ReMix:Final Fantasy VII "Jenova Returns" 4:57

By Steffan Andrews

Arranging the music of 2 songs...

"J-E-N-O-V-A", "Jenova Complete"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy VII (Sony , 1997, PS1), music by Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2008-02-12, evaluated by djpretzel


It's been over a month since our last posted mix from Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream, which is pretty good considering the flood of submissions it prompted, and the high quality of the album overall. You'll continue to see more in the future, but we're trying to spread them out so OCR doesn't become the "All FF7, All the Time!" station. Sorta like TNT's love affair with Law and Order - not that I'm complaining; Sam Waterston is the man - but "We Know Drama" sometimes seems like it should be revised to "We Know Dick Wolf Crime Drama... and Sometimes Charmed." Also, I hate Charmed. Just had to get that out there. Syndicated cable television shows aside, Steffan's put together a great orchestral version of a classic theme that complements bLiNd's take nicely. The ReMixer writes:

"The aim of this track was to act as if it were a film score cue from of a movie. It bounces and toys with the Jenova theme with the tenacity of a child with ADHD. The stylings are my interpretation of many different influences from the film music world, with a fondness for the quirkiness of Danny Elfman sewn into the arrangement. My favorite passage is the concluding 60 seconds of the track - ending with violin bows flying, a ritualistic sacrifice of a Steinway, and the horn players crowd surfing over the woodwind section. I had a lot of fun writing this, and it was my goal to make it just as fun to listen to."

Project Director Andrew Aversa writes:

"Even before VotL, I was a big fan of Steffan's remixes, particularly 'The Trial in Concert' - but he hadn't done anything since then, so I was really excited to see him signing up for the project. This remix definitely did not disappoint; I'd wager that if you put this in the opening credits of a new Tim Burton film, people wouldn't bat an eyelash. The orchestration is fantastic and convincing, the production is top-notch, and the arrangement is both fun and creative, showing off Steffan's own style while also paying homage to Danny Elfman. Awesome stuff."

There's not too much else to say - Steffan's got A+ grade skills when it comes to arrangement and orchestration, production here is beyond solid, and nothing spells loving like J-E-N-O-V-A. Also, we should be announcing the winners of our music video contest this weekend - stay tuned, some very awesome stuff is on the way. In the meantime, enjoy Mr. Andrews' vision of a well-known theme, in a rich orchestral palette that paints in vivid, immersive hues.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Black_Doom
on 2015-12-05 12:43:00

Steffan's orchestration skills are seriously jaw-dropping, so my mind is completly blown here. It sounds totally like if Danny Elfman created the score for FFVII. Very strong performances all around! Amazing job :)

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RECKENEFIN
on 2010-10-16 17:35:05

Sorry, that's the first word that came to my mind. I've been slowly listening through all of the ReMixes in my library, and this one came on. "Hmm, Danny Elfman. Wait a second . . . he didn't score Final Fantasy." That's kinda what was going through my head when it came on in the background. Then I read the description here and realized that's what you were going for. Good job!

I can't really say anything specific as far as what works. My favorite part is 0:00-4:57, if that helps narrow things down at all. ;-)

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EmpyClaw
on 2010-09-24 18:19:07

This is an amazing mix. Enchanting, exciting, energizing. The first time I heard it, I was completely blown away, and I continue to sit in awe of the astounding power and energy of this mix. Even as I listen to it again, I find new nuances and flares that I hadn't noticed before. This is the best take on Jenova that I have heard. Simply splendid. Thank you for sharing this.

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shadow3121
on 2010-03-25 00:43:25

To be completely honest, my first thoughts on this, upon reading the description, was that this guy knew how to explain his music. his reference to danny elfman aside, i honestly believed i had somehow downloaded a nightmare before christmas song instead of the JENOVA remix i wanted. I was definately impressed by the orchestral take on the song, and it is indeed going into my OCR collection.

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L1ght5h0w
on 2010-01-01 18:38:33

Please take what I am about to say as a compliment (as that is what it is).

This makes me think of harry potter getting slaughtered by J.E.N.O.V.A.

=D

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tweex
on 2009-11-05 11:52:33

Danny Elfman strikes again.....er...Steffan Andrews strikes again! Once again, this mix is jsut another example of how Steffan has grown as a programmer, arranger, and composer in the 5 year hiatus he took from OCR. It is seriously night and day! The arrangement for JENOVA here is fantastic. The addition of the battle theme is a wonderful addition. Great work there. The production quality is fantastic. The programming is spot on! This could be straight out of an Elfman movie (MIB comes to mind first). The ending is wonderous. I agree, it is very Batman esque. Excellent work all around mate. Come back and give OCR more of this orchestral goodness. Steffan is truly becoming a master of his craft!

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Marmiduke
on 2009-07-12 23:18:48

This is one of the best homages to contemporary film composers that exists today, on or off OCR.

Like everyone has pointed out, Elfman is hugely represented. I hear a lot of influence from Ang Lee's Hulk, which admittedly is not classic Elfman, but still his best work in my opinion. It then becomes more John Williams-esque, specifically from his Spielberg collaborations, and then it definately becomes more ambiguous, but I can hear the Batman Begins sound that people have talked about.

The orchestration is super rich, richer than I've come to expect and richer than I really think I deserve as a listener of free music. It's exceptionally fine, so much so that even when the odd unnatural sample makes an appearance, I tend not to care all too much. It's like it instantly gets lost in the excess of quality here.

Definately on my list of favourites, both in the area of arrangement and production. This is so good is scares the hell out of me.

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metalsnakejuice
on 2009-05-03 06:40:05

l love that sound scape created in this it has a cinematic feel that adds drama to this.

Great choice of instruments too.

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SoulinEther
on 2009-03-06 11:47:17

This song is awesome. Unlike some other remixes, this does not just reiterate a theme over and over again. This takes a theme, plays around with it, makes it expressive (yes there's the quirkiness but there's also some fear there too), and includes extremely fitting sections that make this a highly enjoyable orchestral rendition and very interesting independent work.

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Valerius
on 2009-01-18 17:07:17

I'm a major fan of this song. The first time I really listened to it, though, I had to do a double-take...

When I got to the end, I could've sworn I was listening to one of the Spider-Man openings!

Good thing I'm a fan of those too, eh? ~(^.=.^)~

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Lucentas
on 2008-12-06 22:31:12

This is definitely an epic mix, and really the only way I can picture the source any more (in my book, it's always a good thing for a piece to be able to oust its source). Also love the tiny bit of the battle theme thrown in, it fits perfectly and everything just sounds like it was made to come together in this piece. Beautiful work.

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KitsuneFury
on 2008-07-10 02:39:25

I must confess... When I first listened to this song, I was like 'eh, too jaunty' and skipped track after about 10 seconds... A little later I decided to give it a second look and instantly fell in love with the entire track.

The Danny Elfman homage is utterly clear and doesn't even try to hide itself, and for that, I love it. It seems to skip at first from something akin to Nightmare Before Christmas (which I love anyway despite my initial misgivings), before showing shades of Batman (which to be fair should have been honest given the title of the song. :) ).

I really could see Gotham City in a snowstorm, throughout the first half.

The whole thing sense shivers running up my spine and Stefan was right. The last 60 seconds are the best, and simultaneously the worst. Why the worst as well? Because the track is ENDING by then.

Either way, the whole song builds in crashing waves, building up, sinking back again for a moment, before sudenly coming back up again even greater than before, finally reaching that dramatic crescendo, and yet still leaves me wanting more because of how incredible it is.

One of the finest remixes I have EVER heard.

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medomai
on 2008-04-18 21:26:34

I was really hearing the Spiderman flying through the city theme in this, but he did such a good job - it's one of my top favorites in VotL.

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Dectilon
on 2008-03-06 11:24:50

This is excellent work. If the composer who did the music for FFXII remixed this track, this is what would come out.

Personally though, I don't like the new music style. It lacks personality somewhat, and bite. That's just my personal preference for games though, your work is in itself flawless.

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Peconomusman
on 2008-02-19 12:28:59

Whole thing is great. I just recently finished playing FFXII and this remix reminds me of a few of the tunes on there. Probably just due to the orchestration, but that is a compliment.

Also agree on the batman ending, lol :D

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy VII (Sony , 1997, PS1)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"J-E-N-O-V-A"
"Jenova Complete"

Tags (2)


Genre:
Cinematic
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Orchestral
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_7_Jenova_Returns_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
8,714,464 bytes
MD5:
9289a0370212de2d7a71c437eb86e1bc
Bitrate:
232Kbps
Duration:
4:57

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