ReMix: Final Fantasy Adventure 'Gifts of Mana'

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Final Fantasy Adventure

To know Ziwtra is to like Ziwtra. Well, maybe not for every last person on the planet, but he's got an accessible sound that's polished and always layers his stuff out so things are rich, creamy, and go down smooth, in addition to putting his own creative touches on the arrangement side of things. Regarding this, his second mix from Final Fantasy Adventure on the Gameboy, he says:

"Holiday Pop. I took a lot of liberties with the original melody (I think a lot of this mix could be considered "original") but I think it's ok--the original is so short and sparse anyway. Hope the filters are alright... I'm still figuring this stuff out : P"

And yes, he did originally submit this before Christmas, but with the snow that's been piling up here in Northern Virginia, it seems just as seasonal as ever. While the original is short, as Young indicates, it's less that he's buried it underneath original material and more that he's built up a context surrounding it. In other words, I think you'll be able to spot Ito's core melodic motifs fairly easily. For most of the intro, the mix could just as easily be an orchestral bit, but at 0'26" a synth lead pops up as a harbinger of the oncoming hip-hop infused pop jam that's fully unleashed with the beats at 0'38" (cool filtered build); the underlying progression doesn't fully flesh out until 1'15", where piano and additional synth are added like icing to the cake and the source material becomes abundantly clear. I love the very deep bass here, which plays around a bit, follows the melody at times, and isn't afraid to slide here and there, and the filtering on the background rhythmic synth pads is delicious. Strings and a particularly nice stereo electric piano patch feature more prominently towards the end, and while the absolute ending is a little abrupt, overall the piece develops nicely and is pretty much - as described - good holiday pop. I'd like to hear the ReMixer start taking a few more risks, perhaps, even if it means pieces that aren't quite as polished - he's definitely got the synth pop jam figured out (even if his quote insists otherwise), and while it's not the crime of the century if he keeps making ReMixes as accessible and generally pleasing as he's been doing, by any means, it'd still be cool to hear just a lil more experimentation. At any rate, oeuvre direction is always tricky to talk about with certainty, and what I'm more sure of is that kids'll love the great taste and moms the nutrition that's packed into every mana-laced bite of his latest submission. Bon appetit!

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
Ziwtra is *so good* at making incredible tracks using completely terrible samples. I think the key is using generally thin samples, but packing a ton of melodic lines and counterpoint in. Regardless, it's awesome, and very distinct.
This is pretty strong work, with a fantastic arrangement. Very unique and once the beats come in, it's very obviously Ziwtra's style. Excellent moving parts; nothing is on autopilot, and it sounds like an incredibly tight electro-jazz group.
I think the style of this one is beautiful, with a dense but always clear sound, and near-endless repeat play potential.
Tracks like this are the reason Ziwtra is my favorite.

- OA on April 18, 2008
metaphist;269831 wrote: Love this track. Yeah, it's vintage Ziwtra, but you can't go wrong as such. It's that beautiful groove we all know and love.


Again, registered to make a reply that this is also one of the best music remix ever listned to. To whoever designed this, ty much. I can never get tired of this.

Starts off with a calm flut music with then continuing on playing into a cozy melody throughout the entire song. If you ever study...I recomend using this song.

- ChaosPlayer on November 11, 2007
Love this track. Yeah, it's vintage Ziwtra, but you can't go wrong as such. It's that beautiful groove we all know and love.

- metaphist on May 11, 2007
Stop reading and listen to it.

- Jimstander Drago on January 5, 2006
Very cool mix, the horn just makes my day, along with all those other happy pop-instruments. Popmusic just makes me think of Five and BackStreetBoys, but if it´s this good, then keep up with it. Ziwtra, well done, you made a groovy remix that just says Rise and Shine to everybody, puts a smile to your face and a good morning is coming on its way. Chill dude.

- Bummerdude on October 31, 2005
ziwtra wrote: well i usually like to leave these threads alone but i thought i'd thank djp, adhesive boy and the rest who have urged me to break out of whatever style it is i've become accustomed to. i have my limitations--some due to my lack of musical background, some because of hardware, software--but that's no excuse. hopefully i'll have something a bit different for you next time... i'm cooking up something that's sure to at least grate against your ears : )
thanks again to djp who always seems to have his finger on the pulse of every remixer.
yh

Understood. I can live with that. I too try to break away for normal hip-hop type rythums, but sometimes I can only do so much with what I got. Another reason besides lack of great samples and software (Acid Pro 4) is the fact I hate playing with synths and that's why your tracks put even my house music to shame. That's why I can sympathize.
Now then, I love this track as well as your fast paced hip-hop styling one from last submission. It's got a good groove that's just hard to describe. Not much to say or critisize. :nicework:

- A-RoN on January 29, 2005
Good gravy it's gorgeous...

- Less Ashamed Of Self on January 28, 2005
wow. I didn't think that a genre change could be that drastic in a piece, especially from what I was expecting. A great techno piece, and some very well placed beats to go with it. I guess the only complaint I could bring up with this piece is that it does seem to diverge from the main melody often, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I guess that is only a problem for me because of how much I loved the games original music. Also, I would've liked to have seen a more prominent transition from the flute to the techno, but I suppose that's more of a stylistic preference than flaw.
Say, have you ever heard the CD "Seiken Densetsu Sound Collection"? It's a fully orchestrated version of all the music in the game. It was pretty rare, so I doubt many people have listened to it. It's more than worth checking out if if your a fan of the game.

- Dryad-Forgotten on January 24, 2005
well i usually like to leave these threads alone but i thought i'd thank djp, adhesive boy and the rest who have urged me to break out of whatever style it is i've become accustomed to. i have my limitations--some due to my lack of musical background, some because of hardware, software--but that's no excuse. hopefully i'll have something a bit different for you next time... i'm cooking up something that's sure to at least grate against your ears : )
thanks again to djp who always seems to have his finger on the pulse of every remixer.
yh

- ziwtra on January 23, 2005
Ziwtra, I completely agree with DJP. How can anyone hate this?
Another 10. Ziwtra... you're probably my favourite... and that's saying something.

- Less Ashamed Of Self on January 23, 2005
Touching, beautiful, and from my favorite portable RPG of all time. Had to give respect where it was due. Everyone's pining for you to take risks because we think you have even more spectacular things in store for us.

- LegendarySword on January 23, 2005
I'd have to agree with djp when he said that he'd like to hear ziwtra take more risks. This is the same thing ziwtra's been doing since he started remixing, and it's becoming a little frustrating. As always, he has a knack for taking fairly subpar sounds and mixing and layering them in way that works. He also has an uncanny ability of making an infectious groove, and there are always a few subtle things done in the arrangement to distinguish his mixes (like those triplets in the percussion).
But he's done all this before, and done it better. The effects feel a bit overused and cliche because I've heard them used so many times before. The arrangement itself, aside from the intro and a slight deviation mid-mix, is also overly straightforward and doesn't really explore any new territory. Of course, the result still is something enjoyable and pleasing to listen to. But this has nowhere near the amount of depth that made mixes like "Rain in Chicago" engaging.

- Adhesive_Boy on January 23, 2005
I love this one, I've had the WIP version for quite some time and it has kept me happy every day listening to it, and this final version has some noticeable polish and added subtleties. Thank you, Ziwtra.

- SirRus on January 23, 2005
I saw a new remix from Ziwtra AND from Final Fantasy Adventure, which got me really excited. Thankfully the mix itself did not disappoint. Great stuff as usual Ziwtra!

- PlastikBag on January 23, 2005
Well...cool beats! That is good for ears. Nice flute in beginning. Arrangement with good and crazy instruments. Good rhythm in percussion. And nice piano and orchestra. Nostalgic music, oh yes!

- Txai on January 23, 2005

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