Geoffrey Taucer

As always, I love how Shariq creates such a rich soundscape with sounds that are, on their own, fairly simple. Rich and lush. The percussion work especially stands out. But man..... I can also hear so much emotion packed into this mix. The whole thing is just gushing with the sense of the fragile-yet-infinite potential of a new born child.

Man there is so much to love about this mix, but there are two things I have to mention in particular: First, the off-beat chord stabs in the intro, that sound almost but not quite guitarrish, and almost but not quite synthish Is it a sample of a guitar strum that's cut super short, or is it a synth with similar tonal characteristics to a guitar, or what? Whatever it is, it's incredibly compelling. Second -- and this is MkVaffe's signature -- is the way every single element has space to breathe. Absolutely nothing gets lost in the mix; I feel like I can hear every single drum hit, every single note on every single synth, every reverb tail, everything. I don't understand how MkVaffe does this, but he does it better than anybody. Every single element shines through. Absolutely delightful

Very pretty, enjoyed the tone of the lead woodwind

You know you've got a great mix when it makes you think "this is what Shimomura wanted to do, but couldn't quite pull off"

oooh, I love this! It's all the little details that jump out to me. The little arpeggios at 0:46, the bass and chords in the next few measures from 0:56ish, the changes to the original chord progression around 1:10ish.... actually, the chords and bass throughout are really cool. Transitions are not where I'd expect them, but still somehow all in exactly the right place. Production is exactly the right level of loud and in your face. Excellent mix!

Oh shit dude, good to see you again! I'll definitely check this out EDIT: loving this whole thing!

HOLY CRAP I LOVE THIS GAME AND I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE IT GETTING SOME PROPER LOVE ON OCR! Love this interpretation. You took everything that was fun about the original track, and made it hit harder. So much to love about this track! The guitar-esque chugs, the toms at 1:20, the choice of synth tones, the clarity with which I can hear each element.... I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this mix. Bravo, definitely a new favorite!

Haha, love this! Such a creative direction to take this tune, one I never would have thought of in a million years. My only real complaint is that the bass feels much too quiet. It needs more volume or more low end or both. Percussion probably could have been brought down slightly as well. But these are minor complaints, and the mix as a whole is loads of fun!

I came in to say almost the exact same thing. Big picture, that choir isn't a major or even necessary part of the mix, but taking the time to add those articulations is a really cool touch, some real above-and-beyond stuff. And it blends so well with the piano. I'm usually not that into this style, but this is some really excellent work. Definitely will be coming back to this mix regularly.

Love the tonal pallette, love the melody in this time sig, love the smoove sexy jazz feel.

I think so

OOOOOH, 30 seconds in and I'm already swaying in my chair. Arrangement is conservative, but tonal textures are enough to keep it interesting. 2:21, nice. On the whole, my only complaint is that the mix feels harsh in the high end.

I pretty much grew up in this community. OCR is my home town, just as much as Raleigh is. Almost all of my best friends are OCR people, and at least a third of the guests at my wedding were people I know through OCR. This community is where I met my people, and where I learned and grew as a musician.

Ooooooh damn I love this style! Really cool tonal palette, and cool rhythmic effects from the splicing of the parts. Awesome work!

I do it all by ear, and honestly a lot of my "interpretation" just comes from being sloppy in this process. As long as it's recognizable, I don't really worry about whether I've got all the exact same notes and chords as the original. That's a lot of the fun of arrangement anyway: those moments where you go "that doesn't sound quite like the original..... but actually, I kind of like it, so let's roll with it" As for how to come up with arrangement ideas, every mix I do starts out as a rhythm guitar part. I figure out some chords that sound close enough, then mess around with it. Try it faster, try it slower, try it with swing, try it in a different time signature, try messing around with the chords and see if I can still hum the melody over them, try switching everything to minor if it was major and major if it was minor, etc. Then once I find a style I like, I build back up from there.

Oh damn this might be my new favorite remix

Ooooh...... I might have to take a crack at this one. Linking the source just to have it here. I think I have an idea what I want to do with it already.....

Yup, that's definitely the factory theme from DKC. I'd recognize that anywhere. Dave Wise at his absolute finest, imo

What I love about MkVaff's style is how each piece has plenty of room to breathe, and I can clearly hear every single note on every single synth and every single drum beat. Nothing ever gets buried or lost in the mix. No clutter, just sweet sweet synths and beats.

Got any use for an (admittedly amateur) python dev?

Loved the original, and love this take on it! Really captures and expands on the epic and ethereal feel of the track.

Hello, all! I'm selling my Kendrick 2210 guitar amp, the tweed-est of tweed amps. This is the amp used for the lead in Lover Reef, and for every electric guitar part in Trapped in the Minds. All analogue, lovely responsive cleans, delightful tweed growl when cranked, loves pedals of any sort. Hoping to get $2k for it, but happy to consider reasonable offers (especially if you're within driving distance of Ewing, NJ) https://reverb.com/item/54819511-1991-kendrick-2210-tweed-amp

HAHAHA YES! This mix is so much fun. The world needs more accordion music.

Arrangement is nice, but I really wish the guitars were mixed a bit louder.

HAHAHA I love everything about this!