ReMix: Tecmo Bowl 'Touchdown Hoedown'
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- Game: Tecmo Bowl (Tecmo, 1989, NES)
- ReMixer(s): Vurez
- Composer(s): Keiji Yamagishi
- Song(s): 'Offense'
- Posted: 2010-11-25, evaluated by the judges
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! While obviously a US tradition first and foremost, ain't nothin' wrong with giving thanks once in awhile, no matter who you are and where you live. For me, personally, I'm thankful that artists, fans, and staff alike continue to make OCR a rewarding, awesome site to run, among other things. Family, friends, food... the letter "F" has a virtual monopoly on the things we hold most sacred & are most thankful for. In America, for a lot of folks, especially on Thanksgiving, that list includes Football. No, not the kind the vast, overwhelming majority of the world plays - that's soccer, of course, and it begins with an "S" in these parts. No, I'm talking about four quarters of helmet-crushing, bone-cracking goodness, with trick plays, hail mary passes, and inane color commentary. For me, it's not a question of liking or disliking the sport (especially since I'm a Redskins fan...) - it's woven into the fabric of tradition, one more element that makes a more complete whole. And so what better day to post this ReMix from Vurez, which turns the music from NES classic Tecmo Bowl into an Appalachian jam, replete with banjo riffs and infectiously rural energies. Judge OA channels his inner prospector, Stinky Pete:
"Well Tar-nation, it's a right good hootenanny all up in these parts! Performances are great, and the arrangement is pretty expansive. The style is just right for a good ol' boy like me, I reckon. YEE HAW. Ok, I can't think of anything else, but seriously, this mix is excellent, and really brings the track to life in a unique and compelling way. The transitions and flow are great, and the production sounds awesome. Overall a super win, IMO."
Let the above quotation serve as sad lesson & grave warning to any other Minnesotans trying to emulate Southern affects ;) Don really is talented & ambitious when it comes to trying different genres and employing varied instrumentation, and this is certainly one of the harder types of music to really "nail" with samples. Nevertheless, it sounds great, and has appreciably more verisimilitude than my own rodeo (minus the super-authentic yodeling/gibberish) from days of yore. Vinnie's decidedly less exciting comments summed it up well:
"Haha, very fun. It's great seeing underrepresented styles and underrepresented games getting love. The arrangement and the sequencing makes up for some slight mixing problems you acknowledged."
It's really the sequencing & articulation that make or break ethnic instrumentation; no matter how good a sample library may be, if you employ an instrument in a fashion that is at odds with its intended usage, results are either going to be eccentric (possibly good) or incompetent (also known as "bad"), and this is where Don always shines - using effective samples effectively. If this mix played every time the Redskins scored a touchdown or won a game... well, it'd be awesome, I just wouldn't hear it often enough. Plenty to be thankful for this year, but right now I'll just thank Vurez for adding some unique charm & flavor to the holiday with this mix!
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the - Crulex on September 24, 2012
"ALRITE EVERYONE, chickens, pigs, cows and oxes, let's all hold our hands and wings so we can form a circle and dance! La la la"
...this!
- Guifrog on September 16, 2012
- Csyzr on December 22, 2010
The remix in hand is an all-around fun piece of music. Perfect for when you feel the need to be cheered up.
- Martin Penwald on December 14, 2010
- DragonAvenger on December 8, 2010
Nice work! We're getting a little closer to some "serious folk" music on OCR, hillbilly jokes notwithstanding. :-D
- docnano on December 6, 2010
:lol: at the Redskins reference there!
- Bahamut on December 6, 2010
Infectious, well produced, and a pretty sweet arrangement to boot.
To put things into Perspective... Banjos, Violins and a Cowbell. How can anyone NOT like this remix.
- WillRock on December 5, 2010
Considering the source and the fact it has 'Hoedown' in the title, this wasn't something I planned to really give a listen, despite being a fan of Vurez. I'm a terrible person, I know. But I heard it, I believe on Kyle's show, which has prompted me to come back and give it a proper listen.
I like that it's a fun remix, and it reminds me that Vurez is just pure talent. I've heard him make many remixes in a rather large variety of styles and no matter what style he chooses it sounds authentic to me, this mix included.
It's not something I'm going to listen to a lot, admittedly, not for a lack of quality or anything of the like, but the genre just isn't my thing. I'd still recommend people give it a chance, because like 42 said, it's a really fun mix and the world needs more fun.
- Otakatt on December 5, 2010
Love it a lot! :-)
- OA on December 5, 2010
This is just plain fun, hilarity, and stuff the world needs more of. Stuff that just reminds you to not take yourself too seriously. This should definitely belong in everyone's playlist.
Souliarc;733004 wrote: just wait til you hear his Tetris (Korobeiniki) mix.
:lmassoff: Heck yes, I can't wait for that, especially if it's like this one.
- 42 on December 4, 2010
That aside, I think it's cool that Vurez adapted the song to this form. It definitely has a great dance vibe and cool instrumentation (I wish it had more harmonica). It is now trapped behind a genre that I find difficult to tolerate for more than an evening a month at most. VERY effective use of the tools at hand though, as the banjo/violin combo goes quite underrepresented these days. Also clapping (or whatever tool was used to emulate clapping).
- Lint on November 25, 2010
If had to critique, I'd say the bass is a bit inarticulate. I'd also say that the bass isn't too prominent in this style of music anyway with it's up/down melody and rhythm. And the percussion sounded a bit too MIDI'ish, especially the snare, but the arrangement of them was excellent.
- Souliarc on November 25, 2010
