ReMix:Sonic the Hedgehog "Childhood (Act 2)" 4:23

By 3P0P

Arranging the music of 2 songs...

"Act Clear", "Green Hill Zone"

Primary Game: Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega , 1991, GEN), music by Masato Nakamura

Posted 2014-04-24, evaluated by the judges panel


What's that you say? You want MORE GREEN HILL ZONE? From another newcomer? ALSO electronic? But no rapping this time, just to mix things up a LITTLE? Well then, helpfully-specific listener, have we got news for you! Following up our previous rapstep take on GHZ comes Paul John with an EDM take on the familiar theme:

"The same goes for 'Act 2', a result of honing my skills as an EDM producer. 'Childhood' is definitely a derivative work over a cover, and with 'Green Hill Zone' being rather repetitive, I tried to add as much as I could, without straying from the main theme/goal...fun, good times as children."

Nice. So yeah, a couple things of note, here... first is that this indeed the second part of a two-track homage, the first part being a standalone orchestral mix that didn't pass the panel. Second, this mix almost didn't make it through itself, as there was some dissent on it being too liberal and/or too staple for the genre. I was forced to use my supreme tiebreaking abilities and weigh in with the deciding vote, and I'm happy because I feel like it's a fun take on the source. Not rocket science, doesn't color outside the lines too much for the genre, but I dig the slow-burn intro with sounds of kids playing; I expected things to drop at 0'34", but it takes an extra segment to build to 0'49" - I like the grit on the main synths, giving them additional character, and when the main motif enters at 1'26" after a smooth "SEGA!!" sample, it definitely clicks. halc writes:

"Like Fishy I gotta agree, this is much, much stronger than the first act in every way, even though its a completely different style. Good variations and change ups, and a really interesting approach to the theme, some unique harmonic changes particularly with the melody."

Ditto that; the melody remains recognizable, but Paul definitely put his own spin on things, and I feel like the variations were both interesting AND succeeded in adapting the original to fit this genre more effectively. Good, interpretive stuff that certainly sussed out some ideological differences on the panel & prompted a healthy exchange of ideas. At the end of the day, while it takes awhile to get to the meat of the arrangement AND fully embraces some established EDM conventions, neither of those things are dealbreakers, and the end result is an easily enjoyable mix that still manages to squeeze more life & put yet another spin on GHZ!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 9 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Mesmerist
on 2014-06-01 13:51:19

Awesome! A fellow Sonic the Hedgehog EDM ReMixer! This one is a really solid dance track that has an arrangement that stays fresh throughout the entire four-and-a-half-minute run of the track.

The only thing I felt could've helped this track was a little more mixing work to clean up some of the muddier areas, and in particular, I thought that the song was a little too "top-heavy" at the 0:21 mark (not enough bass or low-midrange, even for the pre-drop part of the track) and the kick drum at that time marker sounded a little too much like a weak slap and could've had a little more punch to it (the same could sorta be said for most of the drums here, too).

I only say this because it's an issue I'm trying to fix in my own Sonic EDM mixes, and it really is pretty nitpicky overall, because I love this track! ^^

Keep going, Paul John! I really like your debut, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can do. :)

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SegaMon
on 2014-05-26 06:45:44

Simple amd straightforward. This matches the theme of the song (childhood) well. I enjoyed some of the transitions. It was an enjoyable song but not inspiring. However, I would love to hear more music from Paul.

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Samuru
on 2014-05-19 21:06:20

Great techno track, thanks for the great music. Will be bouncing this on my playlist :)

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SuperiorX
on 2014-04-27 19:09:10

I like this track a lot - yeah sure it is pretty "stereotypical electronica" but I don't care, it's got a good beat and there is a nice blend of source usage and personal touches / arrangement variations. Nice job! :)

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BlackPhantom
on 2014-04-27 02:52:18

Wow! This is totally awesome!

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Crulex
on 2014-04-26 08:25:59

That intro was pretty cool with the Sega whisper and kids laughing. Having it go on throughout the ReMix really nails the childhood idea and I liked that. The synths in general really made me a fan of this mix, because it's pretty awesome to hear the original melody play out with that much booming energetic trance behind it. This take on GHZ is more my speed. Great debut, man.

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Trinity Dragon
on 2014-04-24 18:42:55

I enjoyed it. But now y'all got me curious about Childhood: Act 1. Kind of a cruel thing to do to the curious: post the second half but not the first.

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Black_Doom
on 2014-04-24 13:46:27

GHZ c-c-combo! Well, this thing has really liberal approach, but nevertheless, it's awesome. Though, there's a lot of GHZ ReMixes here, this style haven't been used yet and this fact gives Paul some respect.

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djpretzel
on 2014-04-24 13:24:41

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

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega , 1991, GEN)
Music by Masato Nakamura
Songs:
"Act Clear"
"Green Hill Zone"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Dance,Trance
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth
Additional:
Time > Tempo: Fast

File Information


Name:
Sonic_the_Hedgehog_Childhood_(Act_2)_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,404,970 bytes
MD5:
4039181dc7a7b88ccd429cb81d765cf6
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:23

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