ReMix: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 'The Darkness and the Light'

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Could it be? Is it really? Believe your eyes and ears, the second to last mix of the night and the second Zelda 3 ReMix comes from none other than the man, the myth, the legend, McVaffe. He's sorta fallen out of the music scene, or at least the game ReMixing scene, and this mix doesn't necessarily (fingers crossed!) represent an intention to return - we all have priorities in life that people need to respect - but regardless, for tonight, for this one track, we've got some McMagic for ya. This is another extended mix as well, at almost six minutes, and halfway through segues into the classic Zelda theme. Starting out though, it almost sounds like Time Circuits from CT, with rising tibetan bell / gamelan style chromatic percussion. Chord progression and percussion enter, followed by a nice alto flute lead, with a more dedicated drum bit coming in at the one minute mark and soonafter doing a nice stop/chop effect that'll make you do a doubletake for a skipping CD. Like with all McV mixes, the devil (i.e. the quality) is in the details - subtle accentuations, one-off effects, and tiny inflections add up to a whole far greater than the sum of its parts. Though the tempo doesn't change, the tone does (as the title might have clued you in on), from more contemplative to mysterious to sentimental to majestic, and the ReMixer does a good job of these changes in tone being natural - for what is essentially a medley, things are glued together with a pretty effective adhesive, and you end up getting a sampling of Zelda 3's soundtrack in a laid-back, orchestral trip-hop style, with slick production and consistent instrumentation. This isn't McVaffe's best mix, nor is it his most interesting or experimental, but it is clearly a mix of his calibre, and that alone is saying spades. An excellent combination of familiar themes in a neatly wrapped little box, with a bow on top, this is a quality Zelda 3 mix from someone who, over the years, has helped make OCR what it is. I remember working with McVaffe back when we initially debuted our database-driven site design, which he helped me troubleshoot, and while I know he's got other time constraints now, I still miss his consistent contributions. Like I said, this mix is no sort of guarantee that he'll be back with more, but if it's the last then it's the last, and if not all the better - either way, it's a great piece from a great ReMixer.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
This is the very mix that made me start remixing myself. I absolutley love the vibe, the production is really top-notch and the adjustment to the source are great: you can easily recognize everything but it is also very distinctive. And ofcourse, it has the McVaffe magic all over it. I still play this mix (the arrangement that is) on the piano quite often and it is still one of my favorite mixes. Great stuff!

- pu_freak on January 13, 2013
This reminds me a lot of the music you'd find in Dark Cloud 2/Dark Chronicle (especially of [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq6cRmk-SPc&feature=related"]Tree Spirit Jurak[/URL]). I love that OST, so I love this remix :-D

- drake7707 on May 5, 2011
Excellent sounds chosen, and the typical attention to detail. McVaffe has the (very prestigious, i'm certain ;-) )distinction of having the most saved remixes from OCR on my hard drive. Of course, he's done a ton of remixes, which certainly can't hurt things, but when they are all consistently so high quality, it's a lot more obvious why. Those in a lot of ways he plays it close to the source, there are always nice details and touches that make them distinctly his.
Good stuff, and well worth listening to. :-)

- OA on September 1, 2010
Without a doubt, one of my favourite mixes on the site. It's one of those songs that goes far and beyond what you would come to expect from a mixer creating music for an unpaying fanbase.
A medley at heart; but you'd almost never know it. McVaffe uses polar opposites in approach (contemporary and classic instruments, flowing consistancy zagged with time signature switches, and the titular light and shade in sound) to draw us into every new section and to redesign our memories of these pretty familiar tunes. The three themes are married so well to eachother and to the distinct concept of the piece, it makes it hard the mix to beat in terms of medleys. I think the most important aspect of the whole thing is that it eventually comes full circle and brings us back to the initial context from the intro, cementing the mixes identity and ensuring that this isn't just a scrapbooking of three ideas McVaffe had while listenig to the LttP soundtrack. Each section bleeds into the other, further enriching the already top-notch arrangements of classic LttP tunes. In particular, the credits theme struck the strongest chord with me, accentuating the original's nuances with that equisite McVaffe piano performance.
If I could give this more of a glowing review, I would. Mixes that surpass this one are pretty rare(although it does still happen, so there is still a reason to keep on listening).

- Marmiduke on March 29, 2010
This mix is incredible, easily among the very best on the entire site. Both the dark world and light world themes are handled expertly, but the thing I really love about this mix is the piano in the transition, which is just brilliant. Absolutely freaking beautiful. Then it goes into one of the most well known, most stirring themes in all of gaming and you can't not smile.

- Kaxon on March 22, 2010
I don't know who could deny McVaffe's music making talent. She is fantastic at these remixes.

- moosegg3 on March 13, 2010
First off: Bell at the beginning was like heaven. I don't know why, but that was sweet. I enjoyed the transition near the middle of the song and it really does sound like the darkness and the light. This may not be McVaffe's best ReMix, but it's definantly my favorite.

- Crulex on February 11, 2010
Everything fits well. Your skills surpass my critique. Really enjoyed this song since it combines so many kinds a types of styles. Nice!

- Ryu2Wolf on January 6, 2009
One of my favorite mixes by McVaffe, and since they're all good, that really means something.

- SubNormal J3 on December 1, 2008
Beautiful mix.
I can't help but wonder - did the title come from Book VI, Line 636 of William Wordsworth's "The Prelude"?

- MASTRCAT on January 28, 2008
I'm a big fan of McVaffe, and his latest, hopefully not last, submission here does not disappoint. The beauty and grace of this mix leaves me in awe, and the song he used was perfect for the style used. This song stands among my top ten. Hmmm...I may have to upgrade that list for 20...50?? Crap.

- MechaFone on December 4, 2007
What a mixture of funk and magic! I loved every second, although I'm partial to the beginning.

- Arwen on November 8, 2007
This is still the best Zelda Remix I have ever downloaded. It's the Darkworld Theme that makes it my favorite. Just everything about the song is fantastic.
Wish McVaffe would make a comeback.

- Hum4n After All on February 8, 2007
The TSUZUMI in the compound meter in the middle of the piece!!! I LOVE IT INSTANTLY!!!
This guy gets really creative in the variation of the melodies, and in the meters. Caught me by surprise. I can see this arrangement's namesake. Excellent work in modulating between major and minor and vice versa.
Interesting intro, and development of the arrangement.
LOVE the fact that you used one of my ears' most treasured sounds.

- KogeJoe on February 1, 2007
Aha! See? Not heavy rock this time... :P
Aaaanyways... here we have yet another of my favourite remixes on this site... by one of my favourite remixers McVaffe! (Even though I very much HATE the McAfee virus scanner... and McVaffe's remixing name reminds me of it.)
McVaffe touches on one of those themes that I'm downright surprised there hasn't been more remixes of... the dark world theme! The song is just awsome in its original form and has a lot of potential for more uses... much like this remix shows in its first half.
Speaking of the beginning section of the song... the thai bell intro to this song really reminds me of that EXTREMELY over-remixed Chrono Trigger song for the floating land of Zeal. The intro is indeed appropriate... but it'll always give me that feel.
This song is so incredibly peaceful and easy-listening... its perfect for when you're just relaxing and taking it easy... or maybe just trying to catch a quick nap.
Every piece of this mix is well put together and very solid. There's no noticeable glitches anywhere at all. It's really a shame that this seems to be the last remix that McVaffe is going to submit here at OC... he really knows what he's doing when it comes to these arrangements.
I've had this song on my playlist ever since the first time I heard it, and I don't think it's going anywhere for awhile since it's one of, if not my favourite easy-listening songs in my collection. I'll just have to keep a lookout on McVaffe's homepage for any signs of new remixes.
This is one of those songs that I highly recommend to everybody!

- Pink on September 27, 2006