ReMix: Final Fantasy VIII 'The Lost Horizon'

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Final Fantasy VIII

My apologies to Chris Webb, aka destructo - his mix's title seems to have had an unintended subliminal effect on me as it got lost in the shuffle for a bit. Without further ado, this mellow ambient-synth-jazz hybrid reworking of "blue fields" from Final Fantasy 8 intros with what I could have sworn was NI Absynth but is apparently a Maelstrom patch in Reason. The very first seconds might suggest a strict electronica track, but the mellow, reclining jazz feel that comes in, with a nice brush set, warm, dark piano, upright acoustic bass, dynamic strings and percussion, takes things in a less expected but welcome direction. The declining triplets at 1'08" and other such touches are what take the already rock solid instrumentation and mixing and add arrangement polish and that lil' bit o' sumthin', and in general the piece is very clear, coherent, and reticent. I think the last minute could have been better spent on having an additional solo voice do some more substantive melodic work, instead of putting emphasis on the pads, but I dig the ritardando ending that leaves a mysterious footprint and sense of closure at the same time. All in all, a very worthwhile effort that doesn't trip up anywhere and while not taking an amazing number of risks presents a distant, lush soundscape that's informed by a jazz structure. Promising first submission well worth exploring.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
THis is so beautiful!

I remembered my times going through the fields of FF8, riding the train, lookin for chocobos....wow....such a sweet melody that makes you reminisce all those good times....

Thank you..!

- LadyReemz86 on July 16, 2009
This is a gentle but by no means second-rate exploration of a theme that proves that you don't need ballsy, big sounds to pull off an adequate mix. It is a little quiet for my tastes, but volume be damned, there's plenty of good here.
The woodwind is pretty and lends it an Eastern vibe, while the piano is especially resonant. Everything sounds great throughout and flows between ambient transitions seamlessly.
It's definately a little mix, but it still has all the variation and arrangement ideas you'd want to hear in a full, orchestral rendition.
Good to see music that isn't afraid to be small on the site.

- Marmiduke on July 2, 2009
I've been playing through this game again recently and I find this ReMix to be one of the best pieces so far. Wonderful, mellow feel to the whole thing. LOVE IT!

- Hy Bound on December 2, 2008
Pretty good.

I thought I was listening to the .hack series soundtrack for a second.

- kwansoo87 on June 6, 2008
Very beautiful and relaxing arrangement :) ....
4/5

- Dunther on February 20, 2007
I far prefer this to the original track. The original track was boring. Bland and blah... This gives mix fills the piece where the original was empty.
In all honesty this should have been in the game instead...

- KogeJoe on January 24, 2007
Definitely a good remix. There's definitely an asian feel to the whole thing, but it's not overwhelmingly obvious. The gentle percussion keeps the whole mix moving, and blends perfectly with the rest. The background violin gives the melody a solid base to sit on, as well.
But, the part of this mix that really strikes me is the piano line. The warm, dark tone . . . I just love it.
Overall, this mix is a great one to listen to. The underplayed Asian tone definitely gives the mix a unique, distant feel. But at the same time, it feels so familiar. It's very accessible. Anyone can sit down and listen to it, and enjoy it.
Very subtle. Very relaxing. Very nice.

- hylian90 on October 28, 2005
This has some sort of asian touch to it, may be because of "A hooray in the Eastern Horizon" and this is Lost Horizon, but that marimba around halfway, that chinese flute, and those beautiful strings, made it real foreign sounding, classical style, resulting in a one calm mix. For being named as destructo, this mix surely shows that what´s the inside that counts. Or maybe not, who knows? All I knows is that this is a great mix, and I asking everybuddy else to downoad it and enjoy.

- Bummerdude on October 28, 2005
loved it. ^^ perfectly emphasizes my mood today. *plays it again just cause*
beautifully done, like the calm.

- pixlz on May 24, 2004
I have to admit that this remix is what finally encouraged me to stop lurking and join the forums. I really want to congratulate destructo on creating a superb remix that even my brother likes, although he's heard it many times by now :)
The style of the piece is beautiful, incorperating all the aspects of the original while adapting to a lovely new style. I now feel content to sneer on the original :x . The subtle changes throughout the piece take away the monotony of the original, and the interactions between the instruments work very well :)
Again, well done . 10 thumbs up:)

- sivvus on May 11, 2004
Brilliantly done. Fantastic.

- Annoxus on May 7, 2004
You know what, I'm gonna drop my review from vgmix in here, cuz I said it better before:
This is VERY nice. You use light percussion really nicely, and you really make this song ebb and swell. The arrangement is creative and interesting. Around 2:40 is my favorite part with a bunch of really interesting moody chords (that's what I liked about your other originals too).
Couple small things I would suggest: The piccolo needs some reverb or something. It kinda sticks out a bit and sounds a bit fakey compared to the rest of the mix. The piano maybe could use some brightening up with a little upping of the high freqs. Though maybe a more mellow sound was what you were going for.
This mix is like, REALLY good. Everyone should check it out. I look forward to more.

- sgx on May 4, 2004
I love it. Very beautiful.

- Veovis on May 2, 2004
this mix OWNS

- sgx on May 1, 2004
Its ok. But I think the piano gets drowned out a little bit throught the piece. Also, I'm a big fan of the Piano Collections version of the song and I think it follows that a little too closely...the left hand piano is nearly identical for a lot of the song, and the right hand part is just reproduced in other insturments.
Only 9/10 stars on this one.

- Xerol Oplan on April 29, 2004

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