ReMix: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening 'Waking the Fish'
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- Game: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo, 1993, GB)
- ReMixer(s): WillRock
- Composer(s): Kazumi Totaka, Koji Kondo, Kozue Ishikawa, Minako Hamano
- Song(s): 'Ballad of the Wind Fish'
- Posted: 2009-11-28, evaluated by the judges
Well, happy post-Thanksgiving to all the Americans out there, and happy... weekend? ... to everyone else. I rather like Thanksgiving... while the historical foundation/context may have involved a merely temporary collaboration between colonizing and indigenous peoples, the nature of which ultimately ended up going in a much different (tragic) direction, the abstract concept of taking some time to articulate what you're thankful for, and why, seems worthwhile. Plus: Turkey's good. So's Willrock's latest mix, which I was meaning to post yesterday, but got distracted while playing some BioShock & New Super Mario Bros. Wii w/ Vinnie. The artist writes:
"God knows where the inspiration for this came from :P All I know is that I decided to remix the ballad of the wind fish, one of my favorite game themes, in a style that I have never tried before (and one that you guys are tbh probably sick of) :P Needless to say, it has taken me a while, but I have done it, and I think it is a little better polished than my previous subs so far."
Wow... I'm not sick of this, or anything like it, at all - I've always loved the source, too, and this is my favorite arrangement of Willrock's to date. It's accessible, upbeat, and provides the best foundation yet for Will's soloing, which is par for course, i.e. awesome. The synth patch used for most of the solos reminds me of Daft Punk's 'Digital Love,' which Vinnie and I were just talking about yesterday as being particularly badass, and the overall structure is easy to get into while also making significant alterations to the melody that keep things recognizable but functionally unique. Palpable writes:
"I can always expect some great synth solos from Will at this point, but I also thought the new writing and chords for the simple Wind Fish song were very creative and worked like they were always meant to be written that way... This has a whole lot to like, and it's probably still my favorite arrangement Will has done."
Ditto. Most judges did point out that the drums could have been a bit more interesting, which I can see, but this was a very minor qualm with a supremely solid & soaring mix. Will just keeps getting better, and this piece proves it - awesome work that I, for one, will definitely keep coming back to!
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the - Crulex on April 16, 2012
As far as the source goes, its a classic, and I took it in a VERY risky direction (my sister said I'd ruined ballad of the windfish when she first heard it)
I was experimenting with alot of cool phasor effects and other backing effects at this point to enhance my soundscapes, and I also wanted to make a synth solo that rivaled Daft Punk's Digital Love. The solo synth was crafted by me from a preset to mimick that sound, and it turned into my standard GuitarSynth patch I use for many of my later remixes and beyond.
Considering that this was more of a failed experiment than a successful one for what I wanted to achieve this has seemed to become a favorite. This mix for me basically says that sometimes, good things can come from something not coming out quite the way you intended ;)
- WillRock on December 22, 2010
- Gasaraki on February 10, 2010
- Nareusm on December 27, 2009
The techno here feels calming and smooth while being energizing.
This strikes a weird balance between being interesting to listen to and, well, not; there's some stretches where it feels very monotonous.
Other times it does have a very good groove going on, and those other times feel like a rest.
In the end, I have to admit that I do like it, but imo its about a minute too long.
- 42 on December 15, 2009
I remember this one from way back, and liked it then. I also remember commenting your your kick drum fills coming in at the wrong times and THEY STILL DO! :P At least some of them, in the intro.
Overall, this is as your stuff usually is, Great synth writing, retro sound. The use of strings and piano gives it a different vibe from your usual stuff, which the source naturally contributes to as well. Not a bad thing.
- Rozovian on December 13, 2009
- Dramon on December 11, 2009
The breakdown and all the soloing that follows is much better; this is where the remix starts to shine.
- Martin Penwald on December 11, 2009
- jcbq on December 3, 2009
- WillRock on December 3, 2009
just sayin....
jk foreals though man, good work. love the synth work.
- Dramon on December 3, 2009
Nice work, Will. :nicework:
- Sir_Downunder on December 2, 2009
