CJthemusicdude

Hey there.
That's a fair take, and I understand if and when people have a strong reaction to a beloved song or OST of theirs, and SeeDs/FFVIII is no exception. I'm...a bit upset by this, honestly, but you respectively are entitled to your opinion and feelings, and I'm sure you won't be the first or last in this regard. My music--as is obvious even on the Judges' Panel--is seemingly very...divisive...be it because of how I went about producing and mixing it or the composition itself. At the time, I was pretty chuffed and proud of this remix...given when it happened, the work it took, and the final result...but I'd be remiss to say that this amongst other things kind of hits me in a way where currently I have to disassociate my emotions from my logic brain...and all I can say is this:
Thank you for your honesty in the end, and all I can do is apologize that this version of the Extreme doesn't resonate with you. Quite a few of my remixes, even if or when they make it past the bar, has that issue. Perhaps it's "growing pains", as people call it. This track was a first for many things for me: 100+ track mixing, in-depth vocal mixing that isn't just ad libs here or there or chopped loops, rapping to my own musical shit, etc. By no means is any of this an excuse to have what may in fact be a...less-than-stellar remix, and people will say I'm being harsh on myself in behind your retuned review, but I digress.
It is what it is. ...I'm unsure if I'll ever come back to this and do a re-cut / deep-cut and change it drastically as I get better at this game, but again, I'm very sorry to you and anybody else who just couldn't or didn't vibe with this. I chose this track and the other sources I sewed into it because they, too, deeply resonated with me, as both a casual listener and as an artist. FF8 in particular is the dark horse / black sheep and underrated game of the series, and I chose SeeDs as my first jumping off point because at the time I felt brave enough to do so and I like the game and OST, despite its flaws, and equally my own flaws and trepidation to dare try. I...don't know. Be that as it may, I'm glad I did, I'm sad it didn't work for you, and I'll...just have to try harder and better next time.
I, and I'm sure the rest of us here, appreciate your hard work in reviewing our tracks and being real with yourself in this instance to just tell it like it is to me. I'd rather have a genuine reaction than a falsehood to my work. People doubting it and me are inevitable and I'll just...try again to pick up the pieces and continue onward. I'm not letting another creative writing or art pursuit flop happen again. . . This is about as genuine and positive I can be in this moment in response to ya. . . :) And it's not a reflection on you, but on myself in how poorly I look at my OWN work and person.
Introspection is a bitch.
Thanks again. I'll take all of your points and do what I can with them on future projects or further revisions to past ones. Take care of yourself and speak soon. o/

I have been summoned!  Honestly, I'm glad I was because my original review was weak sauce.  I couldn't really tell you the differences between this version and the one I heard originally, so this is basically a fresh review.
In my quest to review as many OCremixes as I can, I found myself defaulting to giving a positive review to each and every review.  I know how much of a difference even a small review or comment can make, and I wanted to be that positive force that encouraged others to make music!  However, I have a very long and personal relationship with the FF8 soundtrack.  And the Extreme is one of my favorite boss themes of all time.  It is a soundtrack I am deeply familiar with and I'll be completely honest, I am not a fan of this remix.  My original review was glib because I didn't say what I wanted to say.  So my apologies to you for not leaving a genuine review.  You are going to get one now though, definitely the longest review I've ever done on this site! (So far).  I will try to be as constructive as I can with this review, and keep in mind this is all subjective opinion.  I very much applaud and appreciate what you've done here and the clear care and passion you put into this.

I'll start with what I enjoy.  The transition to the spoken work/rap section from 6:00 to 6:24 was my favorite part of the track, those wood blocks were FIRE.  The rap section and the spoken word bits in general were very cool.  The intro soundscape was very enjoyable, specifically the first 30 seconds. and the usage of the FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC source was very well done.

On to my criticisms.  My first one is the pacing of the remix.  In my original review I mentioned that it uses the time well.  Upon further review, I do not think that is not the case.  Even though I think the intro is very cool, 3 minutes to ramp up into the energetic portion of the song is way too long, it could have been it's own remix and would have been great but in the context of a single remix it overstays its' welcome.  I think a good minute could have been cut from the intro.  Even though I enjoyed the rap section, it was way too short and felt very out of place, it really felt like it should be its' own remix as well.  The long length of this remix doesn't really give me a good chance to latch onto anything in particular and kind of causes the whole remix to wash over you like a fog.

My second criticism from a musical standpoint is that in the "Tension and Release" aspect of music, there was too much tension and not enough release.  To start, after the song-length intro. We get to some energetic stuff starting at 2:52.  That part was very cool, like many of the transitions in this remix.  The rhythmic chanting voices, that super cool Buzzy bass.... the strings that come in at 2:58 were weak, but not a deal-breaker... but then it just kind of... shifts to 3:04 - 3:15.  After all that build up and a cool transition it just kind of flops.  I felt musically blue-balled, and it wouldn't be the last time.

My favorite part of the original source is that epic climatic section that dives right into the somber piano/harp.  It kind of encapsulates everything that makes the Extreme such a good boss music and a great representative of Ultimicia.  However in this remix, I didn't get any of that.  I felt like I got played at 5:04 and 5:26 and once again at 8:34.  From a creative standpoint, I appreciate the subversion of the expectation, but as an enjoyer of the source, it felt incredibly unsatisfying.  

Production is a bit off as well.  Everything felt kind of flimsy.  Some of the lead synth instruments really needed some protein.  (Especially that lead that comes in at 3:58.)  The drums barely had any presence (Especially the snares) and tended to be very repetitive.  The end result is that a lot of this remix doesn't really pack any sort of punch.

Again, I hope this review doesn't discourage you.  There are things I liked about this remix and would probably like more if this remix was chopped up into more cohesive regular sized remixes.  Keep making cool music! 😄

I'm a sucker for some good Triplet action.  This was a groove throughout, and the slow section at 2:12 was super cool. ?

I felt a chill, and not just because it is overcast this morning, this remix definitely fits the vibe of a cold location.  The bells sparkle and shimmer in the airspace like snowflakes slowly making their way down to earth.  The percussion of this remix is definitely a stand out, super crispy and prominent enough to be impactful.  Excellent remix! ? ☃️

This remix definitely encapsulates the feeling of flight well.  The reverb of the snares gets sent into the stratosphere in a wonderous drift.  The synthwave aesthetic just fits so well with any sort of traveling theme!  This remix was rock solid.  Excellent job!

I enjoy those SMW-esque synths coming in around 30 seconds.  I may not have ever played of or even heard of Quarth, but this remix somehow has an incredibly nostalgic feeling to it, as if somewhere in the far back, my brain is thinking: "You've totally played Quarth before, you've ALWAYS known about Quarth and here are some chips and musical dip to remind you."  This is not some low quality dollar store potato product, this is some high quality chip!  Also, that ending was great. ?

My ears appreciated how this was made, the piano tone is great and the playing is even better!  Excellent job on this!

This was a very ambitious remix!  Some of the ideas being presented are really cool.  I enjoy the symphonic metal aesthetic! I enjoyed this remix, great job everyone who worked on it!

This was a delight.  It's clear a lot of fun and heart went into this, and the energy carries through the remix.  Excellent job! :)

Everything happening from 1:50 to 2:00 was absolutely phenomenal.  This remix was definitely an absolute jam.  Very well produced, it hits hard and rocks! 

The section around 1:50 was my favorite, so powerful and evocative!  This was a really good piano remix.  I may not be familiar with the source, but I know good music when I hear it!  Excellent job on this! :)

I really enjoyed those opening drums.  In fact, I enjoyed the percussion overall in this remix quite a lot!  This remix packs of a lot of raw, ragged, chiptune power in it.  Excellent stuff!

The intro had my eyebrow raised right off the bat.  This remix was super wild.  I spent most of the runtime not quite sure how I felt about it.  It really is a unique beast of a remix.  I will give full props to the creativity and to the instrumentation choices.  Great job on this!

I enjoyed the panning in this remix, the back and forth with those muted plucks were so cool.  I really enjoyed the somber mellowness of this.  Definitely a unique style compared to most of what I see on OCR.  Great job on this!

That bass is heckin CHONKY and delicious.  That little transition from the vocoded words to the intro groove in the beginning was super cool.  The duet sections in this remix sounded really good and were the highlight of the remix for me.  Excellent remix! :)

Any song that mixes Mako Reactor with Terra's theme is a win in my book.  This was the perfect remix to start my morning off with.  This was a very lovely piano remix, well done!

Holy moly this was quite the epic remix.  I don't think I could properly give the proper amount of props that this deserves!  The shift around the 2 minute mark was incredibly cool, I loved that minute or so of music.  That slow section starting around 6 minutes in was also incredibly cool.  Around 8:30 sounded like a spaghetti western duel of some kind and I am here for it.  And then that voice comes in and slams dunk the ending!  This was an absolute BEAST of an arrangement, full props to everyone involved, especially Jorito. I can't imagine the amount of effort it took to pull all of this together AND make it sound good!  Absolutely phenomenal stuff!!

The spirit of adventure breaths in this remix and made me want to journey out into some grand tale!  I will settle for the journey that my desk takes to turn from a regular desk to a standing desk.  This was a great remix.  The energy and pacing was exquisitely well done, and the production was definitely fantastic for the genre.  2 thumbs up!

Everything happening from 1:50 to 2:00 was absolutely phenomenal.  This remix was definitely an absolute jam.  Very well produced, it hits hard and rocks! 

That pulsating rhythm that travels through most of the remix had a very nice groove to it.  I hear that Glitch vst comin in hot at some parts!  I can't stop staring at the music visualizer for this, those dancing robots are mesmerizing.  This was a great remix, lots of fun! :)

Thank you so much for your comment, CJ! :) Unfortunately, not long after your listening to it I went back and listened myself, and it's come to my attention that this version is not the one originally attached to the e-mail submission for ESD. I had actually went back and redid the vocal mixing and production on all the other elements across the board, in the spirit of making it be beyond its album incarnation and more for the OCR front page.
...I hope at some point, some day, that updated, re-tuned version will come to light on OCR, but for the moment I'm glad you really enjoyed the album version of ESD. ^_^; If it does, I hope you revisit this tune as well. ♡

Simply put: This is dope. I fully support remixes these old gems.   Also if you like, ever feel like remixing an old mickey mouse game again, World of Illusion for the genesis has a pretty dope soundtrack justsayin

There can never be enough spaghetti western on this site.  This was definitely a banger for that genre.  This felt straight out of a movie or Red Dead Redemption.  The operatic voices, the instrumentation, all of it was done fantastically.  Excellent remix.  Congrats and kudos to everyone who worked on it!

This was simple, lovely and awesome!  That bass was super clean and this was a treat to listen to! :)

I really enjoyed that saxophone, very cool.  I enjoyed this remix overall, it was very funky and drizzling with drip! ?