OCR03615 - *YES* Beneath a Steel Sky "Vacuum Shell"

[Gario]

Note: Will need a new title, if this passes.

EDIT (5/10): The artist has decided to rename this track "Vacuum Shell", so the naming conflict should be considered resolved, for all intents and purposes.

Hello again,

 

remember i was telling you about those two lost remixes? I guess i'm ready to send you guys the second one.

Again, only 320kbps file is available, i hope it's not huge deal.

PS. May i change my remixer name from ninecoin to ninecoins? For both tracks (the first was The Legend of Kage)

 

Track info:

remixer name: ninecoins

name of the game: Beneath the Steel Sky

name of the arrangement: Beneath the Steel Sky - Press Room (ninecoins dub)

name of the song: Press Room

 

Thanks for listening!

 

[MindWanderer]

This actually appears to be from the original game, not the remastered one.  Source starts at 0:19:

The lead synths are very close to the original ones, although I don't think they're directly sampled (although with a different sound card, I'm not 100% sure).  Those synths sound greatly out of place in the rest of the mix, the staccato one especially, since everything else is much more resonant.  0:59-1:34 is very nearly a MIDI rip, with just a couple of small, additional percussive elements added.  There's a little bit more added to the rest--the voice clips, the rubato moments, a few additional effects and percussive elements--but I still don't think it's transformative enough for what we look for.

If you'd like to revisit this, please look into some different leads and additional accompaniment, especially accompaniment that goes beyond effects and beats--bass, harmony, arpeggio, counterpoint, etc.

NO

[Gario]

Definitely not the same instrumentation - the original sounds more like a MIDI arrangement, where the arrangement is more in a fakebit style. There are interesting differences in the texture and instrumentation, but I will concur that this is a pretty conservative arrangement. That ending is pretty sudden, but I don't think that's a crushing issue - it just is an odd way to end things.

The mix is definitely clean, though, and the percussion, texture changes, etc., do give it some more personality and less of an atmospheric feel than the source. It's a tough call, as I think MindWanderer has a point on how conservative it is, but I think it's just transformative enough to place it on the site.

Also, I wasn't aware of the original source, so thanks for the link, MW.

YES

[Sir_NutS]

Oh man.  Beneath a Steel Sky is such an underappreciated game.  It's one of the best adventure games of all time, with a markedly more adult approach than what we used to get from sierra at the time (with exceptions, like Gabriel Knight), oozing an oppressive, industrial-cyberpunk feel, striking art direction and excellent dialogue.  With a setting that I would say it's the perfect mix of 1984, fahrentheit 451, and Narshe.  Also a fitting soundtrack, which leads us to this remix:

Ninecoins here decided to not change much in terms of arrangement, but makes up for it by making an adaptation to a different style.  It succeeds in that regard, as this certainly sounds like a dub track.  It somewhat keeps the feeling of desolation and industrialization from the original, but overall the additions give it more dynamism while keeping the disconcerting cyberpunk ambiance.  The tempo slowdowns, while odd at first glance, do help in this matter.  The soundscape starts up rather simple but evolves when more complex textures are introduced as the track progresses.

This remix is kinda low-key, but I feel it makes it over the bar, just barely.  I think perhaps more could've been done with the source in terms of expansion, as well with the sound design.  But for me what I hear seems compelling enough.  Plus, I would be pretty happy to have this game represented in our library.

YES (borderline)
 

[DragonAvenger]

I'm pretty on the fence here. I feel like the track overall is a bit conservative to the original, and also a bit repetitive. I agree that the sounds do feel different and there's some good drumwork overall which add some interesting textures, but I'm not sure it is doing enough. Along with that, the ending is pretty abrupt, especially if you don't consider the soundclip. I think this needs a little more in terms of arrangement and adaptation, maybe some original writing to set it a bit further apart. Good luck on the rest of the vote!

NO (resubmit)

[Liontamer]

Pretty scant soundscape to open things up, but we'll see if things get fleshed out over time. Things did fill out some more at :42 once some countermelodic writing arrived, but there was always a somewhat empty vibe here. The instrumentation felt like a modernized MSX, which was cool. Gotta give respect to the subtle but constant textural changes, most notably the beat-writing, because alongside with the expansive sound and genre adaptation here, that was a lot of the personalization here.

The lack of a real ending at 2:46 was pretty lame, IMO, but with the quote stuck on the end, you can tell the choice was purposeful; a resolution would have been a stronger choice, but I'll live. MindWanderer's not wrong about :59-1:41 being really close, but I thought MIDI rip was too harsh; there's additive writing behind the melody, the melody's thickened up, and the beats follow the same rhythm but weren't exactly the same writing there.

I agree with the NOs that this is borderline stuff, but it's still an expansive approach that sounds valid to me. 1:35's section was pretty close to :42's as well, with some subtle additions in the writing, but then the beats behind everything were altered shortly after, so it was wasn't pure cut-and-paste stuff. If the beats hadn't been more varied, this would have been an easy NO, but I think what's here does get by.

YES

[Chimpazilla]

Track is conservative and often sparse.  I love those beat variations so much, unexpected ear candy.  I think a lot more could have been done with this track melodically, and that ending is way too abrupt.  I'm not sure sandwiching the mix in between dry vocal clips is the best choice.  Still, I love the ideas here, very groovy.

YES (borderline)

[Jivemaster]

The minimalist nature of this track is a strong point, with a good balance of parts without crowding the soundscape. The choice of sounds is solid, with synths comprising of more basic waveforms. Drums and percussion have a nice hint of low-fi across them, giving off a nice sizzle in the highs. Production quality is good, parts are easily heard and not squashed, there is a good balance between punch and more open dynamics. The arrangement plods along fairly slowly, but manages to get through duration without boredom setting in. The tempo slow downs create a nice break effect when they're introduced and (most importantly) aren't overused. The ending is quite abrupt, with the song basically coming to a halt to allow for a sample to play. Arrangement could be stronger as it doesn't take a lot of chances away from the original. I didn't leave this feeling that it needed more however, but it would've been nice.

YES