ReMix:Breath of Fire IV "Endings, Beginnings and One Hell of a Trip" 3:29

By Mattias Häggström Gerdt

Arranging the music of one song...

"The End and the Beginning"

Primary Game: Breath of Fire IV (Capcom , 2000, PS1), music by Taro Iwashiro, Yoshino Aoki

Posted 2008-03-10, evaluated by djpretzel


AnSo is on track to set some sort of record; his first mix was back in October of last year, but since then he's done many more. This makes five on OCR, but it's really just the tip of the musical iceberg that is Mattias Häggström Gerdt, and he's got more where these came from. I don't think I truly appreciated AnSo's ability to arrange not only with creativity and excellent production but with breakneck speed until we tapped him to put something together VERY quickly from Leisure Suity Larry for composer Al Lowe. He did an amazing job in a ridiculously short amount of time, and Al dug the piece when we played it for him in person at his Genericon panel. Mattias writes:

"Breath of Fire IV was one of those games I played when I was a bit younger. Never getting a Playstation myself until long after it's glory days I played most games at my friend's house. Breath of Fire IV was one of those games. It has a real freak of a soundtrack, with loads of quirky yet memorable themes. Endings and Beginnings isn't one of those. It's one of the most epic songs in an RPG I've ever heard. It's got this real mystic feel about it and it appears throughout the game. It gives me a sense of fullfillment everytime I hear it... You may think that I used only half of the source but believe me, when you've played that game it's all you can remember. And since it's just that part that shows up over and over again in the game (like when the frog lady sings!!!) you just grow to love it. I think I did a pretty extensive arrangement around that melody with some changes from the original chord progression and changes in style and feel during the song. The ending is abrupt, but I really grew to like it that way. I hope you feel the same way :)"

Mattias seemed really excited about that frog lady ;) This is excellent, epic synth work, chock full of synth bass, synth pads, and more hot synth lead action than you can shake a stick at. And yet, even with some magnificant solo sequencing arrangement, what takes the mix up a notch is the addition of the dulcimer, which might seem out of place in a largely electronic setting, but which Mattias blends in perfectly against gated percussive and synth fx. Mr. Gerdt certainly knows how to coax myriad pleasing and evocative textures from Reason, singlehandedly serving as a testament to its flexibility and productive, all-in-one workflow. It's our first coverage from Bof4, and it's damn good stuff. 'Nuff said.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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42
on 2009-12-30 21:18:52

It's just crazy how varied this track is. The soundscape is so in your face. At any given moment it could be slow, downplayed, and mellow and the next it might be highly energetic and fast paced with an airy flute like solo.

The fact that any given section of this song feels very distinct yet the whole song feels so cohesive and just right is amazing. :shock:

This comes so highly recommended.

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Marmiduke
on 2009-05-03 00:18:29

From the first notes of this, I thought this was a Mazedude track. That was blasted away once those intricate synth solos started.

By this stage, (5th mix?) AnSo was pretty much cemented as a remix prodigy. This is actually one of my favourites of his, because it brings in a lot of signature elements that I love from other mixes and blends it with a killer uncovered melody from an under-represented game.

The wild, erratic synth explosions are well worth the download, but it is the expected AnSo polish should be reason enough not to delete after you are done.

A mix worthy of many dozens of future listens.

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anosou
on 2008-09-24 16:15:30
AnSo, simply, you are awesome. Haven't played more than 10 minutes of the game, but I'm loving this mix.

Then go play this game some more :)

Thank you, as always it makes me happy seeing your comments.

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-09-24 16:01:40

AnSo, simply, you are awesome. Haven't played more than 10 minutes of the game, but I'm loving this mix.

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Martin Penwald
on 2008-04-05 14:46:07

Very good arrangement, but some of the synths are killing my ears.

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DeepChild
on 2008-03-18 13:53:21

This is a fantastic track. Along with "People Made of Stone", it is among my favorites. I can't wait to hear what's next.

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Audity
on 2008-03-12 21:43:35

This soundtrack needs more love. It's one of the greatest game soundtracks because of how well the themes fit with the game's atmosphere. (I really recommend the game to those who liked Secret of Evermore and other games with naturally-fitting audio and video.)

I'm quite fond of the other themes from this game, so I only don't really enjoy this because I like the game's other source tunes way more. Plus the genre is a little weird, though I do like the dulcimer beginning stuff. The opening synth stuff is very Reason-ish, which I'm not sure I can sit back and enjoy fully. The first time the melody comes in, it's quite good because of the nuances behind it. Overall I think the mix is too synthy for me. Maybe I need to listen on awesome speakers; but this would only enhance what I think would be better with more variety in instrumentation.

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anosou
on 2008-03-12 12:48:33

PS. Thank you for not using that sound file at the end. :-)

You're welcome ;)

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OA
on 2008-03-12 11:20:47

You know I loved this when you were working on it, and I still think it's great. The textures are great, and some of the syncopated ideas are perfect.

The builds throughout are incredibly exciting, and the solo when it finally peaks is excellent. The perfect combination of melody and flash. This type of solo is my favorite kind, and you pulled it off beautifully. :-)

The synths all switch out as needed, so the sounds are always staying interesting, but still there is enough crossover that they feel cohesive.

My one complaint is that the track ends before it completely fades. For as much attention you put into the rest of the mix, you really should have added a few seconds at the end. :P

Regardless, a fantastic mix, and probably my favorite of yours that you've done thus far.

PS. Thank you for not using that sound file at the end. :-)

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avaris
on 2008-03-11 11:56:53

This song blows!...just kidding. :) My only real beef is the ending.

Besides that this has so much to offer. My biggest kudos goes to you on the arrangement. The way the melody evolves and is reintroduced several times is awesome. Not an easy thing to keep a melody continually moving forward. The tripped out bassline was an excellent compliment to the dulcimer and synth lead. Good stuff homes!

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Platonist
on 2008-03-11 11:46:47

personally im not very fond of the Breath of Fire series, which would make me biased on this remix if i was biased .. but im not!

this is awesome! AnSO, you've really impressed us all with your activity. my first submission was submitted when you had your first post, since then you've just been spitting out new material, all topnotch

good work and keep it up

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Barnsalot
on 2008-03-11 11:19:05

Not what I expected, but it's good to see the Breath of Fire series getting some coverage.

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Hy Bound
on 2008-03-11 10:21:37

Damn dude, you my sexy Swedish hero. this is an incredibly enjoyable track with some pretty awesome sounds that mesh really well together. I really like that ending effect of the song kind of slowing to a stop. Just all-around a dern sexy song and really well-produced.

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Fishy
on 2008-03-11 07:06:16

padKontrollin' like a crazy :3.

bjawesome as always. That intro bass sounds like its gonna splode. Mental square wave solo was so sweet. About the only thing even slightly boring about this is the ending. Moar.

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JJT
on 2008-03-10 23:37:39

you are one-man swedish wrecking crew. i think i'm running out of ways to say how strong of a writer/arranger you are in this idiom. i'm frightened at the prospect of how good you'll be by the time you're my age, if you keep working this hard.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Breath of Fire IV (Capcom , 2000, PS1)
Music by Taro Iwashiro,Yoshino Aoki
Songs:
"The End and the Beginning"

Tags (3)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth
Additional:
Regional > World

File Information


Name:
Breath_of_Fire_4_Endings_Beginnings_and_One_Hell_of_a_Trip_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,109,488 bytes
MD5:
c32ed90fb724973d948bea243a3739a0
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:29

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