Posted 2004-06-08, evaluated by djpretzel


Hey, cool - both prozax AND Midee worked on this bitchin' Lifeforce ReMix, and both are artists we don't hear from too often, so hopefully some faces will light up when they see this and ears when they ear it. This hard rock take on the classic Lifeforce tunage is particularly badass because, though it features a great deal of tearing guitar riffage, there's some synth soloing thrown in to boot, so no one feels left out. Things fade in with an almost Moody Blues style floaty space synth sound, as drums and guitar edge in to their full-on at 0'32". Right off the bat things are mixed up, with the guitar being doubled for a stereo tradeoff effect as the bassline fits right in with the kickin' drum kit quite snugly. There's a slick synth break that segues into some soloing that follows aftewards, leading to a unison play on the motif. There's then a brief but well-placed bass/drums fill. If it sounds like this is jam-packed with transitions into lots of different segments, it is - just like Club Kukeiha does things. In about five minutes, though motifs certainly tie the whole thing together, you've got a lot of distinct patterns that are rapidly but smoothly transitioned. I think early Konami stuff lends itself well to rock - many of the pieces were the right tempo, had a lot of solo-friendly melodies, and were rife with quick transitions and filled with a certain type of energy that, while it definitely can and has been captured and retooled with techno, seems to have a natural habitat in the realm of rock. Midee and prozax, formidable forces in their own right, team up here for a Lifeforce tour-de-force. And that's a lot of force. Excellent integration of the respective mixers' sounds, solid transitions, and verve to spare. Kickin'.

― djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Black_Doom
on 2021-02-23 14:27:01

Have to agree with eggangaming, this is indeed kinda cover-ish, but pretty badass nonetheless. Super tasty and powerful rock jam worth banging your head to! :)

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eggsngaming
on 2016-10-07 14:01:52
On 11/15/2004 at 5:07 PM, killthrush said:

I think Liquid Tension Experiment is covering NES songs now incognito...

I totally wasn't expecting a cover like this - this is the real deal! I bow in reverence. Great work!

10/10 overall.

On point with the LTE comparison 8)

The first half kinda plays it safe and it's almost closer to a cover instead of a remix, but it starts to really evolve at 2:20, and at in the 2:30s the tritonal bassline and next few parts are very unpredictable, almost Uematsu FF esque. *insert clapping hands emoji*

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Less Ashamed Of Self
on 2012-01-08 04:31:11

So the last time I posted in this thread was 8 years ago. Weird. Timewarp.

This is still one of the only rock songs on the site I can get in to. Just not much of a 'rock' guy, but for some reason this does it for me.

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Drachefly
on 2011-06-29 16:18:08

Exhilarating, jubilant… yet the job is not quite done. More ass needs to be kicked.

The variety of ways this is expressed is quite amazing. It maintains that mood throughout, but does so in so many ways it doesn't get at all repetitive.

This is my second-most-listened-to track, and I do not restrict that to remixes.

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Marmiduke
on 2009-05-19 05:29:35

Pow-AH!

Deafening, brain-punching Pow-AH!

An almost frustrating level of awesome. It's so good I went through various emotional phases throughout the track until finally settling on a focused resentment for midee and prozax. At first I thought they combined their talents to share good music to the world, but with this mix I'm convinced that their main goal was to demonstrate how many times more awesome they are than me.W hich is something I don't dare to even dispute.

This mix kicks ass and doesn't even bother taking names. It's too cool for names.

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OA
on 2009-04-09 09:43:18

Pretty great stuff, varied and interesting, nice playing, and good production. I wasn't familiar with the specific source track, but it had a distinct Life Force feel to it. Great solo as well. Really enjoying this one.

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BomberKid
on 2009-01-01 21:02:40

Since I loved Prozax's work on "Clamato Fever", I decided to check out his other mixes and I found this gem! This song just makes me feel good for some reason; I can sense a lot of effort put into here.

Well I can't be all that analytical, all I can say is that this song rocks- nice work guys! (Maybe I'll take a peek at some of Midee's Mixes and find another keeper!)

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anthonynemer
on 2008-03-27 02:34:10

That's funny, Im posting a review on this remix a bit more than 4 years after I downloaded it :)

I think its one of the best remixes I've heard since I discovered this site in 2000.

Its just too good, really rich and of course when you break and start the boss theme...incredible, what a high!

Made me wanna replay Lifeforce and finish Gradius V :)

Thank you for that masterpiece!

Cheeeeeeeeeeers!

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KogeJoe
on 2007-01-24 08:54:35

A lot of older Konami games seem to have some of that going for them don't they.

Hearing this in hard guitar makes me recall the DDR remix of Gradius 2's "Burning Heat"

WELL done fellas, keep up the good work.

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Steve1
on 2006-03-01 18:23:57

I can tell a ton of work was put into this piece, and it really shows. It sounds amazing. I like the way it's mostly rock but with some techno elements as well. Normally I'd be able to find something to complain about, but I've listened to this too many times to want to change anything about it. :lol:

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FretFull
on 2006-02-23 15:25:47

Never played or heard of Lifeforce in my puff, but that's the only thing about this mix that brings me down.

If I had, I'm sure I'd be naming my first two children Midee and Prozax.

Awesome.

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Sun_Quan
on 2005-12-22 03:03:10

Man, I thought I would get sick of this song after about a year or so, but I was wrong, I had to format my hard-drive and reinstall Windows XP on this thing again, but when I got everything up to par again, one of the first things I did was redownload this song. I didn't realize how much I missed it until the intro kicked in. Yes guys, this kicks just as much ass as it did back when I first discovered it.

It truly is an amazing tribute to LifeForce, and it brought back so many memories of the game, and the eerie feel of Stage 6's soundtrack. I think I described my feelings on how powerful it was last year, but man, the intro STILL sends shivers up my spine, if that isn't a testament to this piece of music's timeless pleasure, I do not know what is. Believe me folks, even if you are not Life Force fans, I still recommend checking this song out.

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PlastikBag
on 2005-09-08 22:02:25

This is probably my favorite guitar remix, and that says a lot considering there is some pretty stiff competition. Excellent mix.

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watkinzez
on 2005-03-16 19:15:01

Excellent song. The intro is amazing, lots of power. Beats Kick my Axe to high heaven. Congrats guys!

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Rigil_Paix
on 2005-02-03 21:26:53

Midee and Prozax equally r0xx0rz my b0xx0rs. This song is currently my most often played (176 plays in iTunes), while the second is their Axelay tune "Kick My Axe". These two have mastered the art of 'arena rock' without ever having to scream "Hello Cleveland!"

Between the power-guitar (as in the phrase"...with MORE POWER *simean grunts*") and the 80's twinge of metal synth accompaniment, the only words I could possibly use with getting even more hyperbolic are djpretzel's own: tour-de-force.

Way to rock out, guys. You've got a bonafide fan, here.

-Pendragon

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Life Force (Konami , 1988, NES)
Music by Atsushi Fujio,Hidenori Maezawa,Miki Higashino,Satoe Terashima,Shinya Sakamoto
Songs:
"Destroy Them All (6st.BGM)"
"Poison of Snake (Boss BGM)"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Synth
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration
Production > Live Recording

File Information


Name:
Life_Force_Tactile_Freefall_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
7,290,510 bytes
MD5:
90dfba58dd5305598fe8d74e9cdb959a
Bitrate:
196Kbps
Duration:
4:53

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