ReMix: Chrono Trigger 'Corridor of Time (Time Warp Mix)'

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Chrono Trigger

The Vagrance debuted with some LoZ:TP action back in December '08 and now returns with a visit to the ever-fertile lands of Chrono Trigger and 'Corridor of Time'. Samuel writes:

"I've always wanted to do a DnB remix of this song, and this is not my first attempt as there has been at least 4 other start-ups that totally sucked. I really felt going a liquid/atmospheric route would be best simply because that means I don't have to devote half my time to the bassline. Plus it gives me an excuse to use the hotpants loop which is about as close to pixie dust a drum loop can get. I could explain some of my choices made in the song, but I've always been told that if I have to explain a part of the song for others to like it, then I didn't do my job."

Interesting; I for one feel like artists can and should be able to describe their works without it feeling like compensation for something missing, but I do also see the "show don't tell"-ish point Mr. Day is making - like so many things, it's really contextual. Either way, explanation or no explanation, this here's a damn fine bit of dnb; while OCR sees a good deal of electronica, this feels like pretty "pure" dnb to me, which we actually don't see too much off. Gotta love the swirling stew of aliased intro arpeggios, filtered hat lead-in, and ridiculously deep sub-bass. There's also some pretty crazy spectral effects going on circa 1'20" - really slick, distant textures. One thing you'll notice is that the intro arpeggios actually get more emphasis throughout than the melody, which is a nice twist - the synths carrying the main theme are softer than most of the other elements, and sort of trace around the outlines of the theme without putting it in your face. This allows the drums, bass, and pads to do their thing, evolving and mutating in style.

Also interesting and even thought-provoking is the two-part quote that rounds the piece out, regarding languages dying out and being lost with each generation. I've actually thought about this topic before, and while I think the placement here suggests it's being articulated primarily to convey the loss, there's also a gain: more people speaking the same languages. Variety of language - while academically interesting and culturally rich - necessarily carries with it the implication that, at any given point in time on the planet, fewer people will be able to understand one another. I think it's important that all human knowledge be preserved, so from a pure archiving perspective, you do have to appreciate what's being lost, but I also feel like the process of language consolidation/mutation itself is quite natural. Of course, I say all that as an English-speaker, so take it with a grain of salt. Still, in terms of dropping pseudo-academic lecture-style quote samples into electronica tracks, you could do a lot worse, so I'm gonna have to give a thumbs-up on that front.

A lot of judges weighed in on this one, so I recommend reading the decision. When it comes to electronica, I tend to lean towards Vinnie's decisions as being closest to my own thoughts, and this was no exception, so here you go:

"Cool concept. I'm a fan of DnB remixes that take the original melody and mess with the underlying chords. In this mix, one gets the sense of hearing the original song through a haze. I agree with Larry that it's a little repetitive, but it didn't bother me that much. I hear enough changes in the drums - missing beats, extra snare hits, filtering, added shakers - to keep me interested. I wouldn't have minded a little more "foreground" to command attention, but I appreciate the haze effect you're going for, and there's a lot of movement in the background."

Pretty much; awesome to see The Vagrance follow-up the promise of his initial cut with some more excellent music. He's tread into some very familiar, oft-mixed territory and come up with something fresh that I think even the most jaded CT listeners should appreciate.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 14 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
Oh hey, I remember this one from the WIP board. While the source isn't exactly fresh, the arrangement takes it into a new direction. Very nice atmospheric dnb remix.
I might be one of the few people who actually likes the quotes you put into the song, even though they are quite sad (btw, I strongly disagree with what djp wrote about languages etc in the write-up, to the point where I felt physically sick reading it, but I'm not going to fag up this thread).
Nice work, and I hope to hear more from you in the near future.

- Martin Penwald on July 15, 2009
I'm definately a melody fan, so this mix isn't entirely what I dig. I like the concept of having the melody in the 'haze' (a good term for this mix), but my ears keep asking for more of the main line. Take this with a grain of salt, of course.
I like the combo of the drums with the arpeggiated line. They both compliment each other nicely.
Not my thing, but a good job reguardless.

- DragonAvenger on July 13, 2009
I dig the hazy atmosphere, always room for another Zeal mix if you ask me! :lol:

- ZealPath on July 1, 2009
Gets almost a wall of sound quality at 1:20... I guess that's kind of the idea, but I think it was pushed too far. Actually, I think it's good to have this temporary increase in "density", but if you reduce the volume to match... and then pop the volume right back to normal when the "density" returns to normal at around 1:28, giving it kind of a BAM! effect, that'd be cool.
Right after this bit, there's a sort of vox type thing going on.. starting at 1:38 or so. It's playing the lead part. I think it would have been really cool if you had used samples of monastic chants or overtone singing.

- Nobbynob Littlun on June 30, 2009
This one's been on repeat on my playlist since it was released. I'm digging the somewhat psychadelic vibe I get from this one. Great music to drive, or work to.
Excelent job. Can't wait to hear more of you. If you can do this to a (very) well known track, I'd like to see what you can do on something a bit less covered! :)

- JadeAuto on June 30, 2009
Wasn't really feelin this. Don't get me wrong though I felt this was structurally sound and I thought everything fitted together nicely I just didn't think this sounds right as a dnb song probably just me though, sorry man.

- BlackPanther on June 30, 2009
Nice beats. Would've liked to hear more variation on the melody perhaps though.

- bananabomberman on June 29, 2009
Really digging the vibe on this one. The melody an harmony seem to feel out of sync with the percussion though. The DnB drums make this feel uptempo, but the synths and part writing make it feel down tempo. It creates a nice juxtaposition, that works at times to benefit the song while at other times to the detriment of the song. IMO this song kicks ass when listened to as a down tempo type track where as the listener you don't listen to the drums as a driving moving force but instead as a moving texture.
Good stuff per usual dude! :nicework:

- avaris on June 29, 2009
It's great. The breakbeat parts are very reminiscent of certain BGM from Half-Life 2, for example during the boat sequence.

- SmartLX on June 28, 2009
Pretty cool stuff, the beats were great, and though i like a much more defined lead generally, i think things worked overall. I personally find extended quotes in music to be super cheesy, but everything else was compelling and creative enough for me to like the track anyways.
Nice work dude. :-)

- OA on June 28, 2009
Enjoyable mix! I am a fan of Chrono Trigger itself and the source material so it may not have been the hardest sell in the world, but I do appreciate the overall feel and direction of the mix. There are a lot of Chrono Trigger mixes so it is hard to come up with something original. However, I think this is a fresh take on this source tune, which is really a great thing :) . Keep the good ones coming!

- jintoreedwine on June 28, 2009
Really dig this one, fresh take on the Zeal theme. Very nice.

- Radiowar on June 28, 2009
Awesome! I remember hearing this on the wip boards. It sounds great man, it's come a long way. Congrats!

- DrumUltimA on June 28, 2009
What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

- djpretzel on June 28, 2009

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