ReMix: Sonic & Knuckles 'Deep Damp Sandcastle'

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Sonic & Knuckles

This one REALLY grew on me. I think it was a little too different and 'whimsical' at times for me to really get into the first go-round, but I've had it on repeat while in the process of posting it after successful evaluation by the judges panel, and I'm much more appreciative now. While citing relative simplicity and lack of salient harmony or counter-melody like a couple others, judge Vigilante notes, "I really really really like the tempo/feel changes. this mix has excellent dynamics, which is something i dont hear often enough in the mixes on the judging board." - the tempo/tone change is what sort of jarred me the first time, but on further listens it's unquestionably the strength and memorable quality of the arrangement, and serves to assuage the simplicity elsewhere. I like some of the synth timbres, particularly an FM-ish tone that sounds like something you'd actually hear the Genesis' sound chip produce, but a bit higher quality. Dain has apparently been wanting to do something in sort of a semi-dub style, and this has aspects of that, while being hard to pin down exclusively to any single genre. I think I ended up actually liking this more than the judges did after hearing it a few times; it's a really conspicuous, tempo-changing, flamboyant piece of electronica that tries a couple new things and gets most of them right, and is certainly a change of pace for Beatdrop. Not everyone's cup of tea, and in my opinion definitely benefits from repeated listening, but on the average a different sort of mix from a talented ReMixer that's as worthy as arrangements in his forte genres. Good stuff.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
This work was pretty cool.
The one thing I found annoying, however, was the tempo changes... Until then it was quite relaxing to listen to. I can actually picture being out on a hot desert listening to this...

- KogeJoe on January 29, 2007
This is definitely one that NEEDS to grow on you. I was very fond of the feel, but the "whimsical" bit do tend to make it rather...uhhh...odd? i've had renditions of this song in my head before, but i never quite cross THAT many lines...not that it's a bad piece, don't get me wrong. it's actually quite awesome. Like...a LOT. It's just not my perfectionistic taste, but it's cool to listen to, nonetheless. Kudos.

- darkmelee on April 28, 2006
Well this is obviously different from Beatdrop's Catapult, but this one was also made two years before that. At first I thought that Beatdrop actually was going to do something calm and ambient, since this castle is so damp, but at many places in the arrangement, that wasn't the case.
The turns might've been to sudden or simply too different. If you switch to a different melody perhaps, but this is two different music styles. I like what you did with the beginning, some bass and a silent sitra laying in irs loneliness, then BOOOooooommmm....it changes style to calm again. It's like if it cannot decide if it's gonna be relaxing and deep or fast and jumpy.
I liked the part that began at 2:35, since the strings and the sitra worked well together and created this ancient feel to this arrangement, and when the synth appeared it went alot more smooth than the previous time. But when it went a level higher, it didn't smooth anymore, and the it suddenly started to fade and that was the end of it.
Nice remix, no questions, but it was more like two remixes in the same arrangement that argued of which one of them that would take the lead.

- Bummerdude on April 28, 2006
I think the change of pace is the musical portrayal of the lights going out in Sandopolis Zone 2. I didn't really think about it until I noticed some of the beat sounds were very reminiscent of the 'levers' you push to make the lights turn back on, and from there was drawn back in time, imagining the ghosts which became more violent as the lights dimmed more, making you wanna rush rush rush to get to the next lever.
This mix really made me smile. Creativity aside, I caught myself tapping my foot more than once. Yay!
*boogie*

- Jemnisimi on August 29, 2005
Man oh man this is nice. I dig how ambient and moody this track is. It feels like your in some damp cave or somethin. Of course the beats are great. The track has an excellent flow to it. It's great stuff.

- Pip is uh..... on March 11, 2005
Dang I love when the song speeds up but it quickly goes away
The slow part isn't bad, its just too long, most of the song should be at that faster tempo
Anyways yeah, great at some parts. The slow parts not actually that bad, it's just not what you're looking for if you're looking for "trippy"
=)

- jordex on February 22, 2005
What an utterly brilliant piece of work. Delightful contrast between instruments, excellent bass line running through the background, and a suitably scrumptious "Indiana Jones meets the Sacrificial Altar" eerie-yet-addictive mood running throughout. My personal favourite remix I've heard on the site so far. Playing Sandopolis Zone in time with it on the keyboard, I couldn't stop moving it was so catchy. I especially liked the sudden increment of tempo at the "C; C; B; B; A-flat; A; B;" bit. Excellent. I'd say about... 9.5/10 =P

- Error 404 KMA on April 11, 2004
The slow tempo tends to make the song drag a little, and can sometimes make it hard to recgonise the tune. It'd fit nicely in a videogame as an "Act 2", or a RARE style remix theme, as it works better when you're more familiar with the theme. The end is the point where this mix gets good though, when it starts to speed up. It's a shame the song had to end so soon after the speedup.

- DistantJ on March 8, 2004
I'm having mixed thoughts about this mix (no pun intended). On the one hand, the instruments and SFX keep that creepy Egyptian feeling. On the other hand, the slow tempo for most of the song takes away from the feeling that it's a Sonic song. It also sounds a little uncoordinated.
It's OK, but it needs work in a few areas.
Also:
DrumUltimA wrote:
Epsilon wrote: This level in the game used to scare the crap out of me when i was little, you know trying to keep the lights on in the temple or else the ghosts would getcha?

I hated Sandopolis Zone because:
1. Too frikken long
2. Impossible to find any giant rings
3. Scary ghosts

Yes, the ghosts were scary, at first (I tried to avoid opening that capsule as Sonic for the first few times), until you remember the jumping and lever pulling paterns for the level. But I do remember that there are at least 2 giant rings in act 1 and one in act 2. All I can remember is that you should be going higher than the game makes you think you should.
The only thing I really hated about Sandopolis was the boss for Knuckles. For those of you who never played S&K, the Knuckles story line is shorter than Sonic's, about 2 zones shorter. To make up for this, it seems the designers decided to make the bosses for Knuckles harder. If you ever manage to get the game, by the time you get Knuckles to the Sandopolis boss(who, by the way, moves twice as fast as the one Sonic fights), you'll see what I mean.

- Nys SOB on March 1, 2004
Wow, this is one of those songs you dont have to previously know to like. The tempo change always gets me all hyped. Nice job with the end I like that the best...

- nodspaw51 on February 14, 2004
I've been going through all of the sonic remixes over the past few hours and i have to say this one stuck out like a sore thumb. I love the build ups that are followed by an amazing groove that just hammers the hell out of the speakers.
I'm sure giving this one the thumbs up approval!

- mattyrb on January 20, 2004
My normal complaint with Beatdrop's songs is that they lack the kind of polish that I prefer - I'm not much of a minimalist person, I like when there are lots of things to listen to at one time. However this song is so goofy and whimsical, with liberal use of whatever pleases, I cannot help but love it! If the workings of my mind were to be put into music, it would likely sound like a cross between this and Adhesive Boy's "Da Phunky Forest".

- Nobbynob Littlun on September 8, 2003
ytmh wrote: Well, sorry I didn't go into a 7 page long dissection of the song just to say I didn't like it. I think it saves us all time and page space if I'm just bluntly objective. :)

You'd save us even more time and page space if you simply didn't speak. :roll:
Now that that's out of the way, on to the mix! I like this one a lot. I particularly like the minimal sound it has. Sometimes it's too tempting to keep piling on sounds until none of the individual parts can be fully appreciated. In the first 13 seconds I thought I was listening to a Throbbing Gristle song, and then I was reminded of the new cEvin Key/Ken Marshall album [b]The Dragon Experience[/b] (those are both complients, btw :wink: ). If you were considering revisiting this tune at any point, my only suggestion would be to stave off your impatience and evolve the groove instead of speeding it up. On the other hand, the fast parts [i]are[/i] catchy, so that would be a tough call. Maybe it could become a two-part remix? You could use a drug theme... part one: k-hole, part two: tweaking. Ok, i'm just rambing now.
Good mix, Beatdrop!

- Mr_44 on August 12, 2003
It's very interesting.
The only thing keeping me from [i]loving[/i] it, as it has been mentioned, is that it's so slow and... empty... at times. It does sound more like background music than something you would listen to by itself.
I'm still liking it, I'll keep it. (It takes a lot for me not to like a song anyway)
EDIT: I remembered wise words I heard once -
If you don't like a song, turn it up (repeat as needed).

- so I did and I'm loving it! The bass seems so much cooler.
I recommend listening to this one with the volume up high.

- .......... on August 7, 2003
Love the tempo changin, choice of timbres = unique and tasteful. Good fx and arrangement is THA BSET EVAR
great job d00d

- bLiNd on August 6, 2003

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