Liontamer Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Hi OCR, I hope you guys are doing well! Nostalvania here with a new remix submission! - Remixer Name: Nostalvania - Name of game: Super Mario Galaxy - Name of arrangement: Where Hot and Cold Collide - Name of individual songs: Ice Mountain, Lava Path Sources: Ice Mountain - https://youtu.be/rvnaiyu2R0E Lava Path - https://youtu.be/tY3REzIfvuk Remix: Note: Since I'm not the best at mixing/mastering, the track came out relatively quiet. That is to say you would have to turn up your volume a bit to get the full experience. Not sure if that's gonna be a problem. - Comments: This remix was originally supposed to be my contribution to a Super Mario Galaxy album which unfortunately got cancelled. It's a shame, because I always thought that the track had a lot of potential. Now after several years, I finally had the time and patience to finish it. The result is an energetic jazz arrangement in 6/8 time, which alternates between organ and piano as the lead instrument. The more busy/energetic organ sections may be interpreted as hot/fire, whereas the calm/open piano parts are more reminiscent of coldness/ice. Hope you enjoy! -Markus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted August 17, 2021 Author Share Posted August 17, 2021 I love the piece in a vacuum. It's jazzy, it's tightly performed, the treatment of the source tunes (which are variations of the same song) was creative, and I didn't have any problem with the mixing or levels. But I was coming up just a little source-light in terms of identifying where the source tunes were referenced in the arrangement. The track was 5:11-long, so I needed to identify references to the sources for at least 155.5 seconds of the arrangement for the source material to be dominant. :23-:58, 1:01-1:05.5, 1:07.25-1:38.5, 1:48-2:11, 3:36.5-3:59.5, 4:02.5-4:20, 4:26.25-4:44.75 = 152.75 seconds or 49.11% overt source usage. If another judge can point out some source usage I'm overlooking, then please let me know. Since my breakdown is so close, I'll leave it at not making a call yet, but I need >50% for the source material to be dominant in the arrangement, otherwise it's a NO from me. EDIT (10/24): I'll also count :19.25-:21.5 for the 4-notes having a different rhythm as the 4-note patterns in the melody (e.g. :06-:11 of "Ice Mountain"), and 1:41.5-1:43.5 having the final 2 notes from a 4-note pattern (e.g. :08-:11 of "Ice Mountain"). That pushes it up to 157 seconds or 50.48% overt source usage. OK, count me in. YES (borderline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 What a fun, original take on such a simple source! It's an exemplary jazz arrangement and performance. I'm willing to give the main piano bassline credit as source material. It's a bit of a stretch, but it's clearly derived from at least the chord progression, at least. Sounds to me like sort of a jazzed-up fusion of the arp and ideophone lines of the original. Also, 2:38 starts a heavily jazzed-up version of the main theme. Even if those didn't count, I personally don't see the need to omit 2 seconds of flair here and there, literally 3 notes in some cases, from the count. It's fine by me on this front. Production is strong, and I appreciate not going to extremes on the panning of the Hammond organ. This is great stuff. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 (edited) i'm with MW on this regarding source usage. it's prevalent enough for me. also, larry, just cut off the ten seconds of silence at the end and your valuation is fine. the main riff in the keys and bassline just sounds dope. the adaptation from the original arp absolutely makes the track. i love how you keep coming back to that initial presentation as a touchstone and then referring to it in modified forms via rhythmic and harmonic modulation. just a great example of how transformative the genre can be. 3:01's stuttering rhythm really feels great, and i love the leslie on the organ. the drums are continually interesting. the ending is exciting and great. what a track. a mark of a really great arrangement is being able to hear that arrangement in other styles. we see this with great originals that just keep getting arranged in new ways, because of some key aspect that just jumps into your ears and doesn't let go (earhuggers?). in this one, that's the driving keys/bass riff that comes from that arp in the original. i can easily hear this arrangement being covered with a prog band or an a capella group with minimal change - it doesn't rely on instrumentation to really sell it, but rather just great execution and a catchy presentation. fantastic job. YES Edited October 3, 2021 by prophetik music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 I'm also throwing my hat behind the above two votes - the bassline definitely deserves at least partial credit for its relation to the source progression, even if it is heavily jazzed-up and far more frenetic than the original. I'm generally more forgiving on liberal arrangements in general and like to give the benefit of the doubt, but this is pretty clearly recognizable and stays grounded thanks to the bassline. Jazz, to me, is all about expression and interpretation, so I love how you chose to run with the hot/cold motif in your instruments. Your organ sample is dirty and carries the lead melody so well, but I also want to highlight some of the auxiliary instrumentation like the drums and bass, which are well-sequenced and full of life. The light synth pads that enter at 4:04 are also a highlight - they come in to cool things down at just the right time. Overall, this is a super-solid package from Markus, just as I've come to expect! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 It's the usual excellent package from Nostalvania, jazzed up and very well interpreted. I agree with the others that the bassline is more than recognizable enough as the lava path source bassline, and with the rest of the source available it's more than enough to satisfy the 50% rule of thumb quota. Great production, excellent arrangement, and some great performances all around to boot, I'd say this is an easy post for us. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted November 2, 2021 Share Posted November 2, 2021 I'll be rubber-stamping this awesome jazzy upbeat 6/8 arrangement. I hear plenty of source in the verses, and flourishes in the connecting sections, and I agree that the bassline interprets Lava Path well. As always, awesome arrangement, performance and production from Nostalvania. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkSim Posted November 24, 2021 Share Posted November 24, 2021 Mario Galaxy’s most famous music is Gusty Garden Galaxy, so it’s nice to see some light shone on other source tunes from this flagship title. The sources for this are relatively short at 1:10 or so each, so to extract over 5 minutes of material from them obviously shows some arrangement prowess. Switching the style to jazz helps immensely with the ability to expand on the original, and moving it into 6/8 time gives it a real energy and impetus. The arrangement is anchored solidly in the source material, which allows for some impressive soloing between choruses. I love the idea of using 2 different instruments (organ/piano) to represent hot and cold, linking back to the roots of the composition, and allowing for some delightful interplay. The percussion is varied and detailed, which I’m always a fan of, and instrumental performances are expressive and natural-sounding. I’m not sure whether some are being played live or not, but I like hearing some string rattles and finger slides on the bass, giving it a more organic feel. Production is good, everything sounds like it’s being played in the same room, although at the very end there’s an odd reverb artefact from a crash cymbal that I’d probably get rid of, as the timbre is a little unbefitting the rest of the track. A minor issue in over 5 minutes of jazz that I thoroughly enjoyed listening to. A final point is that I also found it sounded very ‘Nintendo’ - conjuring memories of Mario Kart 64 ‘race end’ music, amongst others. Mario games have long had a jazzy feel to their soundtracks, and upgrading these fairly basic sources in such a style is a welcome endeavour, worthy of the game’s heritage. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordi Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Hello! I’ll get right into it, just like you did in your submission. You captured my attention from 0:00 and held onto it throughout with the many twists and turns. You link the two sources together into one complete piece in an entirely seamless way. Very smart choice to use elements of two tracks that were created with the intention of being clearly connected to one another into your arrangement, and you used it to your advantage to masterfully weave in different moods throughout the track. You’ve really brought a lot of flare and dare I say - at least in my opinion - you’ve improved on the original source material! I love the double bass, the piano (and the slight tail on it that brings it a pleasantly metallic brightness), and that percussion! I’m not sure if it’s performed or programmed, but it’s authoritatively executed. You know exactly where you wanted to take this, and the execution is marvellous. I have little more to say than to point out the incredible organ being the cherry on the cake for me, and that if I were to hear a live band performing this at a jazz bar, I would not be disappointed. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 Hell yeah! This is great! The complex timing you’ve got going on the drums is really amazing, the bass line is killer, and the organ really is the jelly in this PB&J of jazz. Your piano performance is stellar, the instruments are mixed well and appropriately, and the arrangement maintains a healthy addiction to the source while being varied enough to keep the ear interested, even at a 5 minute jazz arrangement. It’s like Soulive put on a red cap with an M on it and jumped off a cliff yelling WAHOO. Great job on this – I don’t have any other feedback! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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