Posted 2008-10-26, evaluated by djpretzel


AnSo writes:

"First and foremost, Shadow Hearts is an amazing series of games with soundtracks that are way better than most RPG soundtracks. Yoshitaka Hirota's unique Industrial flavoured music is mixed with beautiful themes and mellow tunes. Obviously I've wanted to remix this for long. Lately I've realized I've grown quite confident in one style of music so with this I wanted to take a leap in another direction.

When I was listening through the soundtrack for songs to remix (there were many candidates) I was caught by 'Result'. Not the fanfare-like jingle but what came afterwards. The worlds coolest bass sound. Ever. So I tried hard to mimic this sound (and failed horribly) but I just couldn't let the little melody go. So I laid down the percussion, fx and the bass and I soon realized I needed something more if I wanted to keep this an arrangement. 'Death Is The Great Leveller' was the ultimate companion, it fit with the simple bassline I had in a way that amazed me. This slowly turned into an industrial piece, something I think fits when working with the Shadow Hearts 2 soundtrack and something that's pretty new for me. So, after heavy tweaking and some serious fiddling to get as much source in there as possible, (and it's hard with this kind of source) I'm done. It's not very long but it's long enough.

This was very much a challenge for me and a way to expand my musical skills. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did making it."

Definitely some mad props for throwing the love to Shadow Hearts; I've heard plenty of folks talk about this series and its music, so it's great to finally see a mix. This is glitchier, edgier production work from Matthias, who lately has been doing more groovetastical jam pieces. Compositionally, it's downright minimalistic compared to some of those tracks - no spiralling solos, no funk infusion, just ambient/industrial work of a stark, cinematic style not unlike Sephfire's. Acoustic piano leads the way with a somber melodic refrain, while bitcrushed, rolling hats and fx play around over a slower, heavier kick/snare groove. Then there's the bass, which AnSo talks about... rather huge patch, and made all the huger by repeatedly bending downwards in a deliberate, chill motif.

I really like the sonic contrast between the very crisp percussion and piano/bells and the (intentionally) muddy, gigantic bassline that seems analogous to the pistons/turbines of some large, ungodly machine... it's slick production, either way, which is especially important in an arrangement that isn't filled with AnSo's always-entertaining solo work. He paints a pretty, if mechanical and dark, picture, and fills out his ever-increasing stable of ReMixes with a unique piece that expands his stylistic arsenal. Solid, dramatic arrangement from AnSo, breaking ground for himself and for OC ReMix with our first mixage from SH.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Neko069
on 2013-06-17 12:17:38

This is awesome...it brings back so many memories!

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OutSpoken
on 2011-07-05 01:38:33

http://reoganworks.blogspot.com/2010/11/song-of-week-22.html

Featured this on my blog, didn't do the writeup personally though. Love the title.

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Mtlbro
on 2008-12-10 10:18:16

I love the juxtaposition of light upper sounds verses the deep dark industrial going on in the forefront. It's very pretty, string chords in the background a nice touch.

Amazing piece :)

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Sir_Downunder
on 2008-12-03 09:09:35

Oh God, this track just oozes sex out of every orifice. AnSo, your a bloody genius, mate. :smile:

Love the mood that everything sets in this. The skitter sounds completely wicked, piano's nice and light... but the bass, man, the bass. I don't know where you pulled that from and I don't care, that's seriously one of most mean and badass I've heard in a long time.

:razz: I just really, really dig this.

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OA
on 2008-12-02 17:45:07

Love the skittering on this; really fits the mood and matches well with the moody bass and serene piano. Great choices on the sounds, and and flow was pretty good. This one is all about the vibe, and as such works wonderfully. I did prefer the sections that featured the mysterious piano melody, and really liked the bell's response on the second time through.

Awesomely evil and sludgey bass sound. It's like you grabbed it straight from CotMM. Double thumbs up. :-)

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anosou
on 2008-11-21 08:49:20
Markedly different from what AnSo usually delivers, but great nonetheless. Very intriguing percussion and drumwork.

Hope you'll tackle even more different styles in the future, AnSo.

You can expect some minimal techno, serious left-field electronica and more industrial with ethno vibes on a front-page near you soon enough :)

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Martin Penwald
on 2008-11-09 15:58:11

Markedly different from what AnSo usually delivers, but great nonetheless. Very intriguing percussion and drumwork.

Hope you'll tackle even more different styles in the future, AnSo.

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Shadow Wolf
on 2008-11-03 23:32:42

Who the hell do you think you are? If you continue bringing this much awesome to the table, you're gonna crash and burn one day. I mean, who can get away with a friggin' rainstick backing up their synth lead? You, evidently. This is probably my favorite mix from you thus far, better than any of the other 245. Big FAT bassline, and I love the synth lead. The whole mix has a slightly arabesque /middle eastern vibe to it that I'm totally down with. And the rainstick. If only for the rainstick you get mad props.

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AeroZ
on 2008-11-01 06:39:05

This is tight and good.

Really good job with the drums.

The Piano does alot affection in this song.

Really great to do octaves on the melody.

The answering with the glockenspiel was great too, moves the track forward.

Im not at all familiar with the source, but it sounds great.

Gonna check it out.

Great job mate :)

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JenZ
on 2008-10-30 17:13:19

I really like Another Soundscape's music. I heard this for a few seconds and said, "Uh huh... I dig it. It goes on my playlist."

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relyanCe
on 2008-10-30 16:04:32

Pretty schweet, imo.

I've never played any of the SH games. Maybe now's a good time to grab one and get the experience. Thanks for the awesome mix!

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evktalo
on 2008-10-29 12:30:24

A terrific, terrific track. Eerie and atmospheric piano lines and subtle strings above industrial, noisy percussion and a dirrrrrrty, murrrrrrrmuring, brrrrrrrilliant bassline. Jättebra!

--Eino

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-10-27 20:41:05

I think the one thing that bothers me is the...sound...for lack of better words, that I keep hearing constantly in the more industrial section. It absolutely fits the track, but it really grates me after a while.

Aside from that, great mix, as per Anso's usual. Nice deviation from his norm, but I was able to get into it reguardless, and it was quite enjoyable. Killer bassline.

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Palpable
on 2008-10-27 10:33:45

Best thing about this song is the title. I mean, the song is well put-together, has a very unique, lurching beat, and some intriguing delay that I only caught towards the end - but c'mon. That title.

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anosou
on 2008-10-27 06:36:31
Say it ain't so! Your drug is a heartbreaker.

Ahahahaha, Weezer :D

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Shadow Hearts: Covenant (Aruze , 2003, PS2)
Music by Kenji Ito,Ryo Fukuda,Tomoko Kobayashi,Yasunori Mitsuda,Yoshitaka Hirota
Songs:
"Death is the Great Leveller (Tower of Atonement)"
"Result (Victory)"

Tags (3)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Piano,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Shadow_Hearts_Covenant_The_Result_Is_Always_Death_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,607,469 bytes
MD5:
dae349b8e503f7476fe907d9bc8da543
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:08

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