ReMix: Phantasy Star Online 'Ragol Weather'
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- Game: Phantasy Star Online (Sega, 2000, DC)
- ReMixer(s): zircon
- Composer(s): Fumie Kumatani, Hideaki Kobayashi
- Song(s): 'Image of Hero'
- Posted: 2009-05-26, evaluated by djpretzel
Impact Soundworks (run by OC ReMixers zircon and bustatunez) just released their latest sample library, 'Groove Bias: Vintage Drums Sounds'. In addition to being a clever reference to a form of favoritism the judges panel has on occasion been accused of - and being published by Andy and Will - demos for the library include appearances by Harmony, tefnek, virt and Andy himself. Brandon also put together a mind-blowing video for his demo - you really need to check it out; I almost did something involuntary when I watched it the first time. Honestly, even if you don't make music and have no interest in buying this library, check all the demos out any way, and recommend it to friends, family, and random music-making people you may encounter. For those of you who do make music, and have Reason, Kontakt, Halion, or EXS-24:
If you order Groove Bias through the links on this thread, you'll get $10 off, and $10 will also go towards supporting OC ReMix. For REAL.
Pretty awesome, eh? If you're looking for a vintage drum library, you definitely need to check this out... the demos do the library all the justice one could need. Last but not least, we've got zircon's latest ReMix, from Phantasy Star Online, it's awesome, and all of the drums in it are from Groove Bias. So there... it's blatant product placement & insider pimpage, but it's also 110% relevant, dammit. Andy writes:
"I've been playing in a jazz fusion group at Drexel University for the last two years. Recently, we started playing a piece performed by the group Weather Report called "Havona" and written by its legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius. While playing it, I noticed that the writing style, such as the rhythms, chords, and melodies, were similar to the style of the Phantasy Star Online soundtrack. So, a few days later I listened to the PSO soundtrack again and came upon the piece "Image of Hero" which has always been a favorite of mine. On a whim I decided to try remixing it in a sort of jazz fusion style influenced by Weather Report.
The final result is this mix. I actually did the entire thing in a little less than a day - even though I haven't done this style before, I was just having too much fun with it. This is also a first for me because I played in many of the parts live (with some editing, of course) as opposed to basically all of my previous remixes, which were all sequenced. I'd also like to point out that 100% of the drums coming from the new sample library I just completed & released, entitled "Groove Bias: Vintage Drum Sounds". It's a large collection of deeply sampled, highly detailed vintage acoustic drum kits.. over 4 gigs of content and nearly 4,000 WAV samples. If you're interested, check it out."
So: awesome that we're getting our second PSO mix finally, awesome that it's from a fan of the series, and - again - awesome that Andy's strayed outside his comfort zone and put together something less electronic than anything he's done prior. Jazzier & "fusionier" as well; live playing of parts certainly helped, the drums are a highlight and feature some especially tight hat work, fretless bass is sweet, synth pad chord progression is mellow, and piano & synth leads both float effortlessly over the whole thing. Definitely has that fusion feel of being mellow, but not too mellow, requiring some effort on your ears to follow the individual bits and the overall flow simultaneously. While not as elaborate as something like 'Dirt Devil,' this piece begins to show off more of Andy's versatility outside electronica... while at the same time showing off his drum library. Two birds, one cup. Er, stone. Great ReMix from a great ReMixer, some excellent and well-employed drum sounds that you should check out, and more Phantasy Star coverage can only add up to spell out huge victory for all involved, biased and otherwise.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the LuckyXIII;558792 wrote: I don't mean to disrespect the source material here, but it makes me think of PilotWings (SNES).
I get a certain 90's/16bit vibe from it, too. I guess that's because of the lead-synth, which is absolutely wonderful.
- Martin Penwald on June 18, 2009
- zircon on June 17, 2009
Anyway, thought you'd like to know I used this in a presentation on day 2 of my orientation/training with the AICPA. We were told to whip up a quick PowerPoint on one of the member discounts. I asked if music was allowed. 'Twas verily, so a quick hit to the site, download, import - it turned out to be the most enjoyed presentation of the group; with no small thanks to the music. :)
- LuckyXIII on June 17, 2009
- nucleartrask on June 16, 2009
crap . .
- Mtlbro on June 9, 2009
- psychophan7 on June 7, 2009
Palpable;551350 wrote: Andy, I don't think I would have known it was you if I didn't know already.
Hah, I downloaded this with a batch of others, wasn't looking at the playlist, and when it came on I recognized something about the sound (and maybe the chords) from one of the Mass Media Constant tracks. Which I also like. I knew it was zircon almost right away.
Great to hear Groove Bias in action too, and a great track to use it on.
- Rozovian on June 3, 2009
- Jae on June 2, 2009
- LuigiFan on May 29, 2009
- jintoreedwine on May 29, 2009
It puts me on an empty highway going really fast...maybe there is something I am recognizing from Toad's Turnpike?
Very good sounds though, makes me comfortable :D
- Chiwalker on May 28, 2009
- Palpable on May 27, 2009
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