ReMix:Super Mario Bros. "Bowser Is Pissed" 4:17

By PriZm

Arranging the music of one song...

"Castle BGM"

Primary Game: Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo , 1985, NES), music by Koji Kondo

Posted 2005-03-12, evaluated by the judges panel


Bowser is apparently pissed, or so sayeth newcomer PriZm, aka Pascal Jette, who gives us a turbo version of the infamous boss's theme from his first major appearance all the way back in SMB. Pascal says:

"This is an IDM / metal mix of Super Mario Bros Castle theme as requested by Evil_Ice. I was surprised that nobody took a shot at ReMixing this one, but I gotta admit it was kinda hard, since the actual song is three measures long and that it's hard to fit in anything original."

Given the brevity of the material, which everyone and their respective grandmothers should be acquainted with, PriZm does a good job getting maximum mileage out of what's available and filling the gaps with some breakbeat magics and creative augmentation. There's some REALLY cool tradeups later on in the mix, including a rock portion where one can envision 80's hair band members storming bowser's flat with massive riffage and questionable fashion taste, but let's begin at the beginning: a deceptively quiet, tense little orchestral intro leads us into the pickup at 0'11" where some gurgling wavestation-style wave sequenced synth bass undulates under d'n'b. Gotta commend Pascal on timbral variety for his drums - there's several kicks, snares, and myriad other hits, claps, and effects utilized, and everything's mutating pretty constantly, with a multitude of chopping and fills. It'd be a fun drum track to listen to isolated in its entirety, which is rarely the case, even on appropriate, hiqh-quality drum tracks. The shift at 2'47" with the "hyah" and screaming electrics turns an already above-average track into something truly inspired and memorable. If you wanna hear how to turn such a basic motif into over four minutes of music, this is where the mix - and Pascal - really shine. Binnie and Larry were a bit concerned with arrangement and production, respectively, but the majority liked what Pascal had done. There's some question as to whether pieces this short can be successfully mixed without arrangements becoming mostly original, but I think Jette does a great job of keeping the original around in one form or another and building around it. I feel like I could recognize the source material if I was played any 20 second excerpt, for example. Nowshky summarized my sentiments almost exactly:

"I think i'm on the analoq side of things here. There is an obvious (And successful) attempt at re-envisioning the original and makes it an interesting ride for a full 4+ minutes. Larry whined about realism, but realism is only really necessary when one is partaking in a "realistic" genre. Orchestral? yes. Rock n Roll? Probably. But off-the-wall dnB-esque electronic offerings? Nope. Very nice work with the processing overall, both with the volume/stutter FX, the panning, and overall synth programming. The same riff is basically repeating through the entirety of the tune, but it's so warped and transmogrified that it doesn't get boring for a second. This would be enough to get through already, but then some of the sickest guitar I've heard in a long time comes by to say hello."

Solid stuff that really grew on me after repeated listens. It doesn't have the strongest of intros and thus doesn't make the best first impression, but picks up after about ten seconds and never lets go. Different style, different approach, but still solid results from Mr. Jette, whose first mix gives Bowser something to be proud, not pissed, about.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Audity
on 2021-06-14 00:49:54

Holy god, what is my other account's 2005 post even TALKING about?

Anyway, I'm posting in this era on mixes if anything crosses my mind while going through every mix on this site and if they're still apart of my favorites. With that out of the way, I wanted to say a couple criticisms: the synth during the intro of the shredding rhythmic guitar entrance could be quite a bit louder, to give prominence, though not to the point of synth grate. Also, that section repeats a bit too much prior to the Flight of the Bumblebee section.

It's funny how small tweaks could make the past have way more perfection. It's gotten to the point where a few extra repeats of measures makes me embarrassed to listen to something; but I have to look past it, no matter how painful that "microcosm" is.

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Marmiduke
on 2011-03-30 00:56:58

Awesome progressive metal representation! And a terrific mix concept too. I've never considered what the inside of Bowser's head would sound like, but I'm pretty sure this would come close to it. After spending so much time outfitting your lair with booby traps, lava pits and minions, I'd be pissed off watching someone traverse it all without breaking a sweat too.

This mix is littered with ingenuity and complexity, and operates on dual levels of the stylistic spectrum. It goes from technical metal wizardry to an undeniably brilliant traditional heavy guitar climax. It conveys its narrative about as well as any mix I've heard on the site, and does it with style and substance. On top of that, and most importantly, it's just a great listen.

You'd be mistreating yourself to not give this at least a once-through. The genre may not be for every pair of ears, but its hard to deny the amount of skill present in it.

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OA
on 2010-08-26 15:26:49

Production is all over the place, and the source is pretty buried in a lot of places, but overall the good in this one outweighs the bad. Some really creative ideas throughout, and it's definitely worth listening to. I'm glad this one passed the panel. Nice shredding too. :-)

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MechaFone
on 2010-05-28 15:38:47

Raging adrenaline and righteous Koopa fury!

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Crulex
on 2010-04-03 11:26:10

I'm really surprised at how well the "Flight of the bumblebee" tune and the Bowser theme go together in this way. Very creative and from 2:47 on are well worth the proper build up it got.

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Jack Polo
on 2009-12-08 23:19:56

This song is so ...manic. It's all over the place! in a good way of course.. it's sweet. I always find myself imagining Bowser waiting impatiently for Mario on his little bridge thing, going insane; pacing back and forth and the like.

Then at 2:48 Mario finally jumps up the step right before the bridge, and Bowser just loses it.

I'm also loving the Flight of the Bumblebee-esque guitar work going on 3:23-3:30ish... actually the guitar solo section 3:23-4:00 is just full-out awesomeness.

AND the 1up sound effect at 1:17... classic!

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Lovely Peach
on 2009-01-09 10:09:49

I'm still impressed how you managed to take a three-measure theme and turn it into this amazing piece of music that doesn't seem overly repetitive. I love the loud, gritty sound this piece has - I think you've nailed Bowser's personality perfectly with this.

I think this remix captures the feeling of a Bowser Castle level perfectly. It starts off a bit softer and then builds up to the final confrontation very well, with lots of little level obstacles in the way. (The beginning of the castle is never as intense and stressful as the final conflict.) I think my favorite part is at 2:48 where the metal band shows up - I could see this at the point in level 8-4 of the original SMB where you get to the Hammer Bro right before taking on Bowser himself. The tension is building until you confront the Koopa King himself, and then that ending! I couldn't think of a better way to end this song than with the NES sound effects of the bridge going down.

This is an excellent piece to listen to while working out. You can almost feel the heat from the fireballs zooming over your head as you race down the stone corridors. In any case, this is a great audio tour of an old-school Mario game castle level, not to mention just a great piece of music.

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Dr.d
on 2006-12-10 19:48:00
I downloaded this mix back when it first came out, left the site for about a year, got a new computer, came back and re-downloaded a ot of the old stuff from my old system, and I'd have to say that this is still one of my absolute favorites. It's awesome, anyone who can make this kick-ass a pece out of three measured of looped idiocy. Id have to say bowser is overly pissed, yes. Download it NOW!
I agree to that good sir
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Alexzander
on 2006-10-29 20:22:47

I downloaded this mix back when it first came out, left the site for about a year, got a new computer, came back and re-downloaded a ot of the old stuff from my old system, and I'd have to say that this is still one of my absolute favorites. It's awesome, anyone who can make this kick-ass a pece out of three measured of looped idiocy. Id have to say bowser is overly pissed, yes. Download it NOW!

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PriZm
on 2006-07-28 15:28:11
I'm listening to this, and, maybe it's the final fantasy addict in me, but i swear i'm hearing a bit of "ff7: Those who fight (ac version)" in there too, after 2:46... the repeating guitar rift sounds just like a bit of it o_o

Coincidence?

Well I'm not sure where you're going with this, but that was all unintentional. The only song I've borrowed from (apart from the obvious castle theme) is Flight of the Bumble Bee.

And by the way, thanks to all of those who have commented on this song.

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Steele
on 2006-07-28 15:02:55

I'm listening to this, and, maybe it's the final fantasy addict in me, but i swear i'm hearing a bit of "ff7: Those who fight (ac version)" in there too, after 2:46... the repeating guitar rift sounds just like a bit of it o_o

Coincidence?

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PriZm
on 2006-07-27 17:22:05

I used my Ibanez JPM P4, neck pickup (for da bluesy feel), Boss GT3 with my own disto preset (I think I tweaked factory preset Sweet Lead for something like three years before coming up with this one :P) and Mesa Boogie Blue Angel Amp. Recorded with a Shure SM57.

This setup sucks for heavy distortion rhythm, but is damn cool for leads.

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Geoffrey Taucer
on 2006-07-27 13:40:24

the guitar playing bumblebee. It has a bluesy feel that I absolutely love.

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PriZm
on 2006-07-27 10:31:45
wait a sec... did I hear "flight of the bumblebee" in there?

EDIT: also, prizm, what exactly did you use for that lead? I love the tone.

Yes you did hear a snippet of bumblebee :P

What lead ? Do you mean da guitarz ? Or the lead synth that plays in the backdroung ? If that's the case, then it's some synth in Reason, can't remember which.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo , 1985, NES)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Castle BGM"

Tags (6)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Electronic,Strings,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Super_Mario_Bros_Bowser_Is_Pissed_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,194,617 bytes
MD5:
0234e03804d0e2bdeef8ee1e9e809b98
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
4:17

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