ReMix: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 'Hyrule Wimbledon'
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- Game: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Nintendo, 2003, GCN)
- ReMixer(s): ktriton
- Composer(s): Hajime Wakai, Kenta Nagata, Koji Kondo, Toru Minegishi
- Song(s): 'Phantom Ganon'
- Posted: 2005-10-30, evaluated by the judges
ktriton somewhat playfully writes:
"So the other day I got a call from Ganon saying that he'd need a fresh and spicy new theme for the annual tennis match against Link. I came up with this. I don't know if it's what he wanted, but at least I got a hundred rupees and a piece of a heart container out of it."
Who knew the G-man was so considerate about providing sports fans with tasty new musical selections? Roger Federer gets down with his funky self and Sharapova does the Sakura booty dance from SFA2 as Kunal lays out some mean latin jazz. There's a great, live feel to everything, and instruments are very believably panned and processed - the amount of distinct space created by the particular use of verbs is worth noting. For some reason, none of the judges seemed to comment on the amount of hiss present in the recording - while it does again contribute to the immediacy and tone of a live performance, I'd have preferred a tad bit of noise reduction, particularly on the intro and outro, where it's most noticeable. However, the arrangement is more than fluid and lively enough, peppered with solos and a plethora of percussion, to compensate. It's only worth noting because, on good headphones, the very last sound you'll hear will be a bit of noise. Weighed against the luxurious solo piano at 2'10" ALONE, however, it's picayune. This piece's got exactly the type of smooth, confident, liquid arrangement I associate with latin jazz, and I think the real selling point is that it doesn't for a second sound like ktriton is a tourist; whether it's true or not, it sounds like he knows the terrain well - the rights twists and turns to take, where to buy cheap beer, and how unsafe the water is to drink, etc. Brandon picks out his highlights:
"Love it. From the classic piano breaks at 1:04 and 3:14, to the subtle accent of the claves and cowbell from 1:36-2:00, this bubbles over with jazzy Afro-Cuban flare. The drums and bass are rock-solid, especially the bass-work from 3:03-3:13. To nit-pick, I would say though that the global reverb strikes me as a little excessive. I think some of this mix seems to lose a bit of presence as a result (e.g. piano at 0:27, brass at 3:17). In this newest version, the sax does fit quite nicely with the rest of the elements and is skillfully sequenced IMO.
Excellent work all around. Congratulations on crafting such a creatively arranged, enjoyable mix."
The ReMixer earned his hundred rupees, I'd say, and while I don't think athletes would take kindly to this being played *during* the match, it'd made a great lead-off track for the afterparty. Tasty, authentic stuff from ktriton - it's a rough genre to take on with synthetic instruments, but he meets the challenge head-on with both admirable production and delicious sequencing.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the This is just a really fun piece with a mischevious streak in it. It's fairly lighthearted yet with a darker feel underlying this. During some parts, especially during the intro, I just want to sing along "Jeepers creepers..."
Texturally, there's a fair amount going on and it has a very nice experimental and live performance feel. This is definitely a must have for any jazz, Zelda, or any good music fan.
- 42 on December 28, 2009
Really fun with lots o percussion, it was interesting to hear all the drums in a distinct room sound. I'm just so used to hearing drums right up in my grill, ya know?
The sax sound is a little synthy for my taste, but it's very well treated, and sounds very natural, if that makes sense. Plenty of attention to velocity and modulation.
Overall a great party track, I'd feel more inclined to mingle with this playing. :-D
- OA on March 23, 2009
- Jaybell on October 3, 2007
- meccaneer on April 18, 2006
- lady zelda on January 15, 2006
- MrBogus on November 8, 2005
Link wolf
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When light fades to dark a hero will rise!
- linkwolf on November 1, 2005
Hope that clears things up!
- ktriton on October 31, 2005
- Ffej on October 31, 2005
CPacaud wrote: One day ktriton will take over the world.
Yes. And I will turn France into a gigantic, croissant-themed amusement park.
Anyway, thanks for the great comments everybody! This is such a ridiculous mix, but it was muy fun to make :)
- ktriton on October 31, 2005
