OCR04255 - *YES* VectorMan 2 "The Wind That Turns the Page"

[Rexy]

Link

Remixer/real name: Michael Hudak

Game arranged: Vectorman 2 (Composer: Jon Holland)

Song Arranged: "Swamp (Scene 2 - Night in the Swamp)"

My ReMix title: "The Wind That Turns the Page"
Link to original (YouTube, unfortunately):
 

Hi again, it's a-me. Vectorman 2 might have one of the Genesis' most overlooked OSTs; it has some bangers, but a lot of people don't know the game exists! "Swamp" from Scene 2 is probably my favorite track from either Vectorman, which are the two games that introduced me to electronica as a wee tadpole back in the mid-90s. So, thanks to Jon Holland and the devs for that.

 

For this arrangement I wanted to do something heady and cerebral but without leaning fully in an IDM direction. So, there are panning and sound design techniques that a lot of my music features, but with more organic instruments (music box and cello from Spitfire), along with several field recordings I did in Japan. The title is a reference to how many abrupt changes my life has taken over the last few years (and I know I'm not alone!), and the somewhat abrupt transitions between song sections (and the ending, even) mirror that. Thanks to the judges for all their hard work.

 

- Michael 

[Rexy]

This track is an interesting one - you may have said it's a more cerebral track, but source use is straightforward to spot in reality.  I can flick just about anywhere in the audio, and I'd hear either the B section's chord progression, the synth pattern from that same segment, or the BGM's primary bass riff.  Many of the arrangement qualities come from the underlying textural shifts from underneath, with the source anchoring their meandering progression.  For a track that aimed to focus on sudden momentum changes, much of the composition feels surprisingly logical and non-jarring, with moments like sudden texture appearances and dropouts, brief gaps of silence (1:31), and expected volume shifts (0:21, 2:17) providing the bulk of it.  Even the unusual 7-semitone-up key change mid-way got a fitting segue with the field recording use at 1:41, transitioning into the use of volume fades to bring the new synth tones in gradually.  To put it simply, it's classic Michael, and I can't argue with these ideas.

As expected from your musique concrete driven works, the sound design is both delicate and immaculate at the same time.  You allowed for a dynamic mix, rarely relying on the audio file's ceiling or any limiter to carry the instruments through, the louder ones being low-end driven.  On top of taming your transient clicks to fit them into the mix, you've thrown in so many significant effects, including reverb, reverse effects, volume envelope, pitch shifts, and EQ filters.  The only instrument in your palette that confused me is the lush sounding choir at 2:17, and in comparison to the rest of your parts, it's very rigid with no articulations in place.  It's more of a pad-based instrument at that point and making it more of a criticism than a dealbreaker, but it can be worth experimenting with your VST's envelopes and settings in future works if you feel confident in doing so.

I feel every time I hear a piece of work from you, you're keeping on pushing the boundaries to see what kind of artform-like tracks belong on OCR, and that's what I like about you.  Here, the arrangement and sound design carried both a shining mixpost quality as well as your vision on how nothing in your immediate life can get taken for granted.  Cool stuff, Michael!

YES

[prophetik music]

as expected, this is great.

track starts with a great little kalimba/music box sample, and gets into some fun field recordings. i like whatever you're doing to replace the bassline - i have no idea what that is, but it's a fun sound and a good way to tie your techniques into the heartbeat of this track. i particularly liked at 1:27 when you had the particularly staticky kalimba playing. 

the melodic content is clearly there throughout, so no concerns there. i found the consistent shifts in feel to be not problematic, and found the A / B feel of the piece (transitioning at 1:45) to be interesting as well.

i consistently appreciate your willingness to really get outside the box and see what's going on there. please don't stop.

 

 

YES

[Emunator]

This truly does feel like a natural evolution and expansion of some of your previous piano-centric experimental arrangements. It's fascinating hearing some of the same techniques applied to a different palette of instruments. The string ensemble that enters at :40 offers excellent padding for the numerous plucked textures and field recordings that are going on around it. When we transition in the back half to a more synth-driven take, there's still subtle sound design that keep this grounded in the same realm that you've established thus far. It's something clearly different, and the symbolism of the turning of a page is certainly not lost on me, but it still feels like part of a cohesive statement.

Keep doing what you're doing... which is, of course, doing something completely different and unexpected every time!

YES

[Liontamer]

Short and sweet: A really fun take on a source tune I'd unfortunately never heard before now (Vectorman 2 is definitely a hidden gem compared to Vectorman 1). I've been around OCR quite a long time, and I felt this piece combines and old school kind of creativity & sound design along with sharp, modern production quality. I could easily envision something like this being posted back in OCR in 2000, yet if it were submitted then it wouldn't have sounded as clean (not antiseptic, just clean) as it does with today's higher production standards. Nice work, Michael!

YES