ReMix: Banjo-Kazooie 'Wallachian Prince'
Download MP3
Play Preview
- Game: Banjo-Kazooie (Nintendo, 1998, N64)
- ReMixer(s): OA
- Composer(s): Grant Kirkhope
- Song(s): 'Tooty's Theme'
- Posted: 2009-11-30, evaluated by the judges
Let's keep it going strong - one more month left in 2009 after today, but still plenty of great mixes to be posted! OA hits us with some hybrid orchestral/rock Banjo-Kazooie action; for those of you who may have missed it, check out our interview with composer Grant Kirkhope for some excellent reading. I'm a little short on time today, so it's up to our trusty judges to fill out the writeup - Vinnie writes:
"What I like most about this song is that even though you've transposed the song to a minor key (which is already a cool idea), if you take out the guitars, it sounds pretty much like something you'd hear in the game, maybe when Tooty gets kidnapped. Yet it's original and has your distinctive touches all over it. What I like second most about the song is the slyly creeping strings in the bridge - that's sick. Sometimes the writing gets crowded but that's the only negative I can give you here, this is great."
For some reason "Tooty" always makes me think of IHOP's "Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity," which I always feel like an imbecile when ordering. Larry adds:
"The guitar work was pretty meaty, fleshed out the track nicely and de-emphasized any issues with the sequenced stuff. I really love how all of the elements came together, especially because the other instrumentation was a small ensemble rather than grandiose symphonic rock. Cool approach."
Pretty much; awesome, gypsy-style minor take on the source, with heavy-hitting guitars & drums and silky, ornate orchestral backing, featuring soaring violin, flute, piano arpeggios, castanets, and more. Definitely one of my favorite BK mixes, but also one of my favorite pieces from Mr. Luers.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the - metalsnakejuice on December 12, 2009
I love hybrids of orchestral and electronic and rock as much as I love life itself!!! ;)
Thank you for making this awesome track!!!
- YoshMaster on December 12, 2009
* I used the orchestral samples so extensively because I wanted to break away from my typical synth leads. I think it worked pretty well, but I wish that I had more time to polish some of the exposed parts to make them sound more natural. It's better than I usually do, but usually I use orchestra as BG.
* I think the world would have exploded if I did a song this happy in major. It needed to be in minor.
* I like the breakdown the best; the violin lead is still a bit fakey, but I like the parts there.
*ending is a bit weak, and i've learned from it. Usually my endings are a lot stronger- i dropped the ball here.
*everyone should try the freshly baked remix challenge next year, it was fun. :-)
- OA on December 11, 2009
Unlike some other posters, I don't think that this is too short. Considering that the main motif is repeated fairly often (as was pointed out above), making the remix as short as it is makes sure that it doesn't become boring/repetitive.
Overall, nice work.
- Martin Penwald on December 11, 2009
The string parts sound a bit thin, especially the strings at 1:11-ish. But I don't feel that they're as mechanical as some of the others have reported.
The main theme motif is repeated quite often. I think the two breakdowns really help with the variation. It does seem a bit short because the ending is a bit abrupt - the main theme is repeated four times, almost verbatim after the last breakdown.
I enjoyed it, definitely worth listening to.
- Arcana on December 8, 2009
This one's interesting to listen to because it plays with the stereo. It reminds me a little of something Trans-Siberian Orchestra might perform in both theme and concept, except a little more tame. Very nicely done.
- 42 on December 5, 2009
- Bahamut on December 2, 2009
There was not a second of this that I didn't like.
- Nearly on December 2, 2009
just64helpin;618082 wrote: Also, fun fact: there is a brief rendition of Tooty's theme in minor during the opening story sequence of the game, when Tooty gets kidnapped.
Ha! I own the game and had forgotten, though maybe on some level I remembered.
I stuck this song on our Halloween party playlist this year and it fit right in.
Emunator;618511 wrote: It could be, I might have just misidentified a key change when in reality I was hearing something else. Either way, something sounded different about the melody to me when I first heard it, I just assumed it was a key change since I'm pretty new to this music vocab stuff :tomatoface:
It's dropping from a major key to a minor key, but I dunno if that's usually called a key change. The root stays the same.
- Palpable on December 2, 2009
Come to think of it, I don't remember this tune from the game either. And I too have listened to the usf a bit.
- Dafydd on December 2, 2009
I'll echo DA as well in saying while this track wasn't your strongest, it's still a great listen.
Props as well for going the Symphonic Rock route OA.:nicework:
- Sir_Downunder on December 1, 2009
I'm fairly sure the it's in the same key as the original...
It could be, I might have just misidentified a key change when in reality I was hearing something else. Either way, [i]something[/i] sounded different about the melody to me when I first heard it, I just assumed it was a key change since I'm pretty new to this music vocab stuff :tomatoface:
- Emunator on December 1, 2009
I don't want to sound too negative here, because I think this is well arranged and I like how the melody is dispersed through a lot of different instruments. I just don't like all that marcato violin/orchestra hit type stuff. Everything is so stiff and staccato. It feels like it lacks musicality and any kind of phrasing. Not that phrasing is really necessary for a lot of electronic music, but when you're using a lot of instrumental samples, it comes off as kinda odd, especially when the note length of a lot of the samples is so short.
The combination of all these different kinds of instruments sharing the melody mixed with the very staccato in-your-face nature of this just doesn't really do it for me at all. Sorry, man :(
- ella guro on December 1, 2009
