djpretzel Posted February 28, 2004 Share Posted February 28, 2004 What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted February 28, 2004 Share Posted February 28, 2004 First off, I wanna formally congradulate Darke on being on of the two newest judges here at OC. He's definitely risen such a long way in 2003, and it's good to see that growth recognized. Shariq jokingly bags on me for not reviewing his newest postings at VGMix, but I DID review "Dream Pipe", so here's my detailed review from VGMix below. Nice job, bro! Like DarkeSword alluded to in his overview of the mix, the Special Stage theme in Sonic 2 was not terribly good music. I think it certainly worked in the context of the game, but, when removed from it, the source tune doesn't really stand alone well, and isn't something typically considered good listening outside of its game unlike many more notable tracks such as the Sonic 1 Labyrinth Zone theme, for example. The big challenge that DarkeSword had for remixing the Sonic 2 Special Stage theme was essentially to turn chicken sh*t into chicken salad (or gumbo out of doodoo meat for all you H*R fans), and I think DS's unique spin on the construction of this track helped make "Dream Pipe" stand out as a big improvement over it's lacking source tune. The second thing you notice in the track (after the viloin sythns) as it warms up is that the basic background beat for the mix is significantly different from (yet still very reminiscent of) the way it sounds from the original music. By taking liberties with the most basic of structural elements of the track, there's already a different, more accessible feel to the mix. The piano chords that make up the meat of the melody are also a lot less in-your-face than the LOUD synths from the source theme, and DarkeSword takes general care to tone down this mix from the almost chipperly agressive structure of the original. Despite the way that the mix tends to be more laid back that it's source tune, the construction of Dream Pipe is still similar enough to the Special Stage track that you can honestly envision Sonic and Tails running to this music in the setting of the game, so Dream Pipe doesn't distance itself from the spirit of the original in DarkeSword's effort to create something different. The bongo and electrosynth combination work and the piano predominant solo in the second half of the mix is where you experience the most dynamic rearrangement, so if you weren't really feeling that the mix was exploring new territory before, the second half pretty much erased those concerns, and pushed the mix over the edge. A lenghty amount of time spent on the more liberal arrangement of the theme in part 2 eventually leads into a bridge connecting the progress back to the more familiar melody you hear in the beginning. Since the first half had that original song familiarity for me, I was glad that DarkeSword allowed the mix to come full circle as a total package, and thereby not let the listener feel unsatisfied that the first section wasn't revisited in any way. It's a lot easier to gain recognition for rearrangement when you decide to alter the tempo of an original song or change its time signature, but we'd be remiss to forget that sometimes the changes involved in rearrangement aren't quite as drastic and overt. DarkeSword has managed to keep the pace of Dream Pipe the same as the original tune, but nevertheless has done a lot in the instrumentalization and arrangement work (in the 2nd half) here to add his sylistically laid-back stamp to the Special Stage music and make it a lot more accessible than it's mediocre inspiration. To me that certainly achieves the goal of perpetuating whatever legacy the original music had. I definitely believe that DarkeSword took Walan's challenge and ran with it in a way that not many others could do, which is why "Dream Pipe" definitely deserves serious listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodspaw51 Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 Was absolutley thrilled when I saw a new submission from our good friend DarkeSword. His techno trances never fail to amaze me. From Her Azure Eyes, to Twinkle Park Classic (My school's absolute favorite song...we voted lol) and to this. It's truly fabulous. DarkeSword has true musical talent and i have to say that if he ever decides to drop out of music somebody needs to give me his address. Darkesword is truly gifted with his musical talents and i am extremely glad he has chosen to share them with us. Please continue amazing me!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCKB0Y Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 holy shit... In Sonic 2, this was like the only song that I hated. It just didn't sound good at all... Yet, this remix is amazing. I love it. Now I can actually enjoy the song! It's teh awesome. EDIT: O_O woo! I just noticed that its more of a melody! It has the song from the option menu in it too. And I love that one. This remix is SO good. Holy shite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moogle! Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 holy shit...In Sonic 2, this was like the only song that I hated. It just didn't sound good at all... Yet, this remix is amazing. I love it. Now I can actually enjoy the song! It's teh awesome. EDIT: O_O woo! I just noticed that its more of a melody! It has the song from the option menu in it too. And I love that one. This remix is SO good. Holy shite. I swear I'm also hearing just a tiny bit of influence from Ice Cap Zone from Sonic 3. Mabey it's just my imagination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCKB0Y Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 holy shit...In Sonic 2, this was like the only song that I hated. It just didn't sound good at all... Yet, this remix is amazing. I love it. Now I can actually enjoy the song! It's teh awesome. EDIT: O_O woo! I just noticed that its more of a melody! It has the song from the option menu in it too. And I love that one. This remix is SO good. Holy shite. I swear I'm also hearing just a tiny bit of influence from Ice Cap Zone from Sonic 3. Mabey it's just my imagination. *listens again* I think you may be right, but its only for a few seconds, so I don't think he intended that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 holy shit...In Sonic 2, this was like the only song that I hated. It just didn't sound good at all... Yet, this remix is amazing. I love it. Now I can actually enjoy the song! It's teh awesome. EDIT: O_O woo! I just noticed that its more of a melody! It has the song from the option menu in it too. And I love that one. This remix is SO good. Holy shite. I swear I'm also hearing just a tiny bit of influence from Ice Cap Zone from Sonic 3. Mabey it's just my imagination. *listens again* I think you may be right, but its only for a few seconds, so I don't think he intended that. There is no 'IceCap influence' in this song, although I know what you're talking about. I used some similar chords for when the latin styled bass comes in; that's what you're hearing. It's not IceCap Zone. It's just vi, V, VI, V. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navi Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 Nice new mix from Darkesword, who has graced OCR's front page many times in the last couple of months. This mix lives up to his standard with some very nice beats and synths and a flowing vibe that comes across well to the ears. The piano is excellent, with just the right effect. The drum beats are energetic and up lifting; the mix is very optimistic overall. Personally, i didn't like the original very much, but this mix is very well done, and very well recieved. My personal favorite section begins at 2:00. I love the drums. As for Mr. Ansari's recent ascent to the status of Judge, congratulations (again)! If anyone in recent months has done anything to deserve that, it's you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueEnvy Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 Darke has again proven that some soundfonts and skills in FL can bring about some great stuff... There is so much in this mix, and all of it fits so smoothly together. Each new section is transitioned into the next so well that it sounds complete, nothing is missing. The Instruments are wonderful, and chosen appropriately. Pretty flawless, this mix represents the originals in a new and happy way, and elaborates the themes nicely. My favorite part is at 2:12 where the nice little synth provides a serene arpeggiating pattern that is beautiful and dreamy-like. Great Work from our newly appointed judge, Darkesword. ~BlueEnvy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazermario Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 Great mix, I can't say much that ain't already been said (minus the low-vocab profanity explicatives). This does kinda sound like it belongs on Sonic 3d though, niftaaayyyy. Rating: 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawaiininjakat Haruspex Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 This song is definitely in the top 5 Sonic remixes of all time for me. For many reasons, but one of the main ones is that it incoporates the Option Screen music into the mix so smoothly and that was probably one of my favourite Sonic 2 songs ever. I think I actually started to laugh out of sheer joy when I first heard it after seeing this song in the WIP section. Darke is my hero. Congrats on becoming a judge too. Everyone should listen to this song, it is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlashX Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 i have only ever posted 2 reviews this is the seccond. what a cool song this is!... i hope we get to here more of the sonic 2 options menu song in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hadyn Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 I make a point to post as much good feedback as I possibly can on all work I see at OCR, but for this, there's only relly one word that comes to mind. Cool. I love it, it's just my kind of thing, and I'm sure others will love it too. ~Hadyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole Adams Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 I dig the mix, DarkeSword. Especially the opening, which really sets off the dreamy feel that I take you were goin' for cause of the name of this song. Great percussion patterns, too. A little long for me, but still an awesome mix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.......... Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 DarkeSword has just gotten better and better. This mix proves it. I'd go as far as to say that it's flawless. Ace! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julio Jose Posted March 24, 2004 Share Posted March 24, 2004 Ok, let me break it down. The song is well composed and the melodies are nice. Now for the second part of this breakdown, im not really a fan of the extremely high happy levels in it. Sorry haha, just not a fan of that one aspect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Posted April 7, 2004 Share Posted April 7, 2004 heh, the special stage was my second fav song from this game the first being the robotnik theme, I _Never_ thought this would hit a remix, but i can only say, since ive heard it, its never been off, i even play it when i play games online, which i once again _never_ do, truly a enjoyable remix, very nice work =) 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narcos Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 okay, when it started it kinda sounded like Moby, but that cleaned up pretty well... but hey, what do i know, i'm a n00b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartOne Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 I don't know why everyone is knocking the original song. I love how it sounds like it's "rocking" from left to right. Anyway, this is an awesome ReMix that makes you feel all "warm and fuzzy" inside. I like the techno-ish sounds and stuff. (You can tell I know a lot about ReMixing.) This is probably one of my favorite ReMixes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoboticNinjaZombie Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 Hearing this brought back great memories of the first day I got my Genesis. Way to go, DarkeSword! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilRyuAlpha Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 god hearin this brings me way back..i'm a sonic fan all the way man so maybe that's why i like it so much. But not being a big time sonic fan won't hold you back from listenin to this song. I reccomend some of u to atleast listen to some of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pip is uh..... Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Great track. My only qualm is the slow begining , but it does build nicely to the :40 mark when the piano kicks in. Very nice tone to it.I like the change of pace at 1:13 too. Good stuff from Darke! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veggie Posted May 20, 2006 Share Posted May 20, 2006 Is there something from NiGHTS into Dreams on this track? It's seriously making me think of NiGHTS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted May 20, 2006 Share Posted May 20, 2006 Is there something from NiGHTS into Dreams on this track? It's seriously making me think of NiGHTS No, there isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camelchild Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Can you say "Cute" in thirteen different languages? Because whenever I hear this song I cannot shake the image of a million cute things from my head! Excellent, just absolutely excellent. The choice for instruments was perfectly decided and the melody just won't quit until you're bobbing up and down like a 5 year old high on E-numbers. If SEGA ever decide to make a next-gen Sonic game with Sonic 2's style of special stages, then I'd recommend this track above all else. Great job Darke, this is one to remember =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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