ReMix: Final Fantasy VIII 'Seasons'
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- Game: Final Fantasy VIII (Square, 1999, PS1)
- ReMixer(s): Ziwtra
- Composer(s): Nobuo Uematsu
- Song(s): 'Breezy'
- Posted: 2010-02-21, evaluated by the judges
Ziwtra writes:
"It's been a while (2+ years?) since my last submission. I'm still remixing and there will definitely be some older mixes for people to hear once the Xenogears remix project is released. This is the first mix I've done since putting my head down on the Xenogears OST."
Youngjin's stuff is always amazing, but this mellow, almost transcendental Final Fantasy VIII arrangement of 'Breezy' is, I feel, unique & special among the artist's formidable library of fantastic game mixes. It may not have absolutely pristine production, which is where some of the judges aimed their critiques, but I really dig the overall vibe. Mr. Hahn knows what he's doing, so the thin, somewhat dirty lead piano here is definitely an intentional call on his part; shimmering ambient pads and gated guitar swirl around the lead, while the (very cool) chord progression is consistenty stated by harp arpeggios, stage left. The piece has a pensive, open, meditative feel to it, which jives with the mix title - feels almost like we're traveling through time, seasons are changing, etc. Jesse writes:
"I'm definitely fine with the guitar sound, as well as the piano. Clearly doesn't need to sound realistic. Putting the drums way left is an interesting decision. I love the arrangement. There's a little mud in the low mids; a bit washy, but it's really not egregious. There's a ton of cool stuff going on. Love the backwards strings."
To clarify, while Vinnie objected to the unrealistic nature of the guitar in his decision, I think part of his problem was that it was also very similar to the guitar patch used in the source. It can definitely be problematic when mixes employ instrumentation that doesn't differentiate them enough from the source material, but given the very minimal instrumentation of the original, in this instance I think such concerns are easily outweighed. Youngjin's not lazy, so I take his instrumentation choices as very conscious decisions to either match or deviate from the original in a calculated fashion. He's also not what I would call "gimmicky" - the coda ending here could, in the hands of many (or even just in a different context), come off as being "nifty" or (worse) superfluous, but I really think it makes complete sense in this instance based on HOW Ziwtra has dealt with the source.
I love the space this mix creates, above anything else; it has a distinct feel to it that strikes me as unique relative to both the artist's own work and the site at large, and left me feeling refreshed, calm, & clear of mind. If your life has a lot of clutter, indecision, or haze to it, this is the type of track that seems like it might help lift the fog; great work from Ziwtra.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the - kolop on May 5, 2010
I cant speak for anyone else but I love the distorted and dirty sound. It reminds me of http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01053/ zeal love the best corridor of time mix on the site as far as the distorted piano goes. There seems to be quite a depth of emotion going on with the piece and I believe that "cleaner" samples and better production value wouldn't necessarily enhance this. The song stands powerful on its own as it is.
Ziwtra is easily my favorite mixer on the site and I imagine ill be chilling while listening to this song while surfing the web for years to come.
Thank you ziwtra.
- Catullus on April 18, 2010
The outro is one of my favorites.
I haven't really heard this source yet, but something tells me I should go listen to it now.
- urdailywater on March 26, 2010
I enjoyed it.
- Martin Penwald on March 15, 2010
The drums are, of course, great as I've come to expect from Young. The chord choices are very evocative and give the mix a very nostalgic, pensive feel, which I've really come to appreciate a lot more than I let on in my previous posts. It's a great song to listen to when you want to just sit outside, watch the clouds, and contemplate.
- Emunator on March 9, 2010
The samples don't bother me one iota frankly. Anyone who has tried and failed at remixing a lot (like most of us starting out) and are slightly poor for buying good samples, hit various brick walls. The thing is with this, the dynamics are treated so expertly I find it genuinely touching.
I'm sure there's a lot of budding remixers who only in their wildest dreams could come up with such an awesome arrangement.
If there's any cross over to the original midi nylon guitar, it works as a nostalgic call back to the original as much as anything. This remix for the most part hints at the source through tonics. It's only when the notes of the bridge from the original are picked you feel a strong link with the source.
To sum up. If something like this ever gets rejected, it would be criminal. Also to be clear, this remix kicks the complete ass out of many, many remixes with 'better' samples. I wont say 'better production values', since, the production value here is HUGE.
PS. Ziwtra, do you ever listen to My Blood Valentine? This reminds me somewhat of their style in places.
- MojoHamster on February 27, 2010
- Tasogare on February 24, 2010
I for one am one happy listener to have had the pleasure of experiencing this piece of work.
- [Lyrics] Serotriptomine on February 23, 2010
I like the arrangement for sure, but the production and soundscape just isn't meshing with me. Distortion going on in the drums, altho I know its a style preference... I don't think the guitar or the piano are amazing in terms of sample quality, but I don't think they bring down the mix as much as people are saying... I wasn't sure the piano sounded quite right to me tho, a little bit too upfront for my liking.
Not sure i'm a fan of the mix myself, but for sure its a solid effort that others will like, and I have plenty of Ziwtra in my itunes to keep me happy for now :D
- WillRock on February 23, 2010
Regardless, excellent work.
- OA on February 23, 2010
- Patrick Burns on February 23, 2010
Thank you for thinking and listening.
- ziwtra on February 22, 2010
Sammy D;648543 wrote: Zwitra's Rain in Chicago is one of my favorites on this site, but I don't think I will download this.
He put hard work into it and released it to you for free. There's no reason you [i]shouldn't[/i] download it. Sure, it has its flaws, but it's a good song.
- Brandon Strader on February 22, 2010
- Sammy D on February 22, 2010
I could forgive the samples if the everything wasn't quantized so rigidly, but when those two issues culminate into one song, it's an issue that affects the listenability for me, and I've never had that problem with Ziwtra's mixes in the past, despite the fact that he's using the same samples as always. He's my most listened to OCR artist on last.fm currently so I've obviously got nothing against the kind of music he usually makes. I'm not sure what happened here :\
- Emunator on February 22, 2010
