Liontamer ⚖️ Posted July 29 Posted July 29 Artist Name: Seth Skoda 2016: I was already making beats while renting a room in a boarding house. Dude in another room said I should make Death Egg Zone into a beat. So I did. Started the intro with Lollipop by Lil Wayne as the style base. Mixing was a hot mess, but mission accomplished regardless. Fast forward to 2024: I hear a song that blows me away with its retro vibe and use of FM synthesizers: Million Dollar Baby by Tommy Richman. Like, this beat is fire. Best hip-hop/R&B I've heard in a very long time. I start working on a SEGA Genesis version of the song (for my YouTube channel). I upload a demo of the cover as a short. Mid-2025: I get an overnight job, which gives me more time to work on music. So, I'm doing stuff, resub High Voltage, get rejected. Meh, I'll get it next time. Then, something clicks in my head to completely redo my remix of Death Egg Zone. But this time, I'll use Million Dollar Baby as the style base. I can literally hear it in my head. I get to work on it and post a demo in the OCR Discord 2 hours later. Other people there approve. Some number of hours of work later, here we are. I hope y'all enjoy this. BTW a little inspiration to do this based on Cannon Fodder "Cannon Straits" and Sonic Colors "Everybody Wants To Rule The Wisps" which are also style-based remixes. Games & Sources Source tune is Death Egg Zone Act 1 from Sonic & Knuckles. I believe this one was written by Howard Drossin like other music in the game.
prophetik music ⚖️ Posted August 7 Posted August 7 took a second to grok what was going on, but there's some really fun stuff going on in that intro. the beat is really fun too, i liked the detuned hat drop effect. lead is unfortunately pretty basic - even a little lfo over time to the sustain tone would have helped. i like the backing blurbs more. there's a break at 0:56 for a bit, and we get some gliding stuff as a neat palate cleanser for a short while before the synth/eguitar comes in at 1:24 as the lead for a short solo. there's a recap of the melodic material before a much more intense B section at 1:51. i really liked the idea here and wish it was more involved. one lil jon sample later, we're in a riding pattern that fades out to end it. i wouldn't have minded the bass there being a touch quieter. this is a neat idea! i think the leads are really boring but i love the concept beyond that. i think this would have been a favorite of a lot of folks in, like 2004-2006. i think this is pretty borderline myself, but probably would lean on the side of good enough due to the fun arrangement and really interesting beat work. i can definitely see the leads pulling down for other Js though and would focus on that if this doesn't make it. YES Seth Skoda 1
Hemophiliac ⚖️ Posted August 14 Posted August 14 This is very cool, I personally don't like the genre very much but I enjoyed this one. It's short but gets the job done. Feels better produced then the Million Dollar track you referenced as inspiration as well. I do agree with prophetik on the leads being simple, but it's not a dealbreaker for me as they get changed between sections and don't overstay their welcome. In the future, I'd recommend using some modulation (of any kind) on them to help them move and add interest to them. The source is clear to me and there's plenty of great personalization not only in genre adaption but in soloing. 1:24 synth guitar was an example of new part writing that fit in with the track. Excellent transitions at 0:54 and 1:50. Nice work Seth! Fade out on such a short track isn't great, but feels appropriate for the genre for some reason. YES Seth Skoda 1
pixelseph ⚖️ Posted August 20 Posted August 20 Signing off on this one on the same side as my fellow Js here. Leads feel a touch dull across the board, like there's a lack of excitement in the upper-mids, but I also think that what's presented is good enough to get across the bar. Love the varied use of portamento on the harmony synths, especially the intro (:00 - :28) and re-intro (1:09 - 1:23). Doesn't overstay its welcome, either - 2:39 goes a lot faster than I expected on first listen, though it's really more like 2:30 if I discount the fade-out. Still enough for our purposes! YES Seth Skoda 1
Liontamer ⚖️ Posted August 20 Author Posted August 20 Agreed with the others on more sophisticated production being a nice-to-have while also appreciating the interpretive arrangement and creative layering/texturing. The faux geetar sample at 1:23 deserved more humanization and heft, but we'll live. Referencing just supporting writing from the source from :15-:28 & 1:09-1:37 was a subtle but cool touch. Solid piece of business, Seth! YES Seth Skoda 1
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