ReMix: Final Fantasy IV 'In the Land of Dwarves'

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Final Fantasy IV: Echoes of Betrayal, Light of RedemptionFinal Fantasy IV

It's always a little goofy to release a big, diverse album like Echoes and immediately see some folks (who probably haven't even listened to it yet) already complaining that it's "all techno"... I honestly don't know what that's all about, but it just ain't, and that's that. Here to reinforce this apparently difficult-to-grasp reality is ilp0, with a really creative, atmospheric piece that blends rock, march, jazz, and funk into a crazy, dwarfish jam. It's almost every genre EXCEPT techno, for crying out loud, but it essentially transcends genre, playfully capitalizing on Ilari's multi-instrumentalism, crunchy/smooth production, and occasionally Steely Dan-ish arrangement style. ilp0's stuff is always musically fascinating to me, playful and flowing and always packing a bundle of surprises, but he's gone one step further here and really embraced the context, holding nothing back and pouring out ideas into an imaginative, four-minute wonderland. "Imaginative" really is the right word... taken by itself, it doesn't convey the talent and execution that ilp0 brings to the table on each and every mix he does, but to blend tribal drums and gritty, film noir sax soloing with thromping, wah-guitar dwarf rock/funk takes a certain type of brain. ilp0 has that brain; OA writes:

"This was one of the first tracks completed on the project that really opened my eyes to how a strong arrangement and great performances can take a source song that I normally wouldn't like, and completely transform my perception of it. Hearing the finished version of this was a milestone that made everyone involved in the project start to realize that we had something special going on. One of the most visually evocative instrumental tracks on the album, I found it impossible to not imagine the tanks of the dwarfs when I listened to this, but instead of being cold machines of war, they were more like crazy-yet-deadly steampunk contraptions, with whirring gears, pipes and release valves, all lead by a madcap king. ilp0 always brings something awesome to his mixes, but with this one, he really outdid himself."

Not much else to say, really: amazing, visionary stuff.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
Dwarves and Rock and ...saxophones? It all works. Remixes of rocking dwarf tunes are always a welcome tune.

- WesternZypher on December 25, 2010
Thunder storm sounding beginning? Ace in my book. I'm going to be honest, not fond of the opening after that, but it picks up REAL quickly with that funky jazzish section followed by rock followed by....well, everything else you can mash into a ReMix to make it sound awesome! Yes, this is one of those "goofy" ReMixes that you have to listen to a couple of times to get, but I finally got it and I love it. ilp0 did fantastic with this. Oh, thunder outro! Score!

- Crulex on October 12, 2010
This is my favorite ilp0 track, hands down. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this track at first, hearing the intro compared with the segment I'd heard from the MAGfest preview, I was kind of confused. But once I listened to it all the way through I realized how genius the whole song was. The way it oscillates between rock and jazz segments is really spectacular.
One of the highlights of Echoes, I think (although, to be fair, there were a lot of them :-P ) ilp0 had always impressed me with his work prior to this but I think this song brought my respect for him to a whole new level!

- Emunator on December 19, 2009
I originally wasn't a fan of this track. Part of it had to do with not being crazy with the source, part of it due to the quirkiness of the mix. The more I listen, though, the more this has grown on me. This really takes that quirkiness and makes it shine because of it. Along with that we have a bunch of genre changes, all with some nice transitions in between, some nice drum work, guitar work, and nice supporting synths. 3:27 is now my favorite moment, and I have no idea why, because it was the part that bothered me the most at first. I'd encourage more people to sit on this one for a bit before they judge it, and I bet it would grow on them as well.

- DragonAvenger on December 1, 2009
Crazy Awesome. I thought the thunder effect was a little loud at the beginning, but it certainly got my attention. I can't wait to hear what ilp0 has planned next. :-)

- OA on August 7, 2009
B-B-B-Benny and the dwarves!
Come on. I can't be the only one that thought of that song when I heard this little slice of awesome.

- The Dennis on August 4, 2009
this is FANTASTIC. epic progressive rock.
i love your work. moar plzzz

- halc on July 29, 2009
This is an instant classic to me. As of this writing it's got 16 plays in iTunes, and that doesn't count the plays in my car and browser and bla bla. If I keep typing I'll just gush about it, babbling about how much I love it. Let's just say it's one of my favorite remixes out of the thousands I've heard and leave it at that :)
AMAZING WORK!

- richter on July 28, 2009
thanks to echoes, I've just about finished the game (first time i've actually gotten to the very end :O) and with the dwarven castle theme stuck in my head, i expected something... er, "special" for the Dwarven castle music.
This is special. In a good way, though. Befitting the quirkiness of the dwarves, and it does some interesting things for yer ears, Lali!

- SoulinEther on July 26, 2009
Wonderful stuff, the track has a great groove to it and the production is top-notch. I can't say enough good things about it.

- Hy Bound on July 22, 2009
As I've said elsewhere, I'm not necessarily a fan of the beginning of this one, but when the guitars hit around :45 I'm completely sold from then on out. Great stuff!

- Otakatt on July 22, 2009
Thanks for nice compliments. It's great to be part of this project.. I just wanted to note that the alto sax player in both my "Echoes" remixes is Assi Rohiola, a fellow earthling and a friend from my neighborhood.
She was left uncredited but I don't think she'll mind. She couldn't care less for VG remixing and probably already forgot that she ever played with me... Very nice playing and easy to record. Big thanks to Assi "first take" Rohiola from me :)

- ilp0 on July 22, 2009
This track really surprised me when I heard it. In the MAGFest preview I remember hearing the guitar with more upbeat mechanical sounds to compliment it, so I was expecting a more happy-go-lucky rock track. Instead what I got was a surprisingly diverse mesh of ideas fused together into this song.
Great job ilp0!

- Bahamut on July 22, 2009
ilp0 is without a doubt in my fave 5 remixers on this site. His prog is classy, inventive and polished, but more then that it has character. You definately get the vibe that he has loadsa fun making what he does and it carries over to the listener :D.
Or maybe I just like weird dissonant music.

- Fishy on July 22, 2009
Like so many other mixes, I first heard a preview of this one on the video that showed at MAGFest. I was excited the moment I heard it; it was zany, weird, and just all around fun.
Then again, aren't all of ilp0's mixes just as crazy?
Epic job, man! Keep up the good work! :-P

- HitoriJaNai on July 21, 2009