DragonAvenger Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Hello OCR! Submission Info: Game arranged: Donkey Kong Country Arrangement Title: Percussion Hijinx Song Arranged: Jungle Hijinx Description: During my university years, I was a member of the Acadia Percussion Ensemble, led by world percussion master Ken Shorley. As we were always taught and encouraged to explore and be creative, I had the perfect opportunity to arrange and play a piece from Donkey Kong Country, which has some of my favourite gaming tunes. I chose "Jungle Hijinx", which was the best-suited track for the 5-person ensemble. They really enjoyed playing it, and it ended up being the finale piece of our 2006 year-end concert. As this is a live recording from that concert, and everyone has moved on in life, this can't be re-recorded, so I can't do a re-submission if it doesn't pass. I thought it might be too close to the source material, but Emunator had the following to say: "The remix is really awesome and, although the mixing isn't quite as full as I'd hope for, since it was all a live performance I bet the judges would probably give it a bit of leeway on that front. The remix itself is really cool and I'd like to see it on the site, personally!" http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=30935&highlight=hijinx&page=2 And so... here it is! Credits: Marimba: Ken Shorley Vibraphone: Adam Campbell Drum Set: Trish MacAuley Toms & Glock: Jayme Keddy Woodblocks & Xylophone: Jean-Marc Giffin Contact Info: Remixer Name: Jean Of mArc Real Name: Jean-Marc Giffin Website: www.jeanofmarc.com Userid: 5980 Thanks! Jean Of mArc PS. The other players are not OCR members, but I did ask for permission to post this. ------------ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Wow, this is a blast from the past! I almost forgot about this one a long time ago. Listening back on it with a much more critical pair of ears than I had a year and a half ago, I'm noticing a handful of timing/performance issues that I didn't really pick up on when I first listened. They seem most prominent in the beginning of the song; certain rhythms just aren't lining up quite right. However, as you get further into the performance, it's clear that you all get into the groove and it all begins to click better. However, what hasn't changed since I first listened to it is how much I enjoy the concept, arrangement, and performance you've crafted here. I think it's incredibly unique and fitting for the source, and I love how you blended various iterations of the Jungle Hijinx theme into one arrangement. Despite any flaws in the performance, you got a very clean recording and a very fun result that I think would be a mistake to pass over. People are going to enjoy this one, I'm positive of that. I'm still on board with this, good luck with the rest of the vote! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 There are definitely some flaws in the track. What stands out most is how quiet the marimbas are compared to the xylo, glock, and set, but given the live setting I think it's forgiveable. My other small gripe is that some of the arrangement feels a bit overly sparse, even for a small ensemble. That being said, I think this is a pretty fun and creative take on the source, and it's a natural fit. I can honestly see judges going either way based on the critiques mentioned above, but I'm OK with giving this a YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 The all percussive angle is cool, but it sounds like a very sparse soundscape; even a bit of light compression would help. It feels that several instruments are just hanging out and not adding in several parts. It makes sense in the context of importance of parts, but I think it could be more exciting if it was a bit more filled. I’m not sure about the ending, as it doesn’t really give a sense of finality, but overall I feel that the performance aspect combined with a unique if sparse arrangement is enough to give this the nod. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halc Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I can hear where the other judges are coming from as far as the soundscape being sparse, and I'm inclined to agree, however the piece as it is has a really nice and interesting stereo spread/mic placement, and the whole recording just has this fantastic clarity to it. can't say the sparseness kept me from enjoying the track. really liked this one a lot, nice work! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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