orkybash

Final Fantasy IV 'Gold Chocobo's Casino' Cute lounge take on the Chocobo theme - don't think we've heard anything like this in the many remixes in various FF games, though this would fit right in. Anyway, it's a nice remix, but kinda repetitive and the sound quality sounds a bit muddy to me. Still, if you like the Chocobo theme, go ahead and add one more interpretation to your collection, cause this is definitely worth at least one listen.

Valis III 'Sword Evolution (Starlight)' What's here sounds great, although the lead is maybe overpowered a little by the synth thingys. The problem with this mix is that it feels incomplete, like a demo for some larger mix that only has the intro, then is over before you know it. While some mixes can get away with being only about a minute, this one can't, making it, sorry to say, entirely forgettable.

Super Metroid 'Four Little Metroids' As a general rule, anything from AmIEviL is worth getting, and that definitely applies to this medley of sorts, covering (surprise!) four Super Metroid tracks. And (surprise again!) all four sound great, perfectly in line with the mood of the game - at times ambient, and at times rocking. Not much else to say other than "Get now!"

Phantasy Star II 'Pleasantly Dance in the Club' First memorable thing about this mix is the title - best Engrish on OC! That said, this is a really nice club track - don't know about you guys, but I could definitely get up and dance to this! But that brings us the the remix's main problem - it's meant to be a club track. Meaning it's pretty drawn out (especially the intro and ending), which is great when you're trying to dance to it, but not great for just listening. So I guess I'd say this is a very well put together track, but not one meant to just be listened to.

Jurassic Park (NES) 'everything remains jurassic' I believe this remix was part of the "First Annual Fresh Baked Remix Competition..." or was it another one of po's... at any rate, po does what he does best here - groovy drums, jazzy bassline, and just general ass kickage. My only complaint is that the ending sounds like it cuts off, but that's minor in the face of a solid mix. What's that mean? It means hit "Download" now.

Blaster Master 'TI Blasta Party' Pretty average techno here, and it has its share of problems. There's a lot of dissonance in here - some of it works well, some of it really tweaked my ear. Also, you can only use a flanging so much before it starts to grate, and that point is reached about 1 minute into this 4 minute mix. Ouch. And lastly, it just didn't hold my attention very well - guess it was too repetitive or something. Either that or I'm too tired to let anything hold my attention. Oh well. At any rate, sorry, but I really can't recommend this.

Final Fantasy IV 'Tale in Piano' This mix is the ever popular FF Main Theme (known as the Prologue back in my day! .) This particular arrangement is very well done, and sounds very full for a piano piece. Notable because of it's expressiveness and emotion - it almost brought a tear to my eye. Very artfully done.

Super Mario Bros. 'Underworld Rock' Wow. That's the only word that comes to mind after listening to this. Every element is placed perfectly, except for maybe an overuse of the jump sound. But overall a very tight remix, and one that everyone should download. Right now. No excuses. Even if you don't like music. That's right. Download now. . . . . Did I mention this is a must download? ^______________^

Final Fantasy V 'Cursed Pirates of the Sea' Yay! An FF5 mix! And one that does not, under any circumstances disappoint. Intro sounds a little like Monkey Island - an very good thing. It then moves into a very eclectic style, using acoustic and synth instruments to very good effect, and covering two songs from FF5. Its not without its share of problems - drums are maybe a tad overpowering, and the horn in the second half sounds a little out of place to me. Other than that, I would definitely recommend this to anyone.

Final Fantasy 'Trancelude' Nice ambiance set up with those pads in the beginning which, fortunately, FFmusic Dj carries out throughout the whole piece off and on - too often people build up ambiance then just drop it later on. However, this is far from my favorite FFmusic Dj piece, for two reasons. First off, the voice sample is overused (Haroon, work on this! It's a flaw I've noticed in most of your songs). Plus, the prelude isn't really there - all we hear is the scales going up and down, none of the oh-so-familiar chord changes. Not even tweaked a little to make it a minor key or something. Just the same arpeggio over and over. Fortunately, we get enough variation in the song to keep it from becoming a complete bore. And then there's the fact that, if you make a prelude mix, make sure it's outstanding, cause you've got about 598343954835 other remixes of the same song competing with you. Recommended for trance fans, but not many others.

Ecco the Dolphin 'Broken Machine' Though I know almost nothing about Ecco, doing the music in a heavy industrial-ish style is almost certainly a hard transformation to pull off. Actually, calling this industrial, or even heavy, is a bit of a misidentification, since this mix switches styles so often - at times edgy and synthy, at times a bit mysterious, using pizz strings and vibes. It's a well put together mix, except that it's probably about twice as long as it needs to be, and the high-pitched sweep thing is pretty annoying. Don't get me wrong, though - it's a worthwhile listen, even if only to admire the juxtaposition of styles that it pulls off so well.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island 'Dino Band Rehearsal' Well, what can I say? Another hit from McV, this time in a ragtime style that suits the original perfectly and is executed very well. It's short, but it *feels* like it's just the right length. Highly recommended.

Castlevania 'Simon Belmont's Garage' This mix really isn't my style, but It's a well done mix nonetheless. Industrial drums combine with a garage-style guitar and bass combo here, as well as synths and, at one point, something that sounds for all the world like someone just 'cut the cheese'. Also, you gotta love the "another one bytes the dust" interlude, which fits in perfectly and is sure to bring a smile to those that know the song. Overall, its well worth checking out, though it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

EarthBound 'Hotel Rhumba (I Want to Go Home)' EarthBound fans are bound to be delighted. Hell, *I* am, and I HATED the darn game... but that's just me. Anyway, Pancake chef serves up a double helping here, first with a Latinish mix that sounds awesome, then with a voice sample fades into a simpler, more touching melody that's equally awesome (but doesn't last as long). Regardless of your opinion of the game, I would highly recommend this remix.

Final Fantasy 'Matoya's Hot with Destiny' OK, if you don't get the reference in the title, then I'm revoking your gamer licence. Now onto the mix... it's a shame Shael didn't sing about his groin, but this mix is great without anatomical references. My only complaints are that the melody gets old fast, and the little flute thingy is kinda overpowered by the other instruments (not to mention I don't like the delay on it at all). It's techno, it's fun, and it's a must-download (at least for FF fans ).

Mega Man 'Circuit Breaker' To tell the truth, I'm not a huge fan of Injury's mostly-analogue style, but I enjoy a listen every once in a while. And I won't debate the fact that she's good at what she does. As far as this particular song goes, it's one of my favorites that she's done - the piano solo in the original really saves it for me. Maybe a bit repetitive for my tastes, but enough variation is added to keep it from getting downright annoying.

Final Fantasy IX 'Alexandrian Nightmare' OK, some might like this one, but I personally think it's pretty annoying. Drum work doesn't shine as much as DJ Pheonix's other stuff, and I'm frankly really sick of that saw wave thingy in the background. And for the half of the remix that has the Alexandria melody, it's really repetitive with not-so-great instrument choice. If you're a big DJ Pheonix fan, go for it. Otherwise, skip it.

Final Fantasy 'Something Final' Not a bad medley from CotMM, but my overall impression is that it could be a lot better. His style works well for the darker songs in the medley, but sounds out of place in songs like the Prelude or the FF7 main theme. And sorry to say it, but the transitions suck badly. Overall, it's a good listen, but not something that will be on my playlist that much.

Final Fantasy VI 'Morning After (Hangover)' Hah! I knew you couldn't abstain from FF forever, Pretzel! It's somehow appropriate that he chose his landmark 50th remix to do it, though. And, djp may have broke his abstinence from FF, but at least he chose an original song to do it with, namely the world of ruin town theme from FF6 - no preludes here! But I digress - what we have here is a great technofunk rendition of a lesser known FF theme, that I literally looped for about 50 times when I first heard it. Honestly, the only thing that needs work is the ending - the rest is spot on. Thanks to djp for this remix and for the 49 other great ones.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 'This Valley Rocks' Intro makes this song sound like it's gonna be a disappointment, but if you're at all into DnB or Jungle this song does not disappoint. If nothing Else, DJ Pheonix shows us drum work done right - very intricate, and not at all repetitive. The other instruments are nothing special, though nothing horrible, but if you've got any appreciation for DnB at all then download this and listen to what DJ Pheonix can do.

River City Ransom 'River City Robot' Personally, I've never played RCR, so I never really got why the music was requested so often. Now I understand why, if po's rendition is any indication. Kinda minimalistic, but artfully so. po definitely fills a jazz/hip hop niche here, which is good cause it's a style not many remixers take on. Coulda done without the several repetitive measures of drums and bass, but overall this works well. Recommended.

Mega Man X 'Airbased' Once upon a time, two people submitted a kick-ass rendition of Wicked Child and were never heard from again - or so we thought, until they released their second remix, Airbased. This is probably the best rendition possible of the original song - love the eagle cries! The more mellow section at the end really catches me off guard, and I often find myself wondering if this would have been a better mix if it had been left off or released separately. But it is what it is, and whit it is still kicks major ASCII. Highly recommended.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 'Hawaii Shoppi'n' Creative - A Zelda 64 shop theme remix, and a well done one at that. I love the marimba (?) solo around 1:30. Repetitive? Maybe. Fun? Definitely. Recommended? Of course!

Top Gear 'Dark Racer' Could be a lot more going on here, and the sounds are pretty lo-qual. In fact, I found some parts to be downright annoying - the bass sound around 1:50 and the part around 3:00 to name a few. Sorry Rob, but overall, can't say I really recommend this.

Knuckles' Chaotix 'Door into Summer' Fun little remix here, but doesn't strike me as anything special. Maybe if I knew the original I would like it a lot more, but as it is there's not much to complain about (except possibly the fade out ending) or get excited about here.