ReMix: Ragnarök Online 'Sun Ra'

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Ragnarök Online

Progress! We've recently migrated our torrent tracker off Aubrey's workstation and onto our new iiens.net mirror, which Pierre graciously offered. Both these guys - Aubrey with Supertux, and now Pierre with iiens - really help the site out in a major way. We should now be able to sexy it up visually, update the main torrent to OCR01000-OCR01800, and other epic and wonderful things. And of course, big thanks to any and all seeders!

This is Morse's last submitted mix from Hybridism, presumably named (comments did not clarify) for the jazz iconoclast & his "Arkestra". If you haven't read up on Sun Ra, follow the link and scour the Wiki, or at least check out the first couple paragraphs - Ra was quite a character. Or, for a good time, check out this performance - not representative of his overall style, but fun to watch. There's even a VSTi named after him. But enough about Sir Ra, let's talk about sirs Lofton & Morse. This arrangement is far more accessible and structured than most of what I've heard from Ra, but who the heck cares, because it's groovy, funky, and the staple adjectives you've come to expect from these two, esp. w/ regards to Hybridism: slick, polished, meticulous, ridonculously flavored with funk/jazz spices, and drippin' wit riddim. Only thing I wasn't feeling 100% was the fadeout ending, but that's a whole can of worms unto itself, so let's talk highlights:

  • lil break w/ hp filtered breakbeat and bass slide at 0'33"
  • synth solo circa 0'51" and da EP that follows it up
  • perc squeaks and squeegies at 1'39"
  • funky digiclav solo at 2'27" and da AP that follows IT up

And of course, the drum layering is fantastic and bass part writing is spot on. jm REALLY knows how to work a bassline, which is so core to the genres he usually works in and gives all his tracks a concrete foundation. This was the case before Hybridism was released, with his previous mixes on the site, but I think with this album what he specifically perfected was incorporating authentic, 70's era funk/fusion/jazz synth solos. Not just with the playing, but with the patch selection, and the relationship between the two; everything feels RIGHT, and by right I mean 3+ decades old & authentic to the form. My mental image of these solos being performed doesn't involve VSTis or DAWs, but beastly old analog and digital synths, caked with buttons, sliders, and knobs, played with a knowledge of what each can do. That's a pretty cool trick, and a pretty hefty compliment, and it applies to more than a couple tracks off the album. 'Sun Ra' is essentially a standout track from a standout album - 'nuff said.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 14 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
Man, I love the patches used in this, most of which djp hit on too. The jazzy writing works great in combination with those sounds - very refined work, you guys.

- Palpable on April 4, 2009
42;515230 wrote: On a related note, I was confused for a few seconds, but in the actual album this track is listed as "Higher than the Sun."

Same here.
But yeah, great song.

- Martin Penwald on March 24, 2009
A great sonic palate here- there's a ton of variety without it losing that strong funk flavor. The textural shifts are well executed, as there is so much going on, and the little synth cameos are excellent. The clav is extra fun, and some stuff I can't even name.
Really, this is like a journey through funk; there are so many sounds in this, I really like it.

- OA on March 16, 2009
Alright, even though my enjoyment of the song was interrupted by Firefox being a shit, what I -was- able to hear of it impressed me. But then again I come expecting to be disappointed so impressing me is easy to do :P

- Ferret on March 6, 2009
Anthony and Joshua are still amazing at working those solos. It's one thing to just play up and down the scales, but it takes a good ear to make very unique solo where every random note grabs your attention.

- TheKrow on March 6, 2009
This is sooo good.
The intro is just stunningly great.
Awesome background synth filling in.
A little Jamiroquai string arrangement it sounds like. Good job on those.
Awesome track.
Highly recommended I say. Get itz!

- AeroZ on March 6, 2009
re: intro. The timing of the piano is a little off. I double-checked, and curiously it sounds fine on laptop speakers, but quite offensive on headphones. It's a nitpick, yes, but it's also the first thing one hears when pressing play. It wasn't the greatest first impression.
That out of the way, let me reiterate that this is one fiiiiiiine track.
--Eino

- evktalo on March 6, 2009
Haha I can see why people are criting the intro but honestly, its the nittiest of nit-picks and not a problem for me.
I'm loving it, sounds awesome, like your other stuff
your public demands more :nicework:

- Willrock on March 6, 2009
pretty fly, for a white guy :<
edit: yeah, what's wrong with the intro?

- DrumUltimA on March 6, 2009
What's wrong with the intro? Sounds perfectly fine to me.

- Liontamer on March 6, 2009
Rozovian;515207 wrote: Haven't got Hybridism

For shame.
Anyway, I can understand why the piano would be a little skittish for the intro, but that can be overlooked for what comes after.
This isn't just any lounge/jazz music though; its full of caffeine giving it a very nice jittery, upbeat, energetic vibe going on.
On a related note, I was confused for a few seconds, but in the actual album this track is listed as "Higher than the Sun."

- 42 on March 6, 2009
Yeah, the piano slurs the intro pretty badly. But thankfully, it's just a few seconds. What follows is tight. Plenty good. I like the alternation between busier, lead-filled sections and more mellow, laid-back ones. This doesn't quite blow through the roof for me (yet, more listens might open it up more), but it's near, and it's very enjoyable, and it's making me groove..
--Eino

- evktalo on March 6, 2009
This is sweet. Haven't got Hybridism, so getting these via ocremix is great. The messy little intro really screws up this listener's expectations before the track goes into what I by now associate with and assume permeates Hybridism, if not RO. Love the scratches and and stuff, especially those around 2:02.

- Rozovian on March 6, 2009
What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

- djpretzel on March 6, 2009

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