OCR04786 - *YES* Super Metroid "A God from the Machine"

[Emunator]

Artist Name: Emunator, Chimpazilla feat. Pixelseph

Credits:

Emunator: Original arrangement, production, mixing

Chimpazilla: Arrangement, production, mixing, mastering

Pixelseph: Guitars (rhythm, lead)

Artist Notes:

Emunator: This submission is a completely reimagined version of a my contribution to "VGM Essentials: Drum & Bass" on Firaga Records - the original version of this arrangement is available for streaming now! When I finished that track, I sent it to Chimpazilla to share, and she loved the potential of it but wanted to see it done in a harder-hitting, modern drum & bass style. I sent the stems over, and about a week later, she came out of nowhere with this absolutely killer VIP edit that is way too kickass to not share.

The original intent behind this concept was to remix Lower Brinstar in the style of Deus Ex. This inspiration still shows through in the atmospheric sound design throughout the song and the cyberpunk-style synth plucks (as well as the title, which is a literal translation of the phrase Deus Ex Machina) but along the way, it doubled in tempo and got way heavier than I'd originally planned! This ended up being a perfect blend of influences - I was captivated by the more rock-oriented, traditional D&B stylings of artists like Pendulum, and Kris brought that modern flair and beefed up the production beyond what I could accomplish alone. Pixelseph came in clutch with some really badass guitar chops that amp the arrangement all the way up to 11.

This now marks my 11th collaboration with Chimpazilla, and the 7th in the last year, and I don't think we're showing any signs of letting up. I'm so lucky to be able to have a true collaborative partner-in-crime that is down for literally any genre, any time - you saw potential in this track and ran with it, and I'm so grateful that this version of the remix is able to exist because of you.

Chimpazilla: When Wes first sent me this track in nearly-finished wip form, I thought, oh gosh yet another Brinstar arrangement.  (I'm not sure what planets aligned in the last couple of months but around 50 Brinstar arrangements were submitted to OCR; was there a memo sent out that I was unaware of?)  But I adore this theme, and the massive amount of Brinstar submissions had motivated me to think about doing one myself at some point.  And then Wes sent me his fabulous wip. 

I loved his concept so much, and Seph had already added the aforementioned badass guitars when I heard it.  Wes had some killer neurobass, great synths and a lot of DnB drum detail, and the track had a lot of positives to it, but my big gripe was the arrangement.  The way the song was structured, it seemed like there were builds but no big payoff.  I felt super strongly that it needed a proper build into a very heavy/badass DnB neurobass drop.  I am guilty of harping on this to Wes until he said "FINE, here are the stems, do your thing!"  I definitely had my way with these stems; I reworked the first two minutes quite heavily, extending the intro and adding the drumless buildup and then the big drop.  I made many more changes and additions to the rest of the piece, mixed it for maximum badassery, and mastered it.

Pixelseph's guitar work in this track is so tasty, and goes so well with the heavy DnB drums and basses.  I really like this track, it turned out to be one of my favorites of our many collabs (wow, 11 so far did you say?).  Wes is right, we will not be slowing down on these.  We have so much fun working together exploring new genres and production techniques.  Our work always fits together so seamlessly, working with Wes is joyous and effortless, and I feel like the results just get better and better each time. 

Wes, thanks so much for trusting me with this!  I am grateful to you for your incredible friendship and for being the best collab partner ever!

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Games & Sources

Super Metroid - Lower Brinstar

[prophetik music]

opens with some broad, sweeping pads, and an adaptation of the brinstar bass that i didn't expect. the iconic melody line comes in at 0:35 alongside some very wet percs that sound fantastic. there's some big transitional elements right before a break at 0:59, and we start to get a build that culminates at 1:21 with The Beat that we're going to hear for the next several minutes. i love the chorus feel at 1:43 - there's a breadth to it that feels really otherworldly. i found myself wishing there were more rhythmic elements in the synths here - there's tons of ear candy and random pops of stuff going on, but having something automated in there would have been really nice.

there's a bit of a drop and build into 2:18 with the guitar taking the lead. i love how this sounds, and i love the more dynamic and rhythmic bass element here as well. this drops to a half-time vibe at 2:42 with again some dynamic bass and synth elements moving in and out of the texture, followed up by a doubletime (4x change!) feel right after that's got tons of technicality in the performance. love the contrast.

after that is another drop and build, this time with a significant vibe shift at 3:49. i found this to be a very significant shift and would have liked a smoother transition actually - there's not a ton of corollaries between the two sides. i love the darker vibe of this section though. the ending didn't feel particularly prepped, but i don't think it's bad - i just didn't see the end coming until it was here (kind of like my super metroid runs... =/ )

as expected, a superlative effort. there's so much going on and it's so clearly handled throughout. excellent work.

 

 

YES

[Liontamer]

Did I hate it?

YES

;-P

[Hemophiliac]

Starts off with classic melody with a small unexpected change to the end of the phrase.  Quickly the dnb takes over and drives the piece into top gear.

Energy is not lost when we get it's first contrasting break.

3:03-3:26 and 4:23-4:46 guitar work was a highlight as the off-beat rhythm and melodic interpretation was a great mix-up to the status-quo. The bass work in the first couple minutes is fantastic too.

Great work all around.

YES