ReMix:Jazz Jackrabbit 2 "Jackrabbit Transformer" 6:19

By Mazedude

Arranging the music of one song...

"Water Level"

Primary Game: Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (Gathering , 1998, WIN), music by Alexander Brandon, Robert A. Allen, Sean Hiler

Posted 2007-07-03, evaluated by djpretzel


It's three in the morning and I'm out the door in three hours to catch a flight to Aruba with my lady, so this is going to be an EXTREMELY short-but-sweet writeup. Chris is a hip dude and I'm sure he understands the trials and tribulations of procrastinated travel preparation and aggressive early morning schedules. This is our first ReMix from any of the Jazz Jackrabbit games, and it's being posted as close to the 4th of July as possible in an appropriate celebration of American game composers. We met more than a few of these at VGL last weekend - Tommy Tallarico, Jack Wall, Christopher Tin, and more - and in this instance Alexander Brandon's an excellent choice because he's not only composed a variety of games over the years, but has even written a book on the subject, which I happen to be taking with me on my trip. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Mazedude's American Album is an awesome and much-deserved study of American game music. Chris was totally the right person in the right place at the right time to make it happen, and this Fourth if you haven't checked it out it's the perfect opportunity, whether you're American, Canadian, or Zimbabwean. No time to describe the mix; suffice it to say that like all of Chris's stuff, it's not only great, but deep. Before I head off on my longest vacation in what seems like forever, I'd like to send a special shout out to Mr. Tallarico and Mr. Wall, who are changing the face of game music as we know it and who are wonderfully open to collaboration with fan communities like OCR, and also to all the amazing people who came to the recent meetup, hung out at my pad, and in general made for a kickass weekend. It might sound trite, but seeing so many smart, funny, and talented people coming together and hanging and realizing that it's at least partly because of something I initiated a long time ago (with very modest goals!) truly made a lasting impact on me; I'm damn proud to be a member of this community, and meeting many of you in person only tends to reinforce that pride. Great mix; hope everyone has a brilliant Fourth, here and abroad!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Marmiduke
on 2014-09-16 08:56:54

Wow, I haven't heard this in ages. I used to listen to this all the time for its full sound, prominent percussion and gratuitous arrangement.

Relistening to it now, I can totally see why this was a favourite of mine.

Not much I can add in retrospect that others already haven't. That trumpet is dodgy, but it's out of the picture quite quickly and everything else sounds fantastic to me today. All in all, an excellent reminder why Mazedude was and still is one of the best.

This was a blast to fall in love with again.

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WesternZypher
on 2010-12-28 13:21:02

Mazedude's mixes are always hard to describe, but they're consistently awesome. This feels futuristically, electrically patriotic.

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Skyline Drop
on 2010-07-06 15:48:14

It took me a pretty long while to identify the song this was based on - I suppose because it's been something like 8 years since I last played Jazz Jackrabbit 2. Once I did recall the source, however, this instantly became one of my favorites.

Well... It's been one of my favorites since I first heard it just because it's so bloody epic, but still, my point stands. :tomatoface:

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Sir_Downunder
on 2009-12-13 06:05:23

Solid mix. The drums really give the feel of that good ol' American pride (I'm Australian, so I wouldn't know :). The symphonic and electronic combination hits perfectly in sync here. The whole feel of the song is something I'd probably expect from a film score, albeit mixed with electronic, or a Metroid Track, but that's just me.

A definite must download.

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metalsnakejuice
on 2009-10-03 11:44:14

This is a amazing i download today, good choice of instruments and the drums are fantastic.

Good job.

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Bahamut
on 2009-10-03 05:55:11

Hm, I don't really remember this one.

Despite not being familiar with the source, this seems pretty solid. Typical Mazedude sexiness!

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anosou
on 2008-12-06 17:08:59

Mazedude is, hands down, one of the best remixers around. Still working in trackers (if I'm not missing something) and still putting out all of these fantastic arrangements.

While "real" instruments like these sound very fake it doesn't take away much from the piece as a whole. Mainly because the arrangement kicks ass and most other instruments work very well. Props on bringing some Jazz Jackrabbit-action our way.

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Rozovian
on 2008-12-04 23:23:24

I found a lot here that I connect to red brinstar. Nothing wrong with that. :D

This is an epic, well paced remix. An interesting blend of orchestral and synth sounds. Feels a little thin, lacking in the bass department, and it gets a bit repetitive, but the track keeps moving, changing. For something 6:20, it doesn't feel that long.

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-08-31 15:42:34

From the start I can say I don't like the trumpet sound, but it seems to take too little time for me to really worry about it. Very epic, I like the combination of the stately snare and the electronica. Good stuff from Mazedude, as per usual.

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Sengin
on 2007-12-08 16:09:10

Mmmm. Nice intro that builds up nice and smoothly, without it being "BAM song." Instruments appear into the mix nicely. Very interesting melody. I love this kind, it doesn't have a set ryhthm; it moves and changes. Percussion is very well done as well.

I must have accidentally deleted this (I was looking for it and couldn't find it), because I know I would not have purposely deleted it.

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playingtokrush
on 2007-07-29 14:10:19

This song is so amazingly hot that I want to have sex with it every moment of my life until I die.

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Martin Penwald
on 2007-07-28 15:23:07

The thing that I find most interesting about this mix is how Mazedude manages to give it this epic feeling. Usually, people go for an orchestra-version of a song if they want to achieve this certain, film-score-ish feeling. Mazedude, although taking a more electronic approach, manages to do create epicness by making the arrangement outstanding. I'm truly impressed.

Btw, the synth coming in at 1:22 makes the song sound kind of like a tune from Super Metroid, which works for me perfectly.

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Nobbynob Littlun
on 2007-07-06 06:26:24

My favorite Mazedude tune. Most Mazedude works sound like random sounds were thrown together and kicked around until they sounded good... nothing wrong with that, but I like how this one seems more cohesive and planned; tells more of a story, which I like.

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OA
on 2007-07-03 11:14:14

Very well done, I'm a fan. The snares give it a regal feel, and the synths are great.

I think the trumpet at the beginning is slightly strange sounding with some of the attacks being too homogenized, but its really just picking nits. The lead synth is killer, and that's where it really matters. Combined with a very dramatic, cinematic backing track, and you have a winner.

I do like how you have some nice B sections that feature the percussion, and then go back to the lead. Makes me think of Armageddon or similar save-the-world movies.

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Darkflamewolf
on 2007-07-03 06:55:09

Very epic and sweeping. And has that American pride feel running all through it. Absolutely love it!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (Gathering , 1998, WIN)
Music by Alexander Brandon,Robert A. Allen,Sean Hiler
Songs:
"Water Level"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Orchestral,Piano,Synth
Additional:
Time > Duration: Long

File Information


Name:
Jazz_Jackrabbit_2_Jackrabbit_Transformer_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
10,449,504 bytes
MD5:
52ce6116afc850df573aeb629a01e255
Bitrate:
218Kbps
Duration:
6:19
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The American Album


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Published 2005-11-14
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