Marmiduke
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Posts posted by Marmiduke
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I don't know if there's too much to say about this one other than its quite different in quality to what else is on the site. It's not garbage and has a few merits, but something has to give when performance and production is so messily presented in the one package. There's a disregard to quality here that I can't really get in the spirit of, to tell you the truth. I don't really care all that much for the arrangement as it reeks of a forced medley.
I will say that some standalone tunes appealed to me and there are some moments where things click in place and work. The latter half, for example, is miles better than the first and seemed to have a better grasp on direction by the time it had finished. But as a full package, this is way too sloppy for me to condone. Not much flies over my head, but if this sound was intentional, I don't want to understand it. There is no reason why this couldn't have had the same rough edge without totally ignoring the more basic principles of music-making. Keep it dirty if need be, but for god sake, make it make sense.
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Overly impressed! Very striking synth-guitar retro fusion that never hits a bad note and never ventures into bland territory. I'm really loving the selection of synths in here. Always interesting and fitting, despite being at odds with the natural order of things. The mix is in a constant state of change, and only keeps getting better. Guitar work is up to par with housethegrate's fantastic preceding work, but what I take from this mix is how nicely the guitar and the synths get along in such a busy arrangement. I wouldn't say they were especially harmonoious, per se. But they get along and work to that common goal, and that common goal sure is sweet. A real unexpected highlight.
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I like this a whole lot. Definitely has a lot of the game's mood locked inside it, whilst taking a much more defined, fresher approach to things. I thought the inclusion of a bit of ethnicity was pretty inspired and worked a treat with the creepy main theme. In itself, the source tune itself is hard to classify, and this mix doesn't exactly give it any more direction than it already had. The piano and stringwork do a pretty good job in extracting as much foreboding out of the piece as possible, but it's a difficult score to get overly creative with so I don't know whether this does much more than provide a much better sounding, much more consumable track with some necessary diversity and arrangement thrown in. Despite the bells and a bit of dithering, there's nothing here not present in the game itself, but I do appreciate what's here nevertheless. Solid work.
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I really hate movie samples pasted into techno, firstly because it sounds horrible and is no subsitute for studio recorded vocals. And secondly because its a fairly transparent coattail ride on the cult status and appeal of other media. There's a few mixes on the site that I find abhorrent for these reasons.
This, strikingly, isn't one of them. Because there's a musicality to how they are integrated into this; they don't merely hover over the music, they are the music. Of course, there's a few movie samples in there that I could have done without, but I have to say this surprised me a lot.
It's a sparingly made mix, but a really unique one. There's definately nothing else like this on the site, which is a shame, because I really dig the way this sounds. The chopped up, sometimes distorted approach does it a lot of favours, but what I like most is that it never falters from its strict techno-scene roots. This is much closer to trance-style electronic music than the videogame music scene, and the change in scenery is very welcome around these parts. I only wish there were more like this (though the movie quote mixes can stay in the god-forsaken past).
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Youch. Look out. White hot sex explosion in progress. Could this be any slicker?
This thing really has legs, great ones. Smooth sexy legs that do much ass-kicking. I really love the production on this. Really rich in all those classic funk sounds, but cleaner, clearer and tighter than I ever remember funk sounding. Nice amount of instrumental variation to keep things tasty and the basswork is just the money.
I'm getting more and more into these Morse mixes. Above everything else, its the attention to detail, variation and fullness of sound that captivates me with this. Somehow, against better judgement, manages to make toejam sexy. I can't condone that, but I will continue to enjoy it.
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This one has been a pretty huge deal for me ever since the day it was posted. I wish I knew how many times I'd listened to it but it's probably a blessing that there's no way of knowing. I wouldn't dare take a guess.
Deep, contemplative treatment to an already perfect example of game music. It never fails to impress me how so much of the original was retained even through introducing some very cool, dynamic changes to the direction. The tonal lift into a more hopeful, lighter sound resulted in a great payoff that is just as encapsulating as the original.
A tremendous beginning to DarkeSword's trilogy of Prime mixes, which each share the same structure as this, but are each amazing standalone pieces in their own right. Just A Little More [Prime Edit] is the one that has lived inside me the most. It's a stunning piece of work; subtly arranged in many ways, but extremely memorable and enjoyable regardless. A perfect mix.
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Super nice stuff. I'm a huge fan of this series of mixes, so it's good to finally get around to writing a little note of appreciation for it.
I really like how this has a delicate approach to the genre. It doesn't aspire to soar or deafen or deluge layer upon layer of synth. There's a time and a place for that sort of thing, certainly. But the higher road taken here sure is sweet for a change.
Very fluid mixing. Great compatibility of sounds and instruments; the strings sound strong and I'm liking the choices in synths and effects too. I'm not familiar at all with the sources, but that is totally irrelevant to enjoying this. This is an awesomely serene mix of textures that only gets better with multiple listens. Get it and let it all sink in.
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I'm actually really impressed with this one. Never really took much notice of its arrangement before, but I love its focus on contrast and impact through juxtaposed sounds. It has really nice touches embedded into both the harsh and slower sections that work side by side. I don't know if they transition into eachother so well, but I can ignore that in order to enjoy the other aspects.
Distortion is always an iffy thing to add to a mix in this quantity, but it didn't upset me much. In fact, I thought it added a nice acidic tone to the proceedings before it descended into the cleaner, mellower portions.
Other areas like the synth and a slight lack of cohesion betray this mix a little, but it's still a very solid piece and one I won't overlook again.
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Very warm, very pleasant mix that puts a few ideas of the table but most importantly, performs a really solid tune well.
The panning work was fine with me up until a point. Maybe because I listen exclusively with headphones, but there was something about the panning breakdown that made me question whether it was necessary, or even if it was done tightly enough. It's a strange effect to insert in a bridge between some really lovely piano music and balanced guitar work. For me, it wasn't utilised as well as McVaffe's own Tempest Mix.
Still, the samples have held up remarkably well in this, and McVaffe tunes are always irresistable to listen to whenever the opportunity arises. Awesome, upbeat McVaffe piano conquers all. A breezy one, but a good one.
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As usual, Mazedude makes them big or not at all. And that warrants no complaints from me. Nice constantly blossoming mix with a very meaty, industrial approach. There's a sense of the familiar and a strong sense of uniqueness to the sound. Of course, the source can be a little difficult to sustain for too long, and the mix hints at a struggle to reinvent it in so many ways to sustain a decent running time, but despite a struggle it's pulled off with gusto. I always love what Mazedude manages to inject into things, and this one, while having a slightly more subtle arrangement than usual, is still absolutely stellar. As per usual, sound choice and production is faultless to my ears. We're dealing with A-grade quality here, but of course, we already know that going in.
Fans of mixes that build up in complexity and then unleash a storm of sound need look no further. Mazedude has provided the good yet again.
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The obsessive-compulsive, anal-retentive in me screams in frustration that this is labelled as Kirby Super Star when it's a Dream Land song. I know it's just a label, but it's akin to labelling the Mario theme as coming from Super Smash Bros. It just isn't accurate, and that gets to me a little.
As for the mix, there were things I enjoyed and things I didnt. I didn't enjoy the clipping, as it's a pretty prominent issue and once you hear it, you can't unhear it. I also get a sense that the mix sounds a little too thin or spacious. There's obviously some intent behind that, evident from the large gaps and the portion of silence. However, I don't think it does the arrangement or the structure many favours by having so much white-space on the canvas. Luckily, there are a lot of bits and pieces that work in this mix's favour. I love the little vocal at the beginning, and I like most of the intruments chosen. Things mesh accordingly, but like I said, the soundscape is very wishwashy and thin to what I'm used to hearing.
As good as the arrangement and ideas are, some glaring issues (as well as some of my own deep-seeded ones) get in the way with this one. Still not too bad, considering.
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Rayza has a wonderful knack for putting the melody first, something I'm greatly appreciative of. All too often in remixes (generally not those on OCR), too much focus is put on the trance whilst the melodic aspects of the mix are relegated to backing tracks. Not so with this mix, with the lead synth doing it's thing right up front in everyone's face.
This is a nice, tight package that doesn't pop as much as perhaps a more modern techno rendition would, but it still sounds extremely well exectued regardless. Some samples wear their age and arrangement is on the narrow side but the pros far outweigh the cons. It's still a standout mix of a great source that could have very easily gone completely overlooked. Nice one.
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Fitting that my playlist would randomly select this mix so close to the anniversary of Reuben Kee's untimely passing. It allows me to rediscover just how great a body of work he left behind and this is a supreme example of his talent at mixing, at arranging and on piano.
Fantastic performances from all four tracks. Kee knew exactly where to insert the hills and the valleys in his musical landscape, and how to extract the most power out of them. With this one, you never forget the feeling you're in the hands of a master of his craft.
Some people have said the alternating tempos and stop/start dynamic made this offputting, I don't agree at all. This is a piano arrangement after all; those sorts of things are pretty commonplace in the field and I happen to think the technique sounds great.
A prized, bittersweet track that shows Reuben Kee at his most robust. I listened to this countless times through my teenage years, and even though I'll never be able to listen to it the same way again, I can't think of a better way of remembering a lost member of the community.
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OooOOooOoOoo. A dance mix. With vocals. Nothing wrong with that concept.
This is pretty damn solid stuff. Production is great, if a little on the conservative side. The lyrics are some of my favourite, if only for their high impact simplicity. As for the vocals however, I thought they were operating from the sidelines a little. Don't get me wrong, they do everything they should, hit all the right notes perfectly and gave the mix a unique accent it was in great need of, but for me, if you are going to do a mix such as this and have a female sing vocals, it's gotta be sexy. That's not the vibe I was getting from the singing, and thus I wasn't seduced as heavily as I usually am when a siren is beckoning me. I don't want to imply all female singers should use their come-hither voice to appease their male audience, but in the context of a dance remix, anything but sexy voiced vocals begins to feel out of place. My one and only complaint, which pains me because DragonAvenger obviously has a lot of talent and a great sound of her own. It just had a slight clash with my wants and expectations this time.
I still love the genre, and I still love how this mix turned out. Yet another ultra-successful collab. Keep them coming.
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Extremely light-hearted mix pronounciating an extremely light-hearted source. This is essentially a modernized lullaby, which actually brings me to call out the drums used in here. They are perhaps a little too harshly suited to what this is; sweet, dreamy lounge jazz. For me, it creates a lot of tension inside what would have otherwise been an extremely chill flow.
Other than the drums, there's fine instrumentation and a nice approach to spacial arrangement, but I can't help but be disappointed that it goes against the lullaby vibe considerably by being harder hitting than it probably had any right to be. Also, it's not the most melodic, catchy or interesting of sources, but it's not without its charm either.
Regardless, this is about as innocent and light as things get around here, so I'd recommend it if the sweet side of OCR is your thing. I don't know if I'd ever chill to it, but I certainly have no qualms about listening to it whilst playing TF2.
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Certainly adds a whole lot of meat to a miniscule scrap of music, sprucing it up tenfold. I like a lot of what was done to it, and I’m overly impressed with how many different ways those same bars could be represented. Samples are unnoteworthy, and that ending is remarkable only for how hilariously appalling it is. But as far as envelope-pushing mixes go, this had to have demonstrated the lengths that videogame music remixing could and would go, transforming an insignificant series of bloops into a pretty snazzy piece of legitimate music. Shows age, but it could be a lot worse. I still enjoy it.
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Superb choice of sounds and contrasts here make something that might have been an unjustified, lazy-sounding mix into something with some real worth. My stance on covers isn't wholeheartedly supportive, but there's something to be said for those select covers that bring the original music into an entirely new perspective by giving it a burst of professionalism.
Of course I would have loved some arrangement. It's something that I do listen for and always come up short. That being said, the original melody actually doesn't need the support of good arrangement since it retains interest the whole way through. The collaborative effort here is so sweet to listen to, but there is a small concern that it wasn't used to its full potential.
But like I said, I'm not going to be too hard on it for not exploring that potential because what is here definitely isn't broken. It's just a case of a whole lot of work being put into production, and very little being set aside for personalising it. Samples have held up well, and the performances are excellent. For that reason, I'm willing to give it a free pass. However, all dazzle and no creativity gets old fast. I hope this position on 'remixing' stays a relic of the past.
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Woah, this is big, loud and very macabre. Great concept piece. I could always hear the dark side of Kondo's work, and always thought it has gone underappreciated for a while. This mines that material and concentrates it into an extremely well-produced five and a half minutes. Also, I love pipe organ work, especially when used with darkened material, so this is a high achiever for me.
The first half of the mix, while not the superior half, couldn't have been done any better in my opinion. It's like a gothic retrospective of past castle themes, but in no way a traditional medly. We get portions of familiarity shrouded in dissonance and organ hits. Quite an admirable decision and one I appreciate a lot. It makes the thrust into the 'New' Mario territory make a lot of sense and by that stage, the listener knows exactly what the mix is about, and hopefully what to expect from future installments.
This shows all the signs of a very promising series of mixes in the vein of the Cantata for Dancing movements. Let's hope it can live up to the potential suggested in this one. No pressure, or anything...
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This is how you do chiptune. As a rush of glorious chip synths in total harmony with one another.
I'm pretty familiar with the source tune, which gave me even greater appreciation for how its represented here. There's some really excellent, really playful alterations to the melody that lift the mix, both in tone and quality. This genre of music, for me, is such a celebration of classic game music, and I think that comes through in this (despite the fact that the game wasn't from the same NES-style chiptune era).
There's not a lot I can say about mixes that have nothing wrong with them, except that I enjoy that people are still making unapologetically blissful music here on the site. Great stuff.
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I like that this actually extracts some FUN out of the Terra melody; something I would have thought pretty impossible back in the day. It's got a jovial style, almost like it is saying 'the hell to the emotive side of this song, I want to dance'. There's nothing wrong with that, either.
Samples are substandard, but that's not news to anyone I'm sure. The string sections are nice, but do mislead the listener and scrambles the orientation a bit. However I do like that they are there, as they give the mix just a bit more personality; as schizophrenic as that personality may be.
A cheerful yet confused take on Terra. At least it is done interestingly and gives the theme a thorough reworking. I mean, it made Terra's Theme fun. Deserves at least some credit for that.
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This truly throws you into the deep end of technical wizardry, whether you are prepared for it or not. I'd really hate to be an amatueur mixer striving for a strong percussion-oriented mix to listen to this in the middle of mixing. Deflation.
It's definately a technical goliath; you can hear it from the word 'go', hammering out beats in every spare patch of space it can. The prowess in writing, the great choice in lead synth, and of course, the high-quality sound of Groove Bias, keep the ever-present drumwork from becoming chaotic or distracting.
In fact, one of things I love most about this is that drums are usually a bit of a blindspot for me when listening to music. I'm not that percepive of their presence as I am other elements. With this, everything is emphasising and pointing directly to the percussive elements, so it allowed me to really get something out of it and enjoy it.
It's a refreshing prospect to see mixes focusing more on drawn back ideals in music, and less on melodic exploration. I much prefer a good melody, but a sidestep from that discipline, like this one is, is always a welcome contrast to the usual sound coming from OCR. It's a spectacle to behold, that's for sure, and hopefully indicative of the caliber of experimental mixes to come.
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Mazedude once again exels at spinning a rainbow of instruments and curiosities our way, all culminating into one hyperactive bundle of win. Flawless in design and execution. The samples are pretty crappy most of the way through, but I kinda like that about this. Mazedude almost seemed prepared for that, making this extra candy-coated and hard-edged to transcend any dated sounds.
Of course, the trombone and piano must be mentioned, as they are as excellent as I'd ever ask anything to be. I love the hell out of this, so much so that its flaws become points of praise. Pure, uncensored fun all for the sake of kickass music. Long live Mazedude.
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It's easy to be distracted by the varied styles of vocals present in this mix, but I think it's strength lies in the attention to what's beneath them. I do see this as a integration of hip-hop into a rock, with equal attention to each side of the spectrum, but I have to say that the rock element comes through clearer and much more enjoyable than the rest. Guitar work is right on the money, and carries with it as much musicality as it needs to, plus more. It truly does this mix a lot of favours.
Daniel's voice never underperforms in my opinion, and for what it is, it does a pretty decent job expressing the lyrics with aplomb. I get a warmer, less angsty Trent Reznor vibe from both the vocals and the music in this one, intentional or not. I certainly don't consider it a bad thing to be compared to. zyko's rapping was arguably pointless, but added some body to the piece nonetheless. While it's not my thing and didn't exactly mesh with the rest of the product, it's competent enough and I'm sure it would have met more success in its own mix. As it is, it's not a deal-breaker, but it's not the direction I would have gone in. Then again, what the hell do I know?
Not a perfect collab, but a pretty interesting one. Vocal mixes generally tend to be more historic and make a bigger impact than instrumental ones, and I have no problem in this recieving the attention it has mustered in and outside the OCR community. There's enough talent in it to deserve it.
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In capturing the essence of what makes Kirby music Kirby music, this gets top marks. In also adding a whole new, reflective dimension to Kirby music, this becomes a pretty remarkable mix for sure. A lot of people seem to nail the Kirby formula: just overload layer upon layer with chippy, upbeat sounds and double speed it. But this also chooses to slow down some portions, plant some emotion within the folds and make something super pleasant. It offers spades of energy, and plenty of cool-off. In that sense, it is really rewarding to listen to.
Drum work is hard to notice for being too far back, but wow, I'm rendered not to care when the rest of the mix is this fun and delightful. This is some very well conceived Kirby chaos, with a touch of emotion to round it all up.
OCR00747 - Xenogears "Pilot the Yggdrasil"
in ReMix Reviews & Comments
Posted
I remember adoring this back in the day, and whilst today the samples are far from mindblowing, I can still see why I loved it. It has so much enthusiasm packed inside it, always ready to explode into a crescendo or a big, new chorus. That's what this mix is all about: delivering all you'd expect, while being a bit unpredictable at the same time.
The arrangement in particular I would point out as being a highlight. Jared Hudson has a very nice technique of letting a mix build it's muscles before it unleashes its strength, and that's definitely the case here. The sweeping main melody makes few appearances in full, but they are used for maximum pay-off because of some great mixing skills.
I wish the samples held up a little better, but I'm determined to not let it get in the way of an old favourite. Nice, meaty orchestral treatment from one of the nicest, meatiest game tracks of all. Altogether awesome.