Marmiduke

This is one of those mixes where if certain elements of it were done really well, it wouldn't be half as good. The fact that everything (except the arrangement) is just a little bit shit is actually quite charming and often introspective in a way. Can we view the lyrics as an almost illiterate schoolgirl's infatuation with a videogame character, or is it more a satire on the degredation of youth and society in the face of technological change and virtual escapism? I like the latter perspective. While I think the vocals are nothing special, it sounds like that is in most part due to how far back they were, and also because this isn't a regular singing piece. injury has a much better showcase of her vocal talents in other mixes. The arrangement on a very known, very simple theme was really well handled, surprisingly well handled in light of the lack of effort to be wholly serious in other aspects of the mix. But like I said, the camp value of this is worth more to me if it tried to be better than it could have been. It's an interesting ride through Madonna-esque territory.

A pretty good emulation of those fantasy-metal style bands, although the vocals give it a uniqueness. The production is of course rawer than most folkish metal pieces I've heard, and I have to say, the result is actually desirable. Things aren't as clear as they should be, but who says they should be. It gives it some darker areas that I enjoy a lot. The vocals aren't the strong point, and the lyrics are standard epic medieval fantasy fare, but you know, nothing ever feels wrong. I'd trade the first section for the dungeon section anyday, but both exhibit a huge amount of talent and effort that never sounds laboured, stale or amatuer. I don't know about the best, but I think this is possibly the meatiest treatment of the Zelda theme (+ dungeon theme) that there will ever be.

I've always been more of a classical Christmas music lover, rather than the more contemporary holiday fare that is interwoven in this. That being said, splice them with some Koji Kondo favourites and I'm all over them. Just like most other people, I was extremely surprised how compatible the two fields are. It creates a real melodic sensation that is both rewarding to listen to as well as highly amusing. Not laugh out loud amusing, but in a way that it makes you want to concentrate on the music, rather than just let it wash over you. If I was in a band with my friends, this is the type of music I'd want to be playing. Not just for the self-satisfaction, but also those WTF? facial expressions from the audience must be priceless.

This is awesome. it definitely succeeds in creating a blaring rock rendition of a Mega Man classic, and also developing a lot of personality at the same time through the lyrics. I always find sympathetic perspectives of villians really interesting, so the mix (and the album) was always destined to be right up my alley. While I wish the sound and the vocals could have been richer, what's here does the job well. It plateaus in intensity quite early, which isn't exactly a problem, especially since it is capped off with the terrific accompanied spoken section. It provides a nice ending and incorporates the build structure that the majority of the mix lacked. I would say the end section is crucial in allowing this mix to be more than just well-produced rock with some conceptual garnish. I'm pleased that it's much better than that, as I'm sure a lot of people are.

Rather than raving like a loon like I've done many times before, I'll grant this mix the dignity of just keeping it simple. A perfectly executed mix and without a doubt one of the best 10 mixes on the entire site. I shouldn't have to explain why.

Wow, another side of Mazedude revealed. This guy seems to have more sides than a cluster of zonohedrons. Which is to say, a lot. And every side offers an askew stamp and oftentimes a personal take on a certain influence. I like that a lot of Mazedude's repotoire represents varied chunks of his own psyche, with this one being one of the best. It's very spirited and rollicks along at pretty kickass pace, until the end where it draws back into a fitting close. It pulls a lot of hefty punches in the bass department, and I loved the detailing with the vocal samples. It's clear that the entire track is aware that it has a nice, strong melody under its belt, and it doesnt care to flaunt it as much as possible, which is awesome. It never actually transcends the sound of game music, but that's not a problem if that was the intention. There's not much at fault with this at all, which shouldn't surprise anyone who has been following OCR's finest alumni. Top notch, even by previous Mazedude standards.

I want to champion the intro for this, because I've read some complaints that it's dull, uninspired, boring. I think it contends as one of the best things about the mix. It's brooding ambience at its very best, and the best thing about it is that it is quintessential Metroid. 30 seconds in and there is no doubt we are in the Metroid universe, distorted and dark as hell. The collab team were totally right to see the strength in it and let it play out for such an extended amount of time. It speaks to the mix, as well as the game it derives from in terms of a slow-burning establishment of atmosphere and the connection to the surronundings. Of course, it's not just the intro that stands out. K. Praslowicz's guitar kicks ass as a menacing lead, and gives the mix a better drive that sustains it to the end. As cool as the intro is, most people need that pitstop of awesomeness, especially with a running length as long as this. Really great collaboration; I can distinctly hear the strengths of each player and they mesh extremely well. I got pretty immersed in this. A huge success.

It signifies a lot when a medly of tunes I have never heard before sounds so compelling. There is some really great pieces in here, so good that they actually make me a little guilty for being so naive to them. I like that it refrains from grabbing the Euro-clubbing concept and running with it. The influence and sound is there, but this is a much more involved and interesting way to listen to it than pure rave style. While I do think the second half of the mix is superior, I think the first half is more interesting and maybe more technically impressive, so some major props are deserved across the board. And it pulls off one of the trickiest things to do in a medly; inventive yet natural sounding transitions. It is sporadic and wont be to everyone's taste, but there's a whole lot to appreciate here.

I'm only a sample-quality nazi when I really feel something isn't right, and with this, I'm afraid I minded the samples. Not majorly, but they still drew me away somewhat. The mix interweaves between tolerable and just very plain and tasteless. In some spots, I feel like I'm listening to the soundset from Ocarina of Time. But you know, in other patches of the tune things sound quite pleasant and ear-catching. The arrangement does the mix some tremendous and much-needed heavy lifting, and keeps up a standard sound of competence. I feel like I do need to point out the really apparent lack of balance in this. The quality in later spots far exceeds the anemic, boring, bone-dry beginning. I enjoyed the work done in the later parts a lot, and so I found this a schizophrenic experience. Overall, I'm convinced of the mixer's competence, but I think even in this track's richest sections, this is a little flatter than what we've become accustomed to at this stage of the site's life. A lot of promise and some nice ideas locked in a lackluster shell.

I love complex arrangements like this, and this is perhaps one of the best examples I've come to hear in all my years listening on the site. That's not to say it is the most complex, but I think its more productive than other tracks that are conceptually similar. Of course the dealbreaker is whether things get overwhelming or not, and fortunately this mix completely steers clear of that by using simple sounds in clever and interesting ways. It's like a scrapbook full of ideas strung together with the utmost coherency. In other words, it's freaking brilliant.

Ah, brilliance. It's so hard to choose a highlight in this, it's like every element of it is competing for the title of "Most Awesome". Of course, the mix wouldn't be the same without the vocals. They are perfectly executed and applied, they don't overstay and bog down the music. Flutes are mad awesome, and the strings a great addition. The electric guitar belongs, people! Seriously, I couldn't hear anything that left the guitar unjustified. It built and expanded the material in a great sounding way. And as for the transition, I can't think of how it could have been pulled off better. As for the viola, I'm not as enthusiastic about. To me it was a little obvious sounding and reverby, but it in no way cripples the mix. It's pretty apparent that this was a huge production effort, and it shows in every facet. It offers a killer, meaty arrangment with an uber professional sound, and it also does some serious representation for those little, overlooked bits of gaming obscurity. Just goes to show that you never know what something's going to mean to you unless you give a chance.

Colour me surprised by the level of compositional quality. It's a shame that such great music can be overshadowed by obscurity and only heard by a very minute amount of people throughout history. I like that upon everything else that this mix does well, it also expands the awareness of the source by a margin. I know it is very unlikely I would have ever heard this theme if it wasn't for this mix. Onward to the actual music, it's weird that the first time I listened to this, the piano stood out as the best thing in it. Further listening has made me question my own sanity for overlooking the excellent guitar aspects of this as well. There is a great amount to like in this mix, clearly. This is significantly better than most rock ballads I've heard anywhere. Not a fan of the genre, but I think this mix transcends it anyway. Awesome mix that came out of left field for me. Gotta love how some of the best things come directly from obscurity.

Wow, someone actually thought that this source could do with a bit more darkness? Okay, I can deal with that. Of couse, the original was always more creepy and soul-impregnating, but I'm really liking how small changes to the arrangement have brought out this infinite foreboding from the music. The choppy synth work is a really great effect, I think. I'm not sure how effective it is at conveying the doomed imagery of the first section, but I understand that at some point, it has to be more about how cool the music is to listen to than how much it freaks us out. Drumwork is as crazed as any good breakbeat drumwork should be, and the added samples... a very wise decision. It adds a lot of cohesion, of which you can never have enough of, and also gives it even more of a Metroid signature. Like, just in case you didn't get that this was Super Metroid on apocalyptic steroids. Ekaj won himself a fan with this here mix. Yes, he did.

There was a big risk taken with that looooooooong synth that completely dominates your entire aural capacity for a while, but thankfully it is completely justified by what comes next. The lead is pretty fascinating because, perhaps from the in-your-face intro, it seems to have its own consciousness, twisting and writhing through the percussion. That sort of immersion is pretty rare, especially when we're talking about synths. The mix itself is satisfactory, but it doesn't exceed its novelty. That's fine though, because it's just as enjoyable as it ever could have been otherwise. It's very C64ish, and that's a big win, in my eyes. A noteworthy effort and very much worth at least hearing once.

God, this source. You could play it with samples of people vomiting and it would sound amazing. Not to take away from the apex of quality in this mix, though. I would much rather this over my proposed mix concept. This does pretty much everything a fan of the original sources would want. It gives a loud treatment, it gives a quiet treatment. It plays the main melody alone, and it plays it with various other intertwined Metroid cameos. At parts it sounds connected to the games, with the choir pads being very Metroid-esque. And at other times it sounds quite removed from that universe and more nightclub centred. I guess my point is: everyone should be at least a little satisfied with what BGC has on offer here. I really enjoy eventful music, and this mix is just that. It also helps that the source is seemingly impossible to screw up, but I'm glad there are people out there constantly thinking of new ways to improve it.

Really interesting chiptune work, I must say. It's almost aspiring to resemble dance music, even though it's held back a fair margin, which I think was a wise thing to resist. There is something very alluring about mixes that take the road less travelled and opt out of giving a certain source edge, rawness or a melancholy element. This is pure fun, with no attachments or hidden agendas. The variety is the clear winner here. The only way anyone could get bored of this mix is if they absolutely loathed chiptune music. The prowess of arrangement is interest grasping of the strongest sort. It's a job really well done, in that regard. The only thing that suffers from the amount of variety is that the melodies aren't as resonant and there are no major hooks to speak of. Not that it really needs it, but generally with this bubbly sort of music there is an infectious quality that isn't as strong in this. Despite that, I can't fault this. It's ambition is simple; I can appreciate that. And it's execution is detailed, dynamic and always interesting; I can appreciate that even more. This is a huge success with me.

Awesome barrage of sounds and soloing. Sort of a whirlwind of different styles and ways to approach the theme, without it sounding like a scattershot at all. I always admire mixes like this; it must be hard to keep things heading in a balanced direction. Loving the Motown vibe with the strings and horns, which gives great perspective to the more complex xylophone/e-piano jazz-inspired moments. Any fear of not being able to fully get into mixes from a game as insignificant to me as Ragnarok were blown out of the water with this mix. Very cool work.

I like the intensity on this one. It's arranged like a bagpipe song in terms of the percussion, the pacing and the tone of the guitar, but there are obvious expansions on the theme that bagpipes just cannot pull off. The final result sounds like hellish versions of Celtic and Indian musical stylings. It's quite a combination. Obviously, the production here isn't clean enough to eat off, but the mix would be something else altogether if it were. What it attempts to do is bring out the darker themes of Zelda (and they are there), which I think it does pretty successfully. I appreciate that it's Zelda from a different perspective, yet it is still Zelda. Which is a lot more than other mixes have done, despite them being technically superior. I'd say this mix was pretty excellent.

Wow. Un-freaking-believable. As the site chronology exists today, this is the 50th mix. And yet I wouldn't be complaining even if it were the 1500th mix. This is impeccable stuff. Drums still pack oomph, the bass is still killer and of course you can't ignore the amazing step forward in term of soloing. This is pretzel soloing at its most unadulterated and pristine state served piping hot. I can't get enough of it; it has addictive qualities. As good as the mixes that came before, I do think this really solidified the calibre of future djpretzel mixes. It's super interpretive, it's melodic and it has a timeless quality to it. An early prototype of what every mix should hope to be. A perfect mix, and an important one at that.

Did I just drill into a wellspring of Pendulum-style synth drum-and-bass awesomeness? Because I'm happily drowning in a deluge of it. Love the asymetrical approach to the arrangement. It doesn't feel constrained by a genre that often overestablishes and falls into repetition, and handles the obscure deviations of the melody really well, even in its heaviness. Strings are a very welcome touch among the meticulous chaos. Given the concept, this was always going to be a wall of sound but it's most surprising (or not, given that this is Audix) that there's something quite subtle in what it does. Dare I say, I think this showcases a bit of musical maturation arrangement-wise. Very classy DnB that brings some smarts into the mix along with the usual energy, energy, energy. I do like.

What an arrangement. Knocked out the park with this one. The piano stuff is magnified brilliance. The guitar doesn't tesselate perfectly, sounding slightly ajar from where it needed to be, but it does add some really nice vibrancy to the already rich primordial orgy of tunage. This is a melody that can sound pretty archaic if you aren't careful, but that doesn't even seem in the realm of possibility from listening to this. On top of that, contrary to slowing down the melody, this always seems to be the fastest 6 and half minutes ever. Wouldn't be surprised if there were people fanatically obsessed with this mix, as I am not far from that myself.

Real mind-sinking music here. It's definately a powerhouse in terms of its specific genre. Conceptually, its textbook dub music. It makes no excuses for it, and noone is really looking for them anyway. It does one thing and one thing well. To say it is typical of the genre doesn't mean it has no sense of identity, though. The seemingly ageless production values and added pieces of expansion make this a very early benchmark for the genre, even today. I wouldn't say you necessarily had to be a fan of dub music to enjoy this - but if you hate the genre, this mix will hate you too.

I love the ethnicity that is infused into what is essentially a slow rock track. The guitar is fooling noone, sadly, and I'm usually not really bothered by it. But it seems like a missed opportunity. I get this is an old mix, and that it's ridiculous to suggest things that probably weren't accessable or doable at that time, but the music does suffer from it, and that's a shame. That being said, the rest of the instruments sound awesome and serve the arrangement very well. The melody isn't distinctly strong in this, but I still think things stay fresh when the familiar disappears. A more distinguishable theme running through this would have resulted in a better finished product, but as it is, I'm still more than happy to listen to it.

As far as Protricity arrangements go, this doesn't really shine at all. Interesting ideas were applied to unexpanded material, after which it was all rolled up into a concise pirate ship-themed concept. While this still sounds pretty good, it didn't explode all over me like some of the Protricity mixes that would come after this. Samples wise, its a very mixed bag. Brass is definately a sore spot and the drums are very Protricty (what else would they be?), but overall I heard nothing grossly plain or obstructive. It's not a tasty collection of samples, but palatable all the same. Bearing in mind the flaws however, the mix certainly exhibits an admirable level of quality and polish, and is a very enjoyable aural adventure. Prot could have kept at this skill level and still been pretty damn successful in my eyes, though I'm glad he improved from this point as well.

Not as much funky as it is unpretentiously stylised. I love the edgier flavour given to the simple theme; creepy without seeming like it is trying to be creepy. I think the instrumentation works extremely well with this. I am reminded of some select tracks from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, that took various chiptunes and arranged them with a harder, darker sound not unlike where this travels. Being a Mazedude mix, I shouldn't have to point out that this also has personality in spades, and some great pacing and technical effects piled on top. Everything comes together pretty fluidly (especially impressive is the undisturbing transition between whole themes and tempos) and is undeniably good. I still think it may prove a tad unaccessable to some, but as far as I'm concerned, this is better than I'd ask of anyone. Mazedude provides yet again.