prophetik music   Judges ⚖️

i wrote a nice recap of the song, but i got a weird vibe from the submission email and subsequently from the staticky cymbals and low-poly guitar. the noodly way that the melody was extended caught me off guard too. i wasn't going to pass it anyways due to sound quality concerns, but just in case, i did some checking and it looks like this was generated using Suno 4.5+. so i'm going to extra-NO this. i know the submission page specifically states no generative AI and that wasn't followed here, but i'd encourage you to read our submission standards if you've got questions beyond that. NO

quick co-sign with the gario and chimpa. when i turn this all the way down, the last thing i hear (for a while) is guitar. which is a shame, because this is a great arrangement and has loads of fun stuff happening alongside it. my particular favorite spot is coming out of the slithering 7/4 line around 1:30 into the power-metal section that's right after it - really fun section. the solo at 3:07 is also great. crank down the guitar on the opening and this is a definite pass, because the arrangement's nuts. this is IMO a very straightforward fix and won't require a ton of balancing to make it work. NO

opening xylophone doesn't really have any velocitization on it, so it's very mechanical initially. same feel for the conga, there's some repeated hits from that which feel machine-gun. the filtering to make it feel more underwater is a really clever touch, and the acoustic that fades in with the bells handling the arpeggio is a nice feel. there's definitely more in the right ear here, which is a little confusing. percussion comes back in for the transition at 1:49, and the feel moves towards reggae or island. the plectral instrument in the right ear here doesn't seem to have verb on it, so it's sticking out of the mix a bit among all these other very verby elements. and then we finally get the melody line at 2:30 - what patience! i love it. i do thing also that the lead needs more reverb as well, same reason as above. there's another deep drop and build - the sonar pings are inspired, and i really like the big bass hits that are so far away. really neat spacing here. guitars and drums come in at 4:00 for a pretty big build. the rhythm guitars that hit at 4:15 are too dry and loud, but i really like the idea. and then the lead comes in soon after, and it's louder than everything else combined - way too loud. needs to be turned down drastically. the spacing of the lead in the original (or in Vig's arrangement from the DKC album) is a good demo of where this should sit in the mix. it's well-played, but it dominates the soundscape. coming out of that, there's a bit more of the 12-string, one more sonar hit, and it's over. what a creative, interesting arrangement! really shows the breadth of the original's composition that we can still get really solid, unique mixes all these years later. i think that there's a ton of story in how you approached this, and the variety of realization elements you've used is really fun. i think if you do some cleanup - more velocities to the opening xylophone, avoid machine-gun repetition in the opening conga, fix verb levels on some instruments, and then turn down the guitars and especially the lead guitar at the end - you'll have an all-timer. and fixing the mono issue described above would be a meaningful update as well. so close! can't wait to hear this one a second time with a few tweaks, as it'll be amazing. NO

opens with some suitably menacing keys that builds into an interesting combo, between the strings, guitars, and keys alongside the drums and keys. strings took a second to grok what they were doing as it wasn't obvious what they were at first. 0:32's jazzy chord blocks are a fun adaptation of the original. the lead section with 0:48 sounds a little funny - the bend (at 0:50 and 0:58) sounds like it isn't properly in the chord that's underneath it. it's played well though and sounds good aside from that. there's a surprise acoustic break at 1:20 for a bit before it gets proggy suddenly - i love that lead tone! the build into the intro section is great, and i really liked how you handled the chromaticism in the original's intro at 2:04. we do finally get the big fast double-time section i've been waiting for the whole song, and it feels great coming out of that into the sustain in the guitar lead. there a slam transition at 2:46 into some sfx and sustained strings - this felt very unexpected (probably intentionally), but it took a few listens to get the direction there. it eventually settles out into a really nice band sound at 3:07, and again pf does a great job with the lead. the last section is the chord blocks from earlier in the guitar, and this features a great keys solo. there's no real ending which is a bummer. this is a really great ride. like hemo said earlier, you use every part of the song in interesting ways, and the overall ensemble sounds really solid together. there's a few bits here and there that don't make as much sense to me as they could - a few of the transitions for example - but overall it's a really enjoyable track. nice work. YES

opens with the initial brass stabs from the original in the synths, with some interestingly-timed percussive elements around it (i can hear where they come from in the source, but still a bit confusing). the echoed or delayed hits don't sound like a roll as much as they do random attacks, which i don't think is intended. this drops pretty quick into a build with some more of the percussion hits in the right ear especially. guitar comes in around the 0:40 mark and builds into a pretty intense section at 0:49. i like the chugs here. a lead comes in with the melodic line at 1:02, but it's pretty buried. i like the filter work on it, and doubling it an octave down helps reinforce it, but it's still quiet and hard to hear. the switch at 1:16 helps make it be clearer as there's less going on behind it. it's still much heavier in the right ear through all of this, which becomes tiresome by about 1:45. lead becomes more clear around that point which is nice. there's some falling action here with loads of ear candy and stuff jumping around the soundscape, which is fun. the same lead comes back at 2:09, but it's easier to hear this time as there's less competing with it. i liked the half-time section at 2:23 as a way to break it up without losing intensity, and 2:37's guitar lead sounds great. tone really cuts well. the doubled melody section is neat too, although i found the heavy vibrato that was added at the end to be a little off-putting. there's some fun ensemble work to extend the phrase around 3:40-3:45, and then some repeated lines to finish it off. the vocal pad sustain past the last hit doesn't sound intentional. this is a pretty intense take on the original. i like the driving feel throughout, and i like the breakdown around the 2:00 mark. i think the arrangement/adaptation really works well for this style. i found the lead at 1:02 to be very hard to hear initially, and the right-ear-heavy mix from about 0:45 through about 1:55 was pretty noticeable. i also don't think the ending was quite what was intended, and the intro's drum hits/rolls were very confusing and felt out of time. i think all of these are really easy to update and fix, and i'd prefer to hear them handled before posting. i think that this is pretty close to the line and wouldn't be surprised for other judges to be ok with what's being presented, but i think especially the lead being inaudible for a minute is enough to hold it back for me. NO

what a weird original. opens with some interesting sound design. 0:30 does start to bring in some of the chord structure of the original, but it's pretty far afield from that. 1:05's ascending lines are more recognizable. the juxtaposition of the music box next to the synth leads is interesting. we get a beat around 1:43, and i like the space that the bass provides by not playing constantly here. the brass and sfx at 2:02 are surprisingly menacing when combined with the tempo change there. 2:19's original section is a bit of a break before we get back into a brass-heavy section. i don't really hear the A section in here, and the long swell on the brass instrument you're using becomes pretty obnoxiously clear. the 'b' section at 3:24 is a little clearer where it's coming from, and it functions as an outro. i think you've really nailed the vibe you were looking for here, for sure. there's a real dark, intense thriller-style feel to what's going on. i'd say though that i really don't get anywhere near enough source to my ears, which is my main concern. i hear what i'd attribute to source at 0:51-1:15, 1:22-2:18, and 3:22-3:51, which is 109/255 seconds (43%). maybe i'm missing something here? i separately found the track to over-use those brass samples that really got exposed at around the 3:00 mark. but i liked the overall direction of the piece, and like i said earlier i think the vibe's great. i just don't think it has near enough source as compared to all the other references. NO

melody's immediately present, and there's some fun resonant goofiness initially before we start to get a tight, filtered beat. the initial beat hits at 0:43 and admittedly feels a little hollow since there's nothing really meaty behind it right away. that gets fixed at 1:10 when the bass comes in and we get the big variety of stuff going on behind the beat. the lead not having much reverb on it is a little off-putting initially but it feels a little better in the half-time section. 2:15's voice lead is nicely reminiscent of the original. there's a big build into some premium sausage at 2:58, and then we're on the big chorus. the fall-off from this is very sudden, however, and we get some interesting delay effects and timings with the melodic material as a bit of an outro before it's done. this is a fun one! upbeat and energetic, and feels much shorter than it actually is. i liked the ending's exploration of delay effects a lot. easy vote. YES

energetic original. opens with an orchestral stab and some very loud pads over what sounds like a midi guitar. the entire mids are very blown here - everything is very loud in that range, the pads especially, and it is clipping constantly - and you can't really hear anything going on. percussion are pretty quiet until the ~2:00 mark when a very loud half-time beat comes in. this continues for a while until 2:56 when it gets even more clippy and overblown, and that continues until the track ends. the instrumentation throughout is so overblown that i can't really make out any elements of the music itself, so it's hard to comment on the arrangement. you need to start by turning every instrument down by half, and then being more intentional about what is saying what instead of just layering in big sustained pads on top of one another. i'd definitely recommend the workshop (either the forum or discord) and especially the regular Office Hours meetings on discord as a way to peel back some of the layers here and get to the core of what you're hoping to do. NO

To the esteemed judges panel, OCRemix community, and any other listeners, This is what a remix sounds like when you're a hobbyist musician who only has spare time and energy outside of regular joe working hours to engage in this hobby, among other hobbies (video games, of course). But actually, in all honesty, this is technically a resub, though the first and only submission prior was a fair number of years ago. I am thankful it was rejected, as it allowed for the various refinements that resulted in the current version of this remix. Not only have I learned the electric guitar and the Arturia Microbrute since then, I had also been interested in refining my sound, which included long hours of mixing and mastering for the fun of it. Needless to say, I haven't been working on this song this whole time, only refining little bits here and there on a small number of occasions over the years, whenever I fancied the effort. My choice of DAW has been FL Studio (since version 4), and the guitar amp I currently employ is Guitar Rig. My guitar is a "House of Blues" Washburn, and I think it needs better strings. I used a fair number of VST instruments, some from FL studio, some free to use ones from the internet, like the drum kit, which is the "MT Power Drumkit 2". And as I mentioned earlier, the Microbrute was used for the first instance of the melody, a square lead with tone modulations, as well as for the following sections, as the 'bass wubs' for lack of better terminology. The remix itself, in a word, is progressive, as I strive to be as minimally repetitive. In fact, the melody doesn't occur until 2:30 using the square lead mentioned above. That being said, I feel there is no single genre this can be categorized under, as there is a section best described as reggae, with a separate one later best described as heavy metal, though the whole song maintains the same BPM. The song encapsulates an auditory journey from the shore, above the waters, into the depths of the ocean. You are accompanied along the way with some familiar sound effects, which includes a familiar swordfish, as well as the collection of some bananas and the KONG letters. I hope you enjoy the ride! Though I feel that I have accomplished the vast majority of what I would like to accomplish with this song, as any artist understands, one's art never really feels complete. And so, I figured its time to get this remix out there! Been a long time fan of OCRemix, now I would like to join the ranks! I am always happy to hear any feedback and criticisms, and can make any adjustments if there is anything standing out that I didn't catch. The sense of proficiency I feel towards music production after working on this song makes me hopeful that I can get more done now, better than ever before. There are a few on the backburner, already. Games & Sources And now presenting the prospective 30th remix of David Wise's ultra beloved Aquatic Ambiance! I don't know if there really is such a thing as too many remixes of a song, as it is interesting to hear the sheer variety of takes, for instance, on this theme alone; while quality goes a long way, which is what I appreciate about OCRemix's submission standards, what is really valuable is the opportunity to share with the internet one's vision, or in this case, music! I don't think anything more can be said about this source song, that hasn't been already said, but it merits repeating, who could ever have expected a song about a monkey riding on a swordfish to be so transcendental!

*DOD DEBUT TRACK / DONE AS THE BIG COLLAB PIECE FOR AOCH, VOL. 1* --- GROUP MEMBERS: The Vodoú Queen - source transcription, arrangement & composition, keyboards, organs, choir, synths, auxiliary basses, auxiliary drum writing & programming, additional percussion, SFX, effects & foley, mix engineering, production, post-production and mastering Pixels & Paradiddles - source transcription & transpositions, arrangement & composition, lead guitars, rhythm guitars, percussion, drum writing & programming, and mixing / production & post-production guidance TheManPF - lead guitars, rhythm guitars, and mix consultation Lucas Guimaraes - synth basses and mix & production coaching # I want to preface this, first and foremost, by saying this one was a true adventure; however, I'm gonna do something new and try to stick to bullet points, because if I dilly-dally too hard on writing this shit, I'm either gonna wax poetic in the finest purple prose, or start crying because of the sheer amount of feels doing this track has brought me. EVERYTHING -- from the backstory and inception of wanting to tackle this, on through to the final knobs turned and dials nudged for that master track has not only been one hell of a dream come true and thrill ride, but so full of various emotions, 99.9% of which have been highly positive. It is my sincerest hope that I get to experience something like this again very soon, with another (or the same) group of awesome people! 1. Origins & Inspirations: I grew up a Nintendo/SEGA kid, and didn't get access to a PSX until the early-'00s in my early-to-mid teens. Still remember the day me and my folks went down to a flea market in Daytona Beach to get one, when we found the veritable gold mine of a store there that was selling old school games and systems from the 3rd generation console era on up. I don't know which one of us made the decision to pick 1999s Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver for the PSOne, but it was love at first bite sight. I love horror movies and I love horror games, and the Legacy of Kain series almost feels like the best of both worlds, while you're in the hot-seat the whole way through. The vampiric lore captivated me from the very first cutscene. And the voice acting -- especially for the '90s/'00s? -- *chef's kiss*. My first experience of all of that came from a single opening cinematic, and its BGM: Ozar Midrashim. The song is a pure, finely distilled river of wordless storytelling that pores through the veins of its arrangement; a wonder and a feeling for the world of Nosgoth trickles through every note, every heavy breathing and growl sound effect, and every heavy thump and beat of the drums and percussion. It's dark fantasy. It's post-apocalyptic and gothic. It's mysteriously haunting. And, it's beautiful. Like many games I've played before it, I could just soak in the music from this game and probably never get bored or tired of it. The biggest shame in this is that the Legacy of Kain series and its OSTs are SO underrated, and they're a treasure trove just waiting to be plundered. Up until a few years ago there were barely any posts up for the full OSTs, and it's nigh-on impossible to get any MIDI extractions, music sheets or sound files of the source material without trying to piece it together from bits and bobs strewn across the vast reaches of the Internet, or (s)crawling through the dark recesses of an Undercity to find them. No one has really done remixes or covers of them, and OverClocked ReMix itself has '0' entries on their database for any remixes of or information about ANY of the games. We're here to rectify that situation. And this won't be the only or last Pillars of Nosgoth venture into the realms of the masterpiece and masterclass that's the LoK OSTs. Bet on it. :) 2. What's This For and Why?: I had done remixes for AOCC ('The Unofficial' An OverClocked Christmas albums) for a couple of years now, and seen people ask or talk about why there weren't similar projects for other holidays, *especially* Halloween (which seems to be a lot of people's favorite one!) There's not a whole lot of stuff out there solely dedicated to VGM in a horror or Halloween setting, so I took the charge for it (got married on the fucking 31st of October, you'd figure I would be!) So, perfect excuse opportunity to get to not only try and take my first stab at a Darkwave / Metal track like I've always wanted to, but to do it for a game that's sorely underrepresented and I 1000% love. 3. How Did We Get Here!?: This came about originally from a conversation the Twins (pixelseph and paradiddlesjosh) had at one point with me, waxing on about how we all mutually love LoK and Soul Reaver. We spoke on it about a year before AOCH ('The Unofficial' An OverClocked Halloween) even came into my mind. At one point, within the past 2 months or so, I was flitting through several ideas of which game and source I'd like to cover for AOCH, Vol. 1, and put them up as options on a public vote for those participating in the album (via the CRAC -- 'Community Remix Album Collaborations' server on Discord) to help me choose from. pixelseph made the high, passionate vouches for me to finally make an attempt with Ozar, and further was like: "me and Josh will do it, but maaaaaaaaaybe ALSO TRY DOD (Dwelling of the Duels) this month [September], because it's a free month!!!" I was hesitant at first, because of my fear and anxieties when it comes to competitions, and I backed out of compos since Game, Set, Mash!! 2 because I felt I couldn't hack it. ...But with Seph's undying optimism and encouragement, Josh's serious, yet pragmatic wisdom, ManPFs GOATed cool-guy vibes and Lucas' infectious enthusiasm (and IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE of the wizardry that is Franck Hueso (better known as: Carpenter Brut's) hellbent, killer music stylings), we did it, we placed in DoD's F R E S H month, and I am proud of it. 4. The Track Influences / Musical Reference Material: The majority of Carpenter Brut's whole TRILOGY album, but specifically these three songs from it: Escape from Midwich Valley Turbo Killer Roller Mobster His song Death Racer also was a big impetus for my decision to try and understand his process, and to make a track akin to his prolific, legendary work. The name of the game here was figuring out how to instill the feelings of that opening cutscene from Soul Reaver, but packaged in our own way, with the Brut veneer and polish as the cherry on top. It was my first time really delving into the deeper aspects of Dark Synthwave EDM, and cutting my teeth on Heavy Metal, but I think we've 'captured the essence of both here', as they'd say. 5. The Process & Creative Approach: It was...extensive. A lot of back and forth, a lot of building pressure, and anxiety-riddled moments of trying to NOT have a panic attack while rushing the mixing process for that last day, DoD hot red zone / deadline / end-goal. Didn't QUITE pan out (fuck you Reaper for blowing up the project in the middle of the last bits and tweaks to the mixing sesh 2 HOURS before it was due), but, it was an immense (intense??) learning experience, and will go down in my path, history and legacy on said music journey as one of the most memorable to-date. Everyone's involvement here was stellar; the closeness, the rapport establishment and growing sense of comradery . . . ...Ya know what? Fuck the process, from a "critical theory / creative / applicable" POV. The proof of the labor and what I learned and gained in skill is inherent and deeply noticeable within the remix track itself, and, for once, I've found the confidence to stand proud on that principle. What's most profound here is my newfound respect for my musical 'brothers-in-arms' here. I'm probably the eldest out of all of them, but it really felt like I was the baby sister while doing it, and my big bros had my back the whole way through. "It's not about the process [Spider-Man], it's about the friends we made along the way" (no, seriously). Love you guys. ♥ I do wish to point out, though, that Seph's epic pull for Lucas's touch with this project proved an immense boon and asset, because of his intimate knowledge of the Brut subject matter, and I don't think I would've been able to dial in the proper soundscaping and right design for this without his synth bass stems and his coaching on the nuances of tweaking the drums and the low-end every step of the way (even while on his multiple vacations! :P) But EVERYONE had their parts to play here, 100%, and I don't want to take that away from any of them. Not a single person in the group didn't pull their weight and their weigh-in on the process was phenomenal, both in execution and emotionally during and after the fact. 6. Feelings on DoD & Final Thoughts: The people at DoD and in their Discord have been very welcoming and warm to me, and I'll never forget the friendships forged already in the short amount of time I have been around the block. Unsure WTF "1984" means in the wide sphere of the DoD community (besides the obvious Orwellian connotations; it was Seph's suggestion as part of the title!), however, I WISH to know and embrace these memes, and plan on sticking around there and participating for as long as I can and am capable of doing so. :D You guys -- every single person involved in this, from actually being a member of the group to just making kind comments about the mix -- have made me a better musician in all aspects of making a track happen, and for that, words simply cannot express the love and gratitude I feel in writing all of this and that I've experienced up till now. So, let's be real here, and I'll just sign off on a good buzz and a chill vibe. Thanks again for listening to this ReMix (and reading my word vomit worth its own LiveJournal entry *feeling quixotic*). ♥ Happy Halloween! Games & Sources Don't Be Afraid (Original Album); Track 8 - Ozar Midrashim; Artist(s): Information Society / Kurt Harland; Release Date: 30 Sept 1997; Label: The Splinter Group, Inc -- as featured in the opening cutscene to LEGACY OF KAIN: SOUL REAVER 1, and also variously used in the songs: "Raziel's Theme / Stronghold" & "Kain Encounter / 1st Kain Battle". Album Original Version: Game Opening Cutscene (enjoy!): Full Song (no dialogue -- also enjoy!!):

Hey Judges! I'll try to keep this shorter than my other writeups. This arrangement is for Vodou Queen's unofficial "An OverClocked Halloween" album. I've been spitballing a Halloween-y Jupiter Lighthouse arrangement since 2015-ish, and executed on it somewhat with an ersatz original in 2023. I pulled a good chunk of writing and production ideas from it to make this, so it's come full-circle, in a way. The idea was to do a slow-burn, John Carpenter-esque arrange with the pace of a score, but hopefully the more bombastic reprisals of the A and B sections for the crescendo are a good enough "reward" for all the disorienting tempo changes early on. The 2:40 section was always going to use low brass, but credit to Queen to reminding me The Shining's opening does the same thing, so I included a couple references to it (ending brass, distant voice FX). Instrumentation leans early 80s because of the reference tracks, but there are a couple early 2000s-sounding production cues just for fun, like the Golden Sun instrumentation (mostly a Roland SC-55) and the Metroid-y MicroKORG sounds. Xaleph also noted the stabs of the music box and flute from 2:18-2:40 are a 2000s-y scoring technique and I had them sustain more and more over time based on some feedback from him. I also want to give thanks to the OCR Sages, Judges, and general community. On a more broad note, my first couple subs (Hydraulic Beat, Prog Wrong/Enmity) were made concurrently and have some recurring issues with too much low end, overcompression, etc. because of my workflow from roughly 2019-2023. Over the last year I've gotten a ton of feedback and VST recommendations, including some trial-by-fire testing thanks to Game Set Mash 3, and I feel a lot farther along in terms of quality. I think of myself as more of a producer than a writer, and I would consider this my "sophomore effort" mix in the context of submitting to OCR. Games & Sources Primary source is Jupiter Lighthouse from Golden Sun: The Lost Age Audio: Source breakdown Note: Jupiter Lighthouse uses an E -> D -> F -> C# -> F# -> F progression for its "A" and "B" (sitar) sections which is used a lot here. 0:00-0:30 original ambience; tuba is a modulation of Jupiter's sitar part 0:31-1:04 ambient but begins using Jupiter's chords, strings, and flute 1:05-1:41 modulation of the rising music boxes in Jupiter plus some small nods outlined in micro-references 1:42-2:18 Jupiter "A" section, interpretive synth arp and synth voice countermelody 2:19-2:39 original arp with Jupiter-themed production 2:40-3:22 expansion of Jupiter "A" section for brass 3:23-3:50 Jupiter "B"/sitar section; freestyling strings and brass; timpani from Walking Forward With Determination 3:51-4:19 nod to The Shining (see micro-references); outro Micro-references / sampling - Music box at 1:10 references intro to Yallam from GS:TLA - Mandolin at 1:14 references intro to Sadness and Despair from Golden Sun: Dark Dawn - Ending brass at 3:54 is riffing on 2:26 of The Shining's main titles. - A couple horror SFX (female "yell", aleatoric string FX; used in the intro and elsewhere) are either samples from Halo: Combat Evolved or use the same Proteus X Composer synths. - Heartbeat SFX (2:33, ending fadeout) are from 3:25 of Tim Follin's intro to Ghouls 'n Ghosts on the C64. Production/arrangement reference tracks include The Shining above and The Shape Hunts Allyson, from Halloween (2018 film).

As I was playing the game, this song struck a string in my brain. I can't even explain what happened there. But I felt something and got an urge to remix this song. It's cryptic, repetitive and entertaining. The melody is simple but satisfying. It's dark. But good. I love it. So I took this song and added my influence with a grain of psytrance and Drum and Bass. Some Electric Guitars and loud master. All this added together gives you the last song I made alone as a Solo Artist. The atmosphere I tried to replicate is this dark and cryptic feeling you have in the original. With a little spice of fast Drum and Bass, sometimes filtered, sometimes half-step and sampled from the Genshin Remix I made a while ago. It's straightforward and conservative. It is very easy to recognise the source melody and progression so the listener won't be thrown off too far. The end was written after an experimentation with my wife and a song we were making together. So, even if she didn't write any for this one, she still influenced the whole ending ;) . Which is a plus. The song start in a slow and atmospheric intro with glitches before dropping some filtered drum. Then comes the hard hitting Drum and Bass that'll kick most of the song. With that, the main synth will be showing up with a lot of glitches pattern. After that there's a little silence then the main thing is on. Welcome to the ride. Also going forward, we will be sending music me and my wife co-wrote. So keep an eye out for some "Cinnamon Stone". Games & Sources Chronicon - Forgotten City -- Composer: Michael G. Woodley

Inspired by Living in the City from Sonic R, my personal favorite music track in the game. Games & Sources Sonic R - Living in the City

opens with the instantly recognizable ascending line from the melody in snippets. the cutoff of the static at 0:28 was a little confusing, as was the transition to the melodic material at 0:30 - it's very abruptly to a new style. the initial presentation of the melody reminded me a lot of early 90s new age more than synthwave. i didn't care for the constant sfx, especially the burbling sound (maybe a voice clip?), but that's more of a personal opinion. the lack of dynamics in this melodic stretch is notable - there's virtually no changes to the dynamics or backing elements for over a minute, so the change at 1:49 is welcome albeit not really prepped or signaled. the swoop for that transition cuts off hard at 1:54, which i don't know if that's intentional. this middle section is much thinner in terms of texture and almost overstays, but we get back to the original feel soon after. there's one recap with the first lead, and an outro that's straightforward if not simple. i need to admit that i don't get vaporwave much at all, and most of the elements of it are things i generally don't prefer in music that i listen to (the constant detuned sfx, the usually strange-sounding and simple leads, the repetitive drum patterns). this does to my ear do a fairly good job of representing the style, but i feel like the result is less than the sum of its parts. it's clear that there's a lot of sound design done here, but i just don't personally care for what came out on the other side. i find the lack of dynamics, the abbreviated scope of the middle section's scoring, the simplistic ending, and the choices for the lead instruments to be all elements that come together to make a track that plods and doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. i'm open to being wrong, but i just find this track boring. interested to see what the other judges say. NO

opens with some sfx and some arpeggiated chords. opening lead has some nice vibrato buzz to it which i like a lot. there's an extended build with a pretty big pop at the end leading into 1:19's initial chorus, and the pendulum inspiration is really obvious right away at that point. the single snare strike as a fill at 1:43 is on every pendulum album ever. there's a big drop at 2:05, and a downtempo section starting at 2:18 that's got a great groove - hats here have some great quant to give it a great shuffle. this entire section really is another disguised build for the chorus section at 2:52. there's a short drop and final chorus before we get into the extended outro material with a recap of the opening. a lot of reverb and some sfx, and it's done. this is a quick, fun approach to the original. i appreciate the focus and direction - it feels much shorter than the four-minute runtime as you spend most of the time building into short chorus sections. i wouldn't have minded the big sections having a bit more verve to them, but what's here is enjoyable. the mix feels pretty solid and i don't have issues hearing anything. nice work. YES