor of this mix is quite high, considering it's one of the few composer-submitted remixes, but even the Fat Man's admitted it's not as good as it could have been, and I'm inclined to agree. The groove that is here is pretty high quality and enjoyable, but it falls flat as a full-blown song. No offense meant to the remixer though, who obviously has more street cred than just about anyone on this site :-P This one just doesn't do it for me.

- Emunator on December 13, 2009
Nice mix for a classic game but i keep on expecting something better. Over all its still worth listening to, Great job.

- yosefu on December 12, 2009
I am very intrigued by this. I have find the game now after listening to this. It does give you the chills and that bass line works well.

- metalsnakejuice on December 12, 2009
Though i'm not sure about the title (even knowing the backstory), this is some pretty cool stuff. It's a lot more atmospheric than danceable, i'd say, but it does feature a pretty pulsing bass line. It really does sound mysterious enough to be in the game, which I guess makes pretty good sense. ;-)

- OA on December 2, 2009
Those ambient pads are definitely befitting a haunted mansion. The bass synth seizes the bass from the source with both hands and amplifies it. A tense and thumping bass slowly rises and fits into every 16th beat, first prominently and then a bit subdued. That chewy, bubbly, filtered synth plays the lead in Dolls of Doom so, so discreetly (on beat, but slow). Twice does it howl the first half of its intro before vanishing like a ghost, then the third time (2:15) it figures "might as well go all the way." At this point, the initial bass synth goes off autopilot and varies the tail end of its loop until fadeout.
So while not a lot of risks are taken, the groove, creepy vibe, and creative spark are there just the same.

- Polo on May 16, 2009
I have to say that I didn't like this the first time, but I dug it the second time around. I haven't heard or played [i]7th Guest[/i], but I'll be damned if this loop isn't stuck in my head. If I run into some free time from projects, I just might do an arrangement of this remix :)
Either way, Mr. Sanger, if you ever get to read this, I absolutely LOVED your book--it really was inspiring--and I hope to one day see another mix added from either you or Team Fat!
Sincerely,
Kunal Majmudar

- ktriton on July 4, 2006
This song is pretty much a three minute intro, sadly. While listening to it you keep thinking to yourself, 'here it comes, this is it'. Except it never does actually go anywhere. The bassline just connects everything else, which seem to be rather random, together. Not a regular listen, I'd have to say.

- watkinzez on September 19, 2005
After reading about the Fat Man doing a remix of his own song I had to write a review
Not much happens in this song but the bassline is pretty cool
After a minute the song does seem a little stale but it's cool to have a self-remix

- jordex on February 10, 2005
This piece had a very strong and pronounced beat. I dissliked the strange, helicoter noise that a previous poster had mentioned, it distracted from the rest of the song. Overall the song kind of felt as if it was missing something. However, what was there was all very cool, and it is also cool having the origninal mixer remix his own sound.

- Cyan_Ide on February 10, 2005
I thought the mix was fun, and it was actually good; however, I did not like the slow motion helicopter noise at the beginning, it kind of made things really slow. Then around 1:05 things started to pick up a little, but it never got past that initial speed. Its like the little train the could, but it couldn't.
The mix is good overall, but I feel that it could have been much more expanded on. Know what I mean?
7/10

- schwagnah on September 14, 2004
This is a very interesting piece, although from the review I was expecting much more, ow well. Over all the beat is flowwing and the use of sounds is appropriate for this mix. No surprises though, this one didnt knock me out of my seat but it takes a lot more then a smooth remix to do that.. :)

- Lunevalkyrave on January 29, 2004
This is definitely a unique piece at OCR, being a ReMix done by the song's original composer.
This is a fairly repetitive and not too complex song, with the bass opening up and running the entire length of it. Various synth instruments join in at different times, compiling it into a theme that fans of the genre and/or the original game would probably like, but it's not suggested for everyone else.

- Durinthal on December 14, 2003
How can a Remix made by the original composer go wrong? I just listened to this remix for the first time and it is one the most original take on authentic game music I've heard in a while. the bass line is a unique slap/electronic style. The main synths are appropriate to the context, but seem to linger a little. I like the drums but they don't vary enough. over all a fasinating peice of music given it's history.
ZAck

- IamMegaMan on January 11, 2003
wooo! my first post. my lurking days are over.
i have to say, when i first listened to this remix it was kinda lousy i thought. I was thinking, all of that buildup... and nothing.
i tried it out again..... and i like it actually. very hollow, much how it should be. the feeling that your not going anywhere.... almost in circles, with the underlying theme trying to peek out.
definitely not the best of remixes i've heard here. Could use work...
and you definitely have to know where the music came from i think to appreciate it. great game.
~p;xl'z

- pixlz on September 8, 2002