Liontamer Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 ReMixer name: jnWake, Ivan Hakštok, JohnStacy, Brandon L. Harnish, Nathan Froehlich, DeLuxDolemite. Name of game(s) arranged: Okami. Name of arrangement: Waka Waka. Name of individual song(s) arranged: Waka Appears (Track 215 here https://www.zophar.net/music/playstation2-psf2/okami) Link to arrangement: . This is an arrangement I wrote for DoD's PS2 month back in May of this year. I've always loved Okami's OST so that particular DoD theme gave me a push to finally do a cover of it. I usually do prog. metal kinda stuff for my remixes but that particular month I was in a jazz-ish mood so one of the first things I decided (even before picking a source) was to do something jazz oriented. Picking a source was a little tough, but I eventually decided on Waka's theme, which is a pretty flute oriented theme with waltz rhythm. Somewhat unexpectedly, I found at least 2 jazz covers of it on YouTube but I decided to keep at it anyway. Since I wanted to do jazz-ish stuff, I decided to find people to perform for the arrangement instead of using VSTs since it'd sound a ton better. This remix features JohnStacy on french horn, Ivan Hakštok on bass, Brandon Harnish on EWI/vocals/melodica, Nathan Froehlich on trumpet and DeLuxDolemite on drums... quite a large group for something arranged in less than a month! Anyway, their performances really add a lot to this, so thanks to all! I performed synth leads and did MIDI recordings for the piano, organ and supplementary synths. The arrangement features a fair bit of somewhat original writing by me so I hope that isn't an issue... I'll detail source usage now in any case. The source is actually a pretty simple source and it's mostly composed of 2 elements, a harp melody and a flute melody. These 2 elements are the basis of my arrangement. 0:00-0:25: Intro of the song, it features the harp melody on piano (with some variations). Bass and drums are "original", not using the chord progression from the source. 0:25-1:09: Here, the arrangement switches to 4/4 and John Stacy's french horn "ensemble" plays a variation of the flute melody (it's mostly some different timings to fit the change from the source's 3/4 to 4/4). 1:09-1:19: An "original" riff, it keeps the rhytm from the previous sections but isn't based on the source. 1:19-1:40: Brandon's EWI plays a variation of the flute melody over a chord progression that constantly changes key! 1:40-1:48: Switch to 6/8 and piano plays the harp melody again, but the chord progression shifts to a somewhat quick constant E to D. 1:48-2:28: First, bass and drums accompany the piano and then we have a solo duel between John's horn and my synths! As backing for the synth solos we can hear Brandon's singing. 2:28-2:49: To get inspired for the arrangement I listened to some Snarky Puppy... and that led to me wanting a trumpet solo in the arrangement, which Nathan played awesomely (is this even a word?). The backing for the solo is "original" writing, repeating the riff from the earlier original riff. 2:49-3:14: This is a completely original bridge, mostly on 7/8. Synths played by me, accompanied by John's french horn. 3:14-3:35: A repetition of the main flute melody on french horn. 3:35-4:18: Main melody on F#, now on synths over faster drums and a more "dramatic" chord progression. I'd call this the main climax of the song. On the second repetition of the main melody you can hear Brandon's melodica doubling and/or harmonizing the synth lead. 4:18-4:27: Repeat of the "original" riff from earlier, now on F#. 4:27-4:48: Piano plays a variation of the harp melody to close the song on a B minor chord with a lot of added notes. I had a lot of fun writing this and it was pretty well received on DoD, so I hope you enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted August 12, 2023 Author Share Posted August 12, 2023 It's not a major thing, but you do catch some of the quality disparity of the sampled piano vs. the live instrumentation in the intro. From 1:48-2:28, it felt like the textures should have been fuller; there was a lot of empty space that wasn't properly padded/filled, IMO. The performances are solid, but there's post-production glue missing to make everything sound like it's performed all together in the same place, a relative spareness that's always there. That said, the arrangement's on point, and the performances and production are above our bar. Always love to hear renditions of this theme, and this is a very inspired, jazzy version pulled together by jnWake! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted August 12, 2023 Share Posted August 12, 2023 I had forgotten about this luscious source tune, it's been years since I played Okami. I agree with Larry, the piano lacks a bit in quality, but the playing is lovely. The instrumentation feels overly dry to me (especially the synth that starts at 1:19, that is straight-up piercy to me), but everything fits well enough together and the parts are well written and performed. I also agree that the mix lacks some kind of padding to make it more cohesive, but this is a jazzy arrangement that ordinarily wouldn't have padding per se. The little bits of choir help but it is mixed very quietly. Something more dreamy mixed together with that choir, softly behind it, would really fill out that space and give extra contrast to the arrangement. What a cool jazzy rendition of this source, with all sorts of time signature tomfoolery, occasional shuffled drums, fun writing variations, and ear candy and surprises along the way. Top notch arrangement of this source, and a joy to listen to. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted August 21, 2023 Share Posted August 21, 2023 Pretty good! I agree with Kris about the 1:19 synth sounding really dry and piercing, and really doesn't belong in this jazz mix. I'm not that crazy about the 2:04 one, either. On the flip side, it sounds like the brass is sometimes smushed or filtered too aggressively; the exposed trumpet at 2:29-2:52 sounds great, but the French horn, especially when "ensemble-ized," just doesn't have a good tone. Overall servicable, but I would have liked it more as a straight jazz piece without the synths, and with more open EQ work on the French horn. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 neat idea. thank you for a detailed writeup. the initial drumbeat and groove really does have a Snarky Puppy feel to it, nice work there. i'm honestly surprised that the lead at 0:25 is FH and not trumpet. i didn't have an issue with the synth - the tone is straight off of We Like It Here, even the dryness next to the other instruments (although it could have used a touch more room verb on it). same with the one at 2:06. the chord progression at 1:40 is a neat idea. i very much liked the transition to this with the back-and-forth solos. the switch to 7/8 at 2:49 caught me off guard but again, i really liked the idea. the prog influences on all of this is super clear. 3:13 is a recap of the FH section from the beginning with some new synths added in. 3:32's subsequent 4/4 runthrough of the melodic material is a great way to prep for the shuffling outro and subsequent piano noodles to finish it. arrangement is great. you really nailed the Snarky Puppy style of melodic ensemble writing with a clear direction and a lot of variety in texture. the track sounds excellent throughout as well - the drier tone is in general an SP staple, and it's hard to do imo since it's so easy to just make it a desert, so excellent job getting that balance handled well. what a great track. bravo. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts