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OCR03855 - Skies of Arcadia "To the Horizon"


Liontamer
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This song has quite a history. This was always imagined to be the centerpiece to the entire album in my eyes. One of the key defining features of the Delphinus track was how it would subtly change as you flew near each of the major continents of the world, different instrumentation layering itself to give a different flavor as you travel through each section. That aspect of the track always stuck out to me and I was always hoping we could incorporate that somehow into the remixed version. Although the album already featured a few interesting combo tracks, where we mixed two similar or even dissimilar songs together to form an interesting blend, this was going to be on a whole different level.

So I started pitching the idea to many people, saying the Delphinus track, if they were interested in it, had a VERY special requirement request placed upon it. Most were intrigued by the source tune, but the moment they heard the additional requirements to add into the song, they immediately bowed out. I can't recall how many remixers I approached with this track, each one turning it down for various reasons. It was getting to be one of the last 4-5 tracks left on the album unclaimed. We were starting to despair that we would even get anyone at all for it and the original vision I had wanted. I was considering taking away the request and just having the plain source tune by itself be the only thing a remixer would have to do.

Help arrived in the form of @Jorito. At first, he wasn't keen on producing another track for the album, having since submitted one already in the form of il buono, il brutto, il pirata dell'aria. He was busy with various other projects and remix songs. So I moved on to pitch it to others. In the end, he came back around and asked about the album and I mentioned there were only a few tracks left. He was interested in the request for the Delphinus and I told him my vision. He said it was highly interesting and he would think on it. I think a week or two went by and he came back inspired, saying he had the perfect idea for it. Why just layer instrumentation over the original melody? Why not just take the listener directly into the culture of each moon, incorporating rather the Delphinus track INTO the separate musical elements rather than those cultural tracks into the Delphinus? Let Delphinus be the bridge to this big melody than the sole focus?

After many months of going back and forth and tons of feedback, he dropped what simply was one of the best and most impressive songs of the entire album. He even loved the title to our second disc that he asked if he could appropriate it for his own song. Given that it was a bridge between disc 2 and 3, I figured there was no better track name for this than that. The moment I heard it, I knew immediately it was going to be the showstopper to end the second disc and seque us into the third. It had elements of songs that had come before and previewed songs we had yet to hear. It was the perfect bridge to the perfect album for Skies of Arcadia. Thank you again, @Jorito for a job well done!

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Sometimes with movies, you don't just have an awesome theme, but there's also a brilliant "suite" on the soundtrack that takes you through many of the different tracks in a great journey. This is that suite. Amazing stuff from all involved and it's great to hear all of these live performances! Epic stuff guys! 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

This song actually brings a lot of emotions out.  Skies of Arcadia has hands down been my number 1 favorite game for many years, even with all of the other amazing games I've ever played.  The story always kept me on my toes and kept me invested, the gameplay was fantastic for its time...and despite the graphics being dated, I still really enjoy looking at it to this day.  It's a game that for me had everything I wanted in a perfect game, again even though there are many great games still being made today.  It's always held a very special place in my heart that can never be replaced, and this song really captures the game very well.

I feel like I'm living through the game again when I hear this, experiencing it in a new way...imagining if it was made today.  It both makes me smile and tear up a little with the memories it brings, the moments it makes me look back to, and just...gah.  I'm just really in love with this song.

This was definitely a song handled with much care, as there's nothing out of place.  Everything fits perfectly, transitions perfectly, and this song just really embodies the body and spirit of what made Skies of Arcadia special.  Thank you for this beautiful gem...this is by far my favorite song I've heard in many years, and it's one that will hold an equally special place in my heart right alongside the game that inspired it.

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1 hour ago, Silver Knuckles said:

This was definitely a song handled with much care, as there's nothing out of place.  Everything fits perfectly, transitions perfectly, and this song just really embodies the body and spirit of what made Skies of Arcadia special.  Thank you for this beautiful gem...this is by far my favorite song I've heard in many years, and it's one that will hold an equally special place in my heart right alongside the game that inspired it.

Oh wow... thank you sir, I am humbled!

Edited by Jorito
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