Liontamer   Judges ⚖️

The intro here has some pretty plain breakbeats and that low bass-y synth sounds so gimp, as it's nearly snuffed out by the melody. The lead here is so washed out, and none of the sounds here are clean at all. The breakbeats and underlying percussion hardly vary up, and I also think it's a shame that these beats are so prominent over other elements in the song that you're clearly meant to be paying more attention to; you know, like the actual Shadowgate music. Back to the drawing board. NO

Nice work here, MightyMarg. The overall package is pretty interesting. And though I guess that ending at 3:32 was an homage to the game, boy did it not work. Starting out here with only a few elements in play, the one particularly bad thing I noticed (from 0:00-0:20) were that those exposed cymbals decayed too quickly and sounded completely unnatural. It's a minor point as they fit in much better once the strings came in at :21, but just be careful about allowing something like that to slide. You also can't just use the same sample noise of the same cymbal crash over and over and over and over and over. You get the point. I wouldn't have minded the bass pad being upped as well so it was at least more noticeable. Personally, I didn't like the synth lead used for the "Chill" melody at all. It contrasted too heavily with the rest of the chillout style here. Maybe a little more reverb on it would help (as more reverb is the solution to all of mankind's ills). The percussion pattern could have at least used subtle changes throughout the track to keep this varied up while not disturbing the broader feel. It also wouldn't have been difficult to include some rearranged or original sections of your own that would have fit comfortably within the framework of such a nice downtempo mix. Do whatever you can to break the monotony and enhance the variation. We're pretty much all in agreement that we like the general flow here, but you're gonna need some more ideas here so that this isn't repetitive, so that this provides some rearrangement, and so this possesses some sort of observable direction and movement from start to finish. If you're willing to put in the effort, then we'd look forward to a resubmission. Diagnosis: NO

Hahaha! Damn, yo. This is actually pretty damn funny, in a shockingly bad way. You DO know that the ROBOVoice mixes also displayed some musical talent to go along with the joke, right? Anyway... NO

When I turned 9, we went to a store that sold video game and my mom let my brother and I have our choice of one new NES game. We considered Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. After a lengthy deliberation, we decided to go with Chip 'n Dale. Now we all know Chip 'n Dale for the NES was the hotness. But for years, I always wondered...what if we bought TMNT instead? Would I have enjoyed that perceivably cooler game more? The answer...was no. TMNT was fucking hard. The shortcomings with this mix have already been covered. The mastering in particular is non-existent. This is a decent effort on the MIDI side, but I thought the melody actually sounded worse here than in the NES game. Not a good sign. I actually liked the percussion sequencing here. Hell, if this had at least some average samples or live instruments, this would be something to check out, at least to here it a couple of times. But you could say that for a lot of otherwise decent MIDIs. Check out the ReMixing forum here, ilp0, to see how you can improve your game. NO

This is a nice cover piece. The drumbeats were indeed just the same thing looping again, and good job pointing out the bassline, Vig. Go ahead and post this up at VGMix, Mike. It's a decent enough, simple Memories of Green remix (in the general sense of the word remix), and quite a few listeners there will enjoy it. Next time, go for rearrangement please. There's nothing wrong with simplicity, like with the drums and bassline. They can be just as enjoyable to the casual listener as more complex work. But here, such overt simplicity belies a lack of effort in those areas, so please think about ways to give future works of yours more variation there. NO

Intro's not overly engaging; it's actually pretty chill here, but oh man, as soon as you hit 0:11, we've got some phat b33tz [/Wingless]. The "Wind Scene" melody coming in at 0:46 is rather cheesy. It almost doesn't fit the power of these beats, but you quickly get used to it. Up until 0:51, I really liked the subtle levels your strings were at, providing some support and keeping the presence of sound constant while not cluttering up the space. Decent addition of the countermelody at 1:57 (since I heard those notes drop out really quickly instead of fading down), along with the next section after the chorus from the original at 2:19. I wish there was more rearrangement than just your intro and outro which were both rather flat, along with the ending also coming about too abruptly. The Rhodes-led groove is impressive, and I enjoyed the atmosphere created with your noticeable instrumental additions to the source tune. I just need a little more ReMix-level substance than briefly bookending the piece with rearranged material, especially since this is a Chrono Trigger mix. It takes a lot for me to be enthusiastic about a genre adaptation piece, so this is almost at the line. Who knows, I might be the only NO; if this makes it though, I'd have nothing but good things to say about it. Another one I wouldn't think twice about playing on my show that's a genuine keeper. NO (so so borderline)

So much effort...yeesh! That was a hot transition at 2:41 into the robot battle theme, by the way. That was my favorite part of the track. The ending where they yelled "Cataclysmic Clash" and went into the death sound effect could have been pure cheese, but it came across very nicely. Props to Game Over with another winner here. I personally liked this one a lot more than "Little Mac's Confession" as well. Great stuff. YES IT UP

Oh, well I'm SO GLAD I amuse you! Hmmpf. [/haughtiness]

I wish Reu would have at least thrown a little bit of background on this in his submission letter: I first heard this one for the VGF Pimp Section a month ago when it was released at VGMix. It's mislabeled under Street Fighter 1 (unless the Ryu theme originated from there, which I don't believe to be right), but in any case, the actual title of the remix is "Ryu's Theme Song for 4 Pianos," which is why the track is layered the way it is, with one track on lead, one on countermelody, and two on background support. (EDIT: I'll just change the mix title of the thread to the full name, and make Wing's title complaints OBSOLETE! ) Wing's our quality piano guy, and I agree with him all the way on this. The layers of piano sometimes come together in odd ways here, but overall this was a really strong and ambitious mix that featured some much-needed, significant rearrangement of the source music. The last thing we need is a cover of Ryu's theme. Very well made for 1 take apiece on each section, and the deliverly is strong, even if noticeably scattershot at times. Great job, Reu. This is a nice, upbeat offering that contrasts well with your more relaxed work. YES

This is much more of a review than a simple decision. As the non-musician, I feel I've gotta justify my decision with more detail when the product is this promising on the surface. It's kind of non sequitur, but I for the record, I really hated the FF8 soundtrack. Most of the tracks weren't doing it for me. "Breezy" however was one of the solid ones. When you listen to this mix, it's obviously done an exceptional job playing around with the source material and dabbling in different styles. After covering the theme for the first minute (beautiful stuff, even if the mastering's muddy), I liked the essence of the Strokes-like guitar playing that began at 1:12 though the playing was really rough and I got a couple of odd notes/chords. I generally liked the percussion support here, and I point that out because I ended up not liking it throughout most of the rest of the mix. 1:48 featured a transition into some more laid-back guitar work that featured some really sloppy drums and bass that didn't accentuate the lead, but rather clashed with it until 2:25, at which point it seemed to get a lot more coherent and supportive. I really liked the ukulele (if that was indeed what the supporting string instrument was for this area), and while the playing on it was nice, it needed to be brought up in volume. The huge volume change that accompanied the next energetic transition at 2:52 was a little jarring, but the energy was wonderful, and it really picked up nicely here. A lot of the supporting instruments at this area was mastered criminally low, especially because they worked very well to accentuate the flow (except those consistently annoying cymbal crashes, i.e. 3:11). 3:30 moved into a more synth-rock area that was alright. Nothing I personally liked as this was the most noticeable period where you got weird notes galore, but there was at least a lot of energy and 4:11 to 4:31 was exactly the sound and rhythm I was looking for with something like this. When things became more melodic at 4:31 there was a lot of potential, but the piano run from 4:40-4:48 didn't flow correctly. That brief aforementioned section moved into 4:52, where everything abruptly dropped out for a minimal electric guitar finish that I could honestly get used to, even if it wasn't the gradual closure people are used to hearing. This remix is the epitome of raw. The recording was definitely good enough for me, but there were other factors like the number of off-notes and the fact that much of the guitar work needs to be tightened up to help the song have rhythm. Often enough, the freestyle bits at the forefront of this mix seem completely randomized, as if there wasn't much theoretical forethought given as to how a particular sequence of notes would sound out. I wouldn't harp so much on the guitar-playing needing to be tightened up on timing and notes, but, comparing the rearrangement here to the introduction that covered the beginning of Breezy, you can hear that the intro was really well-played and had the notation of the original down pat, so I was a little surprised with how a lot of the mix didn't have a cohesive sound. This is an energetic, kick-ass effort, especially for a game arrangement done with some live instruments, and, while rough around the edges, it's something I wouldn't even think twice about as being worthy of being played on my radio show. But the execution here is just too unrefined, IMO, to make it here. I hate to sound like a prick and go "Oh hey, just spend another week brainstorming how to make this flow better, then get all your equipment and record everything again," but honestly that's what this mix would require for me to pass it. This is some very commendable work, and I really recommend that you submit it to VGMix.com to get this praiseworthy track out to more people and receive more feedback. This could be one of those rejections that casual fans will hate us for, but I'm afraid I've gotta say NO.

Yep, you're absolutely right, bro. I apologize. Let's be friends. You spelled "definitely" wrong, faeg.

First off, lemme point out that the track being remixed isn't NSF file 26, it's NSF Track 4. Second, I dunno what Prot heard, but I definitely didn't hear much variation. Third, this is an alright piece. My mom heard me listening to it and lemme know that she enjoyed it, and it is ok to just chill around to. But this is essentially a slowed down piano cover of the original that goes for two loops with fairly unrealistic-sounding pianos and audience ambiance that doesn't match the comparable crispness of the piano, exposing it as really fake, which is tough if you want it to enhance the mix. NO

Thin is certainly the word on this one. The spooky ambiance and sampled sounds are alright. The move from spooky buildup into the main music at 0:52 was awkward, and this mix is just way too plain the whole way through. I'm not sure what was going on starting at 1:52, but again, with the samples so lifeless, there's no energy or mental imagery being conjured up by the mix. No flow, no progression, not much of anything I could put in a positive light. The Remixing & WIP forums could provide some ideas that could help you re-examine the approach here. Back to the drawing board. Sorry, bro. NO

I remember checking this out when it arrived at VGMix a short while ago looking for VGF Pimp Section material, and this was nothing like the quality of "Proxima Path" at all. Like Vig said, it's way too GM-ish and there's not enough cohesion going on with this one. I don't think it's quite as scattershot as he says, but it's still an earful. The first 3 seconds of the intro was one of the most jarring experiences I've ever had. It does get much better after that though. Unlike Dr. Fruitcake's recent efforts, this doesn't push the limitations of MIDI work at all. It's obviously light years beyond Jeff K. Random's work, but nonetheless this is racked with a lot of the flimsiness that subpar MIDIs are known for. If this was at least rendered with some soundfonts, I'd give this much more of a chance, because I certainly hear a lot of the style that made me enjoy Proxima Path. When Bloomer said that this was deceptively sophisticated, he wasn't lying at all. Maybe given more time, I'd come around to the compositional ideas presented here. But I can't lie; I really expected a lot more from Bloomer's follow-up submission and this isn't it. Though not something I'd ever envision the panel passing, the arrangement is actually pretty promising, but the overall mix isn't when it sounds like this. He'll bounce back with something better, I hope. NO

Here's the old decision if anyone needs to see if the various issues were addressed: http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=27280 Altogether, this has bits and pieces of both arrangement and voices from 5 games in the Megaman X series, and I liked how many layers of activity were going on at any given point in time, which may seem overwhelming to some. I first listened to this a bunch of times when Shariq revised and released this on VGMix (back when I was doing monster reviews), along with the source material and the first version of the mix. Pretty much all the areas of the mix that sounded like glaringly bad FL n00bery are gone and I don't feel there's the overall generic Fruity techno sound that the first version had, as there are more higher-quality sounds involved than with this production than with v1. Great use of the in-game voice samples with the break section from 1:48-2:06, BTW. Obviously, much more proficient and unique sounds can be done with FL as opposed to what you hear here, and I know that the origins of this mix are dated. Thus the foundations of this mix are much more of an indicator of where DS was at over a year ago talent-wise. But the energy is very upbeat, I felt the semi-medley structure of the piece was strong, and the melodic layering worked surprisingly well. I'm not much of a fan techno personally, and some of the sounds are basic Fruity sounds, but I liked how everything came together here. The whole ends up greater than the sum of its parts. YES

There's really not much else to say that hasn't already been said. The percussion's really generic, and Stray Cat's violin was really dry. I would have loved to have heard some effects on it to give it more depth. Like Coma pointed out, this really grated through my headphones as well. Once all the instruments start working together around the 1-minute mark, everything poorly melds together. I liked the idea of the transition into the Pingo & Stray Cat contrabass/viloin duet, but it worked in theory and not in execution. 2:48 was a welcome change of pace and the last minute or so at least closed this out much stronger than it began. No offense intended, but this needs a lot of polish. NO

Wow. I can't believe the Eternal Champions intro actually functioned as game music, because it's so damn bad. This mix, however, is nice. I've talked to Doragon a few times and I've heard four mixes of his, this one included. Nearly all of them had the obvious problem of not varying up the percussion. He definitely can't keep doing that and expecting his material to make it here. I know he's told me that he generally has a harder time working on creating viable percussion patterns, but he's gonna have to push himself and be willing to make that effort in order to improve his game overall (especially since he's basically got everything else already working). I was initially gonna vote in favor of this, but the percussion was bland and needed more going on in both variation and uniqueness, that clap in particular. It's literally just as uncreative as the percussion is in the source tune. One little thing I didn't like was how that loud "tss" led into the eerie/ambient break at 1:45. More importantly though, once you came out of that short change-up from the melody at 2:16, it went right back into the same groove only with some more ambiance underneath it. There's gotta be a little something more going on. One suggestion I have would be to bring up the levels of your countermelody for the second half, especially during the chorus; that's an easy way to add something more to the meat of the track. I'm surprised Malcos had a problem with the slowdown ending, because if you check out the source tune, it's a really nice reference to the way the Eternal Champions intro music ended (check it out). Really nice touch, bro. Personally, I don't even think you should touch that. On the plus side, the overall sound was excellent and I enjoyed a lot of the smaller sound effects and additions occurring in the background. Even though the percussion wasn't exciting, the overall atmosphere via these samples was beautiful and you're obviously headed in the right direction, Doragon. If this makes it, congrats, but there's more than needs to be done with this, IMO. If you decided to work a little more with this, I think you'd be that much happier with how it turned out. NO (begging for a resubmit)

As the new guy, I feel obligated to write something a little more fleshed out...but F it. As a guy who's had the fortune to see zirc make SoundTempest work and also develop his skills as a musician through CompoSTs and various mixes, I'm glad this YES was so easy. I'm so used to "The Trail in Concert" that it's strange hearing someone else arrange "Kingdom Trial" so heavily. The production's pretty nice and the Disco Dan/Triforce Majeure homage is great. Everything here really carries that grandiose level of energy and creativity. To make sure I'll remember it, you get my very first YES. [sniff, sniff] I'm proud of you, bro! Congradulations, Andy! This one's gonna make your name. Now you've just gotta top it... YES IT UP

I'm also overly familiar with the source material, and frankly Prot nailed it about following the source tune too closely. Well done genre adaptations are great, but if overhauling the original melody isn't in the cards, what about at least trying to vary up the material by working some original material at the 2-minute mark, right before the chorus? The last minute was excellent, save for the low strings at 3:59 which killed the flow at the end. The ending's gonna need something more to make it satisfying as well. I'd like to hear some more energy involved with this as the mix progresses toward the big finish for the last section; it doesn't have to be over-the-top, but until 2:52 there was no real movement or build. Luckily, I know DCT's more than capable of coming through with ideas that could hook this one up. Keep at it, bro. You & Gray are onto something with this. NO

I'm not suggesting that all the reverb has to go, but I think this mix would benefit more from NoWave being a bit more selective in what gets reverbed and what doesn't, along with the level of reverb. Toning down the reverb on those war drums, the chimes, or the strings for example would at least draw some attention to those instruments and make one feel that there's a little more going on in the forefront. The ideas here are certainly alright, and NoWave's gotten some mileage out of the massive reverb approach, but I have a problem where, when you reverb EVERYTHING, there needs to be something solid to grasp onto and listen to. The fact that that "something" is that piercing flute makes it that much more of problem. It absolutely has to be pulled back. On a minor note, I agree with Prot on the non-harmonic chimes in one section; when they were backing up some brief string ambiance from 4:19 until 4:36. Gray can pwn me about that later. The notes on the chimes are a little odd, but didn't bother me for the rest of the song. Overall, like I said when I pimped it for VG Frequency a few weeks ago, this was a solid track and I liked it, but while the feel is very mysterious, it does get repetitive by the time you reach 3:20 and then nothing new happens. Anything you could do to break the monotony there would be appreciated. If you want though, NoWave, just re-examining the production on this might be enough to get this passed with a resubmission. Don't throw in the towel on this one. NO

http://www.tzone.org/~llin/psf/packs2/ValkyrieProfile_psf.rar - 123 "Eternal Hydrogen Anxieties" I thought this was a pretty relaxing piece. Like Gray mentioned to me, this took a section of a "meh" original (Motoi Sakuraba's "Eternal Hydrogen Anxieties") and worked with it well. The arrangement was well thought out, IMO. One small problem I had with this were the piercing woodwinds at 2:03, 2:37, 4:45 & 5:06. Scale them back a bit at those points. What's important though is the overall work, which was very solid, but has need for improvement. The intro was excellent until the French horn joined in. The synth for it is noticeably weak throughout its use in the mix and doesn't add the energy or strength that it would obviously provide if it sounded more realistic. Because it doesn't sound natural in any way, it really stands out negatively compared to the rest of the mix. Some others had problems with the samples in general, but I felt the other instruments worked well enough so I didn't have a problem with them...when there were a few of them. Unfortunately, when K1 attempted to go out with a stronger 2nd half with lots of activity, the instruments just mushed together in the low midrange (3:23-4:38). He's gotta work things out so that everything sounds cleaner and generally occupies its own space. Great stuff so far on the arrangement side, but the production (while decent) is holding this one back. I'd like to see this get refined and resubmitted, as it would ultimately make Koelsch1 a stronger musician. It's close to being over the line, but I don't see as being there yet. It'll be nice to hear this one with improvements. NO (definitely resubmit)

I'm glad we got a nice bunch of entries for the Ormgas radio jingle contest. Myself, the other Ormgas staff, and some others judged things up this week and the winner was Neskvartetten with a cool Legend of Zelda 2 mix. Check it out below for the info. Now let's see if, for my own sanity, I can do some quick writeups for the week ending Saturday, July 17th: Ashane - Final Fantasy Mystic Quest "Red Cap Assault" [Dwelling of Duels: Free Month / VGMix2 #1828] All of the top four entries in last month's Dwelling of Duels compo have now made their way over to VGMix with Dan Liss's posting of this 2nd place FFMQ mix. There are some people who can't stand guitar mixes or the (allegedly undue) attention they receive, but, hey, I'm not a guitar remix mark, and I think "Red Cap Assault" sounds NICE. Mystic Quest's is one of the bastard children of the FF series and doesn't get much coverage, but there's no need to veer past this one at all. Beatdrop - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 "Strip Mine" [bit by Bit / OC ReMix #1214] Dain continues his work on the Bit by Bit remix album with this rough-around-the-edges version of the Mystic Cave Zone theme, a tune we heard covered by Kevin Sisk last week. Short and sweet, this one's raw energy along with some cool synth work on the chorus to give a different feel to the industrialized foundations. BD's made some excellent remixes so far out of the suggestions he's received from fans, so I'm of course really interested in what's going to drop next (i.e. DON'T CANCEL THE ALBUM, BEATDROP! OR I'LL CRY! DON'T MAKE ME CRY). Dennis Mott - "Glass Onion" - Feedback I like the guy, but Dennis sure can't sing. Oops. I mean... [salesman mode] ...check out Dennis with this VERY tongue-in-cheek Beatles cover and let him know how much you loved it. I know I did. [/salesman mode] Yeesh. Sure take balls to sing like that AND let other people hear it. Eminem f/DCT - Mega Man 7 "Stan (Shady Mix)" [http://www.vagstudios.com] Eminem f/DCT & Flik - Mega Man 7 "Stan (Shady Mix)" [http://www.vagstudios.com] - Feedback Duane Thorpe remains busy working on some hip-hop studio material, but a few weeks ago he released this tight blend of mainstream a cappella material with video game music, i.e. Eminem's "Stan" with a hip-hop beat of Mega Man VII's "Shade Man Stage." DCT's version of "Stan" follows in the vein of other blends of his such as his 50 Cent mix "In Da Club (Dark Sword Mix)", yet removed the chorus from Stan in order to make it fit better with the beats. That move though left some people going "Wut?", so along came Flik this past week with his own complete rendition of Stan on top of DCT's beats, which I enjoyed after a couple of listens (hey, it's not the same). Flik really gets going as he gets angrier and angrier throughout. Dope stuff on the hip-hop side by one guy with Jamaican soul and one crazy cracka. Fray - Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind "Fear Not" [OC ReMix #1216] Let's see what I had to say about the older version back for the May 22nd Pimp Section: After some retooling, Nate joins the fray (Holy shit, a lame pun!) at OCR with this well-arranged Morrowind piece, one that has weak samples, but more than makes up for it with over-the-top creativity. The freestyle section at 3:07 sounded a little reminiscent of some of Protricity's own energized solos. As Fray develops more, the sample quality and polish will come, but in the meantime, this is well-made work nonetheless. Though this possesses some style along with potential you can hear, this is a really a case of substance over style.Kaijin - Xenogears "Child of the Stars" [OC ReMix #1213] Tim Sheehy offers another softly-made Xenogears mix to follow up on May's "Momentary Emotion." If you know Kai's style, this is another remix in the same vein, dominated by strings and piano with a hip-hop style percussion beat. It didn't tread any new ground for me personally, but you don't care what I think, that's for sure! If Xenogears or relaxing music is your speed, then you've gotta hit it. Over and out. Koelsch1 - Valkyrie Profile "Blind Eternity" [VGMix2 #1396 / OC ReMix to-be-posted?] If I can give you the heads-up on an OCR-bound remix before the n00bs see it, I'll try and hook you up. Here's Koelsch1 makes his way to OCR with a very interpretive take on Motoi Sakuraba's "Eternal Hydrogen Anxieties." I myself was borderline against this passing, but I don't mean for that to take away from the obviously skills displayed by K1. Even if I felt this needed a bit more to be above the bar, this one's a keeper and represents some very lush orchestral work. Don't skip this one if you don't recognize the game. Koelsch1 & Sefiros - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 "Chillin' with Sonic" [VGMix2 #1693 (removed)] Frankly there are many cases where the mere title of a remix will tell you how n00b-ish you can expect it to be, so when I saw a mix that was very uncreatively called "Chillin' with Sonic" I was wary. When you listen to it, you'll clearly realize this isn't great. However, this is at least a decent collab with a minimalist approach on the IceCap Zone done via saxophone. The production here needs improvement, but this remix does at least create a fairly depressing/melancholy mood along with the very nice rainstorm sample that continuously cycles through the background. Even if you don't get that kind of feeling from it, this is a very nice track to loop in the background. This one would have been served better by having a more artistic/pretentious name like "As It Melts Away"; just anything more serviceable than "Chillin' with Sonic." - Wouldn't you know it, this one got removed for being a revision of any already-released track. Now you'll just have to enjoy the K1-less original by Sefiros. You can tell ME how that one is. L. Spiro - Super Mario RPG "Mallow's Opus" [VGMix2 #1873] There's a bit of rearrangement here, but I thought this shined as a beatiful sounding cover of Yoko Shimomura's "Sad Song" featuring a much more realistic piano lead and some haunting ambience alongside of it. This is a cool change of pace from Shawn, with a release that doesn't cover Donkey Kong Country 2 and tries some other source inspiration (good inspiration, too). It's not risky, but in a pinch it gets the job done. Makke - Lost Patrol "In the Air Mix" [AMIGAremix #107 / OC ReMix #1215] I just wrote about this gem last week, so let's see what I said about it then: The one other thing I wanted to say was that I'm surprised that Protricity was the only judge to recognize the Phil Collins homage in this mix. Are you kidding me, yo? [shakes head] C'mon, I'm half-black and even I know it.Neskvartetten - The Legend of Zelda 2 "Ormbossa" [Ormgas Jingle Competition] We got a lot of cool entries over at Ormgas.com for our month-long radio jingle contest, and the NES4 (or in this case, the NES2) managed to take the cake with this bossa nova jazz mix referencing Link's Adventure. We got some excellent entries from others like SgtRama (Donkey Kong Cereal!), Bladiator & 3rd place winner ESHbyESH, but I have to point out that nothing was funnier than Antonio Pizza's Final Fantasy I runner-up entry "It's Alright to Like the Prelude." In it's own way, it's a genuine indictment on how many goddamn people like that track. Props to everyone who entered the contest; thanks a lot for supporting Ormgas, the unofficial OCR radio station! OverCoat - "Jormungand" [http://rks.no-ip.com/~seattleovercoat] - Feedback Here's some more quality ambient synth stuffs from the kid with the long coat, the title of which is derived from Norse mythology. The mood here is a LOT more tense than some of the other forays Scott has made, and I certainly got a Dust Brothers/Fight Club soundtrack vibe from it as the track kept moving and really got going at the 5:20 mark. If you've got something morose and/or sinister goin' on and need background music, give OverCoat 11 minutes of your life. You won't regret it. OverCoat & Destiny - Seiken Densetsu 3 "Angels Dear" [VGMix2 #683 (removed)] - Feedback Too hot for VGMix, it's Scott & Helen, whose SD3 collaboration got the boot from this site this past week (since it was a revision of an already-released mix). Because of these unfortunate circumstances, OC asked me to pimp this mix out. Y'all are the beneficiaries of their misfortune, but have no fear! Destiny plans on re-doing the vocals in the near future, so keep on the lookout for an ever better version of "Angels Dear" to surface in the coming months. Rellik - "Thee Stylish Scalawag" http://www.tjhsst.edu/~alederer - Feedback On the original side, Adam comes at you with some very chill electronic/synth instrument action (with a great title too; when was the last time you heard someone use "scalawag?" Yosemite Sam?). This is very, very interesting material for a hybrid piece, almost something I could hear in a Volkswagen commercial or something similar. Well, shit, I don't know what else to say except that this is pretty sweet. This isn't for everyone, but Rellik's got my pick of the week. You've gotta check this one out for yourself. Star Salzman - "The Message" [http://www.starblast.org] So early in the week, Star goes, "Larry, check out my new song," and in the OCR channel comes up Star Salzman - The Message. I go, "Oh, are you trying to rap in this one at all?", thinking this could be some sort of homage to Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. He says, "What are talking about???" Goddammit, bro, don't push me, cuz I'm close to tha edge. (Coincidentally, I'm tryin' not to lose my head.) In any case, what in the HELL is up with this? Star apparently smoked the good stuff as he came up with the most nonsensical WTF I've heard in a long time. Although I have to say, there aren't too many things funnier than hearing two harmonized Stars singing "cookies!" If you're a weirdo, stand right in line for this one. zircon - "Goofy Ghouls" [CompoST 24] Part Zombies Ate My Neighbors, part Ghostbusters, this dope lil' track was the winning entry of CompoST 24, as zirc provided a nice piece in the style of a "boy has to beat up zombies" game. This submission really hit the nail on the head in terms of the style, so ZAMN fans should get a kick out of this one. We've got a few interesting tracks on the work-in-progress side. The fan-favorite or eclectically inaccessible (depending on your tastes) ziwtra has some quality Terranigma WIPs that need your feedback, including a redux of "Blue." Check his WIPs out and let Youngjin serve you up a BIG heaping of breakbeats. Star Salzman is brewing up his best mix yet (and he'll definitely tell you that himself). Check out the new Xenogears work-in-progress, "Pillar of Salt", featuring a hybrid of both Dazil & Omen from the XG soundtrack along with two time signatures, 3/4 & 4/4, AND both Hebrew & Arabic lyrics. (The guy's ambitious, what can I say.) Taxing his computer's resources to the limit, Star aims to push the bounds of remixing and get you to kiss his feet in gratitude! Be sure to listen to the progress so far, as it's very, very close to complete; it's the right thing to do. [/hero worship] Children of the Monkey Machine fans, you have something to anticipate: zircon's been requested to send some music to the Weather Channel for potential use on the Local on the 8s weather forecast. If you've ever heard some of the Weather Channel's choices for music, you might understand that there are actually legions of fans who literally wanna collect everything the channel's ever played. (Protricity *cough*) It's almost as far-fetched as a bunch of Star Salzman groupies. Seriously though, many of you would be surprised at how much attention getting your music played on the Weather Channel provides, so good luck to Andy with this very unique opportunity. Thanks to exposure from SoundTempest (!) OverCoat's been propositioned with joining a Swedish music label Waerloga Records, a label focusing on (check this out now) "Dark Ritualistic Fantasy music." That's fucking awesome, I shit you not. I dunno if Scott's gonna take them up on their offer, but it's interesting nonetheless. In the race to get offered a deal by a label, OverCoat is currently beating 95% of the remixing community, 1 to 0. ;-P See ya next week.

"NO" More info next week...

As they say, link please? It's the blockbuster movie event of the summer! Choreographed by martial arts expert and best-selling exercise guru Billy Blanks, watch as Prot and Vigilante take their mutual hatred of one another outside the forums...and TO THE STREETS! (Disclaimer: VG Frequency is not responsible for your disappointment. What'd you expect? The Matrix?)

I'm glad we got a nice bunch of entries for the Ormgas jingle contest. Myself, the other Ormgas staff, and some others will be judging things up over the next week. Once a winner is decided on, I'll highlight what we collectively chose. Everytime I think I'm gonna be quick with the writeups for the week, I always find more stuff to say. The only way I could say less was if you paid me too. Let's sort through what was going down for the week ending Saturday, July 10th: Ailsean - F-Zero 1 "Flying Hachi-Roku" [Dwelling of Duels: Free Month / VGMix2 #1854] As part of the May/June Dwelling of Duels contest, Ailsean whipped up this homage to the anime Initial D (which I've seen part of and enjoyed in it's cheesiness), hence the title. This 3rd place finisher isn't a straight guitar track (though it actually doesn't sound like the cheesy 80's Eurobeat & J-tronica I've heard from the initial D series), but Sean pulls off some very cool licks in this remix taking on "Big Blue." The percussion's pretty plain, but that about the only thing I felt needed some added attention. This is more of a stylized cover piece, as per the general layout of the DoD compo, but one with the energy you'd come to expect from Ailsean for a source tune like this. alunimum - Dragon View "Apocryphal" [OC ReMix #1210] I dig aluminum's style, as he usually offers unique stuff when he infrequently releases material. This one's a wind and piano-centric piece with orchestral and electronic support as well. This one took me a couple of listens to get into, especially since I'm unfamiliar with the source material, but it's pretty cool, especially upon repeated listens, where you can get more comfortable with the structure and direction within. Ironically enough, this is aluminum's second OC submission, and both of them abruptly cut out at the ending. Someone's gonna tell alum how to create fadeouts. Not everyone likes fadeouts, but in this case, they're only your friend. Arkimedes - Lufia 2 "Tickling Clocks" [VGMix2 #1853] Looks like I've been suckered in yet again with the work of Arkimedes, as this one is my pick of the week! Jaron's back with another VGMix release, this time taking on the Lufia series. The composition is strong and Ark's now-trademark vocals are well-written per his usual. I thought the production could be tightened so that the vocals don't get buried by the music, but, for the casual listener, it probably won't bother you. With remastering, this could be OC ready. I'm a big fan of Jaron's current remix formula, so I'm always glad to see him active in the community. The others of you out there who enjoy Arkimedes' work can check out his brand new homepage over at http://www.jtwidman.com. Bladiator - Chrono Trigger "Woman in a Black Dress" [The People's Remix Competition 19] Karl Harmdierks displays even more improvement with this salsified remix of CT's Black Omen theme that took home yet another first place PRC finish for him. The tempo's a little bit too fast for the comparison I'm making, but I still got a little bit of that Tropico vibe from this, if any of you out there have played the quasi-Cuban equivalent of SimCity. This isn't as refined as say "Needles," since the soundset is fairly basic, but the arrangement is tight, and Blade takes Chrono Trigger in a direction that I've never heard before. The version available here has been retooled since PRC19 and features a stronger ending, and it's been submitted to the tender mercies of OCR, so best of luck as Blade goes through the submission process with it. Stay on top of things with PRC20 as several entrants attempt to mix Bladiator's challenging source tune choice from Max Payne 2! Carbunk1e - Rurouni Kenshin "Undanceable Waltz" (WIP) [The People's Remix Competition: Animation 3] You know, it doesn't take much for Japanese speech to sound ominous. The woman intro-ing this next recommendation could be saying "I'm just so happy to see you" and it sounds like some bad omen. Anyway, Anime Remix head honcho, Bunkie, managed to give a nice intro here via said ominous Japanese anime sample, and this work-in-progress develops into a very nice trance piece. But, alas, it's incomplete. Based off of the nearly two minutes so far, the foundations look in place for Carbunk1e to complete this mix and add to the burgeoning collection of mixes available at Anime Remix. As the only entry, this WIP was enough to give him the win for PRC:A3, but this is solid stuff nonetheless, and one you'll wanna follow if you're feeling the trance. Matt's choice of muzak from Azumanga Daioh is the next track that's being given the treatment, courtesy of PRC:A4. Daniel Baranowsky - Jurassic Park (SNES) "Before Time" [http://members.cox.net/systemaniac] Dan recently finished up the Jurassic Park mix that essentially came to life once he heard the source tune of Yoozer's "Isla Nublar Jam." This one features (OMG) real guitar, so while Dan did a great job faking it in "Agony of Obscuration," this one has some genuine geetar playin' for ya, featuring a harder edge thanks to some layered sections and a nice bass pad. I don't have a link for you, since I'm not sure Danny B wants it given out and he's away in California for a little bit, so just keep an eye out for it later. (And act very surprised when you see it. He'll like that.) debeerguy (Kevin "Lorenzo" Sisk) - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 "Dark Caverns Mystified" [VGMix2 #1323] Kev has some fairly ominous sounding synths going on in this electronica mix of the Mystic Cave Zone theme. There aren't too many liberties taken on the arrangement side until the mix is about 3/4ths over, which is pretty interesting, although I would have liked to have heard more rearrangement. Still, the sound choices here are pretty nice, creating quite the odd atmosphere, and making this an enjoyable release. I'd really like to see Kevin take more arrangement risks, and building future mixes more like the freestyle conclusion of "Dark Caverns Mystified" would be a welcome change of pace. He's gettin' there. Flik - The Legend of Zelda 3 "Kakariko Prom" [VGMix2 #1845] After contributing to the sick River City Ransom rap mix, "River City Rap," Chris Serani makes his solo debut on VGMix with this prom-music spin on the SNES's A Link from the Past. Featuring a joking story-style intro (and outro) hearkening back to the old-school days of Mustin, "Needles," and "Team Gato," this one definitely intros the right way and gets your attention. If you're a sap for Zelda music that you and a high school sweetheart can dance to, your prayers have been answered. Certainly a good debut from Flik, who's been mostly known for his directorial work for X-Strike Studios and "River City Rumble." Nope, he's not a one-trick pony. goat - Castlevania 3 "Rancid Purgatory" [unchosen Paths / VGMix2 #1848] Keep rockin' 'em, goat! Here's the latest release from his CV3 remix album (which you should be able to figure out the name of). Halfway through, we get some brief call-and-answer moments thanks to some guitar layering. All things considered, it's the heavy rock that you know and/or love. It's all good here, thanks to goat's high standards. This'll tide me over until he releases his remix of "Demon Seed" from the CV3 soundtrack. I prefer some CV3 tracks more than others, but the entire album so far remains strong, and is sure to impress. JigginJonT - Donkey Kong Country 1 "West Coast DK Island" [Gorilla con Gusto] Mr. T recently wrapped up his part for Gorilla con Gusto (which is slowly but surely heading towards completion) in the form of this 50's-era jazz piece rearranging "DK Island Swing." Of course, there are modern elements involved, as easily evidenced in the introduction, but the spirit and style are there in full force, and if anyone would know how to be faithful to the structure involved in this genre homage piece, it would be the Jiggy One. This is a very full-bodied effort, and yet another track that shows off the strength of Digital Coma's brainchild in Gorilla con Gusto, which continues to look good with 15 remixes now completed. LindsayAnne Klemm - The Legend of Zelda 1 "A Fate Preordained" [OC ReMix #1209] Hot off the heels of The Wingless & Destiny collaboration of the same theme, LindsayAnne finally hits OCR with her take on the perpetually remixed Zelda theme. Lindsay's the collaborative partner of fellow OC mixer Edgen Animations, i.e. Justin Durban, which I found out back in April when I first discovered this track here and played it on my show. (It's nice to be ahead of curve sometimes.) If you've enjoyed the lushly orchestrated Zelda mixes of Nixdorux & Unknown, then you've got no reason not to check this one out. The tempo stays slow and engaging throughout, so sit back and relax with this one. Hopefully LindsayAnne will stay involved with OC with future submissions, as she beautifully scores one for the ladies here! Makke - Lost Patrol "In the Air Mix" [AMIGAremix #107 / OC ReMix to-be-posted] This recently OC-approved mix is Marcus Nilsson's second contribution to both AMIGAremix & OC ReMix, though if you frequent the C64 scene, he's already an established name there. This homage to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" is very well-produced and grew on me a lot with repeated listens. The lyrics seemed odd at first, since one is likely used to the note pattern of Phil Collins lyrics, but the minor-key vocal stylings sounded better and better over time, so that's just my personal disclaimer for anyone who's initially put off by the style here. I'm lucky I've had this for a few weeks, as I'm sure my enthusiasm for this one would be a lot less if I only heard this a couple of times. The top names of the European game mixing community have the best production anywhere, and this is another one of those excellent sounding efforts. Don't you have a thing for the 80's anyway? Aren't you a child of the 80's??? See if this one rekindles some old memories for you. Nixdorux (Nicolas Ferranti) - The Legend of Zelda 3 "Escape from the Mountain" [VGMix2 #1807] Nix's latest Zelda 3 piece is probably the most forceful orchestral piece of his that I've heard so far, and sounds a LOT more at home as some sort of PlayStation Final Fantasy cutscene music. The mix title didn't really fit the imagery I got from this piece, as I'd think something more frantic would be in order. Nonetheless, I'd personally say that (aside from the ending) "Escape from the Mountain" is Nicolas's strongest remix ever. I wouldn't put it as the catchiest of his works, as that's not the point, but then again, I suppose I have different standards than lots of other fans. Check this one out for some well-crafted militaristic Zelda action. Norrin Radd - Double Dragon 3 "Brett's Requiem ~ Flight of a Dragon" [Dwelling of Duels: Free Month / VGMix2 #1825] Norrin Radd recently came back to OCR after a long hiatus thanks to his skills at rearranging Guile's theme, which was the winning entry for the March edition of the live instrument remixing compo, Dwelling of Duels. For the free choice month of Dwelling of Duels, Norrin once again took 1st place with this medley from the high underremixed Double Dragon 3. Some games just don't get enough coverage. I think someone wanted to cover something from the Silver Surfer NES game, but I can't remember who that was. Maybe Norrin should check that out, given his handle. In any case, things start off slow for the first 1:20, and Radd left me wondering (ignorantly, might I add) why and how this mix managed to win out in the Dwelling of Duels. Suffice to say, this one greatly picks up in intensity and is a fine example of powerful guitar work. For me, it's not something that blew my mind, but the guitar aficionados will have nothing but love for the work and proficiency here, as virt and Ailsean can attest to here, so give it that look. Ork Estral (Nigel Simmons) - Super Castlevania 4 "Into the Corridor of Shadows" [VGMix2 #1493 / OC ReMix #1212] As I work hard to earn my weekly pay of $0 for the VGF Pimp Sections, let's check out what I said about this one from the May 22nd edition: Quinn Fox - Ghosts 'N Goblins "Arthur Enhanced" [VGMix2 #1829] Quinn's retired from the scene for a while, but he's still releasing some older material that had previously been available strictly at his homepage. As you can hear, the mastering isn't as crisp as other work you may have heard from Quinn, but chalk that up to age. This take on the familiar Ghosts'n Goblins theme music is pretty straightforward until you hit the 2:20 mark where Fox goes for a nice freestyle section that continues until the fadeout, leaving you wanting something more. Too bad, cuz that's all you get. It's a good trick too, because it worked for "Nial and Nowhere," his Phantasy Star 3 remix. This one's pretty repetitive, and Quinn'll probably tell you that himself, but this is a chance to peep some older, re-released material that you may not have been aware of. Sir Nuts - Ninja Gaiden 2 "Ashtar's Desires [VGMix2 #1837] Mike Molina indeed drops the nuts on this trancified take on the Parasprinter theme that guys like Silent, EgM & Kaijin have taken on in the past. A straightforward trance/piano cover eventually gives way (more than halfway through the track) to some solid freeform work that really plays around with the basic structure of the source tune while creating some new ideas. This one's been doing pretty well in terms of reviews at VGMix and, if you like trance, this'll do you right. I would have preferred a little more variation in the structure, so that rearrangement and remix sections alternated, but I can't complain, bros. Sir Nuts continues to step it up as one of the scene's most proficient trance talents. SnappleMan - Star Ocean: Blue Sphere "Killer Dokko" [OC ReMix #1211] Ever since Debotron requested that I play Killer Dokko on the radio show back in April, I've been keeping an eye on Andy Kotsamanidis, who's been getting more and more ready in the last few months improving his game. The WIP version of "Killer Dokko", available at VGMix, was a piece that had a lot of character, along with some chiptune-ish flavor, but wasn't yet ready for the "big time" so-to-speak. Once Snapple decided to add a little more meat to it, there was nothing holding it back from making it to OCR. Snap's gonna be working on some Castlevania material that's not necessarily going to see the light of day at OC, so if you like how he's rocks "Killer Dokko", you oughta keep your eye out on Gorilla con Gusto for his powered up DKC mix, "Thrash the Plank." Of course, his GrayLightning collab, "Distorted Star," is waiting in the wings of OCR as well, so SnappleMan is a name you'll be hearing a lot more in the coming months. I could go for a Kiwi Strawberry Snapple too. I'd swear he has that effect on purpose. trickwaters - The Illusion of Gaia, Soul Blazer & Terranigma "Geheimnis der Erde: I Der Anfang und ein Gebet" (a.k.a. 'Mystery of the Earth: I The Beginning and a Prayer') [VGMix2 #1785] Pat must make it on the pimp section 2 or 3 times a month, because he's always got something good released on VGMix. To be perfectly honest, I have no damn idea what could have made trick combine the intros from these three games, as I just don't see the connection here that other mixers make when they do muiltgame Final Fantasy medleys and stuff like that, so props to trickwaters for thinking outside of the box. For those of you who are familiar with Pat's traditional piano forays, y'all can enjoy a new angle on things, as this marks his first release of orchestrated remix material rather than straight piano work, and is a newly completed work rather than older material. The levels are a bit low, and the strings came off as noticeably unnatural beyond the 4-minute mark, but otherwise this is some bueno stuff. I'd say "good" in German, but let's stick to a language I know. ZhayTee - Metroid 1 "Kraid Adagio" [VGMix2 #1805] Finally, we're at Joe Toscano, who's got this low-fi Metroid piano offering covering the ever-popular Kraid theme. You probably aren't familiar with ZhayTee if you're not a longtime VG remix fan, since he only has one OC ReMix from just over 2 years ago. Zhay marks his VGMix debut with "Kraid Adagio" which isn't really there to break any new ground, but sounds nice nonetheless. And continuing with this week's apparent motif of not dramatically rearranging tracks until most of the song is over, Joe adds a little interpretive material 2/3rds of the way home. This mix doesn't take many liberties, but hey, you can't go wrong with putting your own cover spin on a classic. Definitely worth checking out. A bunch of remixers are getting together in California, including a handful of OCR judges. Rumor has it that they'll be conducting a summit on both world peace and "LOLz." Stay tuned to the OCR forums for more of the goings on with that. I'm a busy/tired man, so it's time to wrap things up. For this week, I'll stay off of the WIP front and hope some ideas develop into new releases for next week. Until then...um...keep on truckin'. Yeah, I think that's it.