ReMix: Final Fantasy 'AfterLife'

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Game: Final Fantasy (Nintendo, 1987, NES)
ReMixer(s): GrayLightning
Composer(s): Nobuo Uematsu
Song(s): 'Dead Music'
Posted: 2004-05-17, evaluated by djpretzel

GrayLightning gives us a multi-tempoed ethnic/new-age/electronica arrangement from the granddaddy of Final Fantasies, with some very cool percussion that makes the track - love the articulations here, the world-beat feel it lends, and the way at 1'36" he successfully transmutes the water of life and turns the beat around into something faster without losing the same appeal. You've got a mostly piano-driven piece that features violin, bell synths, very sweet phased synth fx, mucho cymbal rolls, a neat choral swell that comes in during an extended drum solo towards the end, some ethnic plucked strings, traditional orchestral strings, and a good ear for taking a simple motif and morphing it into something that relies very heavily on percussion - absent in the original - without relying TOO heavily and having such emphasis be at the expense of the arrangement. This sounds like the original taken and given a makeover with a lot of the same sensibilities that fueled Mitsuda's Xenogears soundtrack - a melodic core with free reign given to percussive and ethnic divergence. I like how GL's style has matured to the point where he can transcend genres adeptly and mix ingredients from each where they are appropriate - the heavy rhythmic influence on this piece and some of the (basically) solo percussion bits are something he might not have tried way back when, but he pulls it off here just dandy. The ReMixer writes:

"This is the theme that plays when the party loses. The original is a very short repetitive 40 second theme that loops. There's a new intro and ending. I tried to do a lot with it in particular from 1:35 - 3:09 with a lot of new section, new countermelody focus, some melodic expansion that sounds arabic and a lot of unique things. Then at the end parts I bring together the opening section that is sort of more like the original with the new ideas, then finished it off with a new ending."

Very strong experiment from GL, just as good as his less experimental pieces, which is as good an indicator of a risk worth having made as anything else.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.

Just listened to this for the first time a day or two ago, exceedingly impressed with the quality and feeling in it. Definitely a treasure, worth listening to.

- Melbu Frahma on April 26, 2010

Very nice arrangement, and cool similarities to a previous song. The different emphasis sections help keep things interesting without losing sight of the original, and the percussive textures were really strong.
Some nice crescendos, and good transitions.
A very pleasant remix, I like it. :-)

- OA on March 25, 2010

Wasn't really feeling the solos towards the beginning (a bit too plodding and repetitive), but as a whole a very enjoyable piece. I do feel bad for indirectly making him go back and manually edit the velocities of every single note, though. :<

- Dhsu on October 2, 2008

Scuba wrote: Are we all listening to the same thing? The guitar was bland and annoying, the transitions were out of place, the synths were random and went against the whole grain of the style. It was overall just repetitive and boring. The area around the drum solo was boring... Why is this getting such good reviews? The same tune is played over and over again too... Sheezus.

Hey, show some respect, a whole party has just died.
I felt it sounded beautiful with the piano and that stringinstrument, very respectful and some real good strings in the back along with those drums that gave this one a teenie weenie oriental touch. Trés bien,
Graylightning.

- Bummerdude on September 30, 2005

The John Woo flick A Better Tomorrow uses this melody as well.

- Captain_Video on November 16, 2004

Arthur's Theme, by Christopher Cross:
http://www.soundtempest.net/Christopher%20Cross%20-%20Arthur's%20Theme.mp3
You should be able to hear the similarities pretty quick; the opening progression being the most obvious one. Sounds like Uematsu simplified the melody, though, almost de-remixing it :P The chorus of the song, though, is a different progression, so it wasn't really a complete copy.
Remix of a remix!

- zircon on August 25, 2004

GrayLightning wrote: Zircon that would be great. Let us/me know when you find out.

Oops, my memory failed me. It's not a classical piece - it's the theme from the movie "Arthur". I think someone mentioned that.. sorry to throw you off :(

- zircon on August 25, 2004

Zircon that would be great. Let us/me know when you find out.

- GrayLightning on August 25, 2004

The original this is based on wasn't written for a film or game. It was actually ripped from a piece of classical music; I know because I was listening to it, and my dad (who can identify almost any piece of music ever written) came up and said, hey, that's (such and such)! Of course, I don't remember the exact name now, but I can find out a little later today.
oh, and excellent mix :D

- zircon on August 25, 2004

Great mix. I love the sound used for the main tune, and the way the intro moves into it so smoothly... Just like the pretzel man, I think it's great how at 1'36 it speeds up the pace without losing the great feeling. It really adds to the song and makes sure that the song doesn't start to grow repetitive.
But like everyone else, I have to say that I know I've heard this tune from somewhere else.. My Dad knows this song (or something like it) by heart on the keyboard, and that's probably where I recognized it from. I don't think he said he got it from Final Fantasy, but he mentioned the name "Arthur" when I asked him about it.

- Something Else on August 25, 2004

I know I have heard this song in an Asian film. Probably a Hong Kong one. The melody is something that would play during the credits or something. I've heard this theme in another medium then games.

- Captain_Video on July 12, 2004

Great job with this one ! ethnic mix and everything ..i wonder if GL played Turok Dinosaur Hunter right before making this :)

- RimFrost the Tourianist on June 16, 2004

It reminds me of something from a fantasy film, like Legend or Labirynth...
I'm sure I've heard it in a film before...?

- Transdecimal on June 7, 2004

I don't know if the similarities are that great, but the intro to this feels a lot like the intro to Wizards and Warriors.

- Lithium on June 2, 2004

Could Uematsu have lifted some ideas from a familiar classical piece? :wink: The theme sounds like it's from another piece also, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

- GrayLightning on May 31, 2004