ReMix:Skies of Arcadia "Black Moon" 5:14

By PrototypeRaptor

Arranging the music of one song...

"Gigas' Theme"

Primary Game: Skies of Arcadia (Sega , 2000, DC), music by Tatsuyuki Maeda, Yutaka Minobe

Posted 2018-12-21, evaluated by Liontamer


More from Arcadia Legends as PrototypeRaptor (Jonathan Paulsen) takes "Gigas' Theme" down a dark, suspenseful, & charred hybrid/cinematic trap avenue, with sinister synths, unnerving ambient FX, swirling orchestral components, and then some. PR didn't send comments for his track, but Darkflamewolf (additional album comments) has some additional thoughts on the album:

"I never owned a Dreamcast, being a Nintendo fanboy at heart. However, I did own a Nintendo GameCube and I was intrigued by the game Skies of Arcadia Legends after it was advertised in my Nintendo Power subscription. It was an enhanced port with more content for the GameCube and, since I was on a huge RPG binge at the time, this looked right up my alley. What I played would changed my young adult life. Amidst all the dark, dreary, depressing, emo RPGs that spawned as a result of the uber-popular Final Fantasy VII, this RPG flew completely under the radar with its expertly used cliche storm and upbeat & happy characters. There was a sense of daring-do, brave exploration, and an overall message of doing what's right when everything else tells you no. It was a breath of fresh air in a sea of RPG copycats.

The gameplay and story weren't the only things that lingered long after I had finished playing the game; the music left an indelible mark on my psyche. To this day, I can't get the fantastic tunes and songs out of my head. So when I looked around to see what OC ReMix albums were out there, I was shocked and disappointed that there wasn't one for Skies of Arcadia. Reading up on the rules and regulations about such albums, I saw no restriction that I couldn't start one myself. So, a little over three years ago, a virtual nobody in the OC ReMix community, I decided to start my own album to bringing this music to Arcadia and video game music fans everywhere!

What floored me was how unknown this game was. Even though it has its rabid fans and devotees, the game was largely unheard of. Almost every remixer I polled either had not heard of the game, had not played it or simply wasn't interested in arranging a track for a game they were not familiar with. It was disheartening for the first year trying to gather a huge array of remixers to arrange for what basically amounted to an "underdog album." This was not the sort of album that people were clamouring for, but it would definitely be appreciated by those who enjoyed the game and its music.

So, I pressed onward, gaining both a co-director and art director in the form of Modus when I pinged him to remix a track. He had long since left the remixing scene, but was delighted to lend his talents in other capacities and has proven beyond useful in all respects. I could not have done this project without him. And only just a year ago, we got our sound director in the form of Rotten Eggplant whom pinged us with samples of his work after stumbling across our album project. After that, we became a trio that pushed onward to see this to completion. Some major shoutouts to several remixers who went above and beyond the call of duty to provide either one or more tracks and assist other remixers in the creation of other tracks: Deedubs and Jorito! But every single remixer did a fantastic job bringing their unique individuality to the album!

Over the three years, I have experienced great highs and quite a few lows with regards to project tempo, progress, outlook, and more. It has been a wild adventure and a crazy trip for my first time directing an OC ReMix album and quite an ambitious one at that! I wouldn't trade that experience for the world and if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably pick a smaller project! Regardless, this was an album I felt the world needed and I dedicate this to all the fans of this beloved, cult classic game. And remember: "Impossible is just a word people use to make themselves feel better when they quit." I'm glad I didn't quit this! Enjoy the music, everyone!"

What a journey; DFW's efforts to make Arcadia Legends happen are truly proof-of-concept that you don't need to be an established artist within the OCR community to initiate & ultimately complete an album project - and a pretty big one, at that!

As for this mix, Jonathan turns in a dark, raw, suspenseful cinematic trap mix - it's not FAR off from what I was *trying* to go for with "The Usurper Queen" from Window to the Stars, sans harpsichord but with more formidable production oomph :) It's cool to see how quickly a *relatively* new genre like trap has been effectively blended with other genres, showing how its staple components are flexible enough to absorb different textures & styles, and PR has always been ultra-adept at incorporating influences while keeping the "edge" of an arrangement razor-sharp. Larry Oji writes:

"I love hearing P-Raptor back on the front page. The original "Gigas' Theme" has a tense, cinematic vibe; Jon retained the tension, but I'm all about how grimy and sinister this is now!"

Roger that; as Larry says, it's wonderful to see Jon back in the OCR spotlight, he always brings creativity coupled with precision & power, and this mix adds sinister, enveloping modernity to Gigas' theme and to Arcadia Legends - enjoy!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 4 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
CJthemusicdude
on 2024-05-01 11:52:04

When I heard that first drop at 1:05, I became SO stoked. For a split second I thought I was listening to my spotify playlist rather than OCR! That whole section from 1:05 to 1:40 was simply incredible. Super ear candy that fizzles the brain with that amazing bass/synth work. Excellent job on this remix!

avatar
Modus
on 2018-12-21 16:45:04

Prototype took one of the most difficult sources in the OST and gave it the essence of the Gigas: pure power and fear. The civilizations created six monstrosities as weapons of mass destruction, and you really feel it.

At one point, I commented that I was addicted to the first section of the song, restarting it over and over. PR added a dope reprise at the end, to my surprise. Love the whole song but felt addicted to that first part. Now I can just play it on loop.

avatar
Darkflamewolf
on 2018-12-21 15:13:12

Having been through a remixer previously already on this song and lack of interest in the difficult source material, I wasn't sure if this was a track that was going to make the cut or if I had to replace it with one that was easier to digest and arrange for. However, I really held to my guns, because this was such an influential track for me when I was growing up and playing this game. The atmosphere it generated while facing off a Gigas was immense and terrifying and I truly wanted a remix that would honor the spirit of the track.

So when @Modus said he knew @PrototypeRaptor and had his contact information, I was excited and asked if he could broach the subject with the possibility of him remixing for our album. After getting a response back, @PrototypeRaptor had selected, of all things, the Gigas' Theme! I was ecstatic! Not only was he one of my most favorite remixers on the site (I do believe I have every single remix he's ever done on my HD), but the fact he was doing the one song I really wanted done? This was like a dream come true.

Within record time, over the course of a month or so, the track was finished, pushed forward with an unmastered wav and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. He turned what was an extremely minimal and difficult to arrange source and made it something truly terrifying and awesome! Definitely a standout in the album! And thanks to @Modus for putting us in contact! We wouldn't have had this track if not for him!

avatar
Liontamer
on 2018-12-20 21:52:28

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Skies of Arcadia (Sega , 2000, DC)
Music by Tatsuyuki Maeda,Yutaka Minobe
Songs:
"Gigas' Theme"

Tags (11)


Genre:
Dubstep,Trap
Mood:
Dark,Spooky,Suspenseful
Instrumentation:
Brass,Choir,Electronic,Orchestral,Synth
Additional:
Usage > Halloween

File Information


Name:
Skies_of_Arcadia_Black_Moon_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
9,221,371 bytes
MD5:
20fb3af89a6c6199cb00d330e7676014
Bitrate:
232Kbps
Duration:
5:14
Featured on album...

Arcadia Legends


album cover

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes