ReMix: Cheetahmen II 'Livin' Large!'
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- Game: Cheetahmen II (Active Enterprises, 1992, NES)
- ReMixer(s): Another Soundscape
- Composer(s):
- Song(s): 'You Are Not Alone'
- Posted: 2008-04-01, evaluated by the judges
Ahh, Cheetahmen II. A classic. Revered in the world of gaming and mentioned in the same breath as Zelda, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear and Sonic as a title that adults and children alike can enjoy, with amazing depth, tight gameplay, cutting-edge visuals, and a jaw-dropping score.
Or not. Well, that last bit happens be at least a little true, as the game's main theme has been championed and repurposed, ala Zero Wing. Larry blogged about the phenomenon over on VGF, Kotaku investigated the trend, and the Japanese doujin scene have even released an entire album dedicated to the furry foursome. Clearly plushies, a next-gen revival, and a feature film are only a matter of time! For the full, sad, long, optimistic story of Active Enterprises and their misunderstood Cheetahmen, check out Cheetahmen Corner. And so, egged on by Larry and carried forward by the inevitable threads of fate that make men do the bold, often tremendously silly things that we do, AnSo has provided OCR with a CM2 mix that's up to our standards, and this seems a fitting day to unveil it. Mattias writes:
"I started by laying down the intro strings and bubbly synth texture for a straight electronic remix but as always, it got out of hand. While browsing potential sounds I took a trip through the AMAZING Electro Mechanical ReFill (free for registered owners of Reason 3+) and started jamming with a Clav. My hands went like crazy and I had to do this funk-style. So it was late and I recorded a LOT of licks. Took the best ones and started re-recording. Improvised an organ solo and started to touch everything up. I was actually amazed what I did in two days and honestly, I don't think I could've done this any better. :) Everything in this remix is played by me on the keyboard except the tam, the shaker and some ghost-note programming. Everything was done in Reason 4.
A big thanks goes out to Larry for really sticking by me with this, providing constant feedback and helpful tips. He actually recorded himself sining a part he thought I should use as outro, which I did. Also I'd like to give JJT some creds, he gave me some great feedback and helped me with some minor issues. Much love guys."
With Leisure Suit Larry and now this, AnSo's got a reputation not just for bringing the funk, but bringing it quickly. Synths intro, but when the clav drops, that's really all she wrote. Funky acoustic kit on drums, some bells, calliope, synth string pads, and even a funny lil xylophone bit all flesh the piece out, but the element that keeps it fresh, tight, and moving is definitely the clav. Not all the judges were lovin' on the original Cheetahmen II theme, which is an opinion punishable by death in at least eight countries, but thankfully 'lli stepped in with some CheetahLove and a good analysis:
"Very fun track. Excellent personal take on the awesome source (that's right), funkifizing the drive from the original into some sweet groove.
The main melody is all over the mix, but you've got all sorts of twists on it throughout to keep it fresh, as well as additional supporting writing, like the organ in the chorus repeat at 1:15-1:28 and mallets in that repeat and the one at 2:23-2:37. Even during the original organ solo at 1:01-1:14, the bassline is arranged from the very beginning of the source, so you've still got the original in there. I don't think I ever would've realized that you snuck in some FF9 at 1:29-1:56 if you hadn't said anything in your e-mail. The melody just fits in with the rest of the material perfectly. Great overall arrangement."
Pretty much; OC ReMix might be a little late to the Cheetahmen II party, but with this ReMix AnSo's ensured we at least got here in style. Livin' Large!
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the - KyleJCrb on April 14, 2009
I'm so proud of myself ;)
- jacfalcon on December 3, 2008
BTW: best use of You Are Not Alone ever. And seriously, you bring the funk. It is awesome.
- K.B. on November 21, 2008
Thank you.
Thank you.
[b]Thank you.[/b]
Oh, at the risk of derailing this thread... More Cheetamen lovin'.
- Nobbynob Littlun on May 1, 2008
My only complaint, and unfortunately something that drags this whole mix down for me, is the choice of the main synth. I find it to be a little too loud and piercing; less would've been more here IMO.
Other than that, nice one. Keep'em coming.
- Martin Penwald on April 23, 2008
megadave;397886 wrote: Nice work. This is definitely going on my annual summer ocremix CD.
Now THAT's a compliment :) Thank you
- Another Soundscape on April 17, 2008
Yet, it kicks ass, and upon first listen it invoked a nostalgic feeling - and I've never played the game. The 'verse' is sinister and the 'chorus' is a bright and happy diversion that keeps the mix from getting repetitive. It makes me feel like I'm running around in the jungle on some imaginary vacation. Nice work. This is definitely going on my annual summer ocremix CD.
- megadave on April 16, 2008
kablammyman;393416 wrote: Awsome....Ever since I heard some of the japanese remixes from kotaku.com I was waiting for teh day a good remix would show up here...and this is it!
Well done!
Also, fro the pepople who are not fimiliar with the game, here is a lil taste:
http://kotaku.com/gaming/clips/worst-nes-game-evar-has-awesomest-music-316014.php
Thats pretty much how I got exposed to the Cheetah Men 2 remixes. I agree with what Kablammyman just said as well. I've quickly grown to be a fan of AS's work. Its nice that he's kind of breaking the mold and remixing music from games that haven't been covered thus far. :)
- Lancer on April 4, 2008
Well done!
Also, fro the pepople who are not fimiliar with the game, here is a lil taste:
http://kotaku.com/gaming/clips/worst-nes-game-evar-has-awesomest-music-316014.php
- kablammyman on April 4, 2008
Z3120;392880 wrote: I seldom post my impression on a remix, but I must say this: "you're making me imagine Chester Cheeto in his own game vividly displayed before my very eyes." What's played starting at 1:29 reminds me of a very old Megaman game except I'm using Chester Cheeto instead. A very creative mix to make me imagine this bizarre game...
Interestingly, Chester had his own game back in the day.
- KyleJCrb on April 4, 2008
Anyway, I don't think there's much else to say concerning the track other than that he approached what is theoretically the worst game EVER and made a remix that actually somehow made the game sound half decent. A very straightforward route in terms of style, but heck, there was still a lot of interpretation to ensure that there was enough balance between familiarity with the theme and personal interpretation, so all's good. I believe the FF9 bit in the middle was needed to add some much needed countermelodic work for the end portion of the original track's melody line, so clever stuff there too.
Get in there AnSo - I bet the Japanese scene and Cheetahmen fans everywhere are in love by now :D
(And btw djp, the last I checked, they were a THREESOME - Aries, Apollo and Hercules, unless there's some secret one that I don't know about.)
- Rexy on April 3, 2008
I know people have seen this - but did you ever notice the music used was the second song off the Cheetah Men 2 soundtrack? I just learned this myself - I thought it interesting. Either way - that game looks insane.
- Kholdstare on April 3, 2008
- Z3120 on April 3, 2008
Excellent work, Soundscape.
- SwordBreaker on April 2, 2008
- Clumsy. on April 2, 2008
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