Rexy

Alexander Prievert's tracks are often quite quirky for me as they tend to take the production setting in a more experimental way. While this does indeed feel safer to that regard, it still has its quirk with the mid-dependant levelling and the use of a quirky source material (right down to taking all the voice clips that were in it). It's a shame it came by so short, but then again many mixes post-2002 had a tendancy to do that, so for its time it wasn't too bad. It's still another firm side of Prievert on the site, and I hope he makes a return soon if not briefly D:

It's quite an atmospheric source to go for, so I kind of expected something calm to go for here. What I wasn't expecting though was over a minute's worth of intro before going into any form of music, and even then it had its quirky moments with still being intersped with sound effects during the setting. I admit the guitar entrance at 2:40 was pretty cool in concept - gives in a more determined edge towards the writing, though it seems as if the automation is all over the place in regards to the instrument presence (noted mostly when the strings came in). All in all, it sounds like a cool concept, but has weak execution even when measured up to other mixes of its time. Still not too bad though considering the ideas thrown in

When I heard that GaMeBoX was joining in on The Sound of Speed, I ultimately felt overjoyed - LOVED his sfx-manipulation-styled work on Project Chaos, and while the general approach is no different for this one as well the production values have managed to escalate their way to what can be expected from a more modern RnB arrangement. I similarly enjoyed a lot of the cameos in throughout the whole thing too; people may think they may have their inappropriate place, but all the more to flesh out what could be seen as a simplistic source material to begin with. And like many, the Sonic CD shoutout at the beginning was clearly the premature icing on the cake for me, though I can't really fault most of the others going closer towards the end. As a fellow Project Chaos musician, I'm proud to see you alive and well, and am hoping to see you keep throwing in the fresh beats whenever you can

I have fond memories of Rayza's early material when getting used to the site, and even now a good amount of it still had that quality touch now in regards to the production as they did back then - a little dated on the sound choices but they still sound pleasant to hear. Arrangement wise this plays very straight-forward (riff/original section/riff again), though the drop to the solo synth at 1:22 surprised me in regards to the direction taken. Overall it's a very light and happy way of writing, and one that could easily lose the listener in thought - thus in spite of it obviously showing its age, I quite dig this

While I do see where people are coming from, I do tend to see something equally as problematic if a track originally from an album is released onto the site in a revised form. I've noticed this on OCR's Facebook on one occasion, which they were all "past mixposts from the past month either didn't interest (them) or were already from an album", not even taking the revision to account. That to me makes me feel equally distraught over what appears to be this review draft forming on the site. But I can understand that some album tracks as mixposts aren't getting their dues because people are just going to grab the albums as a whole rather than singling out various tracks. Then again, mixposts in general don't seem to be getting their dues either for what I assumed was simply a change in listener climate (i.e. more and more people seem to comment on the mixes through Youtube these days). We can do all we want to try and remedy this, and I remember VGMix being in a similar boat in regards to track feedback while it was running, but I'm pretty sure it's all down to the changing Internet climate and can be seen more as a question of how to adapt to it.

Being a fellow pianist I'm always game to see other blood come to bat, and to do something that meshes together two source materials in quite an affective counterpoint-driven way is definitely a good way to go. I can feel a light jazz piano here influence here, which managed to work in regards to the performance and left hand writing. To consider that this was actually written in Finale and not exactly a live performance astounds me; very few piano writers of that caliber have been able to make something sound as realistic as that (two people I can think of that handle piano sequences like that are Kevin Stephens and trickwaters, still worth checking out too). True, it may still have its grid-locked spots that don't quite give in as much freedom to the expression as it should, but I'm assuming that would come down to the nature of the software. It can be a good consideration to see such touch-ups could be done through a DAW's key editor, but otherwise I'm still cool with how it came down. All in all, a very sweet arrangement, and it's done a world of good for OCR's solo piano representations. Let's hope you don't stop here, Hai

You know, I love it when an artist takes something in a more different direction, and going for a more latin influenced work on Slash Man definitely worked a charm for The Robot Museum. True, it already is somewhat tropical as it is given the visuals in the stage itself, but to see it advance to this level takes the cake. Even then it manages to fit Morse's trademark style of fitting the melody in a tasteful chord-changed arrangement, while maintaining the funk influences he carried forward. The space is also well utilised and feels a lot like a live performance in a way too; let me say that the flutes in particular here sound very sublime (particularly with the solo at 2:55) and realised and fitted into the soundscape, and even the attention to detail to the instruments have been paid attention to when crafting the stereo space. There's definitely nothing in here for me to fault this time; it's tasteful, unconventional, fits the stage, took the arrangement on its head, and I really dig how it all came out - a somewhat hidden gem on an already fine album, and I hope Morse's experimentation in different genres doesn't stop any time soon

A 3-year-old at a Metallica concert. Gotta admit that part of the writeup was modestly funny. For what it is, it managed to be a decent arrangement; partially true to the source but there's been enough done to the melody to really give it an extra touch. However, the 10 years that have gone by haven't really been too kind to the production, the awkwardly-humanisation-less track and the samples in general. People have managed to handle MIDI banks well and craft something really delicate out of them in the modern era (most notably Iggy Koopa) but with something like this it's shown its age almost too much with the publication. I do recall hearing some more polished material from Sonic Blade over at VGMix since though (most notably that remix medley), so it's not all that bad. I do however think that given the chance he could've been able to refine this so much more in regards to levels and general energy, but for now it's average at best.

That's what I do Katie - I pay attention to the tracks, comparing with the source material and stating what I hear. I even am evaluating these through a new pair of studio headphones too for added clarity, so I can assure you any review I link in here would be longer than just 2 or 3 sentences. And I'm pretty sure others would do the same too - it's the spirit of giving for a reason

Lol, thank you Professor Strader. You know very well I suck with words (hint: consider it edited)

Considering this is from 2002, it's not a bad track; I might've fallen in love with this due to my fascination with the genre at the time. Even then it might've split some people apart with the random sound effects thrown in, but I didn't see it to be too big a distractant. It's a hard source tune to arrange too given that it's mostly groove-dominated, but it's been broken down enough to form enough room for interpretation. Nowadays it may pale now with its more minimalist writing and repetitive nature, but for what it is it sounded pretty decent depending on one's SFX tolerance.

Not a bad remix at all - tends to excel more in the soundscape more than anything else, giving a more modernised approach to an otherwise spacious source material. The voice clips at around 2:30 were decent enough to break away the monotomy, though might be a bit random depending on the game's context. But even then the arrangement remains way too close to the original and humanisation on the more organic instrments present (namely the bells and oboe) feels somewhat absent. It's pleasant to listen to at least, just kind of feels more dated in comparision to even other remixes of its time.

I am pretty much feeling the bass love here, even within the original material; so I can understand how it ended up going for more of a funk approach. While I had indeed heard this source being done to death in the past, the arrangement done ended up taking it in a much fresher direction than what I'd normally expect with people that attempted it, complete with some quality live instruments that even bear a light Hendrix influence in a way. Very neat. I'm gonna have to say though that you may need to watch your timing a big with the wah; sometimes it may end up coming a bit loose, particularly going past the 2 minute mark. Though, after hearing some of your later works I've heard that you've been making steady improvements to your writing, so it may not be too much of a big deal. Generally I dig the direction, and let's hope to hear more bass-centric work (whether in this style or not) from your end Austin, whether solo or with the OC Plaid Muffins

I'd so LOVE for it to be frequent; that was an amazing experience for something so short-planned I pass my regards to everyone I saw today. From all of us panelists (and part-time roadies) - [Left-to-right - Proto, Lidawg, Fishy, Will and me (apparently Andy P buggered off some point beforehand)] And let me further reiterate that 'you're welcome' for when you wanted change for the cloakroom

Haha, the Viridian Forest. Clearly a terrifying aspect of that initial first attempt at a Pokemon game. x_X I can definitely feel the dark approach taken to the soundscape; while it remains relatively close to the source material for a fair chunk of the time, the expanded chord structures in it really bring it to life. While having somewhat as a dated feel, it manages to stay firm with this warped progression style that can indeed reflect on one's fear over weedle stings in the forest. To me though, the drums kind of feel a little too flossy for me for some reason, as if they feel too pushed back and pounding on air for some reason, and even then I kind of thought the writing might have made it too muddy as it is with the added chords brought in. So it's kind of a toss-up here, but under artistic merit I definitely managed to see something quite remarkable with this one. I'm hoping that Cerrax would submit more material soon, because from what I've heard so far I am hearing potential. Get back in there soon

I remember this fondly from the recent Pokemon album. True, it may sound a little dated in comparison to other tracks I've noted from WillRock, but it still has its atmospheric charm towards it, capturing the feel the source tune portrayed while also interpreting the source tune well. It also managed to stand the test of time quite well in comparison to his other tracks posted this year, which stands as a testament to the draw the track has arrangement-wise. It does to me feel somewhat quieter than his works, which won't be a bad thing at all; though, I also remember when in discussion of humanisation he brought up this as an example of his struggles with humanising flutes, and this is where I can practically feel for this issue here. Thankfully the synth/rhodes work really lift this up and push the flutes further into the background and not be too much of a distractant. All in all, definitely a different direction taken and I'm glad to see Will's nature as a versatile artist. Keep up the solid progress, and it was fun seeing you earlier today too

I kinda miss Israfel's works here - often a more abstract way of arranging, and it gets handled remarkably well in addition. So this project with the Dead Lovers Consort team managed to come out very atmospherically for the most part; takes a while for the source to come in (1;05 is where I sensed the first instance) but when it does it manages to further accentuate the mood that had been established. To me it feels more accessible than some of Israfel's other works, and I say if you're not familiar with his work it should be a good starting point. Of course it kind of pales now with the thin drum work, but considering this mix was released nearly 10 years ago it actually feels somewhat surprising in regards to craftmanship and musical production. So yes, I dig this; and I really hope Israfel resurfaces soon D:

Forgot to study the cossack themes because technically that's not wily, lol. But i'm set, will study this through when i return home tonight.

Anti-Syne! Glad to see you made a return Now this is certainly different than your house-driven takes on FF8 earlier this year; I can see the accidental nature with the fusion between original chords and the familiar Chemical Plant riff, and somehow it managed to work well in establishing the track's nature. Sure, there's still some house influences like the FF8 tracks, though I'd say it leans more towards the American definition of house rather than the French influences of the previous 2 subs. I'd see the little percussion breakdown at around 1:47 being a strong highlight in regards to building up the mood as well, one that really managed to provide some strong feeling of life to the track. Generally a clean production work has occurred as well, though is that you doing the "get ready" samples there? It's a good way to go, though I am not too sure about the flimsy recording space there. Either way it doesn't detract too much from the track; in general it's got the setting that really upped your game since previous subs. So all in all, way to go Jack! And keep representing us British, will ya

It was a priviledge to be a part of this project with Ben Briggs, who brought his A-game not only with the significantly more recent "Climb My Mountain, This High" but also this particular track as well. With a source that's only 8 measures long, you'd think it would be difficult to find/cfraft a good expansive mix to go along with it, but with some neat additions like the half-speed melody movements during the beginning, key change at 2;13 and the little rhodes solo past the 1 minute mark then you can see even then he had a keen eye for really going deep into the source material and capturing the emotive quality driven behind it. I even said in the listening party last December this very thing in regards to his mix as well, requoting for awesomeness: So for me it's that chill you may find it appropriate for a back rub; it's a shame that he lost the project files to the wheels of a car, but even then it stood the test of time amazingly well, and that's something that a fair amount of the project has. Solid proof that the album was a success, in addition to a firm step on the progression of Ben as a musician. Keep up the solid work

Wow, this is some seriously trippy stuff from Josh And a great cross-breed of not even styles but sources from 4 different games here. Talking of which, why is it filed under Zelda 2 when most of the coverage came from Zelda 3's Hyrule Castle? I even did a source breakdown and everything and I honestly didn't sense much of the Zelda 2 source in comparison to the other sources represented. That weird qualm aside, the detail taken to the instrument writing has shown a more artistic side than what you might expect from a multi-source track. Even the strings sound wonderful and realistic and managed to fit well in this half-symphonic half-electronic environment. The voice clips also seemed uncannily appropriate given the artistic direction, though to be fair I can probably also see why it was temporarily blocked from Youtube o_O All in all, a very amusing mix with not much to fault; might rub off on some due to the quirky direction taken, but I like my quirks, so I am running cool with this one. Good going Josh

Hard to do anything that's less than 10 seconds long, but I can trust ktriton's style working so well with something like that. The familiarity is there throughout, though even then there's definitely some great expansion taken to the original even with the brief switchs to 7/4 at around 1:10 and again at 2:10, the blissful piano solo taken after it and some very solid live instrument playing here. I also really got to complient the tone to Steve's guitars; it adds that nice 1970s blues feel to it to compliment the rest of the instruments, which when seeing the Wikipedia snippet in the description isn't surprising. This to me is a good example of how a short track should be done, and I feel very happy that you managed to create something at this kind of expansive level. That and the rest of the Bad Dudes' album really was a push up for them in regards to arrangement for me, so a very well accomplished task indeed!

It took me a while over the years, but I've become quite a fan of ilp0's low-fi-influenced material. And so I'm glad to see he kept his game up over the years. Translating the source to 6/8 for the first 2 minutes and back for nearer to the end got a huge plus for me in regards to the writing process, and with the instrument choices and steady progressions I'm with djp on the comparisons to the Flaming Lips's "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" in regards to the details in place. I really dug the transition to the trip-hop-like movement past the 2 minute mark as well - these kind of changes in regards to rhythm are to me a strong highlight of ilp0's personality throughout the whole thing. One thing that I might've suggested is to try and give more punch to the snare throughout; to me it kind of felt very thin and too much 'airy' through the whole thing. But for me that may be a minor nitpick for an otherwise very creative piece of work. Not only that, but in a similar fashion to his first posted work "Stupid Damn Vehicle", endings are not his strongest point either; was hoping for something more dynamic leading to the end, but I'll ride along with the substance leading it nevertheless. Either way, be sure to keep representing the European remixers! And here's to hoping for more sweet ilp0 coverage in 2012 and beyond

When I first heard the radio cut through Remix: ThaSauce, my jaw literally dropped at the whole idea behind the whole thing - reminds me so much of the arrangement of "Mad World" for the score to Donnie Darko. Prior to this I had been familiar with much of JH's work from whilst I was still hosting the PRC, but the writing approach on this one managed to take it to a whole new level in comparison. Throw in Cyril's vocal work as well, accenturating with the faster variation at 1:50 and we have this dynamic yet somewhat somber approach to the track that really reflected on the more claustrophobic nature of the source. For the most part, the writing game out well, though I'm not really too sure about the stiff string expression here, even at the end when the playing suddenly cuts out. That to me may be the only real issue I have with what is otherwise a beautiful piece of work. I feel somewhat sad though that after Hedgehog Hysteria, JH decided to retire from remixing and dedicate his artistic capabilities elsewhere (most notably through the Crackton comics); though, we are still happy to see that you want to focus your time within the community and all associations with it, and by having a mix post on OCR you've managed to really break through that barrier and showing that personal side through your music. I am still so proud of you even today

When I first heard the track, I really appreciated the mood being brought in here. On a production level we have this ethereal yet intense chilled setup that manages to reflect well on the title and play with peoples' minds, all well utilised to the point that it reaches close to the edge of professionalism. And with the intense decision making behind the writing throughout, reaching a critical moment for me when the guitars were brought in at 2:10 (is that Chris playing or is that a patch?), you can tell that so much has been done to the track to make it really stand out. But strangely, I didn't detect as much of the source as some of the others did; usually in zircon's works I detect it right from the word go, but for a more atmospheric score like Metroid Prime I found it really tricky to make many connections at all. But that might probably be me in my old age trying to figure out things on an arrangement level. It's still a very pretty downtempo track, no doubt about it; will be keeping a good hold on this one for sure, so well done