OCR01368 - *YES* Bust a Groove 'Bust This Groove '81'

[djpretzel]

Hey, it's Robbie here.

My first email didn't seem to attach the mp3's i attached for some reason... sorry about that. So i'm sending it from another email address - again sorry for the mix up

I'd like to submit my arrangement of Kitty N's theme from the PS1 game 'Bust A Groove' ... it's called "Bust This Groove '81"

I released this on VGmix a while ago, and due to the feedback i got, i decided to try my luck with it on OC remix...

So i went back to it and cleaned it up a bit (it sounds a lot better than the VGmix version.

It's completely disco... Early 80's sounding stuff that is inspired by Giorgio Moroder (particularly his INCREDIBLE for Donna Summer).

This is also my first remix which attempts to emulate realistic intrumentation - my other stuff is mostly electronic stuff and/or 80's style dance music.

I have added many new elements to the song, which is inspired by both the Jap OST version of the song, and the PAL version also, which was written by Masao Urino.

I took it upon myself to write a second verse and change some of the lyrics in the final chorus.

The vocalist is my cousin Stephanie, and i think she's done this track great justice. There are also back up vocals... i have had some criticism about them, but i am happy with them, and they are staying:)

I don't really have the best equiptment for recording vocals (i hope to remedy this mid year - tax refund... YAY!!!), but i have done the best with what i resources i had available to me:)

This song is a homage to everything the source track represents, but i've added many new elements to it, and it's in a completely different style to the original tracks.

My samples aren't the greatest, but i believe i have worked them enough and utilised them in such a way that it doesn't detract from the mix. And yes that is a (hevily modified) FL slayer as the lead guitar - i don't play guiter , or have a means of getting a real guitarist to help me out, so it's the best i could come up with... i wanted it to sound synth-y anyways... a lot of Moroder's stuff utilised synth guitars , and i think they sounded great - if you can't tell, he's one of my heroes:)

And a note... some people found the key change jarring... i don't:) I have many songs on my hard drive with keychanges similar to the one i have implemented, and i am quite fond of the impact it has:)

This song marks an improvement in production quality for me, and is one of my fave remixes so far, despite some shortcomings. i am particularly fond of the inrto:)

I have included the a clip from the PAL version of the track along with my remix, as a reference to the source.

I hope this is OCR material:)

Robbie Sabo (akumajobelmont)

[Liontamer]

Thanks a lot to Robbie for sending us a copy of the source tune. Played this back on VGF49 and was just waiting for it to finally make its way over here. Thank God we've got something to represent Bust A Groove instead of that lousy "BlueKnife SignofZeta Dub".

I was shakier on "The Devil Inside (Italo Disco Mix)" because that was a lot more straightforward, but this was just an incredibly skilled genre adaptation of the original with tons of Disco Stu flavor and style. It's pretty cool hearing the original with its futuristic overtones being given a total retro overhaul. We don't have a true-to-form disco style anthem at OC, so I'm proud that this'll add that kind of depth to the site.

Loved all the little touches here and there; the piano was nice, the electric guitar synth actually fit, and the phasing stuff in the background was hot. A little too trebly on the production, but it was negligible to me. There were some beatiful subtle supporting touches that were a little too muted, like that little SFX under the vocals from 1:43-1:45, 1:50 & 1:58. Continuing on the plus side, the breakdown from 2:29-2:58 in particular was icy hot in its synthetic goodness, a rare case where overly synthetic textures from realistic instruments like piano or strings work.

Stephanie's vocals sounded a little too distant to me, but they were still superlative and I liked the delay and harmonization she did as well. Bring your cousin back for more mixes, bro. Some people won't like the key change at 3:08, but I can live with it. Pretty good execution on it regardless. Watch that decay on the lead synth fading out at 3:51, as it cut out way too quickly and got exposed as a result. Don't overlook details like that.

Some asshole bitched about Robbie's backing vocals at VGMix and actually gave them a "0/100". JonathonStriker? You've gotta be fucking kidding me. The last thing I wanna hear is a no-talent scrub like that guy trying to tell anyone what's good music. Don't even listen to haters like that, Robbie. You did some great work, while that guy will be pumping out crap until the day he dies.

Disco isn't dead, baby! I'm guilty of Bust This Groove Bias!

Hell YES

[Harmony]

I so sucked at that game because I was too busy starring at Kitty-N instead of what buttons to press. OMG undercover furry! But enough about me…

This song has been stuck in my head since it’s WIP forum debut. Hot stuff then and hot stuff now. The lead vocals are really amazing (performance and processing) and although the male background vocals don’t sit well with me in select spots (3:09, 2:02) the overall performance is way above the vocal bar.

The drum samples and others certainly are default but as Robbie says he has really used them well here. After the intro the samples mesh very well with each other and are skillfully processed to give them a lot more depth that they should have. I’m still going to suggest that you hit the Remixing forum Robbie and check out some of the samples, soundfonts and other cool stuff to spice up you future remixes.

The slayer doesn’t detract from the song at all IMO. Slayer is a tool that is only as good as the musician and I think a good job has been done of making it work for this piece.

I’m all about that key change. Nice arrangement decision. Great work all around Robbie and Stephanie.

YES

[zircon]

I think this lacks a bit of the technical 'sparkle' present in some of the mixer's previous works, particularly the Eternal Champions one. However, one really can't make any major complaints on the production here - everything is mixed and mastered pleasantly, and even the normally-hated FL Slayer is used well. The arrangement is interpretive and builds on the (fairly repetitive) original while simultaneously adding new, fitting elements. The vocals are superb, too.

YES

[GrayLightning]

We need to check if there's any problem with source violations on this one, like with our DDR regulations.

Beyond that the keyword of this mix is Authentic. Not the most daring of arrangements as far as expansion, but everything is just put together extremely well. Let's not forget the source material and please give credit to the catchy and enjoyable original as well though. As far as this mix, I like all the little additions sprinkled in here as far as the arrangement and composition goes. Nice mixing and mastering as well. Love the violin composition, they really add to the authenticity factor of the disco vibe. On top of that Stephanie's vocals do indeed make this track, excellent voice and vocal style. She sounds quite charming. Very catchy and enjoyable. YES

[Liontamer]

Vig & I both surmise that the source material is probably in the clear. With the soundtrack being from 1998 back before the licensing boom in VGM started, and the source tune referencing in-game stuff, I'd very likely say there's no issue. I may check further with Kaleb Grace and crew, but otherwise I'll take responsibility for it.