DragonAvenger Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Hi there, This remix was created for Lucid Dreaming, the 'NIGHTS into Dream' project directed by the one and only Level 99,9. It's an arrangement of 'The Dragon Gave a Loud Scream', mixing oriental instruments with orchestral and electronic elements. Every remixer was strongly encouraged to reference a short 6-notes melody, which served as the main hook for the project. So I've included that as well, doing so as unintrusively and naturally as my ability permitted. ReMixer name: Dj Mokram userid: 28433 Game arranged: NIGHTS into Dreams Song arranged: The Dragon Gave a Loud Scream Arrangement name: The Desert Had a Strange Dream Source link: Original Composer: Naofumi Hataya System: Sega Saturn Comment: I'm a big fan of some in-house composers at Sega, namely Fumie Kumatani, Hideaki Kobayashi, Kenichi Tokoi and Naofumi Hataya. Lucid Dreaming is a project I'd wanted to join, but didn't think I had what it took to either be a part of it, or honor the composer(s). When the source re-opened very late in the project lifespan, I quickly expressed my interest in tackling it. I wanted to take the song as far away as possible, and noticed that the verse's melody had kind of an oriental feel to it. Immediately, I thought of using instruments from the anatolian folklore. Dumbeks, darbukas and tablas for percussion. Zurna, baglama and kanun for strings. Added a layer of indian folk with some tremolo sitars coupled to a bar violin and a sarangi for good measure. Then, I introduced a contrasting asian flavor with some ehru and doubled kotos, playing for a bit with the NIGHTS hook. Later on, I included some orchestral and electronic elements, such as gregorian choirs, a 5-strings lakland bassline and some synthetic drums to complement the piece and make for a more interesting/varied listen. Thanks to the feedback and encouragements from Stevo, DiGi and others, I managed to find confidence in myself to deliver this little arrangement. I had a blast rising up to the challenge of creating this unorthodox piece, and incidentally, this ended up being my fastest turnout for a completed remix. Lastly, it's worth mentioning that the final mastering for my track was handled by Stevo (as part of the album's finalization process). Props to him for being very patient and understanding about my disability. Lucid Dreaming has been released for a while, and so far no one has called me mean names for butchering the source. Therefore, I'm hoping you'll be able to get some enjoyment out of this remix too. Thank you for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Nice feeling, a great arrangement idea, and pretty good sequencing, though not all of the samples are really pulling their weight. I do think that the double reed instrument should be sequenced a little stronger, as it feels a little bit lifeless in spots. The layered percussion added some excellent texture and energy. Production-wise, things are a bit muddy, and I think it'd be stronger if things were a little crisper, but i feel the arrangement pulls this one through. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted September 9, 2011 Author Share Posted September 9, 2011 The arrangement is definitely strong, and I think you took the original in a good direction. There's definitely some good work arrangement-wise, so I think you are fully able to express some confidence in that area of things! I will agree with Andrew that the mixing is a little muddy at times, but I think it's still at a strong enough level for a pass. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halc Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 this is probably the most polished mix I've heard from you in terms of samples and sequencing. coupled with (as always) a strong arrangement, I think this one is passable on both fronts. the mixing does get a bit muddy at times but I really enjoy the overall product a lot. nice work. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Here's what I posted for this track during album eval: Very unconventional direction to take such a weird, difficult-to-mix source tune. Definitely enough source in there when you take into account the Dreams, Dreams cameo. The remix itself make very good use of some unique samples I don't hear very often/ever in remixes. Nice percussion lines too. The ending is kind of a copout, but overall this one's a YES. All of that still stands, it's a solid track and one of DJ Mokram's best work to date. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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