OCR01016 - Sonic & Knuckles "Deep Damp Sandcastle"

[mattyrb]

I've been going through all of the sonic remixes over the past few hours and i have to say this one stuck out like a sore thumb. I love the build ups that are followed by an amazing groove that just hammers the hell out of the speakers.

I'm sure giving this one the thumbs up approval!

[nodspaw51]

Wow, this is one of those songs you dont have to previously know to like. The tempo change always gets me all hyped. Nice job with the end I like that the best...

[Nys SOB]

I'm having mixed thoughts about this mix (no pun intended). On the one hand, the instruments and SFX keep that creepy Egyptian feeling. On the other hand, the slow tempo for most of the song takes away from the feeling that it's a Sonic song. It also sounds a little uncoordinated.

It's OK, but it needs work in a few areas.

Also:

This level in the game used to scare the crap out of me when i was little, you know trying to keep the lights on in the temple or else the ghosts would getcha?

I hated Sandopolis Zone because:

1. Too frikken long

2. Impossible to find any giant rings

3. Scary ghosts

Yes, the ghosts were scary, at first (I tried to avoid opening that capsule as Sonic for the first few times), until you remember the jumping and lever pulling paterns for the level. But I do remember that there are at least 2 giant rings in act 1 and one in act 2. All I can remember is that you should be going higher than the game makes you think you should.

The only thing I really hated about Sandopolis was the boss for Knuckles. For those of you who never played S&K, the Knuckles story line is shorter than Sonic's, about 2 zones shorter. To make up for this, it seems the designers decided to make the bosses for Knuckles harder. If you ever manage to get the game, by the time you get Knuckles to the Sandopolis boss(who, by the way, moves twice as fast as the one Sonic fights), you'll see what I mean.

[DistantJ]

The slow tempo tends to make the song drag a little, and can sometimes make it hard to recgonise the tune. It'd fit nicely in a videogame as an "Act 2", or a RARE style remix theme, as it works better when you're more familiar with the theme. The end is the point where this mix gets good though, when it starts to speed up. It's a shame the song had to end so soon after the speedup.

[Error 404 KMA]

What an utterly brilliant piece of work. Delightful contrast between instruments, excellent bass line running through the background, and a suitably scrumptious "Indiana Jones meets the Sacrificial Altar" eerie-yet-addictive mood running throughout. My personal favourite remix I've heard on the site so far. Playing Sandopolis Zone in time with it on the keyboard, I couldn't stop moving it was so catchy. I especially liked the sudden increment of tempo at the "C; C; B; B; A-flat; A; B;" bit. Excellent. I'd say about... 9.5/10 =P

[jordex]

Dang I love when the song speeds up but it quickly goes away

The slow part isn't bad, its just too long, most of the song should be at that faster tempo

Anyways yeah, great at some parts. The slow parts not actually that bad, it's just not what you're looking for if you're looking for "trippy"

=)

[Pip is uh.....]

Man oh man this is nice. I dig how ambient and moody this track is. It feels like your in some damp cave or somethin. Of course the beats are great. The track has an excellent flow to it. It's great stuff.

[Jemnisimi]

I think the change of pace is the musical portrayal of the lights going out in Sandopolis Zone 2. I didn't really think about it until I noticed some of the beat sounds were very reminiscent of the 'levers' you push to make the lights turn back on, and from there was drawn back in time, imagining the ghosts which became more violent as the lights dimmed more, making you wanna rush rush rush to get to the next lever.

This mix really made me smile. Creativity aside, I caught myself tapping my foot more than once. Yay!

*boogie*

[Bummer]

Well this is obviously different from Beatdrop's Catapult, but this one was also made two years before that. At first I thought that Beatdrop actually was going to do something calm and ambient, since this castle is so damp, but at many places in the arrangement, that wasn't the case.

The turns might've been to sudden or simply too different. If you switch to a different melody perhaps, but this is two different music styles. I like what you did with the beginning, some bass and a silent sitra laying in irs loneliness, then BOOOooooommmm....it changes style to calm again. It's like if it cannot decide if it's gonna be relaxing and deep or fast and jumpy.

I liked the part that began at 2:35, since the strings and the sitra worked well together and created this ancient feel to this arrangement, and when the synth appeared it went alot more smooth than the previous time. But when it went a level higher, it didn't smooth anymore, and the it suddenly started to fade and that was the end of it.

Nice remix, no questions, but it was more like two remixes in the same arrangement that argued of which one of them that would take the lead.

[darkmelee]

This is definitely one that NEEDS to grow on you. I was very fond of the feel, but the "whimsical" bit do tend to make it rather...uhhh...odd? i've had renditions of this song in my head before, but i never quite cross THAT many lines...not that it's a bad piece, don't get me wrong. it's actually quite awesome. Like...a LOT. It's just not my perfectionistic taste, but it's cool to listen to, nonetheless. Kudos.

[KogeJoe]

This work was pretty cool.

The one thing I found annoying, however, was the tempo changes... Until then it was quite relaxing to listen to. I can actually picture being out on a hot desert listening to this...

[42]

Eh... no.

If this mix was a sine wave, the period of it would change occasionally, but a sine wave is still a lazy, lolling sine wave.

Also the echo effects on some of the notes feel very poorly implemented.

While one has to be an active listener for this track, I feel it's for the wrong reasons. I don't really recommend this track.

[OceansAndrew]

definitely a unique take on the source. I found it really interesting, and while I can see where the mixed reviews are coming from, I found it to be a pretty sweet track overall. I love when creative risks are taken, and there are plenty in this track that paid off.

Nice work.

[Level 99]

I wasn't really captured from the first minute or so of the song, not that it was really bad. It just seemed very bland, and does seem bland until some of the drums, FX, and speed change at 1:20. Even then, there's really nothing that sticks out and grabs me. It's adequate, but just overall, I guess I was anticipating some more. I did like the echoes of some of the snare hits and the way it switched up and back and then up again at the end, but overall, this wasn't my bag.

[Skinner3D]

The tempo changes in this song are the major focal point. As a couple of other people have mentioned I think it was done on purpose. The actual game level was slightly frustrating because of lights, and doors that only stayed on/open for a limited amount of time. This remix reflects that and the underground feel really well.

[Crulex]

At least the ReMix kept up with the feel of the zone with the tempo changes. No, seriously, I think that is what is best about this ReMix. Starting off with a deep beat and then the tempo changing into a more frantic "ghosts appearing and the pyramid getting darker" feel before going right back into the "hit the light switch, all is cool now" feeling. As much as I hate Sandopolis Zone, this ReMix is something I can't even frown at, being so good.