ReMix:Ecco the Dolphin "Eternal Abyss" 4:07

By GrayLightning

Arranging the music of one song...

"After the Storm"

Primary Game: Ecco the Dolphin (Sega , 1993, SCD), music by Spencer Nilsen

Posted 2004-10-31, evaluated by djpretzel


Happy Halloween! If time permits, we'll have a more Halloween-themed mix for you, but I think you'll enjoy judge GrayLightning's take on this piece off the Sega CD version of Ecco's soundtrack. The ReMixer writes:

"I've been doing mostly cinematic/orchestral mixes lately so I wanted to go back to my new age/ethnic roots on this one. I heard this midi from vgmusic and completely fell in love with the piece and thought I would want to mix it, yet keep Spencer Nilsen's new age style. The source material is fairly short so I was able to do quite a bit of expansion here. New chord progressions, new chords, slight melodic variations, rhythmic and tempo changes as well. There's a lot of effects processing and fx here too. Hope you enjoy. :)"

This is actually still a little more structured and orchestral than most of GL's new age mixes from days of yore, and has sort of an Asian/epic vibe to it; feels like good anime OST material, something with ninjas, samurai, chakra, sacrifice, etc. The more serious scenes from Kenshin, Naruto, Champloo, Ninja Scroll, that sort of thing. Heavy choral work, flute lead, the bells that he's so fond of (if there were ever a 'Bells Anonymous' for ReMixers addicted to bell patches, he'd be first in line), dramatic orchestral percussion, and later horn and pizzicato strings to add to the variety of ensemble legato strings already being used. Very deliberate tempo, like a solemn march. There's very soft hand percussion panned hard left and right that initially I thought MIGHT have been an artifact or glitch in the samples Gray was using, but I verified with him it's just mixed low and panned hard, but rhythmic and intentional. There's some really cool syncopation with the strings at times, with counter-rhythms swirling around in a spidery web of arpeggiating patterns. Striking and hypnotizing work from Mr. Lightning.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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WesternZypher
on 2013-04-29 11:46:54

Hits that right note between melancholy and sadness. Very good for bringing mental closure.

Good-mix.

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TillyFun
on 2012-08-11 18:07:41

Like the poster before me (who has a distracting forum name 8)), I've been listening to Eternal Abyss for weeks. It gives me such an amazing feeling of awe and inspiration. And... and I can't put it any better than that. :) Wonderful atmosphere, awesome choice too: the original track is quite short and has the same sense of awe and inspiration, but not perhaps the depth heard in GrayLightning's take.

Also, I never expected to hear this from GrayLightning, as I thought he did a Rockman mix in a very different style - buut as it turns out I confused Disco Dan's BlueLightning remix with GrayLightning the remixer. o_o (Note to self: don't confuse GrayLightning's awesomeness with Disco Dan's! They are different awesomenesses X3)

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metalsnakejuice
on 2009-05-16 07:53:03

I have been listening to this for a few weeks and it still sounds awesome.

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OA
on 2009-03-31 11:31:10

It's an Ecco mix, of course it needs to start with waves! :-D

There are a lot of great touches in this that really give it a nautical feel.

Nice new-agey base to build on, and lots of tinkling bells.

It has a processional feel, and a distinct sense of determination, which is somewhat rare for my experience in the genre, but it works really nicely.

The choir adds a bit of melancholy, and then the pizzicato strings up the drama quotient.

This is a great mix and has a lot of mood to it. I'm unfamiliar with the source, but when it's presented like this, it's appealing to everyone, nostalgia or not. Excellent work.

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42
on 2009-01-20 19:40:47

Deeply profound, the title is highly appropriate here.

Can't really say I'm digging the drums though, but still this is a great mix.

Very cinematic, majestic, full of abstract alien wonder like deep see exploration and seeing all the bizarre forms of life down there.

Definitely worth checking out.

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DramaNoMore
on 2008-07-16 16:09:07

Just to say that I loved it.

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Navi
on 2005-12-10 11:24:29

months later. still an awesome mix.

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Homo Pocket
on 2005-06-19 02:37:23

Definitely a fantastic take on Nilsen's - 'After the Storm'. The first word that immediately popped into my head while listening to Gray's Ecco 'mix for the first time was the word "epic". Graylightning, the crafty lad that he is, managed to take the shortest theme from the original Ecco the Dolphin CD and crafted a much longer and more epic sounding masterpiece.

The bells, strings, wind chimes, flute, percussions, and pizzicato strings really stand out and all come together quite beautifully throughout the song.

This mix is 'epically hypnotic' OR 'hypnotically epic' - are those even Words?? Bah, doesn't matter! See what I mean, Music so good it has you making up phrases! ;)

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greenyoshieggz
on 2005-01-04 17:46:52

takes my breath away. :)

excellent song to listen to 2 calm your nerves.

_________________

"...go to the hunting department of Wal*Mart and ask for antidepressants..."

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Darangen
on 2004-11-23 00:00:17

Dang dude, you're almost getting *too* good :P

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GrayLightning
on 2004-11-12 00:01:17

Thanks for the comments everyone. 8)

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Nizidramanii'yt
on 2004-11-11 08:46:20

Amazing. It has a certain allure to it. It captures well the feeling of being underwater just like the game. A great job by Gray and some of his best work. Congrats.

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Fray
on 2004-11-10 23:48:15

Very nice! I've always held the opinion that when artists expand into different styles, their original style becomes richer and more refined -- I think this happened for Gray.

The first thing that struck me about this piece is how the timing is cleverly teased. The whole piece is in straight four, but much of the piece is presented in such a way that a non-attentive listener won't realize where the downbeat lies. Specifically, the bass root note -- often a queue for the beginning of a measure -- often isn't brought in until the second beat. The point of this? It creates a dreamy unmetered feel without losing form, and retains the listener's attention by throwing them something subtly different than they're expecting.

The second most standout quality is that the mix sounds huge. The effect is accomplished with surprisingly little reverb on the main instruments -- Gray does things the right way by relying instead on good panning and subtle ambient effects to create a sense of depth. The result is a mix that sounds vast, but retains clarity.

Also, although this is new age music, it's definately not "relaxation" music. It seems a bit low-key on the surface, but the emotional build, while subtle, is nevertheless quite intense.

I can offer nothing substantial in the way of criticism; GrayLightning really has this style down pat.

Great work as always :)

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Israfel
on 2004-11-08 17:08:06

Gray's music has been increasingly cinematic and lush these past few months and this mix is no exception. When I say cinematic I don't necessarily mean orchestral, but rather that the music has a very expansive, or even epic, quality.

I particularly love the way the dissonances are handled in this mix. Long drawn out suspensions (for instance the choir at 2:05) that beg for resolution until... at last the tension is concluded. Despite the preponderance of sustained notes, the piece gives the feeling of a constant forward momentum- of a seemingly calm river that hides a powerful undercurrent.

Beautiful work.

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sgx
on 2004-11-07 23:13:24

Gray is teh roxsox!!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Ecco the Dolphin (Sega , 1993, SCD)
Music by Spencer Nilsen
Songs:
"After the Storm"

Tags (3)


Genre:
Cinematic,New Age
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Orchestral
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Ecco_the_Dolphin_Eternal_Abyss_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,027,633 bytes
MD5:
e3c9e28ebc85e7afa90deaf2eb93c2ee
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
4:07

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