ReMix:Final Fantasy IV "Survival Instinct" 4:03

By Sole Signal

Arranging the music of one song...

"Battle 2"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy IV (Square , 1991, SNES), music by Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2009-07-20, evaluated by the judges panel


Before it slips the ever-diminishing capacity of my mind, I'd like to thank everyone who turned out for our Otakon panel - four years running, and we've had a blast each and every single time, thanks to you guys and gals!

In case you just arrived to the party, Final Fantasy IV: Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption is out and about - we still need your help spreading the word, diggin' the digg, and seedin' the torrent. Our tracker's had some load issues due to all the action, but if it doesn't work the first time, give it an hour and try again. Given the significant size of the project, I think many folks are only now beginning to realize the depth of what OA and all the artists and staff involved have created. Next flood mix up is from Audix, aka Greg Michalec, who takes on 'Battle 2' with some fat beats, strings (staccato, pizzicato, legato... formaggio... ), a diverse cabinet of aggressive synth textures, and an arrangement that switches things up with extended double-time passages. Or is the fast stuff regular tempo, and the slower stuff actually half-tempo? Tricky... doesn't really matter, in the end, because any way you slice it the transitions are fun and the groove infectious. Project Director Andrew Luers says:

"Greg has evolved his craft to the point that it sounds so confident - even when the beats get frantic - the song will still strut. This entire track overflows with cool, and when everything kicks in, is totally prepared to lay out a sonic beatdown. Fantastic shifting textures, excellent harmonies, sick beats, and an excess of attitude, this arrangement really opened up some doorways for the original to explore further. Really strong work on a piece that is constantly evolving; this is one track that won't be facing extinction in my playlist any time soon. :-)"

Definitely sounds like battle music, as the tempo changeups mimic the back-and-forth nature of conflict effectively. The artist explains:

"I was fortunate enough to slide onto the fantastic FF4 project fairly late in the game with one of my favorite sources still available. I took some creative liberties with the intro, slowing it to half time and bringing out the string triplets in a style similar to Pendulum's "Slam." The source left plenty of room for harmonic development, with the bass easily being the most interesting part to write. Overall, it's my usual foray into my favorite style of music to write. Enjoy!"

This one actually got subbed and went through the judges panel, so I've got their comments to shamelessly CTRL-C/V as well - Vinnie says:

"Probably my favorite battle song in the FF series, and you did a number on it. I liked that you took risks with the harmonic and melodic detours instead of going with something easier that just accompanies the original melodies. Combined with the smorgasbord of weird sounds and effects, this has the sound of an haywire haunted carnival. Truly madcap."

Fans of Audix & Neko's Banjo-Kazooie collab should feel right at home here, as it's a similar style: high-energy, high-intensity big beat, which works quite well with the source. Echoes continues to impress; great stuff.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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timaeus222
on 2014-03-12 02:50:15

Aside from some synths being rather resonant above 12kHz, this is pretty cool. =)

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TillyFun
on 2014-03-12 02:30:22

Fantastic build up before the blast at 1:00! ^_^ And I love how it stays on the source yet still mixes... things... up. o_o Ah that's the definition of a 'remix', isn't it?

... Well it's still awesome! :P

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Emunator
on 2009-12-21 23:55:43

This just goes to prove that Audi... err, Sole Signal is a master of his genre. Everything he does is turned up to 11 and holds absolutely no punches. The growling piano and bass, insane leads, and tried-and-true drums all feel like the perfect DB song to me. It's electronic music through and through, but involvement with other instruments is just present enough so that the song feels unique and classy!

I was looking forward to this one a lot because of the remixer and the fact that I recognized the source from SMRPG, and it absolutely lived up to my high expectations and even surpassed them. Please keep making music like this! :-D

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OA
on 2009-07-29 10:23:02

Great stuff- total attitude and an awesome source song.

I'm really glad Greg took this one on, he did an amazing job.

:-)

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jintoreedwine
on 2009-07-29 07:24:34

Audix, love the intro! It really sets the mood for the rest of the mix, which is quite well done itself. I am a pretty large fan of the source tune, which means I am extremely critical of making sure that justice was served to it. Let me tell you, this piece serves much justice and comes with a side of awesome. Great job!

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Sole Signal
on 2009-07-28 19:47:58

Thanks guys. I knew the genre for the source could end up being a bit polarizing, but good to hear some liked it. :)

Now on to other styles. :tomatoface:

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Marmiduke
on 2009-07-23 10:55:01

Did I just drill into a wellspring of Pendulum-style synth drum-and-bass awesomeness? Because I'm happily drowning in a deluge of it.

Love the asymetrical approach to the arrangement. It doesn't feel constrained by a genre that often overestablishes and falls into repetition, and handles the obscure deviations of the melody really well, even in its heaviness.

Strings are a very welcome touch among the meticulous chaos. Given the concept, this was always going to be a wall of sound but it's most surprising (or not, given that this is Audix) that there's something quite subtle in what it does. Dare I say, I think this showcases a bit of musical maturation arrangement-wise.

Very classy DnB that brings some smarts into the mix along with the usual energy, energy, energy. I do like.

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Otakatt
on 2009-07-22 16:05:45

Very catchy tune. I like! :)

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Radiowar
on 2009-07-22 13:30:57

I was a bit surprised by this, I've always thought of this as a song from SMRPG. It's probably my favourite video game tune ever, and this track is pretty much everything you could hope for in a remix. excellent!

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Bahamut
on 2009-07-22 09:17:00

This track has quite a bit of subtlety to it - first it enters in a brooding tense moment that is a calm before the storm, before going into full swing with the music, which shifts notably with each repetition. It's quite amazing what a change of a few notes can do to change the interpretation.

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A-RoN
on 2009-07-22 02:33:56

Love the beginning. At first I thought it was going to be like a cliche movie soundtrack-ish hip-hop beat but all of a sudden, the drum and bass breaks came barging in. The execution and composition is excellent! It is a very unpredictable mix and still stays true to the original track feel which in a way is really hard to pull off. 10/10

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Crulex
on 2009-07-21 13:33:55

Impressive to say the least. As my favorite FF fight song, I was looking forward to this, and it was a grand remix indeed. Good on ya, mate!

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tweex
on 2009-07-21 11:40:09

Pimp. Carry on good sir.

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Loning
on 2009-07-20 19:59:03

Sweet mix!! I could definitely see myself listening to this while in fights playing FF IV! It's very upbeat.

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Shael Riley
on 2009-07-20 18:50:49

I enjoyed it.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy IV (Square , 1991, SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Battle 2"

Tags (2)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_4_Survival_Instinct_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,966,671 bytes
MD5:
d227e489d0eb606710d3b5a14c408c87
Bitrate:
226Kbps
Duration:
4:03

 

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