Liontamer Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 Artist Name: jnWake Collaborating artists: Mattmatatt and Kev Ragone. Another month passes, another DoD song to submit! This time, the monthly theme was "Mega Man" and I took the opportunity to cover a source that had been in my mind for a while, the boss theme (+intro) from Mega Man X2. Being honest, I'm not sure why my mind ever registered both as things to remix since I don't think they're actually that good haha, but I guess they do have some fairly unusual melodies and progressions so that must have registered as "interesting" in my mind. Regardless of that, I simply went ahead with making a cover despite some doubts about the quality of the sources! My approach here was jazz fusion-ish, Boss 1 in particular has a fun progression (Eb-Gb-F-Ab-B-D) that's harmonized in 4ths so it hides a bit of jazz behind the rock elements of the source. Initially, I set out to write something in the style of pianist Hiromi, but in the end the arrangement came out a little more like the supergroup U.K.... of course, on my musical level, not the much higher one of those artists! Since I went for the jazz-ish feel I recruited Kev Ragone, who's a very prolific drummer in DoD and live bands but I think hasn't been featured on OCR before, and Mattmatatt on guitars, who recently made his OCR debut. Both are extremely talented, I tasked Kev with finding his inner Simon Phillips (former Toto drummer who sometimes plays with Hiromi) and tasked Matt with finding his inner Allan Holdsworth (very well known technical guitarist, who played in the aforementioned U.K.). I don't recruit actual drummers often but it definitely adds a special feel to tracks! Matt did great as well, adding his brand of virtuosity to the track. I handled all the synth/piano programming/recording, including the bass which I wanted to have a funky FM-ish sound. I often make pretty detailed descriptions of source usage but this time I'm feeling a little lazy on that, so I'll go with "simpler" descriptions... 0:00-0:47: All of this section is based on Boss 1. Bass plays the Eb-Gb-F-Ab-B-D progression and is later joined by synths, piano and guitar noodling. At 0:22 the progression is slowed down for a guitar solo. Guitar lick at 0:40 also has the same progression as background but with more "standard" chords. 0:48-1:39 : All of this is based on Boss 2. First we have the chord stabs from the intro, then the main melody on piano at 1:08 and the next section from the source at 1:29. 1:40-2:11: All of this features the main melody of Boss 2, first straight on guitar and then a reharmonized variant on synths. 2:12-2:57: All of this section is a jam over the Eb-Gb-F-Ab-B-D progression from Boss 1 on bass. There's a reprise of the cover's intro as well. 2:58-3:19: Bass riff is the main bass riff of Boss 2 but the highlight here are the drums! 3:20-end: Main melody from Boss 2 returns with some variations, first on piano and then on guitar. We then have a repetition of the 1:29 section's chord progression and end the track with some rising arpeggios based on Boss 1's progression (now transposed). Hope you enjoy! Games & Sources Game: Mega Man X2 Sources: Boss 1 and Boss 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Quote I often make pretty detailed descriptions of source usage but this time I'm feeling a little lazy on that, so I'll go with "simpler" descriptions... i'm going to proceed on the assumption that i'll reject this track, then 😄 opening is so instantly funky. boss 1 is so weird and this is a surprisingly approachable and tonal version of it. matt's guitar work is stunning - i love the constant motion, very mathrocky. the shift at 0:48 is well-timed to give a break after that first absolute banger of a solo. the rhythmic elements that come in at the end of this section are great also. i loved the interplay of the synth playing the lead at 1:40 and matt's guitar underneath it doing constant motion insanity. nice drum solo section! good tie back to the jazz roots underneath the complexity, and a great way to transition to the break at 3:19. there's a final blow through some of the chord progressions and then it's done. i wouldn't have minded a final chord to help tie it together, but this isn't bad. easy vote! this is a straight banger, with superb artistry shown in the three performers. excellent job conveying a really weird original in an approachable and consumable manner. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 Easily the funkiest boss music from the MMX series, and I think this arrangement really ramps that factor up to 11. If you like reharmonization, jazzy chord combinations, and solid guitar performances complimented with interested synths then this is gonna be your jam. It does take a minute for one to start pulling the source out of this arrangement, but once you hear what's being done it's pretty easy to see it clears OCR's bar. The performances, mixing, and production are pretty solid to boot, as well, so I don't see how this wouldn't have a home on OCR. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemophiliac Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 Fantastic live performances all around. Interpretation is superb with much development on small ideas from the original. Only way this could have been spicier would have been to change up the time signature more and go proggy. The off beat accents do a good job of playing with rhythm expectations enough that it feels that way anyways. I guess keeping this one more tame without crazy time sig changes makes this more accessible to listen to. Great work! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 WOWZA this is great!!!! Starts out so strong and keeps delivering. The guitar performances are just dynamite. The synth work and drums are also excellent and all perfectly supportive. The arrangement is full of dynamic shifts and varied instrumentation and rhythmic patterns. Reminds me of some of the best prog-rock arrangements from the 90s like Dream Theater or Planet X. Super professional sounding, this arrangement is groovus maximus. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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