Dyluck

"PLAY." Every now and then, a ReMix comes along that has what I call an "OCR Moment", a nugget of brilliance that instantly hooks itself into the memory and lasts forever. 4F73R M3's opening is one such OCR Moment for me. That Speak & Spell commanding to "PLAY" and then MC does, and oh boy he does. He starts on that anacrusis to give energy and momentum and then plays that shimmering piano solo that just builds and builds and builds, opening the gates for SGX to slide in with a reverse cymbal and totally subvert it into that amazing bass and hi-hat groove, attacking strings and then response-and-call with a flutey lead. Wow. Just wow. That is an OCR Moment. And then the rapping in homage to the original B4U? And slowing down the tempo compared to the original to let the music breathe and give time to appreciate the melody? Genius. Just genius. It's a pity that this is MC's last entry in the catalog, but what a ReMix to bow out on.

"SPEED UPPU!" You will either love or hate this one. There is no middle ground. I am unashamedly in the former camp. The aggressive tag is well earned: this one hits hard and takes no prisoners. Not only does it have this driving in-your-face bassline, riding over the top is one of the best uses of rhythmic vox ever (EVER!) that just drips with the kawaii in a wacky juxtaposition that shouldn't work but it just does. This ReMix is one of my favorites. "Teketteke... Teketteke-WHOOW!"

Yep, okay, it's a TFAT mix. It's not got the most polished production and the string samples are a little lackluster at times, and the hiss on the recording is evident especially at the end. But there's something heartfelt and very introspective about this one. I also like the fact that it doesn't focus on the Chrono Trigger theme like other TFAT ReMixes do (because the original slides into it): other than a reference to it in the bridge, this ReMix focuses instead on TFAT's own unique character and its anthemic melody.

Now this is a classic! I daresay that it was this mix that put Mazedude in my radar as the Lower Norfair theme is one of my favourites. So take that theme, or even the Metroid Prime Magmoor Caverns revisit of this theme, and turn the dial up to 11, and you have this ReMix. Bombastic, just like exploding lava, and a great preview of the work that Mazedude would go on to do, especially with Doom music. This has been in my playlist for well over 15 years, if not longer.

Best listened to with a beer or cider as you sit on the porch watching the sun go down. Or maybe by a window on a rainy day watching the patterns form on the glass. Or late at night as a tonic to one's brooding thoughts.

Gooooo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-al! Look, it's not peak Rayza, but it's classic Rayza. What I mean by this is that there's a formula that worked brilliantly in #00505 'Top Gear "Track 1 (Final Nitro Mix)"' that gets applied here as well. Take your melodic game theme and give it some good unts and progression, and ride over the top related over-the-top processed samples that make it all cheesy to go down easy. So yeah, it's his Top Gear ReMix but for soccer. That doesn't mean it's bad, though. It works. It works well. Check it out.

"This Feeling" is triumph. "This Feeling" is elation. "This Feeling" is hope. "This Feeling" is knowing that the road ahead is long while also holding the keys to the car, at last. At the risk of tempting fate, I want to affirm this. As I've gone through listening to every ReMix in order, I've been looking at each ReMix's review thread to help me further understand the music and its legacy, especially as I come in to these tracks from beyond the well-weathering passage of time. And there, like a beacon near the bottom of page one or somewhere towards the middle of page two (or maybe significantly later where there's been drama), has been a Snivy and an insightful comment from @OceansAndrew. While I haven't always agreed with his take on a ReMix, his ability to cut through the noise of adulations, teardowns and sidetracks, and focus on the music itself has been such a help as I have traveled from #00001 to here. OA has been like a role-model to me as, one day, I will return with a proper review in tow, once I have listened to every last ReMix (today we reached #04500, and I have such a long way to go), and I hope to be just as insightful and helpful to those who will follow where I've trod. And now I get here to #01550 and here is the beginning of something new: OA's not just a reviewer to me, now, but a ReMixer, with dozens of ReMixes ahead to listen to as testimony of making a legacy. That beacon isn't on the page, any more. It's in my headphones. I remember the dreams of my younger self wanting to have my name etched in the annals of the catalog. To listen to OCR is one thing. To appreciate OCR is another thing, that comes from listening. To fully understand OCR is yet another thing, that comes from appreciating it, and then taking one's quill – or mouse cursor in a DAW – to transform the ideas one has of the pieces of VGM that personally resonate, and then laying it at the feet of the judges to have it resonate with them. OA has done this. "This Feeling" is where I want to be, too.

I've been able to get the tracks to work in iTunes that don't work otherwise by chucking them into MP3val, which will repair them and make them useable. I found it fairly easy enough to use. As for the album itself: I'm just finishing off my listen for the first time as I plod through the entire OCR catalog... I have to say that Breathtaking Vision is written on the tin, for sure, and is my favorite from the album. The addition of the WIP tracks is certainly an interesting director's decision. I've enjoyed the entire trip through the three "discs" and fully recommend it. Still as cool in November 2023 as it was in November 2006.

Delicate. Wistful. The latter term is especially pertinent as by this time it seems that GrayLightning was stepping back from ReMixing, as with this and #01464 'Castlevania: Circle of the Moon "Time's Anxiety"' he became "feat. GrayLightning". This ReMix puts to music that sort of wistfulness I've been feeling as I've been going through the catalog from beginning to end and finding that I've come across the last submission of a favorite ReMixer.