ReMix:Portal 2 "Motion Sickness" 2:47

By Eino Keskitalo

Arranging the music of one song...

"Reconstructing Science"

Primary Game: Portal 2 (Valve , 2011, WIN), music by Aaron Dessner, Jonathan Coulton, Matt Berninger, Mike Morasky

Posted 2015-11-18, evaluated by the judges panel


Eino Keskitalo sends us some old-school 90's EDM that gives the Portal 2 soundtrack a Deus Ex/Cyberpunk makeover:

"This is a tweaked & resubbed version of my PRC220 entry. I got lots of great feedback from the competition, judges panel and in the workshop, especially Gario, Rozovian, and timaeus222. Fun side note: I did music for a game jam game just before the round and used that piece as a template to get the compo submission done quickly. Polishing the mix to this point took the usual two, I mean three years, though.

Arrangement-wise, I've taken the basic 8-note melody/figure and based the bassline on it (I've "shifted" it to the offbeat, rhythmically) and built from there. I introduced a bit more obvious/conscious source connections thanks to Gario's Workshop mod review. The title is a bitter one - I would love to play Portal 2 (co-op!!!), but I get motion sickness from the game. Yeah. Cheers!"

Good energy; given the aesthetic, I think it could have gone even further in the retro direction, with older drum machines & more of a vintage vibe, but I love the spastic synth lead writing & general level of suspense - sounds like a chase scene! Emunator writes:

"This track had my support in its original form and this revision only polishes the edges even further. Production sounds rock-solid now and the minor loose ends such as the ending are right where they should be now. The futuristic Deus Ex vibe works so well with the minimalist source tune, and I'm a big fan of the unconventional soloing throughout the track."

What he said! zykO adds:

"i dig it and i dig it hard. lots and lots of energy and that's key for me given its stylistic makeup (EDM but not really... which is cool); it stays fresh and doesn't get repetitive. the bass does seem a smidge WHOAAAAA but it doesn't bother me, i'm good with it."

Sounds about right; with all the wobblin' & the glitchin' goin' on out there these days, sometimes it's nice to hear some throwback electronic music that refrains from opening certain doors, still lays down a good beat, and kicks it old(ish) school. Good stuff from Eino, with revisions that make it a short-but-sweet treat!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 7 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2018-04-18 02:02:29

Portal was always one of those game series that had a strong musical identity for me, and I can still hear it underneath this ReMix even with the upgrade with a faster retro sounding EDM base, which is cool. I think what I mean by that is that I feel like this mix not only rearranges the source, but also builds and expands on it, making it the artists own while keeping it recognizable. These kinds of mixes are some of my favorites, where the balance between nostalgia (well, as much nostalgia as you can get from a game that really isn't old enough to be described as "nostalgic") and original direction hit just right and ultimately make a song better in my opinion. Great stuff, man!

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Coaltergeist
on 2015-12-05 08:26:38

It's nice to hear one of my favorite tracks from P2 in such a new way! Fast-paced and energetic EDM is my favorite in the genre, and I especially enjoy the blips in the background. I think you did really well with a melody that wasn't too prevalent in the original; it doesn't get boring throughout the entire run. In this regard I think the shorter length actually helps you. Great job!

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DimeTower
on 2015-12-05 01:32:44

Wow is this a fun track!! I really, really enjoy the beat and progression here - it's unique, it's fun and I never knew what was coming next. But even better, this isn't just a bunch of haphazard sections; the whole song flows wonderfully as a cohesive unit, and the feel and musical choices are infectious. Bonus props for making a wind-down ending fit perfectly into the larger song.

A great, unique listen and way more enjoyable than I could have guessed!! Please, more like this!!

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Daniel Caton
on 2015-12-02 12:13:20

This is such a trippy song. Nice, though. I really don’t think the lead is meandering, even at its craziest points. It’s just a bit off-kilter. Or maybe I’m just off-kilter. There’s dissonance and a lot of tension to be found here, both rhythmic and melodic, but it all adds up to one insane track. I find it pretty difficult to properly apply this near-constant dissonance and tension, but you made it work. Somehow. Excellent work!

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Black_Doom
on 2015-11-23 10:18:38

The orignial song is definitely one of my favourote VGM pieces ever and it's really cool to hear such a solid remix of it. Sounds like a very neat upgrade of original. Sweet!

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timaeus222
on 2015-11-18 19:19:13

Sounds great! When I first heard this in the Workshops, I agreed with Kristina that the lead was pretty meandering. Now I actually think that it is much less meandering (still a bit at 1:56 - 2:11, but not nearly as much) and instead evokes a feel of frantic dizziness.

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Liontamer
on 2015-11-18 11:49:02

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Portal 2 (Valve , 2011, WIN)
Music by Aaron Dessner,Jonathan Coulton,Matt Berninger,Mike Morasky
Songs:
"Reconstructing Science"

Tags (7)


Genre:
EDM
Mood:
Energetic,Suspenseful
Instrumentation:
Synth
Additional:
Origin > Competition
Origin > Resubmission
Time > 4/4 Time Signature

File Information


Name:
Portal_2_Motion_Sickness_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,865,422 bytes
MD5:
a19d7040284b1b9d7f0321690a0fa957
Bitrate:
228Kbps
Duration:
2:47

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