Emunator Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Game: NiGHTS into dreams... (Sega, 1996, SAT) ReMixer(s): Skrypnyk Composer(s): Fumie Kumatani, Naofumi Hataya, Tomoko Sasaki Song(s): Gate of Your Dream Way back in day I had thought about doing a NiGHTS EP where I'd find 6 or so people to remix Gate of Your Dream in their own style, compile the mixes together and release a 20-30 minute EP dedicated to this one tune. Though I never did pursue this, Level 99 had started up his own NiGHTS project and had approached me asking if I wanted to be apart of it. I remember asking him not to tell anyone about my contribution to the album. What I meant by that was I didn't want to be credited at all with this mix. No mp3 tags, no linear notes, no mention on the site, nothing. Not that I thought my mix was bad or wanted to pull an Alan Smithee, but I thought it would be unique if the album ended with a hidden or anonymous track, and see if people would be curious enough to figure out who was behind it. The original idea at the time was to create two mixes, one being bright and fun, the other being dark and eerie. I never got around to creating the darker mix and have since lost interest. This remix is sort of a reprise take on my Escape mix where I resample a few elements. I wasn't fully satisfied with the remix that ended up on the album. I liked the idea, didn't like the execution. I've spent the last two weeks going back and touching up a good portion of the mix, rewriting some parts, polishing the mixing, etc. etc. Side note - some things to edit on the artist page: - no longer with deviantart - new homepage: http://skryp6.com - new e-mail: ^ - new YouTube channel with unfortunately wacky link: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBEPvToEq3DIpP8AW3rZAPg Sources: (brief cameo) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 I don't think I've been happier to see anyone's name in the submissions inbox than this. Skrypnyk is one of my favorite remixers - despite having produced only a handful of remixes, every submission has been singularly memorable in its own right. The original 'Escape into the Twilight' was my introduction to Skryp's work and has remained in my listening rotation for the last 7 years, so hearing a proper reprise is a real treat for me personally! This version utilizes most of the same building blocks as the original, but the heightened emphasis on drums and the swirling, bugged-out effects really shows how Skryp has evolved as an artist in 7 years time. Glitches are plentiful but tastefully-implemented without relying on simple dBlue glitch patterns, and never compromise the mood of the track. One particular detail I loved was the little audio clips that are barely audible throughout the track, contributing to the dreamy atmosphere and creating some very memorable moments when they "peek through" the rest of the soundscape. The detail work absolutely makes this track for me and helps it stand comfortably apart from its predecessor. Source usage is tricky here - this actually feels more liberal than 'Escape into the Twilight,' and that track was already called out by the panel for toeing the line with source usage. Part of the reason is that there's very little overt source usage for the first two minutes of this mix. Hmmm... seems like a source breakdown is in order. Song length is 4:21, the first 3 seconds and last 5 are dead silence so I'm measuring based on 253 seconds of material: :04 - :36 - Background arp from source [32 s] 1:45 - 1:53 - very faint whistling of the 'Dreams, Dreams' source [8 s] 1:53 - 3:23 - main 'Gate of Your Dreams' motif on piano + background arp occasionally [90s] 3:39 - 3:47 - whistling again [8s] Total: 138 seconds / 253 = 54% source usage The whistling is a very low-mixed element in the track that I didn't even pick up on first listen, so I can see how that might not count in some judges' eyes. Also, I was pretty generous with the 90 seconds of usage because of how heavily modulated the melody was, but the backing arpeggios on the music box definitely helped keep that section tied to 'Gate of Your Dreams' most of the time. Because of how minimalist the source is, I'm inclined to give this the benefit of the doubt on source usage. It certainly FEELS like a 'Gate of Your Dreams' remix to me. One last thing - I know Skrypnyk always gets his exports as close to 4 minutes and 20 seconds for... reasons, but this cuts off very abruptly a few seconds before that so I'm not sure if that was a deliberate choice. Not sure if I'm feeling that, any chance we can get a cleaner fade on that last note? Really curious to see how this vote goes, I'm obviously a huge fan of this track on a personal level, but despite the liberalness I still objectively think this would still be a wonderful addition to our catalog. Good luck duder! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexstyle Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I think I agree with Emu--it certainly "feels" like a NiGHTS remix, and it seems to use source effectively. The atmosphere is there, I love the treatment of the little bell arp, and it's super chill and enjoyable to my ears. Repetition doesn't bother me in this instance, since I don't think it gets stale. The production is spot on (at least in these crummy Skullcandy headphones), so no issues there. Love what you've done with the stereo field, etc. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zykO Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 nearly 4:20 and Skrypnyk'd the eff outYES s l i d e ok, ok... the arrangement is clean; the source is sparsely utilized but it's there; it's just not a crutch for the tune which carries its own weight on a marriage of glitchy, ethereal, awesome layering. there is sooooooo much going on here, you really have to listen to it more than half a dozen times to catch all of it. this is the good kind of density; delicious. and did i mention it's 4:20 long? in case you didn't see what i said up thurrYES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 This track was a lot of fun on the album, glad you cleaned it up and sent it in officially! Love the added glitch effects and added percussion. I don't really have any issue with the arrangement, but I might be biased to listening to this enough times from the album. Nice upgrade! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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