ReMix: Final Fantasy XI Online 'Paradis'
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- Game: Final Fantasy XI Online (Sony, 2002, WIN)
- ReMixer(s): mv
- Composer(s): Hidenori Iwasaki, Hirosato Noda, Kumi Tanioka, Naoshi Mizuta, Nobuo Uematsu, Shiro Hamaguchi
- Song(s): 'Heavens Tower'
- Posted: 2012-07-14, evaluated by djpretzel
As you're probably (hopefully!) aware by now, we launched our first kickstarter this week, for our upcoming album Final Fantasy 6: Balance and Ruin. The response has been AMAZING - they say a watched pot never boils, but we were watching the kickstarter for most of the week, and it kept on boiling, and we've got an announcement on Monday that should keep things hot. The overwhelming majority of responses have been strong words of appreciation & encouragement - I'd say that accounts for about 99%, even. THANKS!!
For the remaining 1%, we've seen a mix of some people with genuine concern about the implications of taking this big step, some people who oppose the idea/execution of kickstarters in general, some would-be accountants for whom no breakdown of costs will sufficiently calm the nerves or instill any degree of trust, some people who hate us because alls we makes is TECHNOES, some people who hate us because alls we makes is METAL, and then some people who just like yelling about things on the Internet. It's a VERY diverse 1%!! Normally I wouldn't even mention this, except that it IS something different & new for us and there ARE going to be some legitimate questions, and we don't want to just assume that ALL of those questions are coming from a bad place. Some of them are, some of them aren't, and we're doing our best to sort things while at the same time figuring out how best to manage a kickstarter that has exceeded our expectations, twice over. A first-world problem, to be sure, and one that has taken its toll on our time. But we don't want to hold up regular site operations any longer, and I think most would agree (it'd be strange not to...) that we need to get BACK ON TRACK with posting some AMAZING, FREE (AS ALWAYS) VIDEO GAME REMIXES!
And we've got a GREAT one for you, with the RETURN OF MV! Xavier Dang's last posted mix on the site was in 2005, but all five of his previous mixes are excellent & have stood the test of time QUITE well. This is his longest arrangement to date, made possible by our recent standards revisions, offering a mellow, downtempo/chil take on 'Heavens Tower' from FFXI - he writes:
"The first version of this track (called 'Heavenly') was originally made around 2003, and was a very straightforward ambient take on the Heavens Tower theme from this game. I've loved the track instantly when I discovered it on the soundtrack, although I have never played the game myself, I'm scared of MMORPG addiction, been there! A newer version called 'Heavenly Anew' was released in 2004 on VGMix, featuring a few additions and some "breakbeat"-ish percussion. I hadn't submitted it to OCR at the time since it was too long, even though I liked the track already. When Liontamer contacted me recently after I uploaded it to Youtube so I would submit it, I decided that my production and skills were more mature than at that time, so I chose to enhance it much. The percussion was entirely redone, there are many subtle additions, mainly orchestral embellishment and it has better EQ/production all throughout. It's also even longer (gasp!:) but I guess it works considering the ambient nature of the track. I hope you sit back and enjoy this remix for what it is: chill!
Also, I'd appreciate it if you could plug a project I've just started along with a few drawing artists/pixel guy: the Mega Man 11 Soundtrack Project! I've just finished a website that will be updated regularly over at http://mm11.xavierdang.com). Basically I'm doing a fictional Mega Man game soundtrack in FamiTracker (a track is already available) and a lot of talented artists have signed up to help me with drawing the robot masters artwork."
It's a really interesting concept, so do check it out. I find Xavier's comment about avoiding MMORPG addiction amusing, since that's always been my policy - I feel like I've seen a lot of webmasters & admins succumb to the timesuck that is WoW, and while I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy it (or something similar), life dictates that my scarce free time be strongly focused on OCR. With mixes like this, though, it's truly rewarding to be bringing such great music to new audiences. This has a deep bass, hip-hop style kick & snare, supple & haunting strings, ethereal backing pads, percolating rhythmic FX, and a LOT of attention paid to dynamic panning. Strings aren't JUST legato, either, or just one timbre; there's some true variation, which sometimes gets overlooked in this sort of context. Yes, the mix is long, but the subtle variations that are packed in do distinguish minute three from minute six, for example, and there's an overall flow that's graceful & deliberate.
Superb long-form downtempo FF11 work from mv that's taken an even longer time, and gone through some groovy improvements & extensions, before finally finding a home on OCR. I'm happy to be posting something from mv again, and I hope to see still more from him, but this arrangement is an excellent reminder of everything I love about his style; great stuff.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the I love tracks that not only sound nice, but feel nice too. This track sells both of those within the first 36 seconds and only gets better.
Props mv, this is probably my favorite track from your list.
- Igami on April 1, 2013
- Nobbynob Littlun on November 7, 2012
--Eino
- evktalo on July 24, 2012
Can't believe I hadn't submitted since 2005, what was I thinking? :( I really hope to submit at least one or two pieces a year from now on, not necessarily in that style! :) Cheers!
- mv on July 22, 2012
This is an instant classic for me. Glad to see you back in the community again :-)
- Emunator on July 18, 2012
MV fantastic as always. Love your pacing here.
- audio fidelity on July 17, 2012
@Bahamut you're more right than you probably know. It's expected that people who have played a game before are going to appreciate it's soundtrack, source or remix, a lot more. But FFXI wasn't your typical MMO. I can't say too much about how the game feels these days... but back when I played it the game had a very unique feel to it.
You could spend your time focused on leveling to cap, but that wasn't the focus at all. The world was huge, and there was an endless amount of content. People played the game religiously for 5+ years and still found things to do.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that FFXI wad designed to compliment any pace for any player, and for a lot of them, sitting down in your favorite zones listening to the music was a past time. The soundtrack was pretty much composed around every zone to make them more unique. i.e. Gustaburg had an arid desert theme going. I can only give proper credit where it is due, to Kumi
Tanioka for helping make FFXI unforgettable.
mv don't let it be 7 years before your next submission :)
- InDL on July 16, 2012
That said, mv does a great job providing a chill mix here, laid back and with more of an ambient nature to it. I find the lead synth is an interesting choice, with its soft nature & yet it stands out apart from the rest of the instrumentation for me, which is also a mix of organic and mechanical instrumentation. The song transitions beautifully from the mechanical instrumentation having a prominent part to primarily featuring the strings, piano, and choir, emphasizing a trance-like element to the song.
This song displays some excellent nuances throughout, and I highly recommend it!
- Bahamut on July 15, 2012
This is the first time in years I've felt like I HAD to burn a new OCR cd because of one track.
- metaphist on July 15, 2012
Anywho, onto the mix! I love it. It's the sort of music you can work/write/play to, without once really being distracted by the outside world. As I listen, I don't even think I'm truly paying attention, I'm just feeling and experiencing the world he's created through music.
- StreetFlare on July 15, 2012
- Amphibious on July 15, 2012
Then I accidentally clicked out of the youtube preview tab so I quickly remedied it by downloading. Nice mix yo.
- DrumJ8 on July 15, 2012
This song is super chill and has a nice full, wet, slick sound! Gotta love that bass. I like how laid back this song is, it can grab your attention but it doesn't demand either.
ALSO this is mv week because he has just had a song posted for SNESology
Final Fantasy VI + Game of Thrones ftw!
- Monobrow on July 14, 2012
