ReMix:Chrono Trigger "Kingdom of Magic" 4:38

This is Argle's FIFTH posted mix this year - great stuff, keep 'em comin'!! Adam Kirby herein explores that most ubiquitous & tantalizing of VGM source tunes, the (in?)famous "Corridor of Time." To be sure, we've been down this corridor before... we've strolled, we've run, we've sauntered, we've slithered... generally speaking, we've explored innumerable nooks and plentiful crannies (which sounds dirty for some reason) and have rather a good sense, at this point, of this particular corridor. Our cup of familiarity runneth over, you might say, but let that not be a barricade to any young lad or lass who wants to test his or her mettle and see what he or she is worth!! There's always room for one more, and at this point arranging this source tune is almost like tackling a standard and making it yours. It's like the oft-retold joke, The Aristocrats, only with less Bob Saget and more Yausnori Mitsuda, a substitution of divine improvement.

"Yes. I can hear your depressed groans now. Maybe I should be BANNED!!! from OCR.

This one is interesting to me in that "Corridors of Time" was the very first game remix I did. Back then I was a noob, a really clueless noob. Nevertheless, I submitted the track to OCR with great confidence. Of course, it got ripped apart. Looking back at it, the track is quaintly horrible. Anyway, I decided to give this source another go."

Better; much better :) I love the straight guitar chord intro with underlying pads that gradually fade in - it's actually one of my favorite bits of the arrangement, very classy & minimalist, and I think a return to (or even maintenance of) that simplicity could have been quite cool, personally. Adam instead develops the groove nicely into something with a bit more of a downbeat than the original, but which otherwise rocks a lot of the same instrumentation & parts, making this one of our more conservative takes on the theme. Palpable writes:

"Nah, I don't think I'm ever gonna stop loving this song. Argle's take isn't too out there, but it's solidly executed. Heavier on the rhythm than the original, while maintaining all the core elements. I liked how initially it sounds very close to the original, light percussion and all, but busts into a funky groove. I wouldn't have minded more liberties with some element, maybe the bass, and more change-ups in the backing parts."

Larry's decision had one of the most important points, I think:

"Because the backing patterns sound similar, it's actually easy to overlook the modifications Adam made, but if you listen more closely you shouldn't miss all that."

Hopefully we all know this tune well enough to detect even minute deviations, but indeed, Adam's tweaked the backing arpeggios in some interesting ways that work well and provide interpretation even when the lead is absent or playing it relatively close. Judges had some reservations about the synth brass circa 1'23", but I feel like that's actually one of the choices that made the mix more unique & added character, and when dealing with a standard like CoT, those are vital. Overall, this is an enjoyable arrangement that puts many aspects of the source front & center and embellishes the accompaniment and instrumentation. If I had a criticism, it would simply be that it doesn't feel like an arrangement concept that screamed of its own necessity; it's good, to be sure, but it doesn't feel like there was any one compositional spark that served as a catalyst. And you know what? There doesn't always have to be... it's just that when a source has been arranged so much, differentiators like that are a nice addition. I do feel like the specific atmosphere captured in the intro - pared down guitar chords and distant synths - could have really emerged into a more compelling aesthetic and a more challenging interpretation. That being said, Argle's been consistently impressive with everything he's done, and this mix is ultimately no exception, offering a straightforward but still creative take on an undeniably classic original.