ReMix: Mario Kart 64 'Frappe Cafe Vibe'
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- Game: Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo, 1996, N64)
- ReMixer(s): Joshua Morse
- Composer(s): Kenta Nagata
- Song(s): 'Frappe Snowland'
- Posted: 2004-01-23, evaluated by the judges
As a bit of a sidenote, you may have noticed that towards the bottom of every ReMix detail page we now have "Evaluation Method" information, thanks to judge Digital Coma - this indicates whether the mix in question was evaluated by the judges panel or posted directly by me, and if it was evaluated by the panel provides a link to the judges decision thread in our forums so you can see what they said. Might be more beneficial for ReMixers and would-be ReMixers than Joe Listener, but who knows...
Joshua Morse gives us an interesting, jazzy MK64 arrangement with a bit of Christmas flavor and some fun brass stabs. The bass here is definitely doing some odd chromatic things, which at times sounds a little funky - in general there's a lot of chromatic tonality a happenin', which gives the piece a schmaltzy style that could remind one of a cafe but for me conjures images of Vegas (baby) - i.e. Mario and company cruisin' past the Luxor in style, looking for Elisabeth Shue and quoting Swingers extensively. Luigi is so money, and he doesn't even know it... but I digress: this is certainly chock full' o interesting ideas, in terms of tonality, the decision to integrate Jingle Bells, and the overall style/genre, which is pretty unique. Digital Coma, whom some of us call "Arvind", writes:
"I always cringe when I hear emulated brass exposed to a great degree, and is the brass ever exposed here! I can't quibble too much over it, it may be tonally a bit nasal but it's not god awful. Cool vibe, many mature harmonies present. I didn't find the mastering noteworthy; there is some audible clipping during a few trumpet/tuba runs and the instruments tend to bleed into each other. Smart transitions and lead-ins. Sneaking in jingle bell before the end was clever."
I especially liked some of the additional percussion towards the end - very groovy. Interesting panache and style from Morse - different kind of mix, but very viable, and interesting. Good stuff.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the This would be so great is that bass didn't go out of tune every few
notes. :-(
The arrangement itself is great, with some nice comping and some groovin' bongos. Even the synthsax is pretty nice, and the brass works too.
The drumkit is pretty mechanical as well, so the only time this mix really shines for me is the breakdown sections. I think if this one was looked at again and had a few adjustments made it'd be a winner, but the bass intonation kills it. :-(
- OA on February 11, 2008
The arrangement itself is great, with some nice comping and some groovin' bongos. Even the synthsax is pretty nice, and the brass works too.
The drumkit is pretty mechanical as well, so the only time this mix really shines for me is the breakdown sections. I think if this one was looked at again and had a few adjustments made it'd be a winner, but the bass intonation kills it. :-(
- OA on February 11, 2008
Another nice jazz-remix by Joshua Morse. The saxophone sounds good
to me, and the bongo sections add a certain something to the
arrangement.
The only real complaint I have is the occasional clipping/crackling in the background, as it is clearly audible when listening to the song using headphones.
Nice work.
- Martin Penwald on July 1, 2007
The only real complaint I have is the occasional clipping/crackling in the background, as it is clearly audible when listening to the song using headphones.
Nice work.
- Martin Penwald on July 1, 2007
I could absolutely fall asleep to this song! It's so calm and it
has the perfect jazzy feel. This song should be playing in
Starbucks or a bookstore. I mean, I could drink coffee and read to
this! Brilliant! And also they should play this at christmas time,
right when you wake up to see tons of presents under that tree.
Snowy, calm, jaaazzzyyy, and overall, EXCELLENT!!!:mrgreen: :-D
:mrgreen: :-D
- Serenade on May 1, 2007
- Serenade on May 1, 2007
This is one of my favorite low-key remixes. It's a perfect jazz
remix, it's mellow, yet it's got definition to it, like a tune you
can easily catch and enjoy. And the motifs derived from the
original tune fit perfectly well one after the other. However, I do
have one concern. This remix has not been played at any coffee
shops, and it so should be. Actually, it deserves some serious
stage time at a jazz club. I mean, I got bored of jazz after a
while, but this got me back into it. Love it, Joshua!
- lady zelda on January 9, 2006
- lady zelda on January 9, 2006
I liked the beginning very much, mmyess, nice trumpet that
certainly gives that good´ol jazzfeel. Actually makes me think of a
scene where it is a café and a band outside just plays to give the
air some feeling.
Other things I liked was that african drum, also a typhical jazz instrument, very clatchy. But about those synths...they sounded well in the beginning, but when the trumpet came, they didn´t quite cooperate, they was more like disturbing noises behind the trumpet.
But this is a decent remix, I can fully reognize what track it is, something that I like with a remix. And overall this remix gives a nice feel to it, just sway along the rhytm.
Well done, Joshua.
- Bummerdude on November 8, 2005
Other things I liked was that african drum, also a typhical jazz instrument, very clatchy. But about those synths...they sounded well in the beginning, but when the trumpet came, they didn´t quite cooperate, they was more like disturbing noises behind the trumpet.
But this is a decent remix, I can fully reognize what track it is, something that I like with a remix. And overall this remix gives a nice feel to it, just sway along the rhytm.
Well done, Joshua.
- Bummerdude on November 8, 2005
Good Jazz. I like saxophone. The trumpet are pleasant and great. In
2:56 up to 3:00 I perceived a "Christmas trace" in this remix.
[b]Nice work![/b]
- Txai on December 17, 2004
- Txai on December 17, 2004
This song reminds me of what it's like to sit in a cafe and sip
coffe and eat cheesecake. Mmmmm.....cheesecake. Oh um anyway, my
only complaint is that it just sounds like it's a bit shorter than
it really is. 7/10.
- Falcovsleon20 on February 28, 2004
- Falcovsleon20 on February 28, 2004
Like a lot of other people have been saying, I believe some of the
chords use are pretty suspect; they didn't hit my ear well.
Nonetheless, this is a fairly good mix. I went into this one more
in-depth on [b]VGMix[/b], so here's my review:
The opening notes honestly don't sound very melodic, and even when they're joined with the melody at 0:10, they don't really seem to match up well. Maybe those notes in a major key style would have worked better. When they're relegated to the background though, it's not as much of an issue for me. The "Frappe Snowland" saxophone melody, along with the backing drums however, are composed very well, not to mention the subtle but quality bass guitar notes.
While you're just laying out the basics that people are expecting with the melody from 0:10 to 0:40, the little saxophone bits in between the melody that are pure arrangement are pretty nice. Once the next part of the source melody comes into play with the switchup at 0:45, I had a problem with the dissonant notes being used. I didn't feel that the notes were changed "for the sake of changing the notes", but compared to the major key style of the melody you began with, they really clashed with the sound you started off with. It gets easier to not have a problem with upon repeated listening. Also, I know the feel of the song was supposed to be different as compared to earlier, but some more velocity on the trumpets and sax from 0:45 to 1:03 would have made them seem more natural sounding, as the notes seemed to end a little abruptly.
As a fan of SuperGreenX using the bongos, I liked the mini-section from 1:08 to 1:25, although again, the horns/trumpets from 1:16 to 1:25 had notes that just didn't match the major key feel that the main melody has. I'm no musician, but my ear just doesn't go for that stuff.
2:00 had an even more impressive bongo section, and while it wasn't 100% natural sounding, it's hard to program them that way, so I was still appreciative of what went into it. 2:21 segues into pure arrangement (those these synth piano notes are very sparse sounding) and while I'm down with that, a few notes felt out of place from 2:39 to 2:42 as the track got fuller once again. Kinda nitpicky, but the little things stick out. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the sixteenths from 2:48 to 2:51, and working in some of "Jingle Bells" from 2:56-3:00, since it gelled very well with the mix and the Christmasy feel it had. The cymbals from 3:00 until the end sounded very fake (though I'm not a big fan of cymbal usage, since it's so hard to get cymbals to sound good if they're not live), as well as the little horn toots that finished the mix off, since they were in some very high octaves (and I guess a little more exposed).
Overall this was pretty well done, and I'm a fan of Joshua's stuff, even if my knowledge of it's limited to "Where Destiny Meets". I thought that some of the notes here didn't vibe well within the broader sense of the mix, but it pretty much achieved both the Kenny G and Christmas styles that Josh was going for. I thought sleigh bells would have worked a lot better here instead of the tambourine to convey more of that holiday feel, but as an instrument they may have been hard to work alongside of a jazz setting, I wouldn't be sure. I enjoyed the second half of this one more than the first half, if only because more original arrangement aspects were featured there, so when I had a problem with some of the notes, it wasn't as strange sans the comparison to Frappe Snowland.
- Liontamer on January 29, 2004
The opening notes honestly don't sound very melodic, and even when they're joined with the melody at 0:10, they don't really seem to match up well. Maybe those notes in a major key style would have worked better. When they're relegated to the background though, it's not as much of an issue for me. The "Frappe Snowland" saxophone melody, along with the backing drums however, are composed very well, not to mention the subtle but quality bass guitar notes.
While you're just laying out the basics that people are expecting with the melody from 0:10 to 0:40, the little saxophone bits in between the melody that are pure arrangement are pretty nice. Once the next part of the source melody comes into play with the switchup at 0:45, I had a problem with the dissonant notes being used. I didn't feel that the notes were changed "for the sake of changing the notes", but compared to the major key style of the melody you began with, they really clashed with the sound you started off with. It gets easier to not have a problem with upon repeated listening. Also, I know the feel of the song was supposed to be different as compared to earlier, but some more velocity on the trumpets and sax from 0:45 to 1:03 would have made them seem more natural sounding, as the notes seemed to end a little abruptly.
As a fan of SuperGreenX using the bongos, I liked the mini-section from 1:08 to 1:25, although again, the horns/trumpets from 1:16 to 1:25 had notes that just didn't match the major key feel that the main melody has. I'm no musician, but my ear just doesn't go for that stuff.
2:00 had an even more impressive bongo section, and while it wasn't 100% natural sounding, it's hard to program them that way, so I was still appreciative of what went into it. 2:21 segues into pure arrangement (those these synth piano notes are very sparse sounding) and while I'm down with that, a few notes felt out of place from 2:39 to 2:42 as the track got fuller once again. Kinda nitpicky, but the little things stick out. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the sixteenths from 2:48 to 2:51, and working in some of "Jingle Bells" from 2:56-3:00, since it gelled very well with the mix and the Christmasy feel it had. The cymbals from 3:00 until the end sounded very fake (though I'm not a big fan of cymbal usage, since it's so hard to get cymbals to sound good if they're not live), as well as the little horn toots that finished the mix off, since they were in some very high octaves (and I guess a little more exposed).
Overall this was pretty well done, and I'm a fan of Joshua's stuff, even if my knowledge of it's limited to "Where Destiny Meets". I thought that some of the notes here didn't vibe well within the broader sense of the mix, but it pretty much achieved both the Kenny G and Christmas styles that Josh was going for. I thought sleigh bells would have worked a lot better here instead of the tambourine to convey more of that holiday feel, but as an instrument they may have been hard to work alongside of a jazz setting, I wouldn't be sure. I enjoyed the second half of this one more than the first half, if only because more original arrangement aspects were featured there, so when I had a problem with some of the notes, it wasn't as strange sans the comparison to Frappe Snowland.
- Liontamer on January 29, 2004
I honestly think there is nothing really wrong with the chords. I
actually enjoy the way they are as is, and gives a more creative
feel to me.
- Blake on January 24, 2004
- Blake on January 24, 2004
I have to agree with Trenthian. Some of the chords the keyboard
plays are just...odd and completely clash with the bassline. But I
don't think the brass is too bad, considering how crappy most brass
samples are out there. Sure, maybe a little artificial...especially
when the part deviates from the original notes. But overall it
doesn't sound too bad.
Still...while the keyboard notes sound fine about half the time, there's enough to make me uncomfortable. I do appreciate the creativity there, but I think making everything fit is more important.
- Adhesive_Boy on January 24, 2004
Still...while the keyboard notes sound fine about half the time, there's enough to make me uncomfortable. I do appreciate the creativity there, but I think making everything fit is more important.
- Adhesive_Boy on January 24, 2004
The bassline is half cool and half suck.
there are times when the tonality doesnt belong for it to sound fluid enough for me...
But I do like the vibe otherwise.
- Trenthian on January 23, 2004
there are times when the tonality doesnt belong for it to sound fluid enough for me...
But I do like the vibe otherwise.
- Trenthian on January 23, 2004
not a bad mix of one of my favorite tunes fromt he game. I too
would like a better brass section, but overall a good mix.
- kablammyman on January 23, 2004
- kablammyman on January 23, 2004
Heard this when it was on VGMix and I still love it. Very nicely
done. I would deffinately suggest [as I did on vgmix] that the
brass lines are more 'realistic' as well as better constructed, but
overall it is very nicely done. Something I'll deffinately keep
arround to add to my 'holiday' collection for next year :D.
-Nex
- Nex on January 23, 2004
-Nex
- Nex on January 23, 2004
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