Posted 2012-03-06, evaluated by the judges panel


With our FIRST ReMix of the 2007 NiGHTS sequel for the Wii, newcomer sci writes:

"ok, so: fun story time! November 13th, 2010, shortly before midnight, my sister (who goes by Zelter online [/plug]) shows me this awesome new game she found: NiGHTS: Journey into Dreams. She shows me a video of the gameplay, commenting about how fun it looks, and mentions that the music is great too. She plays me her favorite track. I listen and notice: it is awesome. I must remix it.

And so, I spent the 14th - my birthday - laying down the basis for this track....and then the next three months making it better. (thank you everybody that commented on this in the WIP forum!) At some point, I got my sister to provide her vocals, which I used extensively. ;) The sound and style of the song was influenced by Aphex Twin's "Cliffs" and "Xtal", and also Pogo's "Tunnels".

...and finally, in the event this does get posted, I'd like to shout out to Mazedude: thanks for not only getting me into remixing, but for getting me into making music entirely. You're awesome. :D"

Hmm, Mazedude... wait, I know that guy!! ;) Cool that we just posted Chris' Battletoads mix; nice juxtaposition. This is definitely on the ambient side of ambient electronica, so don't be expectin' no mad beats or breakdowns; actually reminds me more of The Orb, but my genre knowledge is limited. With a mix like this, it's more about texture than notes - although the source is identifiable, it's the tentative, playful, surprising context it's been adapted to that makes it work. There are some unexpected, very lively textures that have an "indie game OST" vibe to them... for whatever that means. I guess it means that 1. There's a lot of attention to sound design & texture 2. There's a sporadic melody played on a bell/chromatic percussion instrument and 3. You can't dance to it. But I kid - the aesthetic here is very intentional, and very well done, and sci deftly avoids things feeling static or repetitive by varying the intensity, giving the piece some structural definition. Larry writes:

"Was definitely feeling the overall minimalism here, and loving the mood and dynamics of the piece the entire way. I love how this one's leaving all the YES's pretty speechless. Count me in, this is strange, awesome stuff that I can't describe. It's interpretive and it works. I love it."

A couple judges (OA, Vigilante) were bothered by perceived dissonance on the bass, but I have to admit, I wasn't hearing it. zircon adds:

"Interesting mix. This reminds me of the ReMixer Radiowar or artists like Zero 7. Kind of a minimal style but it works with those nice backing pads. The production isn't flawless (kick is too loud) but the arrangement is cool and there are plenty of little touches that make up for the blemishes. Good stuff."

The original has sort of a Yoko Kanno vibe, and is definitely a quirky, very contemporary sort of source to arrange, so I think sci's done an excellent job & gone in the right direction. This is certainly something unique and refreshing, and I think fans of NiGHTS - new and old - will appreciate it, as will anyone looking for something unorthodox, creative, and transporting!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 7 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Crulex
on 2013-05-02 11:44:26

Odd little one, this is. Nice to hear something float around while moving the arrangement where it needs to go. The voices popping in adds to the vibe of the ReMix's slightly off feel. Chilling and relaxing, very cool.

avatar
Bahamut
on 2012-07-04 18:14:37

This has a nice trip hoppish feel, but on the lighter side with the beats. sci does a good job here creating a relaxing song.

avatar
Skrypnyk
on 2012-03-12 00:08:03

hello sci. nice tune.

avatar
DiGi Valentine
on 2012-03-08 06:21:38

Loving this remix. Journey of Dreams had some fantastic music in there, it would be criminal for it not to be paid attention to.

This particular remix does the original plenty of justice. Great work.

avatar
Level 99
on 2012-03-07 07:57:47

One word: lovely. I can definitely hear the Aphex Twin influence, and this sounds incredibly more refined than the last workshop version I heard. Congrats on an extremely well-made track!

avatar
Crossing
on 2012-03-06 19:21:13

I love it. It's great to see the (the sequel to the) first proper game I ever played getting some love. I must say, you can still hear th original song in there, which is good. Far too many remixes sound completely different, and while they are often awesome (especially on this site), sometimes you just want to hear a little different take on the track. The style is perfect for listening to in a dimly lit room, later in the evening (which just happens to be where I'm sitting right now). The voice in the background is odd and funny; "silly ideas start coming into your head anyway, and I just start listening to yellow submarine, yeah." HILARIOUS. The mixing and mastering sounds good to me, the sound is nicely proportioned considering what the song is trying to do. I love it!

avatar
djpretzel
on 2012-03-06 18:51:55

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Sega , 2007, WII)
Music by Fumie Kumatani,Naofumi Hataya,Tatsuyuki Maeda,Teruhiko Nakagawa,Tomoko Sasaki,Tomoya Ohtani
Songs:
"When The Night Falls"

Tags (9)


Genre:
Ambient,Downtempo
Mood:
Chill,Mellow,Quirky
Instrumentation:
Choir,Electronic,Synth,Vocals: Female
Additional:

File Information


Name:
NiGHTS_Journey_of_Dreams_Lucid_Dream_Latent_Gate_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,238,786 bytes
MD5:
5f59724248a27b25f15216ffcc474b37
Bitrate:
168Kbps
Duration:
3:17

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes