Jean Of mArc

Hey All!! It's been a super-long time since I've posted anything on these forums. Not because of lack of interest though!! I don't know if this counts as a ReMix so much as an arrangement (so I won't submit it) but I arranged the "Jungle Hijinx" music from Donkey Kong Country for a percussion ensemble I was a part of during my University years. This is a recording of us playing it for the first (and only) time live at our concert. Get it here: http://jeanofmarc.bandcamp.com/track/jungle-drum-hijinx-donkey-kong-country-live-percussion Looking back, I wish I could have kept the tom drum going through the whole thing, and it's not perfect, but I think that anyone who enjoys DKC should enjoy it. Performers: Marimba: Ken Shorley http://www.kenshorley.com/ Xylophone/Wood Blocks: Jean-Marc Giffin (Me!) Tom Drum/Glock: Jayme Keddy Vibraphones: Adam Campbell Drums: Trish MacAulay

Hmmm... Simple old-style instruments doing the Zelda theme. It's cute, but not the cure to writer's block or anything. Average at best.

This is a totally different approach to the classic tunes of Super Mario Bros than I'm used to, and I like it! It's sort of a sad, bittersweet randition, with some totally awesome dissonance (yes, I did say "totally awesome") and nice medleys. I found that sometimes it felt like they were about to go into something else, only to retract from it, which is kind of a disappointment. The main reason this bothers me is because these are musicians who really know what they are doing, and I really wanted to hear them take on the ideas that sounded like they were about to start up... ...But alas... Did not... Download now! YES YOU!

Wow. DJ Pretzel, (sorry, djpretzel), this is definatly one of your finest mixes, and among the best super mario bros. theme mixes out there at all. I listened to this song before I read your description about it, and I thought for a long time that those were actually real instruments the whole time. They are very very convincing sounds! Please do more like this nice Jazz randition. It's worth it for all ears to listen to!

I love mixes like this. Very peaceful arrangements of a song we all know and love. It's just a guitar playing a very well-played randition of the water theme, and it's very easy and nice to listen to. Beautiful, honestly. The strings the second time through could have been better, but the way Brad Smith plays the guitar here is all I need to make me listen again and again. I wish it had been longer than 1:20 though. Then again there's only so far you can go with one melody and one instrument.

Hahaha. Well, what can be said? It's an eighties mix of the Underground theme. That's right, bad synths and all! This remix would just be another one in the pile if it weren't for the funny and amusing vocals of a girl sort of singing-talking about how much she likes Mario. It won't blow you away, but the vocals make it worth your time to listen to. And the fact that it's eighties style, which, although not that great for synths (IMO), it still has some sort of charm that can't be ignored.

Hmmm... Well, it's exactly what it says it is: A Jungle ReMix. It's very synthy.... and basically repeats the main melody over and over synth jungle style. It sometimes changes keys, but it really could use some variety. As stands, it's not bad, but it doesn't really stand out to me as anything special. Edit: Alright, listening to it again, I have to give him Sound Effects and Drum Credits. He obviously worked hard on those, and they are quite good. All other comments stick though.

It's time for a very exciting Jean Of mArc Play-By-Play. Basically I play the song, and notate at various track times what I was thinking about the song at that point. Play-By-Play 0:00 - Silence. 0:05 - Nice string sound. Must aquire! Or at least awe in envy. 0:17 - Wow! So this is like a full orchestra playing here! Sounds good... 0:25 - Wait, that snare doesn't sound quite right... Very crunchy... The rest is sounding mighty fine... 0:35 - Nice chime effect. A bit more volume would have put more punch though... 0:51 - Wonderful piano/music box collaberation! I reconize this song now. Wow... This is beautiful! 1:20 - This added section is PERFECT! Fits the style and adds something that didn't exist, and continues the beauty. 1:54 - Repeat of melody with a subtle change in the bass. 3:00 - Tympani nice lead back into the full chorus. 3:15 - Very dedicated to the melody without over-doing it (the sign of a near-perfect mix) 3:40 - Good added lead-in bar to take us into... 3:45 - A faster version of the same thing. 4:26 - Fantastic ending. Pros - Thoughtful arrangment - Beautiful piano solo - Intro gets anticipation for the main melody - Outro great final build-up - Nice cresendo from the piano arrising from the orchestra around 00:50 - An absolutly wonderful song Cons - Chimes could have been louder - Trumpets aren't as in-your-face as real trumpets, though I have yet to find a very good trumpet synth sound. - Snare, rhythm is great, but I think a snappier sound would make it sound more authentic. Overall One of the best remixes I've ever heard. I'm a freak for orchestrated music, especially of songs I know. This is one of my favorites, hands down.