ReMix: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 'Link to the Mask'
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- Game: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Nintendo, 2000, N64)
- ReMixer(s): Dazey, Nubioso
- Composer(s): Koji Kondo, Toru Minegishi
- Song(s): 'Calling the Four Giants', 'Rockvale Temple (Outside)'
- Posted: 2010-03-04, evaluated by the judges
I love this mix. Sure, it has some issues, and the rapping might not be up there with the Kanyes & Eminems of the world, but in terms of arrangement creativity, this is a tour de force. All the cooler then that it's from newcomer Nubioso, aka Josh Millen, with female vocals by Dazey. I remember checking this joint out on our workshop forums way back when and really hoping Josh would carry it through submission and revision so it could see the light of day here. Why am I so excited? Here's my talking points:
- Combines hip-hop with the narrative sensibilities & transitions of rock opera/musical theater (!!)
- Singing, rapping, narration, all w/ original lyrics
- Majora's Mask, which needs some more love
- Risky, bold, unique... the type of mix where failure to execute would mean an absolute trainwreck, but success would mean something unique & special
There you go, four easily digestable bullets - now go and file your TPS reports. Thankfully, Josh DOES execute this very conceptual, completely original VGM arrangement quite well. Incidentally, we've got another Majora's Mask mix coming up soon, so it's good to see GSlicer's track from 2007 finally getting some company. But forget Majora's Mask for a second. Actually, forget Zelda too - what's especially cool here is that this is a ReMix that takes a very different overall approach. After ten years of OCR, I always love seeing that, and I really hope it's received with open minds & arms. The artist writes:
"I've already said it to quite a few people at OCremix since joining here, but it was Zircons "Monstrous Turtles" remix that had really inspired me to do something of my own. I really liked his style in that song and wanted to incorporate a little bit of that in my own. I also noticed that there was only one Majoras mask remix and personally I really liked the game so that was just another pushing factor in me wanting to do this game in particular. Somewhere throughout this project I thought it might be fun to make it as though you're playing the game through song. You get the interaction of the characters, a story behind it, and a song to keep it interesting....a musical meant for radio I suppose =P It was a very fun project to take on and I'm very appreciative of all the people who helped me to get it where it is by their critiques and wonderful comments."
Very cool - in terms of mixes inspiring other mixes, Andy's SMW piece was certainly a juggernaut, and it seems like it's the gift that keeps on giving, in this instance. Jimmy "Back off, man - I co-composed Mass Effect 2!" Hinson writes:
"Aight here's the deal, I can't decide if this is awesome or cheesy. I think it's kind of the child of both :) Don't worry though, I'm giving you mad points just for the fact that this track is like one of the most fresh I've EVER heard on the panel. We have nothing like this on the site, I don't think, so that definitely works in Josh's favor here. I don't have any critical gripes on the production. And the sheer uniqueness of the arrangement tells me this should really be a pretty obvious one-way call."
Obviously, if you simply can't abide rap and/or singing in your mixes, this probably won't be your cup of tea, but then there's all sorts of wonderful mixes you're probably not into, either. This is one of the most original debuts on the site, and I love what Josh has done with the source material, and how - cheesy though it may be - the mix tells a story and plays itself out in a linear, narrative fashion. Great, completely original stuff from Nubioso.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the While I very much dislike rap, I have to admit that Nubioso didn't do too bad.
- dragonwriter7 on July 22, 2010
I do like the sound quality of the song and the sound effects. Good job!
- animatedjay on April 28, 2010
The end result is surprisingly awesome, though. Nice use of samples from the game and good vocals. The lyrics are cheesy, but they're also a lot of fun.
Nice one; looking forward to hearing more from you guys.
- Martin Penwald on March 25, 2010
- Loning on March 14, 2010
- TheThoughtfulOne on March 13, 2010
- cremdogz on March 9, 2010
kinda reminds me of this except with more swearing.
- appleJiuce on March 8, 2010
This mix took balls and the execution is indeed polished. Well done. Respect.
- Less Ashamed Of Self on March 7, 2010
- Jaeman on March 7, 2010
At first I wasn't sure about this, and this could have been a mix that failed miserably due to an ambitious arrangement but this works, and works VERY well.
I can certainly hear the monstrous turtles! influence, it has that dreamy almost nightmarish quality to it that makes that remix so good.
For sure the production isn't perfect, but its pretty good and seriously, when you have an arrangement this good it really doesn't bother me.
Highly recommended - one of the most interesting pieces of music on the site and I look forward to hearing more you guys.
- WillRock on March 6, 2010
Also - Yeah, I know it's cheesy, I mean come on people....it's a rap about video games....there's no way to make that "cool" or "hardcore" in anyway lol. I also realize that my rap isn't a perfect depiction of what happens in the game, but the whole point of this stuff is to have fun and bring a fantasy to life.
I have let my girlfriend know that there are a lot of people asking to hear her vocals again so naturally she's bugging me to start a new project, but we'll see what happens =P
Again, thanks to everyone who's helped me to get this song submitted. I'm definitely looking forward to my next project....whenever that may be. :D
- Nubioso on March 6, 2010
Overall this is an awesome track and well-executed concept. Production can only get better from here on out, but having the spark of inspiration that can bring a sweet track like this to life is rare.
Absolutely love this one. Thank you for creating it. :-)
- OA on March 5, 2010
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Obviously, if you simply can't abide rap and/or singing in your mixes, this probably won't be your cup of tea...
That quote by djpretzel pretty much sums up how I feel about this genre. However, my typical mantra is that I enjoy any music done well, and I must say, this is certainly executed well. The intro was great and there lots of pieces that I felt really shine. Great job!
- SChepulis on March 5, 2010
