OCRA-0055 - Super Cartography Bros.

[Liontamer]

• Preview it: http://youtu.be/S7Aeuge5-E0
• Download it: http://cartography.ocremix.org
• Torrent: http://bt.ocremix.org/torrents/Super_Cartography_Bros.torrent

EDM is a genre near and dear to my heart. Video game music is also near and dear to my heart. I've been wanting to direct a high-production-value album for OCR that combines these two things for quite a long time, so when Shariq posted his ideas in the forums, I knew this was going to be the project for me.

I'm in the somewhat unique position of being invested in several different communities that all appreciate great video game music, so, for this invite-only project, I reached out to a lot of incredibly talented people. Many of these faces are well-known around OCR, but a few of them make their OCR debuts on this album. Thanks to friends from not only OCR, but also GameChops, RadioSEGA, the Nerdcore VPC group, and more, this is a well-stocked roster of ReMixers! Please make sure you check each one of them out individually, as they're all well worth following.

Some notes on the direction process: To ensure continuity, yet make sure each artist's unique sound shone, I made sure songs were submitted as unmastered files, and then I mastered everything myself. I decided to have each artist submit a club-length version of their song as well as a condensed, "radio-length" version. This way, all the OCR listeners who would rather not listen to a minute or so of stripped-down song (as is traditional to have in a club-friendly track) before the meat of the track hits aren't left out in the cold. Of course, the DJ-friendly version had to be included on an album like this as well.

There's also a third set of songs included in this download, and that is the DJ-mixed version -- I had my good friend and fellow DJ Global-Trance, real name Aaron Wu, turn in a continuous mix set of all the songs together. That mix is available as a single continuous file, but also cut up to be easily playable as skippable MP3s or FLAC files. By doing this, I wanted to ensure that this free release through a video game music website mirrored the quality of many high profile releases from EDM record labels around the world, which often include both full-length and DJ-mixed versions of the album. Heck, by including the radio edits, I've managed to cover a base that those labels usually miss! Never let it be said that OCR doesn't cater to a wide range of listeners.

Overall, this was a real labor of love, but what sort of fan-made arrangement album ISN'T? I've been playing these songs in my car and in my DJ sets for nearly a year, and I can't believe how well it turned out. I hope that you find this release as enjoyable to consume as it was to produce!

-Michael Birch (Flexstyle)

 

[Chernabogue]

A really interesting theme/concept. Nice job to Flex and team! Now time to listen in detail to it.

[Chimpazilla]

This is one of the best albums I've heard on OCR.  Of course it doesn't hurt that I'm a huge fan of EDM and this album contains some of the best EDM producers around!  Awesome job on this album, Flex and everyone!

[DarkeSword]

I'll quote my album comments here.

 

Quote

This album is a long time coming. In the earlier days of OC ReMix, we judges often passed over longer trance and EDM tracks, citing the repetitiveness inherent in the genre as something that didn't really jive with the kind of music OC ReMix wanted to showcase. But we all have always been fans of trance, and over the years, with more and more technological breakthroughs and the evolution of the genre (and EDM at large), I feel like there's a lot more that artists are capable of when it comes to interesting, evolving soundscapes. OC ReMix has also relaxed its view on these kinds of pieces (mostly due to us finally dropping our filesize requirement a few years ago).

I came up with the idea for Super Cartography Bros. years ago, and fellow ReMixer and judge Mattias Häggström Gerdt and I had done some preliminary work in getting the ball rolling. Alas, real life got in the way, and the project went on the back burner. But I always wanted to see the album made; I loved the idea of OC ReMix putting out something that was proudly and unapologetically "techno." I really wanted to see artists explore and expand smaller source tunes into big, sprawling electronic epics.

So a few years later, I made a thread about it on our forums and got Flexstyle involved. I don't think there's a more qualified guy up to the task. Flex is a talented artist who produces amazing music; he's a professional DJ with a strong understanding of what works on the dance floor; and he knows a ton of people both inside and outside the OC ReMix community. He's brought a lot of talent to the table.

This album has turned into something that's so unbelievably fun to listen to. Every single artist brought their A-game to this project, and I couldn't be more excited to see OC ReMix veterans working alongside a ton of fresh faces to produce an amazing set of tracks. Fantastic work, start to finish.

Super Cartography Bros. was designed from the ground up to be played at parties and clubs, so make sure you throw this into your playlists and send your local DJ a copy, and then just get out there and DANCE.

 

 

Additionally I want to say that I've been listening to this album for a long time now and I have to say that I love pretty much every single track. This is exactly what I had in mind when I came up with the concept of the album, but it's exactly the kind of album I could never pull off, even in a directorial role. Flex has such a great, deep understanding of EDM and tons of wonderful connections with artists from all around. I think we'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who could pull off an album with such consistency and originality throughout all of the tracks. Major props to all of the artists involved, especially the fresher faces we don't usually see at OC ReMix. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing this idea to life.

[SuperiorX]

I'm loving this one, so many good tunes and interesting EDM styles represented here! I think I personally like it more when albums specifically go for a consistent theme and feel throughout; it really helps create a sense of unity between all the tracks. It's what I tried to do with 'Temporal Duality' to a certain extent. Nothing wrong with compilation albums, I just prefer a nice cohesive feel. I think this executed that idea flawlessly. I like all the tracks, but I've really been jamming to DDRKirby's, RobKTA's, and DJ RoboRob's tracks so far. Well done everyone!

[fxsnowy]

Also probably my favorite ocremix album. So many different subgenres and styles of EDM keep it interesting and fresh. Good Job Flexstyle and team!

 

I really enjoy most of the tracks, but the highlights for me are Koopa Reaper, Eet's a Nu World, Caravan Bowser, Do Yoshi What I See? and PL41|\|.

 

I need to express how much I love "Eet's a Nu World is". So. Damn. Catchy. Usually when remixers change the pacing/timing of a source melody it sounds forced and unnatural. But here everything just flows so damn smoothly. This ReMix fixes my bad mood every time I hear it.

[BorgMan]

I really gotta say I love Underground Pipe Society. So much energy going on... damn. And The Other Side is just plain awesome. As is Koopa Reaper. But then again, it's bLiNd. I'm a sucker for his mixes... Vanilla Underground strings some chords but I'm having a hard time identifying where that particular style comes from. Sounds a bit early trance; can't put my finger on it. Heatrave just pumps up the 90's vibe and I'm really, *really* digging it a lot.

Fun fact: I passed this on to a friend of mine who generally doesn't listen to OCR stuff. Even he diggs the album, and that's saying a lot. The production quality is so high that, indeed, blasting a few of these tracks through the speakers of a club without people complaining (and dare I say it: even enjoying it) shouldn't prove too difficult..

[CamuCamuMoosic]

I Frisking love this album!!!! Some of my favorites have to be invincible, greedbuilt, koopa reaper, underground pipe society, and herculean to name a few, I dunno how to make music but darn, this music is awesome! it always makes me think of making a ROM hack with the music! All that I can say is this is a GR8 soundtrack 10/10 IGN