ReMix: Xenogears 'Quickening'
Download MP3
Play Preview
- Game: Xenogears (Square, 1998, PS1)
- ReMixer(s): Avaris, Level 99
- Composer(s): Yasunori Mitsuda
- Song(s): 'Faraway Promise'
- Posted: 2010-08-20, evaluated by djpretzel
- Album: Featured on Humans + Gears: Xenogears ReMixed
If I had to come up with a catchy slogan for this mix, I'd probably go with "Quickening: It's Not Just for Highlanders Anymore!," though that would suggest a more Queen-like anthem rock setting than this mellow, acoustic guitar ballad from Avaris and Level 99 is about. Shaun talks about the mix's origins, the title, and what the two of them were shooting for:
"I was rendering all of the waves into mp3's for the project, while talking to Stevo, and we kinda felt bad there was not a remix on the project from this source tune. So in the period of 24hrs we decided to remix the tune relying on both of our musical strengths to pull the track through. Stevo composed and performed all of the guitars. I did the sound design, mastering, etc... Thanks to blind for providing a creative mastering tip to help glue the pads and the guitars together dynamically.
While Stevo approached the source with an emotion of "hope," I approached it with a sense of distant longing and old forgotten promises. This juxtaposition of emotions helped mold the track. The title, "Quickening", relates a loose definition of the term. It's about the hopes and dreams of various people coming together. How our past as well as our hope for the future shapes both our memories and present state of mind.
Anyways I hope people enjoy the mix. The sound design features birds, whispers to sound like birds, glass to sound like voices, and various other sounds. There was a great deal of focus on texture and molding images in an acousmatic sense for this mix. Hopefully it inspires some of the same emotions Stevo and I put into the piece."
On first listen, "Slowening" might seem a more appropriate title, since this is a mellow, warm, comforting arrangement (perfect for Hawaii, actually), so I'm glad to have the explanation present. FYI, you're not going crazy - this theme is actually the same melody as 'Small Two of Pieces' - we're working on a way to make this distinction clearer in our database, so that mixes of theme variations show up on the "source" song page as well, etc. Stevo concisely adds:
"The music box in the original makes the source melody moving at a somber pace, but I wanted to give it both a hopeful and somber tone. The synths and ambience that Avaris cooked up set the tone of the song very well."
This probably could have worked as just acoustic guitar, but I'm glad the two artists went with a sort of "instrumental PLUS" approach, as the subtle details that accompany Stevo's playing provide a contextual bed and add some ethereality to the intimacy. Great cut off Humans + Gears - I agree that the album wouldn't have felt complete without this source being represented, and I think these two took a great, soulful approach.
Discussion: Latest 13 comments/reviews; view the OA;707640 wrote: Sometimes lightning can just strike, I guess.
Couldn't have put it better myself man :-) I mean, when it comes to Stevo and acoustic guitars, you can pretty much be guaranteed that the result will be awesome. But damn, I'd say avaris is just as much of a hero here for the downright beautiful atmospheric work he did to give the track a bit more of a "sunny spring morning" feel, as if you're just waking up with a beam of sunlight on your bed, beckoning you into the new day. Maybe "Awakening" would have been a more appropriate title? :-P Seriously, if either artist has an explanation for the remix title (is it just a reference to how you guys finished it so quickly?) I'd love to hear it!
Gorgeous.
- Emunator on December 9, 2010
monieyang;731623 wrote: I listen to this every night before I go to sleep.
Heh, I have an entire playlist of mixes that I listen as I go to sleep. I hadn't really considered this track for my playlist because of how it was also emotional in addition to mellowly soothing, but I will now. ;-)
Huh, also apparently there's supposed to be a bunch of background sfx. Until I started listening specifically for them, I didn't hear them. Still, this is incredibly well done, and I feel like Avaris and Level 99 have accomplished what they've set out to do do with this mix.
- 42 on December 4, 2010
- monieyang on November 19, 2010
The playing has a lot of emotion, and the backing synths/strings really add to the overall product. Great work, especially since it was done in such a short time period!
- DragonAvenger on August 26, 2010
- delbuster on August 21, 2010
- nugzta on August 21, 2010
- Jewbei on August 21, 2010
OA;707640 wrote: Even though the entire album was packed with excellent tracks, this one felt head and shoulders above. The fact that it was put together so quickly is even cooler. Sometimes lightning can just strike, I guess.
Beautiful and timeless, awesome work, bros!
Thanks bro! :)
- avaris on August 20, 2010
Beautiful and timeless, awesome work, bros!
- OA on August 20, 2010
- SubNormal J3 on August 20, 2010
