ReMix: Raiden II 'Airborne'

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tefnek sent in a really fun big beat Streets of Rage mix back in May that showed both skills and promise, in addition to being a blast to listen to. He follows that up with a sophomore outing that's not from as recognizable source material, a funky techno take on Raiden 2, our first on the site. It's from level 7, and MIDIs are available out there on the web, but even if you're not intimately familiar with the game, or like me lacked the skills to get past level three or so without cheating profusely, this is definitely worth checking out. There's a great variety of synths and synth fx, with funky sweeps, some edgier processing at around 3'00", and a generally movin' vibe that are all very accessible no matter who you are. Integration of scratching fx over the breakbeat-style percussion makes this a lil' similar in style to the ReMixer's first sub, but this is a bit more melodic, with strings playing a consistent role in either background progression harmonies or the main chorus. Malcos wrote:

"The arrangement kept my attention constantly focused on the mix, sounded good. The only 2 crits I would give this is that the drums were a touch too loud, and the last shrill sound was a little strange at the end."

Shariq and Larry agreed, so Larry contacted tefnek and got a revised, more polished version where even the already minor quibbles were addressed, making for a solid genre adaptation that doesn't focus on manipulating the main melody but instead adds myriad mojo in the additions department, with top-notch percussive fx and a tasty smorgasbord of analogue textures. Great to see accessible, popular genre mixes, especially when they're glued together well as this is, applied to less obvious source material. The days of the purely 2D vertical shooter may be winding down or even gone, but Raiden and Raiden 2 were some shmup milestones, and this mix pays homage to the second with some great mixage.

― djpretzel