ReMix:Bionic Commando "Bionic Electronica" 3:48

By Big Giant Circles

Arranging the music of one song...

"Bionic Commando Theme"

Primary Game: Bionic Commando (Capcom , 1992, GB), music by Junko Tamiya, Kouji Murata

Posted 2006-03-10, evaluated by djpretzel


First things first: I was going to post this mix the last two nights, but I fell asleep early... a sad sign of aging into fogeydom. Pretty soon I'll be bingeing on Mueslix and reading Forbes. Wednesday was Larry Oji's (Liontamer's) birthday, as well as Sephfire's. A belated otanjoobi to both, but a special note regarding Ojasm: I'm not sure how many are aware of this, but in addition to judging, Larry's been extremely important in helping clean up the OC ReMix database, updating ReMixer profile information, linking songs to mixes and ensuring the correct names are being used, and in general improving the site in a bunch of vital but not necessarily immediately visible ways. He's a triumph of the human spirit and a testament to the goodly will of INTARWEB peoples; like the wee hobbits at the end of ROTK, he bows to no one. And so on.

BGC always brings his A-game, but it sounds like he's recently had some additional challenges to contend with:

"Long time no hear from me. Last time I sent a submission was right before my wedding, and until the last couple months, I havent had a computer to mix with. Fortunately, I have aquired one (though not as buff as I'd like it to be, it's better than nothing). Plus not having the internet in my home makes it difficult for me to utilize the WIP forum or frequent the site."

Bummer on counts two and three, but a definite congrats on the mawage (gratuitous Princess Bride pronunciation). Jimmy also provides some amusing tech background on the mix's creation:

"What's new in remix: use of FL's built-in arpeggiator, vocoded granulized vox, and some cool sound FX. Also, no intro *GASP*. I know that's contrary to everything about my style so far, but I think it would have just taken away from what's already here. While I usually notate my own arps, I got a little lazy and left that to FL for the most part. I did, however, make up for it in my opinion by progamming most of the drums myself rather than relying so much on sliced beats. (and though it took longer, I was much more pleased with the outcome.) Lastly, as much as I wanted to avoid it, there is some FL Slayer in this one. FORTUNATELY, I did my best to use it as a suppliment to the other lead(s) rather than the primary instrument. So I hope I didn't piss off too many of the "FL Slayer Sucks" club-members out there :)"

FYI, though this is from the GB version of BC, the OST was quite similar to the NES version, so it's the same stretchy-armed commando you know and love. There's quite a bit of fluid tempo alteration going on for an electronica piece, and from a production perspective the whole thing sits in a sort of cavernous space, heavier on lows and highs than on middles, with mucho phasing. The highlight for me was the breakdown circa 0'57", with a doppler effect on what sounds akin to a passing car siren, leading into a nice armada of percussion enveloping the chiptunish bass, culminating in a cheesy-but-effective "bionic electronica" vocoder vocal snippet. The military snare pattern that fades in at 2'10" is a really nice and appropriately commando-esque element as well. The dramatic tempo shift and ensuing accelerando at 2'47" is initially a little awkward, but as things pick back up and build momentum, it works out rather well. I'm not sure if I've ever heard tempo variation used so extensively in this type of an electronica arrangement, but BGC knows what he's doing, and what could have been a real iffy compositional decision ends up giving the piece more character. A robotic, electronic, and kickin' mix from Mr. Hinson that mashes its mechanized teeth together at a tempo that's comparatively organic and fluid.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Gario
on 2019-12-19 20:13:32
22 minutes ago, big giant circles said:

Yeah, they're pretty bad, but it's what I could afford in 2006 (free soundfonts) ;)

Oh, come off it now; you did great with the tools you had. It really does hold up even today - the suppressed intro into the more texturally rich material is still something I find as great as I found it back in the day. Also, dat 'Bionic Electronica' part was always really cool (though it makes me question why you never liked vocal samples in MY music, lol - I read the old judgments, buster!). At worst, this track could've mixed a few of the lead fake orchestra parts a little more to the front of the mix, but this is a thirteen year old track; I don't think I could say anything you don't already know by now!

Still one of my favorites on the site, so y'all should be giving it more love!

avatar
big giant circles
on 2019-12-19 19:47:06
On 5/9/2017 at 8:54 AM, BLAHMASTER said:

I like the tempo shifts, but I can't stand the samples. Interesting mix!

Yeah, they're pretty bad, but it's what I could afford in 2006 (free soundfonts) ;)

avatar
BLAHMASTER
on 2017-05-09 09:54:36

I like the tempo shifts, but I can't stand the samples. Interesting mix!

avatar
42
on 2010-12-04 19:12:52

Ok, so I know BGC states that there isn't an intro on this one =p

but what I'm calling the intro (the first ~30 secods) I really like a lot. It has an airy, as if being blown through a canyon feel to it, which really carries momentum throughout the track.

Also, once it really breaks down it flows really nicely, like fine tuned circuitry. I do agree that the tempo shift around ~2:40 feels a little bumpy, but it does it's purpose of making you slow down and focus on what you're listening and in a not to jarring manor at that too. This is a track definitely worth listening to.

avatar
LostChronos
on 2010-06-15 02:44:11

Big Giant Circles. I love the names you guys use. I love your music even more. You are some awesome motherfuckers, you know that right? I wish I had the talent you guys do. Oh, and to MR. BGC, you are one of my top 5 favorites on this site. I have yet to hear one of your mixes that I didn't like. :nicework:

avatar
OA
on 2009-01-12 12:07:38

One of the most notable 'new' mixes to me when I first started frequenting the site, this has been one of my favorites since. It has a great sense of motion, and is constantly pushing forward, with a lot of cool surprises thrown in. I loved all of the transitions where something cool happened, whether it was the slow-to-a-stop intro, the full spectrum filter and gate, or the vocoded part.

Percussion on this is super layered and totally hot, and something interesting is always happening on multiple levels. The end section where it goes halftime and then gradually speeds up is inspiring too.

A++ work, great stuff.

avatar
GrrDraxin
on 2006-10-12 01:01:48

I never thought anyone could make the original song so fast paced, but I guess that's what migrating it into another genere is for. To get something THIS awesome takes briliant talent and imagination to accomplish. I've very pleased with this mix, indeed. I just wish there were more mixes of this game, epecially mixing in some of the boss musics.

And just for kicks I'm playing this song at 70.7% of it's orginal tempo... the 7th time around. Still sounds cool.

avatar
Audity
on 2006-04-09 21:15:52

1:38, just that one second, should have been the whole song. Looped over and over.

Play it loud.

I'm a fan of constantly changing music, so I think the last section should have brought something more to the table, even if the main melody would still be there.

avatar
Bigfoot
on 2006-04-08 03:18:05

Very good song. One of the better mp3's i've heard in a while.

avatar
EnigmaJunk
on 2006-04-06 00:39:22

The main progression at the beginning and end reminds me a lot of the music in the Ys series. And since I happen to like the music in that series, it's only natural I'd like this. ;)

Of course, the entire track is very good. It only took one playthrough to decide to add it to my collection.

avatar
zircon
on 2006-03-26 21:42:45

I like this track, a lot.

avatar
big giant circles
on 2006-03-26 21:38:20

Heeeeyyyyy, finally got a chance to get online.

Well, thanks for all the kind words, everybody. Larry, SirRus, DJP and all you other peeps, thanks for listening and thanks for the input. Made my day to see that this one got posted; I really wasn't quite sure it was ready to submit, but since I can't get online much lately, I went ahead and submitted it when I had the chance.

A couple particular things I thought were funny; I originally didn't have a tempo change at the end, but I just felt that I needed to do something to 1) change it up just a little bit (ya know, to throw off the listener/catch ya by surprise) and 2) I just felt I needed to do something to make it just a wee bit longer as it otherwise would have been barely over 3:00 minutes. As far as all the comments on how the mix constantly changes tempo, I thought those were amusing, because as I see it, it really only changes tempo that once. Err, twice, I guess, if you count the slow-down right there at 0:28 or so. The song is 140bpm up until the big tempo change, and then I think I dropped it to like 110 or 115 and sped it up in increments of like 5bpm every 2 or so measures. I guess I was trying to make it a subtle and seemingly-constant build back to the original tempo; perhaps that's what everyone is referring to when they talk about all the tempo changes... who knows :)

Anyway, thanks again for the input. I recently got a 2nd job, I'm trying to squeeze in a class or two while trying to get my wife through hers, so though my spare time is less and less lately, I'm hoping the boost in spare funds will mean sooner regular internet for me :)

All my best to you listeners and you fellow mixers.

BGC

avatar
Martin Penwald
on 2006-03-26 09:06:45

No intro? Well, that works for me, I like it when it's fast paced from the beginning (the real fun part starting at 0:30). From 0:58 on, I get a somewhat Ridge Racer Type 4-esque feeling, even moreso from 1:39. Very nice middle part.

From 2:13 on, it is slowly returning to the beginning, becoming sloooow at 2:46 and finally going full speed again at 3:17. Very nice way to close the mix and connect it to the start.

avatar
Tidar
on 2006-03-23 03:49:59

reminds me of some younger days but i never played it, my brothers did though

i do remember the whole melody *humming real hard now and my classmates are looking at me like crazy ppl*

love the end part ( somehow it reminds me of castlevania dont ask how XD)

it also reminds me of some kind of scifi-game

ill give it a 10/10

*downloading it directly on to my mp3 player*

keep it up

avatar
ProjectSpam
on 2006-03-20 18:32:53

The tempo changes continually caught me off-guard. I haven't been an overly huge fan of BGC's previous OCRs, but I thought this awesome. Keep up the good work.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Bionic Commando (Capcom , 1992, GB)
Music by Junko Tamiya,Kouji Murata
Songs:
"Bionic Commando Theme"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Chiptune,Electronic,Strings,Synth
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original

File Information


Name:
Bionic_Commando_Bionic_Electronica_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,647,754 bytes
MD5:
0b4a9c8b84ab5408f87491c61afc1609
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
3:48

[x2]
Bionic electronica

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