ReMix: Rygar 'Trippin' on Snails'

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Mazedude must be one clumsy fella, because it seems like every other mix he's trippin' on something new (it's funny . . . laugh, damn you!) - whether it be rainbows, alligators, or snails - three items that I actually can't imagine are commonly tripped on (in a Cheech & Chong sense of the word) or over - the result remains consistently enjoyable, risk-taking, and musically transporting. This time Mazedude takes on the wonderful world of Rygar, Tecmo's seemingly forgotten hero who was recently revived for a next-gen sequel. Opening with a delayed upright acoustic bass (which you normally wouldn't hear delay applied to), things get very jazzy and funky FAST; this is probably Chris' best jazz work to date. A shuffling, hybrid electro-acoustic beat is the underpinning for some mean, delicious piano riffage, wailing saxophone work, low end wah guitar chords (icing on an already formidable cake), a breakdown with a bit of Chris on his trombone, a pick-up with muted trumpet which then breaks back in with piano, sax, and trombone all going simultaneously and maintains excellent intensity for a considerable while, then ends on a fadeout. Mixing is very clean - to have this many instruments riffing at the same time and not have the mix turn into chaos and start sounding ass is a testament to Mazedude's ever-improving skills. The arrangement is stellar, a new personal benchmark for Chris, with excellent performances all around from a mean assortment of players. The piano and sax in particular were superlative, and everything fits together VERY tightly and never even approaches the vicinity of adjectives like 'stale' or 'repetitive' for a nanosecond. For me, this is Mazedude's best ReMix since RiverCityRammStein and lends Rygar's tunes a whole new dimension. Highly recommended.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
This is very, very trippy. Me likey :nicework:
I can see why people are calling this 'Industrial Jazz', and I gotta say I'm liking what I'm hearing. The middle section I love in particular, where the trumpet and sax almost seem to be dueling it out and it gets even better and more packed towards the end.
A highly fun and energetic piece by Mazedude.

- Sir_Downunder on December 17, 2009
Almost a little *too* packed in some sections, but this definitely has some serious power packed in! It sounds like a complete snail-trippingly fun party, with all the instruments invited. I really enjoyed the trombone and sax sparring, and the piano bits were good too.
The part where the horns are playing the main melody in unison really clicked with me, and the various drum breakdowns beforehand were great too.
Fun stuff with a lot of energy, even if it almost gets to be too much. :-)

- OA on March 17, 2009
Yeah, wow. Just a weeeeeird piece. Chris was definitely trippin' on something when he made this. Not always my cup of tea with this one, but a very inspired and offbeat take on Rygar, much like Mazedude's Bayou Billy "Trippin' on Alligators" which I enjoy just for being so crazy.

- Liontamer on October 5, 2007
savage beats! this is awesome! way to go, mazedude.

- OpenAmp on December 3, 2005
Bloody Brilliant
THis song needs to be heard by more people!

- jordex on October 31, 2004
Whoa, I really like this. The "delayed acoustic bass" sounded almost like bongas or whatever you call them. The sax has the perfect tone to it, and you bring in the piano at a great time. Didn't even notice that it was a piano. At around 00:53 it sounds like you change the kinds of pianos you use... And then you go back down with the bass at 01:15, with some occasional sax. When the piano comes back again, things start coming back... And I know why they're calling it "industrial jazz" now, because of that industrial clap-like sound in the background that always seems to accompany the piano. At around 01:57, you can tell things are really get back up, and soon enough all the intruments are playing in unison, with the exception of the trumpet, which takes the place of the sax nicely, with the sax still playing a few notes occasionally. I like the fadeout you used at 3:30.
This is another Mazedude classic, and I think it's his best work ever. Even if you don't normally like jazz, this mix has a great pace and a variety of instruments. Excellent work, Maze.

- Corporal Eschebone on April 4, 2004
I kept this one after I listened.
I like the piano riff you use. Fits really well.
Makes me want to make a martini. :)

- Atomic Dog on April 10, 2003
Im inclined to agree with everyone on this. The jazzy feel really does the piece justice. Now im gonna go play Rygar.
-Doug

- Dougzee on April 10, 2003
wow i cant believe i missed this remix, Rygar was my favorite, had all the cool tunes, this was the best one though, and although i hate jazz with a passion, i couldnt believe my ears when i heard it, it just hit me real quick, NES+JAZZ wow thats all i can say wow
good work mazedude

- TFLthuG on April 1, 2003
This mx kicks ass. I'm a big jazz fan, and I would have to say this is almost not jazz. It's really some wierd jazz techno hybrid with that driving beat. Not one bad thing to say about it. Keep up the goodness Mazedude.

- Kamikaze Noodle on March 23, 2003
Normally I don't even visit message boards, but for [i]this[/i] mix, I had to join up. Mazedude, I'm going to fricking [i]kill[/i] you. Why? Because this is the second -- no, the [i]third[/i] -- time you've gotten one of your mixes stuck in my head for more than three days straight. I wake up with it in my head, and no amount of listening to other songs gets it out. As soon as there's a moment of silence, poof! Trippin' on Snails.
Not that that's a bad thing. I fricking [i]love[/i] this song. It's so delightfully funky -- a previous poster called it "industrial jazz". I didn't even know that style existed, nor that I would even like it, but dangit, I heard this mix, and it became another favorite style -- and mix -- of mine. Hat's off, Mazedude. Keep 'em comin'.

- TheVoid_Jeremy on March 17, 2003
Pretty cool.
MY favorite portion was in the center, where the meat of the original melody was really kicking in. Lots of neat ideas, and well executed. My only problem with this mix was that I would have liked to have heard more of the original bassline intact, at least at some point. That's one of the most delicious bass riffs in NES history.
But as it is, neat ideas....nice change of pace and direction, and GREAT song choice. I also dig the neat sax swirls and guitar wahs....
8-10
~Quinn Fox

- Quinn X5 on March 7, 2003
Extremely excellent. I love this style. Usually, when I really like something, I even find something to pick at, but here, I've got nothing (not even the fading ending, because it was appropriate). One of the best songs on OCR, I feel.

- Ryan8bit on March 6, 2003
9/10 I liked it. Industrial jazz, yeah... something not really done often.
Something sounded slightly amiss though, somewhere in the gumbo. Maybe it was trying to do too much, I'm not sure...
But the trombone was the definitely the weak link to me. Intonation was just far enough off a couple places that I winced... plus, the tone on the 'bone was odd - too mellow throughout... it would have sounded much more at home backed up by a contemplative drumset and lazily walkng bass rather than the funky, energetic, beat it's with here.
But that's only a small part... overall, still very good. Not only is this industrial jazz thing not done often, it's done well here, so props.

- fisherman on March 5, 2003
8O ... Dude ... Trippin'! ... I looooove it! ... 8O

- Nigel Simmons on March 5, 2003