DusK
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Posts posted by DusK
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Hey!
Can I make a claim on that intro track ("The Street of Rage")? 3 Weeks from today, right?
Have at it.
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Happy birthday to the best co-director a dude could ever ask for.
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Now that the Gunstar Heroes after-party is slowin' down a bit, I'm back in the saddle.
If you didn't have a WIP before the deadline that meets the requirements, you got dropped like Shiva drops button-mashers. But if you can get that WIP in, you'll get your claim back. And if someone snatches your claim, hold on to your track; if we can get the tracklist filled up with WIPs, all sources get re-opened again.
Also, if you're doing a vocal mix, make sure the vocals are tight. Nearly every submission so far has been a vocal remix, so if the album as a whole goes that route like it seems to be, we need to make sure those performances kick ass.
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Dat guitar tone. <3
Seriously, I still need to steal it from him.
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- PREVIEW: http://www.youtube.com/embed/uYoT8b_riP0
- DOWNLOAD: http://gunstar.ocremix.org
- TORRENT: http://bt.ocremix.org/torrents/Be_Aggressive_-_A_Gunstar_Heroes_Tribute_Album.torrent
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The early '90s were filled with fantastic games, many of them with fantastic music. Much of that music is why OverClocked ReMix was created in the first place. 1993 saw the birth of several great Sega Genesis titles, but one stood near and dear to my heart and rose above most: Treasure's debut title, Gunstar Heroes. Created by a team of ex-Konami employees, Gunstar Heroes features extremely difficult, fast-paced, energetic, and fun run-and-gun shooter gameplay, and some of the most extraordinary music ever heard in a 16-bit game. And despite the critical acclaim of both the game itself and the music, OverClocked ReMix has only seen one remix of that game's music make it to the front page.
Gunstar Heroes remains even today as a very under-appreciated and under-recognized game. Many '90s kids were on the SNES side of the 16-bit console war, and few even on the Sega side will likely answer with a "yes" when asked if they know about it. Even among the remixers who worked on this project, there were those who had missed the game entirely, or discovered it well after the 16-bit golden years.
The remixer lineup on this album follows suit with that as well. Though the roster includes several well-known remixers, including the only remixer to have ever gotten a Gunstar Heroes track on OC ReMix back in 2002, much of the lineup consists of lesser-knowns. I was ecstatic when I saw the roster filling up with under-recognized yet extremely talented artists in the OC ReMix community, and even more excited when I saw non-posted remixers stepping up and delivering absolutely amazing tracks.
It's been rocky, as I'd imagine it usually is for a first-time OC ReMix album director. But we ended up with a remarkably fast outcome despite that, and at the end of that year-long journey, we had an album that completely exceeded my expectations for what it could be when I made that first post. We've created an album that makes you feel like you're playing a fast-paced shooter as you listen.
I'd like to thank all of the remixers for putting up with our control freakishness and putting out amazing pieces of music. All of you guys are amazing, and as I mentioned above, if people don't know that by now, I hope they will after giving this album a listen. And extra thanks to The Coop for using his awesome spriting skills to create that awesome album art.
Special thanks to Dj Mokram for dedicating so much of him to the album, enduring both his own hectic personal life and my own incompetence. He didn't have to do nearly as much as he did, but he did anyway, because he's a badass.
Thanks much to OverClocked ReMix and djpretzel for starting up this great community centered around an art form that can never get enough love, and thanks to the OCR projects staff for answering all of my noob questions quickly.
And of course, thanks to all the fans of Gunstar Heroes and OverClocked ReMix, for being awesome like fans do. And thank you, for listening.
- Dustin Branscum (DusK) -
If that wasn't already clear, I'm a big fan of Treasure. Their will to go against the current and try new things transpires in their games, and rewards those who set foot in their universe. Not long after completing Secret Bonus Point, I naturally set my sights on yet another Treasure title. What I didn't know at the time was that one of the most prolific contributors to SBP and remixing partner-in-crime of mine, DusK, had already set in motion a plan to arrange the music from that game. So I contacted him and offered to do what I do best: hijack and totally ruin projects. xD
Gunstar Heroes for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive was the first effort of former Konami employees turned video game freedom fighters. It's a fast-paced, action-packed game with a futuristic setting, innovative weapon system, solid mechanics and satisfying gameplay. It features an extremely colorful design, full of life and bearing the trademark wackiness that would transpire from their subsequent games. Moreover, the anime-style graphics exhibit a level of expressiveness that wasn't commonplace in traditional run & gun titles of that era, giving the protagonists a wide range of emotions and making the game feel surprisingly humane... despite the fact, of course, that everything on screen wants you dead. ;D
To accompany and illustrate this neo-futuristic package, the soundtrack composed by Norio Hanzawa (a.k.a. NON) sets the tone perfectly. Exploiting every ounce of the YM2612 soundchip to deliver some FM synthesis goodness, Gunstar Heroes contains some of the most complex compositions to come out of Sega's machine, making its music surprisingly challenging, yet immensely rewarding to arrange. We wanted the album to reflect both the futuristic setting and the frantic nature of the gameplay, while staying true to the story, characters and feel of playing the game itself. Translated to the music, it means the aggressiveness would not only be about velocity, but also about design choices. Knowing when to slow things down to inspire uneasiness before suddenly throwing you in an impossibly tense situation, one that makes you feel proud to have overcome, afterwards. This is what the game was about, and what we were aiming to inspire/evoke with the album.
DusK was set on making this an official project, but from my experience, finding people to remix a lesser known game on OCR is more or less a suicide mission. Therefore, I knew the only way to make this happen was to drop all pre-conceived notions of success and go all-in, or simply put: Be Aggressive! I was moved beyond words upon witnessing the willingness of many fantastic musicians to lend their talent to such a risky endeavor (we weren't exactly trying to remix Final Fantasy here), and by their commitment to follow us, not so well-known community members, in our crazy quest to pay tribute to a memorable game constantly overshadowed by mainstream titles.
On a personal level, this project embodies two things: passion and loss. I poured my heart into everything, from organizing and recruiting personnel, giving detailed feedback and steering people in the right direction, to crafting promotional material and making sure everything ran smoothly until we reached the finish line. What I didn't (couldn't?) foresee however, was the hand of fate taking loved ones away from me, depriving me from the joy of making music and nearly putting an end to my existence. That's why there's great meaning in the fact that I'm still alive, and standing here today to witness the conclusion of this journey.
Thanks to the Almighty for giving me a fighting chance, DusK for being a badass director and awesome friend, The Coop for lending his many talents to the project, each and every ReMixer who's helped make Be Aggressive! a reality, Treasure for creating video game masterpieces, OC ReMix for crushing my ego and pushing me forward to reach my dreams, as well as all the wonderful people I've met during these four years in the VGM community.
This album is dedicated to all Gunstar Heroes and Treasure fans around the world.
- Dj Mokram
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I may listen to the beginning of that cool party. Hopefully, my track's the first!
We're playing the album in reverse.
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Hey, DusK, I know you're probably rubbing your hands together like Birdman and just chilling out right now waiting for the Gunstar release, but ,just to make sure, did you get our wip(s) for the MJ FiTStreets? Are we clear to start working on it more, or is it not what you're looking for (claim up for grabs again)?
Yeah, sorry I haven't been on this what with all that stuff coming up, but yes, I got it, you're safe.
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I'm gonna comb through these later today, so all you late dudes have about 12-24 hours before your claims go black.
If you're a posted remixer and have anything that conveys the general direction of your track, shoot it my way and I'll take it. I'm only enforcing the "show me you can produce" rule for non-posted remixers.
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I'm not a judge
So this means all four of my submissions that have yet to hit the queue get to be rejected for not being technomanga?
THANKS OBAMA
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Bleck pretty much nailed it. This isn't a system for us. It's a system for kids.
There's really nothing wrong with that.
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I... am not sure. I guess "Rawk-It Night" would best reflect my remixing style, which is often more conservative than much of the stuff you'd see on OCR, and extremely influenced by melodic metalcore.
Really, for most of my stuff, metalcore's kind of a central theme. Sometimes standalone, sometimes fused with other elements (very much the case in all of my tracks for Be Aggressive!), but always heavy.
Unless it's punk, or acoustic, or... whatever "Stars on Ice" is.
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Hey, dude. If our track's gonna include vocals, do we need to have the lyrics written?
Can I just outline what the melody is and then write the lyrics at a later date when they flow from me better?
Just checkin'
<3
Man, this album's gonna be SoR Vocal Trax.
No, you don't have to have the vocals written. I've actually gotten two WIPs for vocal remixes with no vocals recorded.
DiGi, if you go ahead and shoot me that thingy, I'll let it pass as a WIP, but I'm watching you two.
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DusK - Did halc get in touch with you about our track? If not, let me know and i'll PM you.
Cheers~
He did. I'm still gonna need something before that deadline. I'm waving production requirements on WIPs for posted ReMixers, so take advantage of that.
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Alright, 3 weeks was a bit too strict. I laid out a very clear vision for the project, and 3 weeks to deliver something awesome doesn't exactly give a whole lot of room for people to come up with a great idea that adheres to the project guidelines and put that to file, so I'm extending the WIP deadline by a week. Deadlines may go back down to two weeks once we start getting into the swing of things and I start putting out check-in deadlines.
New deadlines per person, in case you're wondering:
1. The Street of Rage Xarnax42 WIP due 09/05/2013
2. Player Select DiGi Valentine & halc WIP due 09/04/2013
3. Fighting in the Street G-Mixer & Damashii!! WIP due 09/05/2013
4. Attack the Barbarian spellmynamewithabang WIP in
5. Dilapidated Town Main Finger WIP due 09/04/2013
6. Moon Beach Amphibious WIP due 09/04/2013
7. Keep the groovin' Garpocalypse WIP due 09/04/2013
8. Beatnik on the Ship rebrained WIP in
9. Stealthy Steps CJthemusicdude WIP in
10. Violent Breathing
11. The Last Soul Brandon Strader WIP due 09/05/2013
12. Big Boss DusK WIP in
13. My little baby (good ending) Tuberz McGee WIP due 09/04/2013
14. You Became the Bad Guy! Red Rum WIP due 09/07/2013 -
Alright, quick question.
I'm in a bit of a predicament. I have two submissions that haven't hit the queue yet. Here's the problem; each remix link in each email was for a file hosted on KNGI.org... which is now ded for an indefinite period of time.
Is there someone I can/should talk to about re-linkage?
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I like re-imaginings, and there's two I'd love to see but probably never will.
I want the team that handled the modern levels in Sonic Generations to do a complete re-imagining of Sonic 3 & Knuckles as a modern Sonic game.
I'd also like to see the team responsible for making Kingdom Hearts games to do a re-imagining of Final Fantasy VII.
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I should really put together an FL Studio audio recording/manipulating tutorial video to put this whole "FL Studio isn't good for recording" myth to rest.
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After that initial two week wip deadline, will we be going in to an overall wip deadline schedule as a group or are we going to do be stuck with these individual dates for individual remixers for the whole project?
We'll have check-ins like any other project, which I'll announce in about a month or two from now. The 2-week thing is for initial claims.
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Everyone has their own WIP deadline, which began the day you made a claim.
Here, enjoy the contents of my current tracklist text doc.
[quote name='Brandon Strader']So I have 2 weeks from when the final song is claimed, to produce a wip. Whoo~!
1. The Street of Rage Xarnax42 WIP due 08/29/2013
2. Player Select DiGi Valentine & halc WIP due 08/28/2013
3. Fighting in the Street G-Mixer & Damashii!! WIP due 08/29/2013
4. Attack the Barbarian spellmynamewithabang WIP due 09/01/2013
5. Dilapidated Town Main Finger WIP due 08/28/2013
6. Moon Beach Amphibious WIP due 08/28/2013
7. Keep the groovin' Garpocalypse WIP due 08/28/2013
8. Beatnik on the Ship rebrained WIP due 08/29/2013
9. Stealthy Steps CJthemusicdude WIP due 09/02/2013
10. Violent Breathing
11. The Last Soul Brandon Strader WIP due 08/29/2013
12. Big Boss DusK WIP due 08/30/2013
13. My little baby (good ending) Tuberz McGee WIP due 08/28/2013
14. You Became the Bad Guy! Red Rum WIP due 08/31/2013 -
A little note about source opening: That won't actually happen until all WIPs are accounted for. So as soon as someone claims that last source, all sources will be opened about two weeks (or less) from then, as long as everyone makes the WIP deadline.
I'm bein' strict about this, guys. Miss the deadline, source opens back up and you can't reclaim without a WIP. Don't fuck around. Work as hard as anyone. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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Yay birfday!
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What if I'm an active user of Guitar Center employees...?
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Remixing my favourite Sega Genesis game?
I know that feel. Shin3 is my second favorite game on the system, so yeah, you bet your ass I'll be doing something for this.
I was thinking about going Malcos and remixing "Whirlwind" again, but eh. There's another source up there that I think deserves to be metal'd.
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Oh, sweet. Someone started on this so I don't have to.
Streets of Rage ReMix Album (Part 1/3) - Next check-in: May 31st - Four sources open!
in Recruit & Collaborate!
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Forgot to answer this.
I'll be posting overall group check-in dates sometime in late October, or if all tracks get claimed and WIP'd, whichever comes first. I'd like to give people a chance to get claims down and WIPs in.
Keep working on your mix, though.