Rexy

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

I'm cool with that. Since the King's Cross meetup has pretty much fallen apart, that should be a good idea to go for.

I remember being kind of torn over this track when it came out. Part of it was namely because it's hard to do anything with the Ocarina of Time title music because of its blandness, and part of it seemed to be down to the basic production behind it; I recall the recording still having that trace of hiss, which seems to bring it down in regards to a clean level, not to mention the awkward dynamic shaping during the buildup and a rather straightforward arrangement outside from the nice solo work past the 1 minute mark. But getting away from the criticisms there, the resemblance to Steve Pordon's work is there, and the soundscape work managed to capture a more ethereal take on the source material. It has that pretty approach, it works, and I appreciate it at face value for what it is. Don't be too discouraged with the feedback; while I do indeed see more that could be done, I really hope that you'd come back for more. From what I'm seeing here, this is still a promising debut

Tongue in cheek or not, I somehow felt unsure about the instruments shirt. As cool an idea as it is, it probably has too much detail going for the front, when I somehow feel any form of detail would most likely cover nearer the center of the shirt or top at best. I do however second the idea of having the instruments on the back of a shirt design, similar to what one might expect from a band's sellout tour shirt

The Overclocked University design looks somewhat more practical. I'll vote for that

Wut, I'm not going to be the only girl there after all Nice going, Blake!

I'm sad that Danny B didn't make it, but it's still good to see Mr. Morse fill his shoes. The track manages to play well to Joshua's strengths in funk-based grooves, with a strong emphasis on the drum parts. I'm not quite so sure, but the first overworld variation here even kinds of bears some similarities to the version in Link's Awakening - not a bad thing at all, might be a hidden reference somehow. The level of interpretation is good; plays fairly safe though during the overworld sections, but the Zelda's Lullaby part really played well with the chord re-shuffling, and that to me is clearly a strong writing highlight there. Overall, strongly-structured and really defines what he's all about. Now, I know for sure that he doesn't like anyone who criticises his work, but I have to say this anyway; the orchestrated parts for me have their stiff moments, which I noted more particularly during the intro and the Zelda's Lullaby part. I admit it's hard enough for anyone to succeed in that field, but if these sounds are to be used more frequently then there has to be more time spent with the samples' filters to get them to sound that pinch more convincing. It's really my only qualm with this outside from a well set overworld interpretation for the new Zelda project; a good showcase from Joshua Morse, and I'm keen to see where his next few releases would take us

I can easily understand djp's sentiment over the 'consumerist' nature of the track, considering that Goldenrod had a department store. So I guess I'm pretty much imagining it all decked up with tinsel and flashing lights. What managed to surprise me is that rhythm-wise, it managed to base itself more on the HeartGold/SoulSilver version, so even with the 8-bit sounds it managed to root into more modern-day relevance and all. The starter sound effects at 1:11 placed in were awesome/appropriate, and the morphing of the theme throughout the short time frame really makes it felt like it went on for longer than merely 2 and a half minutes; very cute and charming arrangement. Also, is it me or is there a distinct amount of reverb placed across the whole mix aside from the ending? Not saying that's a distractant, but it did somehow make me think the extra space might've made the mix feel a bit too empty for something as chirpy as this. Light irk aside, Ben and halc working together is a pleasure to witness, and I'm all up for seeing more clever interpretations from both artists (even individually) in the near future

We can definitely do with more Sixto, especially to cover a track as complex as the Vs Mode theme I'm often used to hearing Sixto take things in a straightforward approach but still put his own spin on things, and yet he seemed to have taken the track apart into subsections and re-ordered them while still maintaining a sense of structure. So basically, he kept true to the source, but the pieces are placed in that much of a different order it can still be considered interpretive Going beyond the source shake-up, the solo work at 2:41 plays well to his improvisation strength, not to mention the ending with the gate work and synth fade out still managed to add so much to the scope, giving more to the illusion that even if the game is over there's still more to do for the most passionate amongst us. So yes, you didn't disappoint, and I'm glad you managed to keep on the project after all!

I stated at the NiGHTS project listening party that this was one of my favorites in the whole thing, if only for the ridiculous way of writing and handling of the source material. And indeed the track didn't disappoint with an intro reminiscent of Muse's "Uprising" with the synth bass and some solid performance work before bringing in the source material melody ay 0:47. The arrangement ended up being modestly straight-forward since, but given the direction and genre changes throughout the whole thing and the general execution behind these transitions - even production-wise - it works well even with the light expansions thrown in along the way, most notably the Satriani-esque piano/guitar solos past the 2:30 mark. I gotta say the change to the downbeat section at 3:00 was the icing on the cake for me, returning to the core element of the melody and showing a clear amount of showmanship with the guitar expression there. I'm definitely keeping a hold on this one for some time - takes guts to handle such a complex track and bring it to that kind of level, so nice going Fishy! (Oh, and see ya on Saturday )

Well, this track took me some time to wrap around my head, especially considering the not-entirely-melodic nature of the track - similarities with the Mother Brain source material? In spite of this, it manages to keep with the source origins really well and goes into some very smooth creative melodic movements past the 1:10 mark. Gotta say that the percussion somehow felt a little minimalist to me for the first half of the song, but by the time it starts thickening up at 1:50 it starts to really dive into Mazedude's potential (which i'm assuming is where you started working on it again) and shows some writing skills kinda reminiscent to what you'd expect from the Earthbound score. It may take a few listens to get used to the whole thing, but once you do the purpose of the track starts to feel more understood. To sum this up, it's quirky, it takes a more ambient track in a fresh direction, and I really dig this, so nice work for the Shinesparkers crew

Chernabogue, did you get in touch with LuketheX? Perhaps he could cook up something in the last minute :\ The last thing we'd want to see though is a team that would retire due to lack of commitment from most of the personnel. Also, surprises me that we don't know who's mixing for the Block Rockman Beats yet. What's up? o_O

Let's see what I can probably throw in as suggestions * I'm a girl so remember that if you're going for anything specific, though I'm not quite as girly as Amy so stuff like cosmetics and perfume are out of the window. I tend to invest my money more on gadgetry more than anything else. * I have a Wii and DS (feeling kind of old now lol). But bear in mind that I DON'T have a freeloader on the Wii, so NTSC-format discs are a no-go. * I'm a big fan of PS1 platformers (they to me were my glory days in regards to gaming); it's become obviously evident that I am a HUGE fan of Crash Bandicoot in particular, though I also have fond memories of Spyro, Klonoa and Ape Escape as well. * I'm similarly open for some more ridiculous gift ideas, like some of the others have been stating. Though, be sure to keep the item clean (i.e. no NSFW stuff). * I also use the USA iTunes store as well as the UK one, so I'm open for gift cards too if you can't think of much else. And there we go, a few ideas from me

A) Yes, I'm pretty much taking a step backwards for the lead because I've figured that it's way too hard to accurately handle synth instrumentation correctly. Being primarily a keyboardist, I've come to understand what I should've done in the first place in regards to layout xP but rest assured, I'm still firm to keep working on it. Assuming you missed them earlier, the lyrics to "Liquid Metal" C) And yes, on an unrelated note, Corran's take on Splash Woman was beautiful; I really hope one day he'd keep refining it and send it to OCR as well