Rexy

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

I got it sent. Strange episode at the post office though, but let's hope that things don't go too out of proportion

I remember some of your early works from around 2005-ish, and the production work on this one feels rather mint and more pristine than anything that I had heard from you prior to then. In regards to arrangement, it manages to chop up the source melody into something more developed and structure them in a way that retains the familiarity of the source but also forms the basis for interpretation along the way. The drum work at 1:25 was a huge highlight, showing some strong details with the gate work and switch ups during this transition. This trick was repeated moreso past the 3 minute mark, though I may have to be blunt though that if it didn't happen there then the mix may somehow have outstayed its welcome. So I got to say nice call and solid work overall! Assuming that you're coming over to London on Saturday, it'll be a pleasure to see you ambient

Brandon, let me revive one of your review threads just in time for Christmas. See, this is the result of constantly pushing through to make sure a track sees the light of day. With some pretty guitar playing on your end and some well-filtered synth writing and bit-crushed additions throughout, it can be seen as a great outing for both of you. I have to say it kinda dragged a bit in comparison to "The Last Schala Mix Ever", but that can be down to the source tune as well - difficult to do anything with something less than 15 seconds long, so mad props there. I may have to say though to watch your timing sometimes. You do keep telling me that I have to be realistic even with percussion synching, but on your end it does get awkward with stuff like the coffee can (?) being slightly behind the synth in the intro. But with all the tracks you've been working on lately, I'm sensing that you're steadily working on those improvements and are pushing them up tenfold with newer material. Once again, a solid effort from you two! And let's not let the 'Strhalc' movement die off any time soon

I already stated some positive feedback on the track via the #ocremix IRC earlier this week, so it might feel fangirlish to do it again here. But I has to. >:] Being already a fan of the source tune, it to me captures somewhat of a catastrophic yet ambient quality with a shifting melody over a more unconventional chord progression - so much I referenced it a couple of times in my remixing endeavours. So I'm glad to see that Jeff took it on and managed to capture a huge nostalgic rush with this one. The melody remains faithful to the source, but the varied chord progression and additional writing elements really brings the track to life, further accentuated when more and more of the rhythmic synths start coming in. It for me really hits the sweet spot at 4:37, with the pretty glissando work and dynamic attention to detail with the transition, and continues to develop even with the secret area jingle thrown in later on too. In addition to the detail, the general progression has that je-ne-sais-quoi that certain mixes I experienced in the recent past have struggled to hit with me - the sudden desire to want to play it on various occasions throughout the day outside of the context of travelling to and from work with my iPod. Seriously, that's how great the writing and detail-work ended up being for me! Considering that one of my favorite remixes ever was Neskvartetten's "Ganon's Temple", covering the exact same source tune, you've really managed to dive into the heart of the source material and provide something engaging and fitting with it; I wouldn't have thought that someone would've been as creative with the source since then at all. So again, a whole-hearted well done and I'm game to see what you can do next

Every song on the site is a stretch, but I do indeed have a plan to chip in. I have a preference for covering lesser-reviewed tracks, to STUN the diabolical OA by my more delicate approach. They should be nowhere near as flamboyant as my actions in the VGMix days, but I am game to see what I can do. Dec 1 Boktai "The Darkness Fears Light, and We Fear the Darkness" Dennis "Desktop Dynamite" FF5 "Twisted Devil, Grinding Soul" Legend of Zelda: OoT "Dark Shores of Hyrule" NiGHTS "Overnight Cloverleaf" Ninja Warriors "Crispy Crimson" Pokemon Red "Rain Prayer" Reset Generation "Remix Generation" Dec 2 Legend of Zelda: ALttP "Labyrinth of Dance Floors" Legend of Zelda: LA "Lucidic" Metroid Prime "Solitude" NBA Jam "From Downtown" NiGHTS "Celestial Entrance" Sonic 1 "Finality (Radio Edit)" Sonic 2 "Chemical Blip" Streets of Rage "Groove On" Wild Guns "With the Gold Comes the Curse" Zelda 2 "Zelda's First Trip to the 'Village'" Dec 3 DKC2 "Can't Stop the Hot-Head Bop" Lufia 1 "Fear and Courage" MM7 "Slash Claw" Pokemon Red "Out of Antidote" Pokemon Gold "Slowpoke Shuffle" Streets of Rage "Retouch the Boss (Short Edit)" Wizards & Warriors "Sweet Plum Aspara" Xenogears "Bonds of Sea and Fire" Dec 4 Battletoads & Double Dragon "Enter the Toad" CT "Glenn" Killing Game Show "Prime Time" Legend of Zelda: ALttP "Fushigina Forest" Mechwarrior 2: 31st Century Combat "Wawoow! Training Exercises" NiGHTS "Beyond the Dream" Sonic 1 "Subsonic Sparkle" Tindead "Level 1 Theme (Brain Bucket Mix)" Dec 5 Chaos Field "Knowing Heart, Distant Noise" FF5 "Little Black Book" FF Legend 2 "Heroes" One Man and His Droid "Do Droids Dream of Ramboids?" Pokemon Gold "Argent Vexemon" Reset Generation "Steriloids" Sunset Riders "Bleeding Guns" Top Gear 3000 "Shop Mix" Dec 6 Castlevania 2 "A Belmont's Curse" FF1 "Stronghold of Chaos" FF7 "BadAzz" FF11 "A Cinematic Heaven" G.I. Joe "Real American Hero" Legend of Zelda: ALttP "Bottled Choir" MM3 "A Daring Escape" MGS4 "Routine of War" NiGHTS into dreams... "Twin Seeds Flyby" Shadowgate "Death Rave" Dec 7 Donkey Kong (GB) "Duel of the Apes" DKC2 "Tetanus" Marble Madness "raMble and Mess" MM4 "Pharaoh's Last Dance" MM9 "Origami Robots" Perfect Dark "Dark Conflict" Shadows of the Beast 2 "mutagene" Space Harrier "Spaced" Dec 8 Bubble Bobble "This is Not a True Ending (Asphyxiation)" Castlevania Bloodlines "Crimson Twilight" Jazz Jackrabbit 2 "Jazz Castle Adventure" MM2 "Leaf Storm" SD3 "Not So Ordinary People" Tempest 2000 "vaili underground mix" Wizards & Warriors "It's Knighttime" Wolfenstein 3D "Blazkowicz's Great Escape" Dec 9 Blazing Lazers "Industrial Bubbles" DDRMax Dance Dance Revolution "Insomniac Skies" Ghosts n' Goblins "Ghosts n' Condoms" Goonies II "I'm Taking It All Back" Green Beret "HardCore" Legend of Dragoon "Deadbeat" Pokemon Sapphire "My Friend Mudkip" Zanac "Mode7 Medley" Dec 10 Animal Crossing "Mr. Soccerball" FF7 "Sephiroth's Wake" Legend of Zelda: OoA "Keep Your Nightmares" MM9 "The Skull Fortress" Pokemon Red "Drowning Blue" Secret of Mana "Whispering Prayers" Space Harrier "BIT Live Arcade" Super Mario Bros. 2 "The DarK Underground" Dec 11 Dragon Warrior "Timeless" Jurassic Park "Raptor Waltz" Legend of Zelda: SS "Skyward" Mario Paint "BLind is Dah BomB" MM2 "Crash and Burn" Missile Master "Electric Hotslug" Ninja Gaiden "Floor Master Ninja" Xenogears "Dale of the Wind" Dec 12 CT "The Mellow Corridor" FF5 "Edge of Valor" Highway Hunter "Fast Cars, Russian Cigars" Last Ninja 2 "Central Park Metal Mix" Lufia 2 "Time Preserved ~ April Showers" Mega Turrican "Turrimann" NiGHTS "The NiGHT Has Just Begun..." Pokemon Red "Out of the Palace" Tales of Phantasia "as time goes on (you are love to me)" Dec 13 Deflektor "Laser Dance" FF1 "Trancelude" Frogger "Stomp Box" King Kong 2 "End of the Adventure" Metal Gear "Snake Infiltrates" Reset Generation "Plumber's Last Stand" Shinobi "Phat Musashi" Sonic 1 "Shifting Islands" Dec 14 CT "Schala's Paradise" Maniac Mansion "Manic Mugenical" MM2 "Bubbleman Electron" Minecraft "Squishy's Theme" Pokemon Gold "Champion's Horizon" Street Fighter 2 "Loco Blanka" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Go Ninja, Go" Ultima 6 "Gates of Creation" Dec 15 Armored Core: Formula Front - Extreme Battle "We Can See No.373" Blaster Master "TI Blasta Party" Descent "Lost in the Mines" DKC2 "How K. Rool Went Insane" FF8 "Estharian Airs" God of War 2 "Born of Ashes, Baptized in Blood" Highway Hunter "The Final Stretch" Sonic 1 "Final Progression" Xenogears "Indie Rock Dajil" Dec 16 Armored Core: Nexus "Hyper Monkey Likes the Dancefloor" DKC2 "Party's Over Here!" FF5 "A Healer's Touch" MM6 "Yamato Spear" MM9 "Pitched in Suspense" Missile Master "Frozen Hotslug" Pokemon Red "Shades of Red" Return All Robots! "WillRocky" Secret of Mana "Time in the Clouds DX" CURRENT TOTAL: 135 (-6750 HP)

Having heard the other 2 DarkSim representations on the site by now, it's fair that I looked at the one that started it all. The Drum n' Bass inspired direction here managed to add to something that might be expected from some of the darker tracks in the Ape Escape soundtrack (trust me to make comparisons to that >_>), though at the same time does have more of a relaxed nature in the cymbal work that manages to keep a calmer atmosphere than somehow implied. It also managed to take a very repetitive source material and showed its nice melodic expansions to keep things running fresh as far as writing goes. My biggest qualm with the track more than anything though is that the synth expression doesn't really seem to go anywhere, and thus the track has this same constant hit of energy from the more melodic parts here. That might've been me being somewhat tainted after being already intensely familiar with his follow up track "Fore on the Floor", but for electronica-based works, it's something that might hurt the mix if not enough care was taken. But I'm glad that you have been listening to what the judges had been advising, and with your growth over the months we may see the quality from you rise even higher. For now, solid work

If there's one thing I love seeing from Protodome, it's definitely happy arrangements, and it manages to really take the two Pokemon sources together together into something more stylish and anime-like in nature. I got to admit, it somehow feels more liberal in nature in comparison to various other works I've heard from Blake; the melody has its presence, but the chords have been changed up that much I can understand how people may struggle to detect much source at all until around the 2 minute mark. But for those that managed to make the connections with the melody, you can somehow feel more of a classy suburban vibe with this one, as if Red, Blue and co have grown up with us somewhat. Though in regards to the production work, it may have its dated moments now especially with the key programming, but it still manages to catch on when measured up against other tracks of the time, and when comparing this with the other Pokemon releases before and after from him (looking at "14.5 West Coast Radio" and "Home is Where the Luvdisc Is" respectively) you can pretty much see how far Blake is progressing as a site musician. So all in all, fun track if not a little unpolished, and I can't wait to see you in the flesh on Saturday

Stemage, always one to remember more for the awesome Metroid covers and crazy rhythm-based playing styles. Even with something as obscure as The Ninja Warriors, he manages to find ways to expand on the source and provide more of a groove-driven bolt towards a more onimous source material. And in a very similar fashion to the Metroid Metal material, there's so much in regards to the rhythm work that manages to keep the track fresh and engaging throughout. The transition to the title theme at the 3 minute mark was also very smooth going, and even with such a short source so much was done to give it a lot of substance and melody that really works well with the style. Writing-wise, there's no way that I can fault Stemage's showmanship with all the little details in place and expansions taken to the source material. The production definitely worked with his playing style too, maybe slightly tinny for peoples' tastes but it all comes down to the listening setup. All in all, a very enjoyable track from Stemage. Now, please do what your namesake implies and see if you can get a Metroid track posted here too

This track took some time to try and get around my head, partially due to the obscure source material (though I do appreciate the NES-style approach taken to the original score) and the mish-mashing of the themes and styles within, though luckily enough it managed to maintain a cohesive structure. It does tend to show a wide scope of what Doug is all about, and with the additional instrumentation thrown in from PuD and DougMom at various intervals - not to mention those wonderful synth solos at the end - it really shows a spotlight on Doug's attention to detail. Gotta admit it took me a while to understand the vocals without having to cite the lyric sheet though (most likely due to the extra effects processing), but that's a stylistic quirk that I'm probably pointing at here. Having said that, I really appreciate the direction taken here, and having heard lately that you were to take another music course then I'm all for seeing you audition with that. Again, good going Doug

Another strong track I remember from the NiGHTS project launch. It manages to fit so well with Jose's more laid-back style that I've come to see of him lately, especially in regards to the instrument choices (namely a lot of key-based instruments) and varied drumwork going on here. It plays so strongly with each of the different components of the source (even the rhodes solo at around 2:40), and even manages to find room for cameos along the way (the NiGHTS main theme and the appearance jingle at the end, most notably). It's hard to find much to fault here; if anything I'm not so sure about the accompaniment writing during the rhodes solo as it doesn't seem to match melodically with the rest of the writing, but that can probably only be seen as a nitpick in regards to the structure. Overall I dig the atmosphere work going on here, and while I do miss the Bronx Rican rhymes from time to time, a nice expressive instrumental work can be just as sweet to hear. I'm all set for more, Jose

Yeah, Exdeath's theme seems somewhat tricky to go for, especially given the more dynamic context towards it. But I'm glad you managed to pull through in the end. Arrangement-wise it starts out sounding as if it would be more of a straight-cover, but then with the sweeping strings and pads it starts to add more to the direction taken. And when elements of "A New World" start pushing in, it starts to add more to the chaotic atmosphere towards it if only for a brief while. I can certainly feel this large plateau of emptiness that's been emphasized with the soundscape here The production still worked out for most of the way, though I can't help but think there were a little too much high-pushing frequencies on one of the pads for a fair chunk of the track. It may differ depending on one's headphones that may be used, but to be fair my bigger beef was with the sudden ending; we had this nice harpsichord solo building up atmosphere, and all of a sudden... fadeout. So I got to say I was slightly disappointed in regards to the structure. So, all in all, a difficult source to work with and you managed to work well with what you got - an intriguing idea had been set there, and all the more to see what kind of developments would come in future works. Go for it Meteo

Hey, I remember this from the FBRC that year I also managed to keep a hold onto this newer version too since its release during a trip to Torquay earlier this year. Taking into consideration the lack of familiarity of the game, you've managed to actually do well in taking the theme apart and giving it a more sinister approach to what's been handled. The brass to me feels rather lush and expressive, especially when going towards several of the dynamic shifts between themes, and really showed off their mellow side at the 2:40 mark too; that's some nice humanisation work done for them. It's a shame the same couldn't really be done with the strings; to me they seemed to feel more 'constant' and less worked with. Real instrument humanisation is extremely difficult and that's something that a lot of arrangers struggle with in spite of style, but with what had come through you've managed to show a lot of potential even going across the other instruments in the field. So basically, you made Mirby a very happy girl by making this track a worthwhile debut for OCR and fulfiling a part of her mixing wishlist, and I also felt greatful that something like this ended up coming through as a debut. I'm all in anticipation for where you're going next, so nice work Peter