ReMix: Final Fantasy VIII 'Night City Funk'

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Game: Final Fantasy VIII (Square, 1999, PS1)
ReMixer(s): Anti-Syne
Composer(s): Nobuo Uematsu, Shiro Hamaguchi
Song(s): 'Under Her Control'
Posted: 2011-06-06, evaluated by the judges

Another newcomer, another Final Fantasy ReMix... this time from VIII. So that's FF6, FF7, and FF8... Could this be an intentional straight flush of sequential Final Fantasy ReMixes by new artists??? (spoiler: it is.) (second spoiler: we've got one more after this.) Anti-Syne, aka Jack Lewis, writes:

"So firstly, yes this ReMix is heavily influenced by Daft Punk, I wanted to created that catchy, gritty, funky sound, but without it being too repetitive (Basically, I want it to get stuck in your head, but, without it annoying you). This is my first submission since I significantly upgraded my software, which means I wasn't nearly as limited making this track as I have been with my other submissions, so hopefully that shows here. Anyway, I had alot of fun with this, hopefully you'll enjoy it too."

I certainly dig the style, which channels the artist-of-influence well, with stripped-down synth funk that's got clean lines & spaces but also gritty, electromechanical textures and rude, repeated blurts. There've been plenty of mixes on the site over the years that have shown a clear Daft Punk influence, but this one might be the most overt, and that does make it stand out a bit. OA writes:

"The epiano breakdown is nice, and overall the flow of the track is pretty good. I wish the lead melody wasn't as washed out, but I think it's good enough considering how punchy the bass and synth are; something's gotta give. Very interesting take on the source, and pretty funky to boot. I approve."

Cain is British:

"I get the feeling you like Daft Punk. Do you like Daft Punk? This sounds like Daft Punk.

I count no less then 4 direct Daft Punk homages from different songs. Sauce is awesome, and it's blended very well into the style. Some of the robot voices got a little gimmicky, but they all sound okay and fit the style. Nice job on the Aerodynamic guitar sound, I've completely failed at recreating that several times.

All very well and good here."

Newcomers are certainly showing their mettle, with great stylistic variety & panache, across these FF mixes that also themselves illustrate the breadth + depth of Uematsu's compositional talents. Excellent, memorable debut from Anti-Syne; Vinnie closes it out:

"Great riffing on the catchy source melodies, and this rolls several Daft Punk facets into one song, from the Aerodynamic-like guitar to the vocoded vocals. Makes me want to get out the glowing robot suits."

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.

So, a Daft Punk-ish take on Under her Control? Freaking sold on this one! Anti-Syne does some damn good work, and this was the one that started it off. I have to laugh at the robo-vocal after seeing Brandon's post, but this is really well put together. Night City Funk indeed, this is my kind of song and I'll be replaying this for quite a while.

- Crulex on November 1, 2012

Daft Punk is sure getting some love from the community in the mixes this year, and it shows pretty strongly in this mix, probably more than most. I find it hard to recognize the source on first listen until about 3/4 of the way through (maybe a little before? I'm not Larry Liontamer when it comes to stopwatching :tomatoface: ). Solid mix overall, although I feel it's more of a tribute to Daft Punk than Under Her Control.

- Bahamut on December 17, 2011

I kind of agree with Inferno232. This mix is pretty fun the first time you listen to it, but it takes you over from there. It's one of my favorite songs to play at work. Fantastic.

The best compliment I can give? I know the source material by heart, but had no experience with Daft Punk or anything in this style at all.... and even though I've tried to find other remixes that pull this kind of thing off, nothing else comes close. Phenomenal.

- DimeTower on August 18, 2011

So, okay, I downloaded this a while back because I kinda liked the beat. ESPECIALLY the piano bit. But I didn't REALLY like this mix that much, you know? It was sort of a "well, it's alright, but I'm not crazy about it" deal.
Then it got stuck in my head.
Now, the source was catchy as is. But I didn't have the source playing in my brain. I had THIS EXACT MIX stuck in my head. So I put it on my iPod. I started playing it more, and more, and more.
I realized what was happening. Anti-Syne, you tricky little punk you. You made a viral song.
First listen got me "infected". Subsequent listens helped it "spread". I now listen to this mix at least three times a week, and most often more. I feel like a filthy addict, darn it. XD
On a more critical level? This mix is great. Greater than I thought when I first heard it. I just wish the piano breakdown bit lasted a little longer. But other than that, there is no way I could think of to improve on this. Great job.

- Inferno232 on August 5, 2011

Yeah, definitely Daft Punk. The Aerodynamic guitar sound around 1:50 is friggin' sweet.
Also, robo-voice is awesome, though after reading this thread, I now hear "upchuck", too (screw you, Brandon! I can't unhear it!).
Looking forward to more from Anti-Syne.

- Martin Penwald on July 26, 2011

It took me awhile to see where it was going, but when it hit, I was impressed. This is an underrated song from FF8, and you turned it into a great remix with that - as it's been said a million-billion times - Daft Punk feel.
Keep up the good work.

- Bradums on June 27, 2011

Oh, this is great. Glad to see you get posted. Gives me hope that the Chemical Plant Zone remix from the WIP section will make it too. Keep up the great work.

- Free2shred00 on June 10, 2011

I like this way better than anything daft punk has done, actually.

- ProjectSpam on June 8, 2011

Glad you're all enjoying this, Gario is pretty much spot on with the source usage breakdown.
Thought I may as well share this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNJKRFHto9c for anyone that's interested in the vague history of this track.
That's a much older, unfinished remix of the same source from my old (haven't touched it in over a year) youtube page from when I first started ReMixing. I actually sampled and salvaged a little bit of this older remix, 'Night City Glitch', to make 'Night City Funk'.

- Anti-Syne on June 7, 2011

Let's see...
0:07 - 0:24 has a quite synth with the source.
0:25 - 0:41 has a harsh synth with a variation of the source.
0:41 - 0:49 that same synth plays the source straight.
0:50 - 1:22 is straight from the source.
2:13 - end is pretty much a continuous string of source (yeah, I got lazy).
It's pretty well saturated, if you listen for the source.

- Gario on June 7, 2011

Pretty cool mix! The robotic voices ARE weird and incoherent. Sounds like they're saying "upchuck" xD
Hey, can someone post a source breakdown of this?

- Brandon Strader on June 7, 2011

This is great. I really like all the little homages to DP. Great sound design and super clean, sexy, bassy master. I really hope to hear more from you.

- Hy Bound on June 6, 2011

Really good stuff here, man. Lots of variety throughout the whole mix - upon first listen, I don't remember hearing much repetition in the material (if any at all), yet it all seems very cohesive. One of my favorite tracks from VIII. Straight download on this one. Can't wait to hear more from you!

- Squint on June 6, 2011

Definitely a Daft Punk groove and you turned it into something which reflects your own style. Which is awesome. Like dinosaurs-with-ninja-lasers awesome. Keep up the good work man!

- HARDAC on June 6, 2011

i love the sound design in this. some really killer sounds going on. great work, man!

- ambinate on June 6, 2011