*NO* Captain Planet and the Planeteers (AMIGA) 'Captain Planet (Synthwave Mix)'

[Gario]

Mp3 link: 

Contact information:

RemiMixer Name: Instant Remedy

Real name: Martin Noriander

Email: 

Website: http://www.irsounds.com
 

Submission Information:

Name of Game: Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Name of Arrangement: Instant Remedy - Captain Planet (Synthwave Mix)

Name of individual song: Final Stages (level 5/6)?

Additional game info: Original composed by Ben Daglish (although Anthony Crowther is sometimes credited) for the Amiga version.
 

Own Comments: A tribute to the 80's synthesizer era. The Synthwave genre have grown in the later years and I can see why: we love the retro feel and miss the great music from movies and television from the good old days.

Instant Remedy on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0dvP4j3IM7Av4SBTwTXSFV
Instant Remedy on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/instant_remedy
 

thanks

(Source @ 1::24:30)

Edited August 9, 2017 by Liontamer
closed decision

[MindWanderer]

Those are some pretty juicy 80's synths, all right.  Genre and production are spot on.

First, I did some digging on the source.  In the game, you play one level as each of the Planeteers, and the track is named after them.  The file is misnamed, though it's correct in the email: this is not a remix of "Ma Ti," otherwise known as the "Heart" stage; the final (6th) stage music is named simply "Captain Planet." Here's an embed of the track by itself:

When I listened to this source, I was worried it would be tough to arrange.  There's not a whole lot to it and it's very repetitive, and this arrangement does get somewhat repetitive.   It keeps things somewhat fresh by mixing up the melody in various creative ways, but by the time it reached the 2 minute mark, I was definitely ready for it to move on--which it then did.  In fact, every time I started to think it was wearing out its welcome, there was a break or change of some sort.  Definitely skirting the edge of being too repetitive, but I don't feel like it crossed that edge.

The ending is really odd--there's a perfectly serviceable ending at 4:10, but then it starts back up again and rehashes the main theme (which I was already getting bored of) to fade out.  It would have been much stronger had it just ended at 4:10.

Otherwise, this is pretty solid.  I'd prefer a bit more variety and a better ending, and it needs a new title, but I'm fine giving this a

YES

[Gario]

This was a tough source to find (In fact, I failed entirely - searching for Ma Ti nearly caused a direct rejection, due to that source being so different!). I'm glad the artist gave me some details on where the source was in the end, because this mix is absolutely great - the cheese of the 80's oozes through this, driving the theme like an old 80's show. If Captain Planet was just a little older this could've been a theme on the show, but I digress.

While the synths are used in a predictable fashion, there's enough twists and turns in the arrangement to keep it fresh. Instruments drop, synths stack in slightly different ways throughout, the arrangement takes turns that are unexpected... it manages to stay fresh with such a limited soundscape. I've got to commend that I was never fatigued throughout, which I expected to be at first. The drums are pretty boring, but at least they're STYLISTICALLY boring. That doesn't give it a free pass, but it does help alleviate the issue a bit. The fade out ending was weak, but in an otherwise very strong arrangement I think we can let it slide.

The production is slick, the arrangement checks out, and it has enough personality to keep any avid fan of the 80's bouncin'. Ship it off to the front page, I say.

YES

[Liontamer]

I'll go in the minority. I wouldn't be mad if this got posted, but I thought Gario's criticisms of the drums being plodding was actually sold short. The tone & production of the beats was good, but they basically droned on with little development. To me, you could skip around to different parts of the track after :42, you basically heard the same groove throughout. The textures did change up, so I'm not saying there's no substance or dynamic contrast ever, but I felt the beats droning on, the melodic lead sticking by the same synth the whole time, and the overall similar energy level throughout made the track feel more static, plodding, and flat than it needed to be.

It didn't knock any points off here, at least for me, but MindWanderer had a valid point on the track not even needing the restart at 4:10. It's a enjoyable arrangement, but it also feels underdeveloped.

Would love another pass at this to spice it up further, Martin. No disrespect intended of course, but it felt like this wasn't quite as developed as your R-Type arrangement.

NO (resubmit)

[DragonAvenger]

I am pretty much between Larry and MW here. The drums are definitely the part that are holding this back for me, in that they are incredibly repetitive, but I don't think it brings it down to a dealbreaker in the end. The drums definitely have the perfect sounds to fit into the super 80's style here and, as Gario mentioned, the repetitiveness does fit into the style (although that isn't necessarily giving them a pass on their own). The track synths are also perfectly set into the 80's, and I really enjoyed the off-beat hits of the melody line, which is both reminiscent of the original source and also gussied up a little for the mix. Overall the track is enjoyable, and while some variation in the drums would be nice, I don't feel like it is breaking the bank here.

YES

[Sir_NutS]

Everybody knows I love synthwave, so this is right up my alley.  Sadly, I think this needs another pass before it reaches the front page:

First, the static groove is an issue.  As I said, I'm very knowledgeable in this genre, and I know it's sort of a staple, however there's staple static and there's this.  I think much more could've been done to keep the retro groove going while also keeping the drums from becoming a bore.  Even popular artists in the genre know this and do spice up their grooves a little.  The track being fairly long in duration makes this issue more evident, IMO.

Second I think the track restarting at the 4 minute mark just makes the issue of the static groove worse, as it just comes back to the exact same thing over again after it gave a really good sense of finality to the track before the break.  Ending in a fadeout just adds insult to injury.

Overall I think it's a well produced and arranged track but suffers from being too static and an extra section that doesn't really fit at all.  If those two things are addressed I would be more than happy to see this on the front page.

NO (resubmit)

[Nutritious]

Really liking the cheesy 80's intro synth goodness.  Gonna keep this to the point here.

Production sounds solid to me.  Clear mix.  Source connection is quite clear along with your additions.  The main drawback is the repetition here.  I wouldn't say the beat is full copy/paste mode as there's some variation in the underlying elements.  That snare, though, is almost omni-present throughout.  

I really feel like Sir Nuts nailed what I'm feeling here, regarding the beat and the ending.  It's close to the point where some tweaks to repetition would do it for me, though I wouldn't mind the key change fadeout section getting chopped as well as it feels really unecessary.

NO resubmit, please.

[Jivemaster]

Great sounds, feels authentic to the genre. Production feels mostly good - things are mixed fairly loud, and the kick is a bit too large IMO, but it works. The various synth parts you introduce over time complement the main arrangement well and mix things up in a much needed way - considering your main theme is played for close to half the track's duration. The underlying theme, while catchy, does grow in repetitiveness as the track progresses. The section at 2:03 provides a much needed break from this. After the break ends and we return to the main theme, things wind down and close off well at 4:11... only to start up again. I'm confused as to the choice made here to keep things going, the mix really should've ended at this point. Like Mike, I feel this breaks the flow of the track and should really be changed. While I also share the concerns regarding the main theme being repetitive, I thought it did just enough to keep interest. With the end the way it is though, it just doesn't feel right. 

NO

[Chimpazilla]

I love the huge beefy kick, and the perfect 80s synths.  The intro almost does a "Stranger Things" thing and I love it.  The arrangement does feel repetitive, but so does the source.  The drum groove seems fitting to me, repetitive as it is it works in this context.  Production is very good.  I don't even mind the ending, with the restart and the fadeout, this just adds to the cheese factor.  This one is working for me overall, just as it is.

YES

[DarkeSword]

It's just too repetitive. The sound is good but the drums are pretty simplistic. Not much else to say that other Js haven't said already.

NO