Posted 2011-05-16, evaluated by the judges panel


SeeK... and you shall rock. Newcomer Lastair gives us an FF8 ReMix that features SnappleMan on lead guitars and norg on rhythm guitars/bass (Chapman Stick) - that's quite the backing band, sir! Good to see George & Andreas again, and good to see some more FF8 action. Also, it should be said, we've been a little electronica-heavy lately. Not, as the Seinfeldism goes, that there's anything wrong with that, but we strive for diversity and I think we all needed a dose of hard prog rock to the face... and this mix delivers. The artist writes:

"Arrangement-wise my main goal was to use some of my favorite material from the game, not simply with the source songs following each other in a medley-ish sequence but by weaving them together more naturally into a song that could stand on its own."

Right on, and well done at that; transitions are well-handled and the proggier vibe facilitates the type of tangents and fluctuation that make blending multiple sources like this a little more manageable. Chapman solo @ 3'27" and solo violin that follows it up add some nice flair and textural variety. It didn't escape the judges that orchestral elements weren't mixed/produced quite as crisply as drums/guitar, but no one felt it could hold the rather kickass arrangement back, and this was a lot to take on in the first place. Cain writes:

"Oh that's strange. I thought it was about 6pm but it appears to be prog'o'clock. I must fix my watch. Excellent sources. I have an extremely old wip I made with the same approach of source weaving. It's tricky stuff and you've handled it well, the arrangement is pretty sweet. Snapple and Norg on guitars is always a good thing. Performances are rockin'. Nice chapman stick solo in the middle there."

Agreed; this mix is a juggernaut, packing a bunch of well-developed & layered ideas into a single wallop that delivers both brute force AND soul. There are passages that lean a little more on orchestral instrumentation that are weaker from a production viewpoint, but the scope & vision here are commendable, and norg & Snapple definitely help sell it. Great debut from Lastair, who (more than) gets by with a little help from his friends!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2012-05-10 14:31:58

It's really something spectacular when orchestral elements meet aggressive rock in this manner. Snappleman, Lastair and Norg is a damn good combo. Those solos are hot and the arrangement itself was very well done.

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Tuberz McGee
on 2011-12-25 15:55:33

As a big fan of FF VIII, this mix feels great to me.

The guitars are balls out pure aggression. It's not like the sort of thing you'd get from... say... Level 99.

Parts of this seem unrehearsed and quite raw. Which is perfect to add to the aggressive sound.

The synths at parts are great and not overused too. It's the breakdown from the guitars that adds contrast.

I really enjoy this mix. Have ever since it was released. 'Nuff said.

Plus 2:30 DAT SECTION

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Bahamut
on 2011-12-19 09:48:14

Something about the samples don't sound quite right to me - I'm not sure what it is though, and perhaps someone else more knowledgeable here identified it suggested a fix already. It lacks a large spatial sense you get from orchestration though, and I think if that were improved, this song would sound stronger. It also gets drowned later on when the guitars keys really come out, so the mixing could be done better there. The ending is a bit weak too.

The arrangement seems pretty solid, but the production issues detracts from it somewhat here. There is no sense of boredom from the song's progression, with it flowing quite smoothly.

A good effort overall!

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indrid
on 2011-09-14 19:47:51

I always loved the FF8 soundtrack. Perhaps because I listen to a good deal of prog rock/metal--and because I played through ff8 2 more times than any others in the series (0)--I think it fits the genre very well. My only gripe is that some elements have a subdued timbre that just doesn't satisfy like the live instruments. The strings in the beginning are especially hard to listen to, but the problem is mitigated by the constant presence of louder, more present parts. I could complain about the acoustic white noise generating cymbals(and at 128kbps...ew), but that's just my own personal beef and pertains to much more than this song.

Overall, the arrangement makes me all kinds of happy and I look forward to giving it a proper listen when my ears aren't muffled by my present congestion. Very good piece. Love the source, love the genre. Hope to hear more from this Lastair.

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Sorceror Nobody
on 2011-07-27 18:12:43

Some of my favourite tracks in VIII, and not only mixed together but interwoven. Even the Oath, which is lower in the pecking order for my VIII track preferences, works perfectly in this mix. The switching between segments (and styles) is rapid, but seamless. A masterpiece, and probably my new favourite VIII OC ReMix.

I am in heaven.

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Martin Penwald
on 2011-07-19 15:44:41

Love the "calm before the storm" around 0:35. Solos starting around 2:30 are awesome. Strings around the 4 minute mark are very nice, too, as is the transition that follows.

Overall, a very interesting and enjoyable mix of orchestra and rock instruments.

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Brandon Strader
on 2011-05-23 08:05:36

Not only does OCR need more prog, it also needs more PROG.

It also needs more FF8. :-)

Great wark.

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Dave Harris
on 2011-05-20 15:41:03

yes ocremix needs more prog. glad to finally see this one up!

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WesternZypher
on 2011-05-18 17:19:19

This is why i love ocremix, for exposing me to new sounds...

I looked up what a chapman stick was...and

then I found this song called One Cloud....

and then I read in the comments someone citing some similarities to someone named Michael Hedges...

..and then I listened to Michael Hedges.

It's been a rough day. Thankyou, OCR

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morrigan666
on 2011-05-17 19:47:33

A very interesting remix. Good one.

addcitive.

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Power Smoothie
on 2011-05-17 16:16:34

Damn good mix! Made me remember why I love FFVIII's soundtrack so much. Definitely wanna see more of this trio!

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SnappleMan
on 2011-05-17 13:21:44

Hi everyone! Thanks for the feedback. Most if not all the credit should go to Lastiar for this one. It was all his arrangement, and he even wrote all of my parts, I just took an hour out to record them and that's it. This song was actually completed a few years ago, and for some reason Lastair sat on it till now, so I'm glad it's finally up and done. Good work!

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Giga Bowser
on 2011-05-17 04:05:52

Snapple Man is back into remixing!!! My mind is still digesting this awesome information.

FF8 isn't my fav however this remix is an exception ;D

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CJthemusicdude
on 2011-05-17 00:53:13

I approve of this.

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Thin Crust
on 2011-05-16 21:46:39

Wow. All these people saying how great FF8's soundtrack and I could never find a song I liked on it....except for "Attack on Dolet". You guys have managed to create an incredible song that I'm sure I'll be listening for a long, long time.

Except I only have 1 megabyte left on my 16Gig MP3 player. I'm sure I can find something to take off.

Sources Arranged (4 Songs)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy VIII (Square , 1999, PS1)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Find Your Way"
"The Extreme"
"The Landing"
"The Oath"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Metal,Rock
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Orchestral,Synth
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_8_SeeK_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,348,625 bytes
MD5:
1c5ce763d1046f01e5513b4de576989b
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
5:29

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