OceansAndrew

Damn this thing is just filled with solos; very cool work! The bass is great, and though the sax seems a bit loud, it's expertly played. Though the style isn't really something I normally get into, I can appreciate that this is well crafted and varied.

Excellent source tune combined with a great combination of instruments, and some excellent counterpoint on yo' clav makes this one a winner. The lead synth is great, and production-wise everything gels together really well. Catchy and fun.

Happy birthday dude... I hope you get a nice present... ...

http://www.coginu.com/2008/01/06/a-new-kind-of-orchestra/ the music is kinda ass, but the cucumber/bell pepper oboe is sweet, as is the carrot flute. A bit too many percussive instruments for my taste, but they are working with what they have.

ps. 2 girls 1 birthday

Pretty standard but still very peaceful, this mix definitely evokes bedtime. -_-zzz The solo harp was sounding kindof weak to me; it was well humanized but the sample lacked any sort of specific character. Once the piano came in, I was feeling it a lot more. It's actually pretty difficult to pull off a mix like this and get an immediate reaction, as it is a track that requires a very distinct mindset from the listener. Mcvaffe, however is more than up to the challenge, and as a whole the track works very well. Now it's time for a nap..

hearing that has convinced me to just request cumshot to be remixed.

Happy birthday(s), I hope you both have excellent birthday adventures!

my requests will be beyond awesome. I shall also wait for the proper time to put them forth. I will also look Totally Dudical when I do so.

I love the source theme, and VHD does a pretty good job of genre-shifting it to an orchestral version. The mix walks a very fine line between intimate and grandiose, and though i think some of the samples seem a little too synthetic (most notably some of the lower end strings), the overall results are very well crafted and engaging. The expansion of some of the chords is very skillful and creative, and I think it takes the source to the next level in several areas. The harpsichord sounds great as well, and adds a nice texture to the generally legato proceedings. There is a short section that sounds especially inspired with some double time tuned percussion (it's not marimba I don't think? i'm not completely sure..) about 1/3 through. Percussion is sparse and used as punctuation, and the section that features the harpsichord has an excellent tempo change, and a gradual buildup that ever so slightly puts on the brakes before you start to expect an bombastic explosion, and it leads you to new territory. VHD does an excellent job on a beautiful source, there's really a lot to love here. Highly recommended.

nicely done, it's relaxed and laid back with a subtle sprinkling of funk. Though melodically, nothing really rises above the "aite" level, the production balances are good, and the leads are switched out often enough to keep things from getting stale. Rhythmically, it's pretty same-y until a breakdown about 2/5ths through, then back to the beat. This is rally good background music, but doesn't really engage me in an actively listening sortof way. I think there is just a bit too much repetition with the piano rhythm and the loop, and the piano is pretty mechanical. Nice but not awesome.

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So I decided to check and see which song has spent the most time without a new review, and it was some mix called "blue". Points go to it being from Terraenigma, which generally has a very strong soundtrack. It has been almost 3 years since someone has reviewed this, then then finding it was the very first track submitted by one of my favorite mixers, Ziwtra. Awesome coincidence! Ziwtra has a way with taking generally weak samples and turning them into something completely fantastic, and this track is no exception. The horn and pan flute make up most of the melodic elements, with some epiano providing counterpoint. There are some jungle sound effects and a lot of under-the-surface sonic energy, but a lot of the white noise gives the track a breathing quality to it. Very cool stuff. One thing that bothers me a bit about this mix is that the kick drum is too loud, but otherwise it's a fantastic mix with a lot of great character. Using the samples creatively really gives this it's own identity. Hopefully the next person to review this song won't take another 3 years, this one deserves better.

Nice and powerful brass; and it does have a distinct space opera feel to it. The choir sample is well used as well, and the percussion is hitting hard enough that it's possible that you just recorded spaceships slamming into each other. Everything is very polished sounding, and there are some great moments, but I found myself looking for more accompaniment. Often times there would be a melody with a rhythmic chord being played, but not much in the way of chord progressions. In your sub letter you letter, you said you were aiming for the Basil Poledouris style and I think you completely nailed it; it's just not my favorite. As far as Hollywood style, this is a very strong argument to get you some work in that field should you choose to pursue it. Kickass mix, even though it doesn't push all my buttons.

I'm not completely into that synth distorted guitar, but it's passable, and beyond that, this mix is excellent. What really saves it from lounge boredom is the drums and bass; I went to a wedding about 5 years back and at the reception they had this lame-ass vibes player and an upright bass and no one chilled or danced or anything. Rather, people ate as fast as they could and then headed out. Not even an open bar could people around. However, if they had Mazedude kickin this out, they'd have partied all night, synth guitar or no. The vibes are behind most of the time, but it's a good stylistic choice I think, and it gives the song a lot more character. This is a great track, check it out.

Totally has the Megaman "weapon get!" vibe to it, but when the synths come in, you can tell it's going to get a little more serious. Throughout the mix, it keeps one foot firmly planted in the late 80's chiptune style, and the other even firmly planted in the mid 90's dance style. I am pretty certain the bass drum on this would absolutely destroy weaker speakers. Arrangement wise it's pretty well done, and even though it has a super distinct old school vibe to it, it translates decently well to modern times. It doesn't feel quite like shadowgate, but more like an action title, which is a pretty cool changeup, and even the suck-ass abrupt ending can't bring this one down. Let the head-ripping and hole-shitting commence.

Short but still containing some decent arrangement and expansion, this is a decent but clearly older mix. The melody is played verbatim with a touch of swing, and the real progression in the song comes from the accompanying instruments. The lead samples are kind of weak and rather mechanical, but it's a super early mix that helps give the site perspective. Not my favorite, but it's cool to see AmIEvil doing something that is outside of his normal comfort zone, and for the time, doing a pretty good job of it.

A pretty straightforward arrangement, but very listen able and some nice synth choices. The gated synth and the pads give a very nice foundation, and I think the lead being slightly pushed back was a interesting choice that worked out pretty well. One issue I do have with the mix is the clap layered on the snare is fricking loud and it repeatedly pierces my liver with it's burning hot sharp pain thing. Seriously, FFdj, WTF? I need my liver intact, thanks. That said, this is a solid if unambitious performer, with an excellent source selection. I'd have preferred it to take a few additional risks, but just the fact that it played it safe doesn't make me want to dance any less.

Seeing it as "Sonic crackers" was somewhat WTF-worthy, until I read the writeup. I imagined either exceedingly fast, flying saltines, but yeah, it's that sega dude again. Some of lead synth choices are a little strange, and I wish they sounded a little better; more sustain, and maybe smooth them out a bit, but overall, this track is excellent, based on the strengths of the rhythm sections. There are some nice layered loops keeping the pace, and the oft-spoke-of transition near the end is a pleasantly surprising twist, except that the lead that comes in at that section sounds like it is running on nearly empty. Regardless, the piano and pads as well as the beats keeps this one sounding good.

This works really well as background music, as there are lots of layers and no single element stands out. The time signature keeps it very interesting, and the rhythms used by the drums are great. The synths are well chosen, and the soundfield is expansive, but that isn't really surprising, as TO definitely knows what he is doing in that respect. I frequently bag on the Doom soundtracks (and metroid) because it just seems generic to me (though maybe it's because of the constant exposure to it I got through my lame midi soundcard back in the day), but it seems that every Doom mix TO ends up doing, I really like. Check it out, you'll like it.

There is a pretty bad hiss on this one from the piano, but it's otherwise a beautiful piece, and is very relaxing. The hiss is somewhat irritating, because the song is otherwise flawless, with some bells taking the melody line, and the beautiful epiano providing the backing chords. I love listening mixes by po! because you never know quite what to expect, and they are almost always excellent. This one is no different, though you might want to try to clean out that high end hiss yourself.

Another old-school workhorse on my playlist, this is pretty well crafted with some really nice synth choices. The snare at the beginning I've always thought was kindof lame and way dry for the effect you are going for, though it works for the rest of the track, and the rest is solid and pretty creative trance, with some cool variations, especially near the end. Builds and breakdowns are well executed, and the song has a nice flow, as well as a driving pulse. I agree with Larry that the source music has some good stuff and then some stuff most likely written by the intern, but this track is definitely one of the stronger ones, and Rayza kicked it up even more. Nice work.

I'm really feeling the lofi vinyl-looped drums and the strings here; I think the piano could have used a little more delay for it to be perfect, but this still something pretty awesome. Subtle melody changes throughout, and a nice balance; it evokes a rainy spring day. I think it follows the source a bit too verbatim, but there was enough deviation to save this gem from the lockdowns, though probably just barely. I certainly wouldnt complained about some additional expansion or interpretation. Of all the OCR artists, I think Mcvaffe is the most represented in my personal playlist, and tracks like this are a pretty good example why.

Super creative mix of Matoya's theme, with a huge abundance of additional material. Some of the levels are a bit strange, where some instruments are way louder or quieter than i'd expect them to be, but things just keep progressing and various layers surface and decent throughout. You can cut to any random section of the song, and it will sound different than the section before it, but it's still recognizable as the same song and the Matoya theme is very present throughout the whole thing. Some of the samples are sounding dated, and the production gets muddy in some sections, but It's still a interesting arrangement and demands active listening to catch all of the layers. Good stuff for sure.

Mom is in jail, daughter is back with dad.