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OCR03559 - *YES* Super Mario World "Mario for Airports (1-1)"


Gario
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Contact Information:
 
ReMixer name: zachaction
Real name: Zach Herrmann
E-mail: 
Userid: 30456 (zachaction)
 
Submission Information:
 
Game: Super Mario World (SNES)
Name of Arrangement: "Mario for Airports (1-1)"
Song Arranged: Overworld Theme
 
Comments: 
 
In the first track of Brian Eno's "Music for Airports," "a single piano melody is repeated and at different times other instruments will fade in and out to create a complex, evolving pattern." (Wikipedia) This is a fairly apt description of Super Mario World's music, where that single melody is used countless times to evoke a variety of moods and movement. I sat at the piano the other night and this slow, ambient version of the Overworld magically appeared, and I ran upstairs to get started.
 
Eno used tape loops of varying lengths and speeds, and I'm sure much thought was put into every editing decision, with meticulous attention to detail and structure (or lack thereof). While this arrangement exists solely in the digital realm, I tried to make it as organic as possible: no copying and pasting, no automation, the shifting of samples to approximate slowed-down tape, and just the right amount of noise. It's not a metaphor, it's not a proufound artist statement. It's a beautiful melody, a melody that lends itself to evolution by design, and it's right at home as the foundation of an ambient work.
 
Eno's titling of the album tracks (1-1, 2-1, 1-2, 2-2) are the corresponding track number and side of the vinyl release. Of course, a similar numbering system is prevalent in the Mario universe as world and level, so it's a funny little crossover in the title.  
 
I don't know if I've heard something quite as ambient as this on ocremix, and I pray that it doesn't come across as boring. Certainly it helps to be familiar with the Eno piece for context, but I don't think it's imperative; like the original music of the game, this submission is meant to evoke a certain mood and style. I believe it does that.
 

 

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Well, this is certainly interesting. We don't actually have very much ambient music on OCR simply due to how difficult it is to make an arrangement both ambient and recognizable. I think it's something that should be approached more often by artists, though, and you do a really good job presenting yourself here.

Listening to the 'Music for Airports 1/1' really quick, I can tell where you got your inspiration. Using this particular theme was definitely a smart idea, too - it seems to lend itself to something soothing like this. The low end on this seems pretty dominant on this track, even compared to the 'Music for Airports' track that you were inspired by, and sometimes it does get overly crowded down there. I personally don't mind too much as it sets a very warm, ambient tone to the whole piece, but it's something to be aware of.

Honestly, I think it's a very nice representation of the ambient genre - reminds me of Philip Glass, and the techniques you're emulating sound close to something Edgard Varese would do in his later electronic works. There's enough subtle variation throughout so it doesn't get boring, and it really is quite soothing. I'm down for posting this - great work!

YES

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I referenced Music for Airports myself, specifically to look into the low-end issue that Gario mentioned.  There's one particular instrument, a sort of bass celesta, that first hits an awkward pitch at 1:13, that's deeply resonant, creating a loud and distracting hum.  It's also panned left, which makes it even more distracting.  I actually kind of liked the extra bass presence in this over Eno's version, like that deep note at 0:05, but that one instrument I found to be extremely problematic.

Otherwise, this arrangement absolutely nails it and I'm totally on board.  I think a fairly quick EQ pass can cut out the offending frequency--it might take slightly longer than the 5 minutes we use as a guideline for "conditional yes" votes, but pretty close.

YES-Conditional

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Pretty abstract, but we'll see how this times out. The track was 3:08-long, so I needed to hear the source tune directly reference for at least 94 seconds of the piece for the source VGM to dominate the arrangement per the Submissions Standards. I had to really listen closely to make the A-to-B connections, and also let this one marinate, because while it's not melodically liberal, many of the references were quiet and subtle.

:01.75-:07, :14.5-:27.25, :31-:38, 1:15-1:20, 1:26.25-1:40, 1:47.75-1:53.25, 1:58-2:12, 2:19-2:39.5, 2:43-3:08 = 108.75 seconds or 57.84% overt source usage

It didn't make a difference for the source usage call, but if another judge heard any source tune connections from :38-1:15, I'd be interested, because I couldn't make anything out.

Big respect for absolutely nailing the Brian Eno "Music for Airports" style, Zach. It's very impressively used in combination with SMW's "Overworld" theme, and a very inspired concept. It's also another great example on OCR of a track having good dynamic contrast within a narrower dynamic curve.

The big hiss in the background from 2:49-3:08 should have been reduced, but other than that, I didn't have any major production issues. The sound was a bit muddy and there was some pretty resonant low notes in the picture -- both things derived from "Music for Airports" as well -- but it wasn't anything that broke the track, and the context didn't soften my vote. So while I wouldn't mind some production tweaks, I can live with it without any adjustments. Let's go!

YES

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  • Liontamer changed the title to 2016/12/18 - (2Y/1C) Super Mario World 'Mario for Airports (1-1)'
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Pleasant surprise, this one.  I couldn't think how this track could be made into ambient music, but after listening to Eno, and then your track, I can hear how you used his approach to ambient in this remix, and successfully.  Just one thing, the white noise coming in at 2:50 has no attack time so it doesn't blend into the rest of the ambience well, it just pops in and sounds more like an error than intentional.  If we could contact the artist to fix this, that would be great, @Liontamer.  But I'm ok if this goes to the frontpage.

YES

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  • Liontamer changed the title to OCR03559 - *YES* Super Mario World "Mario for Airports (1-1)"
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