JJT

Wooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh. Drum programming is really, really off here. Is this supposed to be swing? Why you chose that particular hi-hat pattern is a complete puzzle to me. Really, I'm scratching my head right now. It's cool that you're improvising. That being said, the solos are pretty awful, often stumbling into scale degrees that clash with the chord structure (although Monk did this, but he was intentional about it). Both the piano and the sax have really awkward phrasing, and generally futz around without any clear purpose save to fill space. The piano comping is sloppy and doesn't groove even a little. There's really no quick fix for this, except to keep playing and keep listening to good jazz (if you need examples, Miles Davis Quintet, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Ellington, Art Tatum, Bill Evans Trio, etc etc etc) The drumming, in addition to being agitating is completely unvaried and full of out-of-time drum fills. I think the drum pattern is a deliberate attempt to be "experimental" or something like that, but I don't know for sure. If that's not the case I'd suggest listening to some more Brubeck and really figuring out which beats to emphasize when you're laying down the drums...it sounds like you did these live, possibly on a keyboard, though I can't be sure. If this is exactly what you wanted the drums to sound like, then i don't know what to tell you. It just doesn't work. NO Keep playing and keep boning up on your music theory. Remember, you've gotta know your instrument and the theory before you can throw off all conventions and do whatever the hell you want.

The beginning of this remix is strong, very strong. I like the drum programming, very interesting, and it provides a good pocket. However, this feels like two different remixes put back to back. Work on this some more and see if you can get some more continuity between the two sections. I'd suggest doing away with the piano pattern that begins at 1:59. It's a cool idea, but serves as little more than a long transition between the two major sections of this remix. The guitar sample that comes in at 3:09 sounds really mechanical. See if you can find a better sample and improve the sequencing. As the other judges have said, you've got some really good ideas workin' here. If you decide to resubmit, good luck. NO RESUBMIT

This repeats the same basic melodic theme at least 673 times. Sure there are some slight variations, but in practice it's the same idea being jammed into the listeners head with a mallet, over and over and over and over and over and over again. House/trance/club remixes on OCR tend to employ a lot of melodic and harmonic variation. For this mix, you're dwelling on one idea for virtually 4 minutes making only slight changes to the rest of the texture around it. This may be fine for the "club" scene, but if you're going to rework this or submit a new mix, keep in mind that a lot more variation in the arrangement is going to be needed to put a trance mix like this one over the "bar." NO

This is pretty, but the arrangement is non-existent as Vig said. The flute sample is real cheesy, but even if it was live I don't think I'd pass this as there's very little re-interpretation of the source material going on. NO

I'm in agreement with LT and DS on this one. There's really no blending to speak of between the original song and the remixer's ideas. The section at 2:03 sounds like it's been pasted on. As DS said, it's a worse version of the original with rain sfx in the background, and some practically unrelated original material shoved in the middle. That's an oversimplification for sure, but the basic point is that this ReMix is too similar to the original. NO

Ah, I love me some Rimsky-Korsakov. I can definetly hear the influence, especially in the use of the low brass and in the percussion. Very nice work, Jeremy. You've got a great ear for arranging, and throw plenty of variations of the main themes into this piece. As you'd expect from a Robson ReMix, the samples are good and used effectively. Need I say more? YES

I'm still not convinced that an aesthetic dislike for this mix is motivating both of your NO votes.

I'm extremely torn on this one. I'd written out a complete decision, but after thinking about it some more just erased it and started over. Here's my final synopsis: Excellent performance and in many ways, an excellent arrangement. The string sample, however, is just embarrasing to listen to when juxtaposed against the rolling and lyrical piano lines. In addition to that, the drums are pretty sparse and not used effectively at all. For example, the simple beat when the drums first make their entrance is appropriate, but when the "A" section repeats and the strings take the melody, the pattern is EXACTLY the same. The piano and the strings move towards a climax that ends at 1:40, but the drums don't match that crescendo, they're just roving on autopilot. Change up the pattern, add some ride cymbol, do SOMETHING so that the drums are taking an active role in the arrangement. At this point they're little more than a metronome. Listen to 2:26. The drums lay out and then come back in at 2:45 with the hi-hat, executing a slow build. The snare is in at 3:01 and the build continues. At 3:23 the arrangement continues to build momentum, but the drums are idling in some sort of musical purgatory. To summarize, Karl you've done some very good work with this ReMix, but the overall presentation has been dragged down by poorly thought out drum programming and an awful sounding string sample. An inspiring piano performance, but sadly i'm giving this a NO. This could be improved greatly without a whole lot of effort, so Karl, please resubmit.

This game was released when I was 2. Wow. On to the mix. K, you've taken the melody, simplified it and stretched it out for several minutes over a typical four-on-the-floor house beat. Sure you've laid it over a new chord progression, but after about 3 minutes the novelty wears off. There's some good ideas in this mix, but you're saying way too little over waaaaay too much time. NO.

Good synths/samples, good production/good drum programming, and a respectable arrangement of the Shade Man theme. This mix feels like a logical extension of the original, but still has plenty of it's own fresh ideas. The use of the canonical "Stage Start" theme could have been cheesy, but it doesn't feel particularly out of place i.e. it makes sense in the context of the song. Actually, scratch that--it IS cheesy, but whatever, it fits.. What I enjoy about BSoB is that it gives plenty of love to that opening chord progression that the original hinges on. I think it's a good motif to base an arrangement on, and you did well in choosing it. The chiptune synth is also ten kinds of awesome, but I'm a sucker for that when it's used well. The ending is just silly though. Seriously, strip that "game over mario" crap off and think of a real way to resolve what is for the most part a pretty damn good ReMix. You can do better than that. YES (though I'm tempted to make this a NO RESUBMIT on account of your stupid ending. Shame.)

Impressive. The Snowwood theme is instantly recognizable amid the ambiance of the intro. When the compressed drums make their entrance, the listener is pretty much AB's bitch for the next two minutes or so. This remix takes many of the ideas presented by the original composer and just runs with them: the mild dynamic contrasts are exagerated, the psuedo-polka section is put on steroids (and crack), and the ambient atmosphere of the original is captured, at least when the drums aren't melting your face. The synths are well chosen (especially the rhodes that takes the lead). Basically the production is very well done, the arrangement (especially the use of dynamics) is challenging and sophisticated, and I have no qualms with giving this my seal of approval. My only gripe with the arrangement of the piece is that the ending is a bit abrupt for such an ambient arrangement. That being said, I'll chalk it up to personal taste and just give this one a YES.

Hahahaha. I dig. Creative, inventive transferring of the theme to a new setting. It sounds like you're one of those guys who follows Phish around the country in a van; the kind of guy who would trade a kidney for a chance to jam with Trey Anastasio. This is a good departure from a lot of what we have on OCR, and it's great that GT is gettin some luv. I'm detecting a lot of clicks and pops in the ecording (especially the first 10 seconds). If it's possible, the ReMixer should get rid of the clipping before djp posts this. Even with the clipping I'd still approve this, but I'm kind of a zealot for live performance. Very tasty stuff, which makes me want to go listen to A Picture of Nectar. If you're a Phish fan that's probably the highest compliment I can give you. Rawk, YES

i have to sell my own plasma to eat.

seriously? where's someone with the nice work guy?

this song is yet another reason these guys are my favorite mixers on the site. Fender Rhodes = baby making music.

You mean you don't think i'm a legendary pianist who will be remembered long after he's dead as a genius and an innovater? Please don't insult me by pointing out the painfully obvious. Being a jazz enthusiast I know I don't have the harmonic insight of Bill Evans, the chops of Chick Corea, or the innovation of Herbie Hancock, etc. I study and revere these men, so please give me a little credit. Anyway, you probably didn't mean anything by it. Everyone else, take his advice. -Jon

these guys are some of the best musicians in the scene. check it out. now. -Jon

Hey nice work. This is a very beautiful, well thought out arrangement. You really milk the harmonic tension for all it's worth, and there are some really nice moments. The rubato style of playing is a nice stylistic choice, but I think at times the dramatic pauses break up the overall momentum of the arrangement. Could be a different way of looking at things, but I try to pay a lot of attention to dynamic shape of a song. The pause at 3:00 is an example where I would have carried the previous phrase into the next one without the grand pause, in the interest of a smoother, more organic ending. Anyway, the fact that I'm getting this picky should be taken as a compliment. This is one of the better piano arrangements on this site, so you should be proud. -Jon

Hey, congrats Larry!

oh sorry. i think it used to be there.....can't remember though

Hey, I wanna hear those two remixes!! That is Around the World and Needleman by Night. Could someone pm me and maybe inform a website where they could be found, or just directly send them for me? Please? Go to his profile and check his homepage. As for the mix, its well done, but I don't really like the choice of genre. That's fine though, to each his own. Nice work Dan.

One of the reasons I sound like a 5th grader is that i when i started recording this, I hadn't touched my horn in a few months (and it's been several years since I've practiced regularly). My chops were never outstanding, but when this was recorded my options were to do the trumpet parts myself on what little proficiency my lips could muster, or use synth patches. I hate brass synth patches. They're lame. P.S. One look at your sig shows me that you ARE in fact a real trumpet player

yeah, I'd like to show my appreciation of Larry for putting on a great series of shows over the semester. I'd also like to wish him luck in his endeavors to make it back to Emory next semester. God speed bro. -Jon

K Gray, I've just recently started listening to your stuff, and I've been pretty impressed. I never heard the rejected version of this, so I can't comment on how much this has improved with the overhaul. I'm also completely unfamiliar with the original (never played the Phantasy Star series). Pros: Very high quality sounds. I especially liked the choir. The drums aren't terribly interesting, but they're well used, unobstrusive and consistant with the style you seem to have taken on. In other words, that's a positive Harmonically, things get a lot more interesting as we get closer to the ending, and I really like that. I also enjoyed the introduction, which got my attention and turned on my musical ears to what you were going to present. Cons: The bass sounded good, and was a very important part of making this mix sound full, and supported. However, it sounds really mechanical to me. I wish you had spent a little more time messing with the velocities to give it a more fluid feel, because I feel that it was a major drawback to the overall appeal of the mix. Making a sequenced part sound stylistically correct takes a lot of subtlety and nuance, and a good understanding of how to shape musical phrases. If you can improve this aspect of your mixing capability, then you'll be even more of a force to reckon with. -Jon

thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. As for the question(s) involving the piano string scraping at the end: The string scraping is just me making a musical nod toward Ben Folds. This piece was heavily influenced by his playing and songwriting, especially his work with Ben Folds Five. For an example of string scraping used in this manner check out the song "Smoke" off of the album "Whatever and Ever Amen." It's a very different color to add to music, and I thought it'd be an interesting way to conclude this piece. The disco bassline on the lefthand, and the forearm slamming were also direct tributes to Ben. Anyway, if you're not familiar with any of his work, and you liked this song, you should definetly check him out, cuz he's a lot better than I am. -Jon edit: grammer