Dyluck

Mysterious and brooding, and once we get to around the 0:35 mark, that sylvan sound I associate with RebeccaETripp comes into the fore. Another gem in the panoply of her ReMixes.

This gives me LotR vibes, which means that the orchestration must be doing the intended thing. There is an exposed low instrument early on that I didn't particularly like the timbre of, but it's forgivable, and the low brass feels somewhat restrained at times... it reminds me of Kirkhope on a N64 so unfortunately for me it has a bit of a comic edge to it due to that association. The (presumably-synthetic) choir does lend a lot of strength to it, though. It's still a very well done mix, though. Jinx, @MegaMixtape :P

First of all, props for the title. ;) A deepcut VGM ReMix for sure. Still, don't let the obscurity of the title make you turn away: this is a good solid rock-out and has a classic OCR rock sound to it that sounds like a blast from the past, especially thanks to the band members playing. Ailseanplzcomeback.

Okay, commenting/reviewing the composer's own work is a little daunting, but here we go... Strings and piano lead us into a busy synth line (presumably the aliens) and then we head off into arpeggio land beautifully. The contrast between the slow and steady violin, the chromatic piano and the synth lines merge fantastically especially when the storm breaks and the beat drops. A classic trance line comes in the middle section and forms a percussive element. Some of the instruments might sound a little dated but that is actually part of the appeal. The atmosphere this ReMix has is very brooding and insidious.

I've not played Dark Souls (put the pitchforks and torches down! I'll get to it one day...) but this is pretty much the atmosphere that I associate with the game. That brass early and tubular bells hit hard. Those chugging strings keep the tension high. Beautiful instruments used beautifully create a very moody heroic tale with sonic chiaroscuro. The piano at the end with the radio-like filter is just the perfect touch to close, and then that cinematic beat... yes. This is my view of Dark Souls in a nutshell.

This has a nostalgic whimsy to it that reminds me of an anime, sitting by the bay and talking about life as the seagulls fly up in a flock (where those ritardando moments for the upward moments early come in). Certainly a piano solo that needs more exposure.

Transporting is right. The noise crunches as percussion as well as the spacious audio give me Massive Attack vibes. This is something that you could leave on in the background while coding, or easily fit into a playlist of driving music for when you're cruising at high speed. While I'm not familiar with the OST (but have seen enough of the gameplay) and thus the source isn't necessarily familiar, this creates a shimmering crystalline ephemeral space that leaves me breathless. Beautiful.

The intro is already going when we get started and then we're at high octane from then on. And everything from there just keeps getting better and better as various surprises are thrown in from left and right. This ReMix is a trip, as we are thrown from idea to idea to idea like electricity arcing from point to point. Perfectly captures the vibes of a shmup.

Orchestra meets metal, the classic combo. Yes, I'm a sucker for strings and a drum kit and overdriven guitars. The atmospheric intro gives no indication of the rock that's about to hit your face, and that's good...when that build up goes through and the storm breaks on multiple occasions, it's great. There's some echo between piano and guitar that works really well too. But the thing that gets me is the synth bass...I would say that this is what gives this track its distinctive character and makes it memorable.

Yo, funky groove... and then tasteful vox that leads into a sick pitched wub... yes please. This is some damn fine work. The Sir_NutS are, as always, addictive...you can never stop with just one bite...

I particularly love the percussive intro to the main theme. The synth lead has a great sound. The vox samples are atmospherically creepy and act more as a background rather than a focus: I do feel that the reverb on them makes them lose their diction and thus my ability to understand them, though, but it works for the vibe. Groovy.

This is a cool glass of hard lemonade on a hot summer's day. The way the intro leads into the sax and brass section is just absolutely sublime. I would never have associated the understated End of Time theme with a big brassy build up... The imagery that comes to mind is that there's that streetlamp, and it's lighting up the whole downtown at night. Super slick.

Really loved the Lavos intro, got into the groove, and then when the Burn Bobonga came in it brought a huge smile to my face. Everything in this is impeccable. It really has a live recording feel. The interpretation is amazing.

Dracula's our vampire! He's our man! If he can't do it, no-one can! How did this go through this long without any commentary on here? Well, let's fix that. This is a great marriage of guitarwork and wubwub. The shreddage takes no prisoners and will floor you. Very tasteful howl placements. A real juggernaut.

Raise your hand if you've listened to this while on the road up to Mount St Helens. *raises hand* It's an experience I certainly recommend once you get into the eerie, disrupted landscape. I was there in 2009 and this music formed the perfect backdrop as we crossed from established landscapes into an eerie one. Half a mountain missing, thrown over the side of the next ridge, with streams etching new courses through it; trees all blown over and pointing away from the mountain from when the pyroclastic blast levelled them; young pine trees whose interlocked branches look like bad pixellation in real life as you drove past them; getting to the arch bridge and seeing that everything beyond that point died that day in 1980... And Scott Peeples captured this perfectly. From that threatening intro that reminds you of the devastation around you and that it could happen again, one day. And then when the groove comes with the guitar line and piano and the chords change, it's spine-tingling. But there's hope like the new life springing up eagerly around you in the ruins of the old. Sure, the flute in the major section is a little dated, but it provides an understated beauty. And then the transcendental final section looking out across the beautiful landscape... Looking back at this from the future that is 2025, I'm pleased to say that this ReMix has weathered the decades very well, just as OA predicted back in 2008. Scott Peeples was fundamental in creating the classic OCR sound, and this is one of his best examples. I just wish he gave us more.

I am thrilled and humbled that TimeShift is a stepping stone for your inspiration. I love the concept. Ending credits are, after all, what many of us aim towards. You may, though, want to add a proviso about non-linear games such as simulators and strategy games where the credits are often found by selecting them on the title screen... they may or may not have their own theme that plays. Given the complexity of this, I wouldn't recommend necessarily enforcing a 12-month limit for this one. It took about three months before I had sufficient sketches of ideas for TimeShift, a few months later I had a couple of WIP's to send off to make the project official, and then as the deadline approached in September there was a last-minute rush of new material. And even then I had to wait for things to be finalized. I'm not saying "don't do it" but be mindful that the short timeframe will impose its own set of challenges. I'm definitely interested in this album idea, though, and I'm already thinking about ideas...

What a place to begin. What places we have gone. Happy 25th Anniversary, OverClocked ReMix.

If my name means anything...well, then. The Color of the Summer Sky is one of my favorites from the soundtrack. It never fails to put a smile on my face. The bell-like opening is nice, and then the use of the A section upper counter-melody is effective against it. But then that synth voice/calliope(?) lead doing the intro lead just doesn't sit right with me in regards to its timbre. After a hi-hat rhythm and wind-like upwards pitch build for eight bars, you then bring in a drop like the original, but it's subdued compared to the original. This is all well and good in and of itself, but that kick into the heavy snare punch of the original is what drives its energy. Without it, COTSS has the danger of becoming very twee because the countermelodies and marimba/piano "pluck" don't have enough juice (I suggest going into Chipamp and turning off the percussion channel to see what I mean here). Here, you have a snare roll-tap to at least emulate that oh-so-characteristic entry, but the following claps and kick and snare feel like they're too far back. That's not to say that it now becomes twee, but I want more of a punch and more presence throughout, especially to counter what sounds like is meant to be a grand main-line melody lead instrument. I do like the attention to the bass line and bringing it forward in the mix because it doesn't get enough love while you have a softer flute-like main-melody ducking behind it. Clever. The glitchy-slide of that bass melody through the eight-bar B section is also a great touch. The drum changes through here have good energy, but I still want more. We then have an additive C section with new "voices" getting added every two bars...that very exposed simple kick and snare in the first two bars sounds very flat in terms of presence and I feel it doesn't drive it forward as much as I would want it to. The synth you have replacing the string countermelody (borrowed from the A section) is a little strong when it comes in. Other than that, the idea is great, but I think the balance between the strength of the instruments needs to be worked out as the main melody's rhythm is rapid compared to the A and B sections and that contrast is getting lost behind everything else. We then loop back around to the A section now with that strong bass line versus the flute like we did in the first A section reprise...the balance feels off now between the two after having this additive build-up through the C section. I want something more here as the promise of the C section's build is leaving me somewhat unfulfilled. I see that you're winding things down to get ready for your big B section re-entry (the re-entry works fine), but again, it doesn't feel big enough for me, and the bass line is a little too strong through it in comparison, making it feel like a plain repeat of the first B section. Your C section reprise with the glitchy original bass line is fun. I like this idea a lot. Without going into a spectral equalizer to work out where the gaps are, I do feel overall that there's presence missing. Needs more oomph, too, more actual bass. Your instrument choices are definitely interesting and generally good, but that one with the intro lead sounds out of place. Arrangement direction wise, the possibilities are endless of course but at your current endpoint I feel like you're ready for some sort of breakdown from the structure of the original (take it to the bridge) as, after all, the original is only one minute and change long and now we've repeated the entire cycle once. Keep cooking.

Is that in the audio file or in the text? EDIT: Yes, in the text. Had the word "selection" a couple of times. Duly noted for the future. Thanks for the heads-up!

See title. Have tried in both Chrome and Firefox to upload.

@SbeastAbsolutely.

@SbeastYes! There's still time to join! Looking forward to hearing it!

Checked the pages I reported on the Discord and they seem fine here as well.

I may come to regret what this will do to the crumbs of my remaining spare time, but I want to join in. I see this as a great opportunity to explore Koshiro's music, which I'm not exactly familiar with and thus is a good "neutral" ground for me, and also to work on my own production and arrangement skills.

When I went into Serious Monkey Business, I was really looking forward to my favourite tunes for one of my favourite VGM soundtracks and how they got treated, and expected that I would go out with a pin in something like Stickerbush Symphony or Bayou Boogie or Krook's March as my favourite ReMix on the album. I did not expect it to be this, an electro-pop children's song sung in Mandarin to Snow-Bound Land. Despite not being able to understand the words, the fact that it has a treatment like a children's song captures the nostalgia I have for this game, and especially thinking of the nature of those words. The song makes me ache viscerally for those days parked in front of my my portable CRT at the end of my bed, trying to find every last bonus barrel and DK Coin, washing myself aurally with the amazing soundtrack and exploring the world Rare had crafted. Music transcends language, and this proves it.