Liontamer Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 Main ReMixer name: TheManPF (User ID: 35318) Additional artists: Zach Chapman; Newmajoe Submission: Game: Metroid Prime 2 Name of arrangement: GFS Jukebox Playlist: Track 1 Songs arranged: Title (https://youtu.be/s6N0A1U_ZhE); Menu Select (https://youtu.be/NKYJD_duWqQ) Original composer: Kenji Yamamoto System: Gamecube Year: 2004 Comments: This arrangement was done as part of the "Metroid Redux" month in Dwelling of Duels back in February 2022, and got 3rd place out of 25 tracks, it was also the first time I got to the top 3. The arrangement is divided into two halves, one for the Title theme, and another for the Menu Select, I never played a Metroid game, but I found these two tracks back to back while scavenging and I couldn't decide for one, so I did both, starting as "Title", moving to "Menu Select" at 3:33, and back to "Title" at the last section. The song is done in a loose jazzy style with a focus on piano, with a mental image of a person sitting on a Galactic Federation cruise spaceship while jamming out to the ship's jukebox. Some portions use chord progressions from the sources as jam sessions for different solos. This is also the first time I used vocoders in a song (even before We Are the Robots), and while it does have lyrics, since we don't know what the original is saying, I'm keeping it a mystery for this one too (it's nothing vulgar, I promise). Zach is once again playing all of the bass, and my friend Joe is responsible for the keyboard solos (both piano and rhodes). I did everything else i.e. arrangement, drums/strings sequencing, mix, guitars, vocals, and played the piano bits that are not solos. Worth mentioning that the project for this song is super mega hyper deadedy dead dead, so I won't be able to do any revisions in case this gets sent to resubmit (unless I redo the whole mix from scratch which I'm not particularly excited about). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 Too easy - you managed to squeeze a TON of juice out of these source tunes but craft it up into something wholly unique and fresh. I didn't feel the need to timestamp this, but it definitely passes the vibe check to me with regards to source usage. The melodies have been twisted up and often rely on the chord progressions to bridge the gaps, but you come back to the source material frequently enough that, even with the very jammy, improvisational approach to arranging, you're never far from Metroid material for long. Production is clean and polished, the sequenced instrumentation fills a solid supporting role, and this is generally firing on all cylinders from a technical standpoint. You're definitely on my radar by now, your recent submissions have been consistently stunning and showcase a diverse range of talents. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted August 21, 2023 Share Posted August 21, 2023 I don't have much to add to that. Great tone, really original arrangement. I'd have to timestamp to know for sure how much is derived specifically from source material, but it passes the sniff test. Excellent work. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 some filtro to start it, but the vibe at 0:15 is immaculate. i really liked the rhodes at 1:05, and the handoff there to let the EP take the lead was nicely handled. the keys solo through 1:45 was nice but the drums (specifically the crash) was a bit bright to hear it. the recap at 2:07 was nicely done - similar to before, but some nice personalizations to mix it up. the lush pad work at 3:00 or so is really nice, and a fun change from the earlier instrumentation. 3:33 has the menu theme start up, and it's again well-realized into the style. the vocoder stuff was fun if unintelligible. the arpeggiated section at 4:52 was just so good, what a great idea there. the melodic material comes back around 5:02 and it's just got such verve, i love the way that you've arranged this section. there's an outro at 5:38 and that's a wrap. this is a great track and shows a ton of creativity in adapting the tracks to the style. nice work. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted August 23, 2023 Author Share Posted August 23, 2023 Loads of fun dynamic contrast, and I was impressed by the different styles that arose from the different sections of the title theme. String sequencing from 1:46-2:07, 2:53-3:21 & 4:31-4:52 exposed the sample too much, the attacks and sustains are suss :-D; pretty much any time that sample was present (though less of an issue at 1:46 due to the lower volume), there was a quality disparity with the other strong instrumentation. The only chink in the armor here. Aside from that, you can just sit and listen to the bass, the drums, the guitars, the piano, whatever you want to fixate on, and enjoy the detail work behind everything. This never stays in one place too long; interesting changeups at 3:32 & 4:52 in particular. So much strong musicianship on display here from TheMan, Zach & Joe! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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