OCR03203 - *YES* Donkey Kong Country 2 & Donkey Kong Country 'Ocean Lanterns'

[Emunator]

Lately, I've been listening to a lot of alternative R&B (artists such as FKA Twigs, Banks, Drake, and The Weeknd) and wanted to write a remix that took some influence from that style and married it with my signature chillout style. This originally started out as a remix of Aquatic Ambiance, but I quickly found that the melodies from Forest Interlude fit much more naturally with the style I was working with. You can still hear a lot of residual elements from that first attempt (the opening bell melodies at :38, the breakdown at 1:02, and of course the iconic pitch-bent flute/piano at 1:47 and other scattered points in the song) but over time this grew to be a Forest Interlude mix done in the washed-out, watery style that you'd expect from an Aquatic Ambiance mix. Hopefully it's not too jarring!

This shares some similarities to my previous submission, Laguna Tides, on the surface, but this time around I tried to amplify the moodiness to create more tension than I have in previous mixes. I went to extra lengths to use more sound design and effects throughout the mix, as well, to keep things fresh and create various singular moments for the listener to latch onto. Overall, I believe this is one of my most sonically-cohesive, detailed arrangements, and my best production work to-date. Hopefully you agree!

Sources:

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[Chimpazilla]

I've heard this one in it's recent wip form, and I'm thrilled to hear it completed here. You are getting better and better at establishing these really WIDE soundscapes... I love it! You're a master with these bell timbres too.

I love what you've done with the Goldeneye pipe sample, I won't even bust you for overuse because you've effected it and it just sounds so damn cool. It is one of my favorite sfx ever.

The mixing is really nice, this is the most lush sounding piece from you so far. It's really clean especially considering the amount of reverb used. That's a really low kick, it hits at a nice deep 50Hz, and you've separated it from the bass really well. One of my favorite sounds in the mix is that organ at 1:40, you've used it so subtly but that vibrato on the timbre is super cool. Then there's that pitch-bent Goldeneye. Nice.

Source use is a bit nebulous in the first minute until I hear that first bit of Aquatic Ambience at 1:02, but I know you've used some source bits in the intro, and there is plenty of source throughout the rest of the mix.

Overall this is quite a dreamy listen! You've added just the right amount of ear candy without overdoing it. I can listen to this on repeat and just space out! Nice work!

YES

[Liontamer]

A little murky/muddy for my taste, but clearly nothing actually hurting the track. Overall, everything's clicking nicely with the chromatic percussion focus. Soft, relaxing atmosphere and nicely personalized interpretation. Love the "sonar" sound effect being used (GoldenEye throwback!).

The title fits nicely; music for swimming through dark waters with a light to guide your way. The fact that the title imagery works so well speaks to the effectiveness of Wes's interpretation. Nice work!

YES

[DragonAvenger]

Super chill, definitely makes me think of someone scuba diving among a lot of colorful fish in the tropics. Great use of samples to achieve your mood. Nice change of harmonies at the end as well, adds a new flavor to the melody. Liking this!

 

YES

[Liontamer]

BTW, Wes, the ending cuts off abruptly. Need a fix for that with a new WAV.

[zykO]

those bells though!

excellent ethereal stuff here, wes; track only ever does what it needs to, is paced well from transition to transition and uses enough of the source to be a remix of it and not use it as a crutch. for being doused in so much verb, it is still surprisingly tight. i can hear some of the R&B influences there in terms of instrumentation but this is decidedly something else entirely, more new-age than it is R&Bish; there's an element here that reminds me of Vangelis more than anything, a sort of sweeping sense that makes the music feel larger than life. i love how just when you think this track had shown you everything you knew about it, you change it up on the way out for good measure. a source done a hundred times sounding fresh? WUT

 

even the title is a ball knocked out of the park; way to contrast the light of the lantern with the darkness of the sea. fabulous stuff 

 

YES