ReMix: Faxanadu 'Ce pays me rend mauvais'
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- Game: Faxanadu (Hudson Soft, 1987, NES)
- ReMixer(s): Nurykabe
- Composer(s): Jun Chikuma
- Song(s): 'Castle of Dartmoor'
- Posted: 2009-06-08, evaluated by the judges
Well, I had a long, carefully thought out writeup ready for this mix... then I was smited by the God of technology, and the whole thing disappeared into a void. I assure you it was eloquent and provided sage wisdom and thoughts not just on the mix in question, but on life itself. I'm gonna try this FF plugin and see if it's worth a damn. Long story short, this is a unique, very stylized ReMix that takes the source melody pretty verbatim but pairs it with an interpretive accompaniment that channels the scores from Jeunet & Caro films like Delicatessen and Amelie, combined with 8-bit chiptuney goodness. Because I am still frothing at the mouth due to the unfairness of the universe, I think quoting the judges comments would be an excellent way to fill out the writeup. Andy says:
"So the arrangement issue boils down to whether its acceptable to have the main melody being played nearly exactly like it is in the source, with a very similar instrumentation for most of the mix. Does the original writing and expanded harmonies make up for it? I thought there was a lot of creative writing that was added to build on the original. This is a tough call for me. The production is rough in spots, and in particular I'm not fond of the main beats, but I think ultimately this is a creative interpretation that does pass our bar. The melody is not as creatively interpreted as I would have liked but the supporting writing and new counter-melodies, riffs, and harmonies makes up for it IMO."
zyko adds:
"the vibe is what floors me. very rarely does a piece of music that i get to hear at the site truly transcend the physical musical elements to the point that it warrants this kind of consideration purely based on how it makes me feel. i mean, there's no way that the mixture of uber-processed and subdued drums, a distant, warm and muddy acoustic guitar, some NES-y chip leads, weird percussive breaks, other aural oddities and what sounds like it was filtered through a water bong... could work this well.
but it does.
very creative, very bold, very smart. very good in my book"
And, last but not least, Vinnie writes:
"This is really great stuff, the mix of guitars, subtle glitchy beats and FX, and NES synths, with the occasional woodwind thrown in. I think you really nailed that folktronica sound (sadly, that's actually the genre name). The fact that the original NES synths are so upfront does make this borderline, but the amount of processing on them means it's acceptable. I don't think anyone can accuse you of "taking the original game audio and simply adding drum loops". There's a lot of creativity shown in expanded the original material, and there are parts without the NES synths, besides. Each segment sounds very unique, yet the progression is not random either."
The panel attempted to contact the artist for some changes, but that never happened, and hence there was a massive delay in this being posted. The writeup I lost explained this a bit better, but going forward we're going to wait three months to hear back regarding requested changes, and if we don't, we'll then make a final judgment as to whether that mix will be posted or not, as-is. Great, fresh stuff from Nurykabe - check out his cryptic-but-enjoyable website for art, games, and more très bien musique.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the - ViRiX on August 24, 2010
Liontamer;556575 wrote: kruai on Twitter [URL="http://twitter.com/kruai/status/2092789928"]had IMO the best English translation of the title[/URL], i.e. "This country sickens me". So for anyone wanting to know what this meant, there you go!
Despite my NO, which was more on a policy level, I thought this was a solid piece of music. Haven't heard anything from Nurykabe in a while, but I do hope he sends something new our way.
Hey, I'm here too :)
I like this piece a lot. Another one straight onto my iPod!
- Kruai on September 24, 2009
I don't know what else to say about this song. I'm confused.
- Bip on August 11, 2009
- Martin Penwald on June 24, 2009
The tone is just - not bizarre, nor arcane, but eccentric. The tone takes me back to childhood playing NES games I never quite understood but was fascinated with nonetheless.
- LuckyXIII on June 19, 2009
Interessing variations of one theme, in my opinion.
It goes into my favorite OCRemixes collection.
Thanks!
- Coucou on June 13, 2009
- VARDOCK on June 12, 2009
Despite my NO, which was more on a policy level, I thought this was a solid piece of music. Haven't heard anything from Nurykabe in a while, but I do hope he sends something new our way.
- Liontamer on June 11, 2009
I'll agree with zyko - there's a good vibe about this one. It really does put a smile on my face. I'm usually interested in melodic variation but... this is just fascinating to me. I'm not annoyed at all by the fact that I'm hearing the same melody over and over; it's sort of like a fun ostinato to me.
And I mean, the melody does get a little varied at the end. Very briefly. And once. Still neat.
- SoulinEther on June 10, 2009
- ChaosPlayer on June 10, 2009
Like mv, I am a diehard Faxanadu fan and I'm sad that there are only two remixes from this game to date. The soundtrack is amazing and I feel that many remixers would like it if only they had the exposure to it. If I had any kind of remixing ability, I would definitely rectify that oversight, but for now I'll take what I can get.
On my first listen the intro guitar sounded a bit wonky timing-wise, but after subsequent listenings it makes more sense and doesn't sound out of place. I guess knowing what to expect helps a great deal in that regard.
I liked where the section at 2:18 was going...until I realized that it actually wasn't going anywhere. Given the fairly straightforward repetition of the main melody up until that point, hearing the variation made me expect more to come, but instead all I got was the same four measures thrown back at me...twice.
I really liked the section at 3:12 for two reasons: a) you finally got to the B melody! Hooray!; and b) it's very reminiscent of Metroid-style music and remixes, of which I am also a fan. It's a small departure from the previously Frenchy, Amelie-type sound but I still enjoyed it.
The R2D2-esque whistles at 3:39 get a mention from me as well just because I think that's awesome.
The rhythm chords at 4:01 remind me of...something. I can't think of what, unfortunately.
Overall, I thought it was good except for the part at 2:18, as stated. I agree with SmartLX that using the NES chiptune lead (or an excellent approximation of it) is not instrinsically bad. I rather enjoyed it.
However, I also have to agree that more variation of the main melody would be a very welcome addition. And this is coming from someone who could seriously listen to the Faxanadu chiptunes all day long. The way the song is structured makes me think that this piece could have been titled "Variations on Faxanadu Final Area Theme," except that the variations are everywhere but the main melody. Don't get me wrong, it's still good, but it could have been better.
In conclusion, we need more Faxanadu remixes. Posthaste.
P.S. I hope that wasn't too bad for a first-time post. :<
- Nerfherder on June 9, 2009
I really like when things pick up at 3:59 . Guitar sounds amazing love the panning.Nice subtle strings throughout the piece
- Mtlbro on June 9, 2009
- vindkast on June 9, 2009
I honestly don't see the problem with using the chip lead from the game (whether this really does do that or it just sounds like it). In music generally, covers sample the original all the time; it's what they DO with the old material that matters.
The beat sounds a bit Craig David by itself. It doesn't work as a feature, but it's never really featured anyway. It makes a decent platter to serve the rest on, and isn't missed when it cuts out.
There are a couple of moments when some chromatic lead-ins don't mesh quite right in progress, but it's only ever a momentary issue.
If not for the gated accordion break I wouldn't have said Jeunet & Caro. That moment actually had me wishing until the end that a future Professor Layton game tries something in this direction.
- SmartLX on June 8, 2009
I'm a diehard Faxanadu fan and love everything glitchy when it's well done, and I'm really glad that this got posted. The guitar parts sound so lovely and mix with the very skillful (sometimes tortured) noise/chiptune/wind/percussion elements really well.
Way to use the original melody, yet make it sound so very new due to interesting direction and clever accompaniment. Definitely one of my new favs on the website, congrats! Love your sound, I'll be waiting for more!
P.S.: nice to have one more French remixer on the site :)
Edit: You've used Nanoloop for some of this haven't you? Just noticed that, specially in the section starting at 3:30. :)
- mv on June 8, 2009
