ReMix: Final Fantasy VI 'The Sveldt'
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- Game: Final Fantasy VI (Square, 1994, SNES)
- ReMixer(s): djpretzel
- Composer(s): Nobuo Uematsu
- Song(s): 'Strago', 'Wild West'
- Posted: 2005-02-09, evaluated by djpretzel
If you'd asked me five years ago whether I thought I'd still be doing ReMixes and running OCR half a decade later... actually, I might have said yes. From the very get-go, I thought it was a great way to practice arranging and mixing while at the same time paying homage to excellent and often overlooked melodies. Five years and over a thousand mixes later, I still think there's plenty of life left in the concept. I still think there's places ReMixes can take us where we haven't been yet, and I know for a fact that there's tons of great undiscovered country out there - plenty of games with amazing soundtracks that haven't yet been touched. I think the idea of ReMixing will continue to have life as long as there are people who love game music and who feel they can best express that love via interpretation. Imitation takes a back seat to interpretation as the highest form of flattery, in my book, and looking back over five years of interpretation and expression, I am simply amazed/envious/surprised/shocked/impressed at what people have come up with.
Which is not to say the road has been easy. Through five redesigns, dramarama site politics, forum migrations, the creation and evolution of the judges panel, and sixty-four ReMixes, I have been here. Sometimes not as much as I wished I could be, and at other times more than I wished to be, but for half a decade, since we moved out of the 90's and into 2000, OCR has been an integral part of my life. Out of necessity, I've chosen it over many other avenues. I've spent countless hours writing write-ups, posting mixes, talking with judges and moderators, working on the technical guts of the site, etc. All of which would truly suck if I didn't get such great help from everyone that's involved with this community that makes all of the above absolutely worth it. From the guys at ztnet who you may not know but who basically make OCR possible by providing and supporting the infrastructure for it and a huge percentage of the emulation community, to each and every last listener who's ever downloaded a single track, every last minute of effort and time that I've spent on OCR has been repaid tenfold by the community. So I can't complain, and hell yes, I'd do it all again... in a heartbeat. I'm lucky to have this site to run.
There's far too much to really cover in terms of a five-year retrospective; for one, we usually do a year-end wrap-up, and furthermore we don't have a huge flood of mixes prepared for the event, or anything too elaborate. Consider it fortuitous, then, that Eliot Van Buskirk from CNET/mp3.com happened to interview me a few days back, and just posted the interview on mp3.com. It's not specifically relevant to OCR's 5-year anniversary, but in a way it is: he asked some darn good questions, and I think (or at least hope) my answers sum up what we're about, and will expose the site and the concept of unofficial game arrangements to a whole new group of listeners. While game mixing gets a fair share of attention within the gaming world, whenever an entity that's geared towards music in general sits up and takes notice, I think that's an excellent sign that the idea can be appreciated by non-gamers as well. Big thanks to Eliot for posting the interview on the exact date of our five-year anniversary - hope you enjoy reading it.
And finally, the mix: I've always loved the Veldt theme, and I'm a child of the 80's. I threw out a WIP arrangement of this theme that I'd been working on for the last month a week ago, and decided to pay homage not only to Nobuo's great material, but also to a kickass decade. You'll hear musical nods to the likes of Trio's "Da Da Da", "Lily Was Here", "Carribean Queen", and "Sweet Dreams" if you listen closely. It's not a juggernaut of a track that tries to be everything to everyone, but is instead my electro-pop vision for the primary motif, taken and retooled into a backing pattern, with soprano sax, piano, and guitar soloes that work around the melodic structure. Heck, I can't let Rayza have all the kitsch, retro-80's fun, now, can I? At any rate, as always I hope you enjoy, and here's to another five years of games, music, and game music.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the Also, at 2:52...Ice Cap anyone? :P
- CJthemusicdude on June 19, 2011
...
I just looked down and noticed Justin basically wrote the exact same review. :P I swear we are not the same person. If you don't like this one at first, give it a few more listens, it really grows on you, and I recommend it.
- OA on April 26, 2010
One part I didn't like was how all of the energy was lost with the breakdowns - I think the song in general could've been more effective if he breakdowns were handled with either more energy or building expectations. Anyway, really like the ghostbusters 80's synth feel at 2:32 - some of the elements here really could pass for an 80's track, especially if the synths were more pronounced and embellished IMO. I'm not always a fan of DJP's stuff, but this is catchy and a keeper.
- Nutritious on December 2, 2009
can't deny the fact that im sooo biased when it comes to remixes from this game... :tomatoface:
somehow i like FF6 ReMixes better than FF7 ReMixes, even if FF7 has a better soundtrack (maybe i just love the original TOO much to appreciate reworked material) 8O
anyway.. great interpretation of a catchy tune
makes me wanna dance :-o
- Platonist on September 29, 2008
For this purpose I have created a DDR-length version of this song!
http://www.escaprism.org/audity/Final_Fantasy_6_The_Sveldt_OC_ReMix_(DDR_Edit).mp3
The main thing about the song that causes this is all that silence in between each 8th note. I think they call that sticatto...
- Audity on February 11, 2007
Oh and the sax is great.
- JimSelve on March 19, 2006
really a jamming one, clearly not serious. Instead, it´s funny. My sister and I began to laugh at the beginning, the melody is just jumping around with a wide selection of instruments. But at some points it gets more beautiful and serious, like at 0:55, when it goes over to a more blues type mood with a saxophone-sounding melody. I can clearly say that this song is stuffed with everything, thanks to djpretzel.
- Bummerdude on September 20, 2005
- thespider on July 12, 2005
They drop out of hyperspace as the mix begins, and warp back into it as it ends.
Oh, yeah. I've listened to it maybe 15 times since this morning. It rocks. : ]
- Jean Quad Van Damage on June 14, 2005
- SirRus on April 9, 2005
- jordex on April 8, 2005
The Bad Side
I didn´t like the beating so much. To me, if the first part of the music (00:00 to 00:50) was cutted, the mix would be better. And, of course, the same goes to the rest of music where the same is found. But, as our friend drk-mega said here, maybe it's just a question of pesonal taste.
The Good Side
To me, second part shows a lot of musical sensibility, mainly the flutes,keyboards, strings (seems to be played with a real intrument) and the piano. In a few words: A good mix, but far away from the best that DJP have done and will do.
- DJ Magotrox Brazil on March 24, 2005
Sanctuary wrote: At the start I can barely hear any FF. Maybe it's just me. Near the middle a little FF nostalgia comes in mixed with DJP's own touch on the track. Great track which of course is expected for the founder of our OCR.
Pretty sure right off the bat you can hear the "Wild West" melody playing..
great remix, of course :D
- zircon on March 8, 2005
Heh heh, "Sunday you need love, monday be alone..."
Nice work, David, and a wonderful, eloquent write up. Cheers!
- Quinn X5 on March 8, 2005
DB
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- DaBubba on February 22, 2005
