ReMix:Wizards & Warriors "DJ Jake" 2:27

By DJ Jake

Arranging the music of one song...

"Woods of Elrond"

Primary Game: Wizards & Warriors (Acclaim , 1987, NES), music by David Wise

Posted 2001-04-21, evaluated by djpretzel


I think I mentioned last time we had a W&W ReMix on this site how much fun I had playing this game, basically because it frustrated me out of my skull when I would climb ten stories high via precision jumping only to fall all the way down and have to restart. This first submission by DJ Jake is a simple, groove-based take on the games' addictive but repetitive music. Good bass and drums, and gets its thing really going on with the melody line towards the end - wish this had come in a bit sooner in the track, but I guess good things are worth waiting for. I did especially like the latin percussion breakdown at 1'05", with the cowbell and triangle and what not - in fact, the various percussion used in the loop is what ties the track together and adds significantly to the feel. Good tip there: Pretzel says "Kick Drum, Snare, and Cymbals sometimes just aren't enough - explore alternative percussion!"

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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TheCD1
on 2024-06-26 20:47:45

Simple but effective, this remix still holds up for me. Agreed that it improves as it goes on, but the simplicity kinda sets that up to work. Also agree that the ending is too abrupt, but otherwise ?

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Marmiduke
on 2012-02-27 08:08:29

This sounds like something you'd hear playing over the main menu of a licensed Sega Genesis game. I consider this a good thing.

Not good technically. Far from it. I think this mix sounds godawful. But it captures a nice personality that I actually connected with, strangely enough. I think this is a weirdly hilarious mix.

The last section is actually not too bad, and it proves this mix could have gone to some interesting places. But apart from my guilty attraction to the absurdity of this one, it is VERY far past its use-by date and is pretty laughable in comparison to most of its peers, even from the same time period.

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William Jackson
on 2011-05-16 15:07:54

This mix makes me smile.

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ella guro
on 2009-12-05 00:00:10

With a name like DJ Jake I was expecting some mediocre trance.

Though I don't think this is much better. The sounds are very midi-ish and it's a very basic arrangement. I was expecting it to pick up towards the end a little bit, but it hardly does. Not really much of note here.

Btw, I love the writeup for this mix. I like how the site kind of accepted anyone willing to try game mixing a try, regardless of how strange or goofy their take on a song was. I wasn't around back then but it seemed like fun times in some ways. The music is obviously a lot better now, but it definitely doesn't have that same spirit anymore 'cause it can't.

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Bahamut
on 2009-09-11 00:41:07

I remember this mix, as I listened to all of the Wizards Warrior mixes back in 2002 because I loved the game as a kid.

But this mix is pretty repetitive with the same plodding pace for most of the song and basic instrumentation played in the same loops even when more are added, excepting that break around the middle where it's just the percussion playing. Just one of many archaic mixes still around :-( .

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42
on 2008-12-11 13:57:05

There's not really enough going on here, imho.

and it's pretty repetitive.

More could have been done with it, but ...

well, it's O.K.

More or less...

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Lint
on 2008-12-11 13:13:50

No matter how hard I try, I can never live down my shame that I confused it with a D12 beat.

I like the sample, it would be a good beat to rap to. The mixture of other instruments that go over the main line are cool little portions, but I never really think anything fleshes itself out as a lead until 1:52. At that point the mix is almost over and it feels like wasted potential. That last 30 seconds is really cool, but I think that the rest of the mix could have a lot more done with it.

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halc
on 2008-12-11 03:46:40

yeah... the samples could be better. i like the arrangement at 2:00 when it starts rocking out. ending was pretty abrupt and the drop-out at 1:15 really killed the flow for me.

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DragonAvenger
on 2007-12-28 10:00:03

Too repetative for my taste. More change-up sooner would have done this a world of good.

The percussion carries the piece, most certainly. The extra stuff really catches your attention, though I wish it had just been something extra to bring me in rather than the only thing.

The sounds didn't bother me that much, but I wouldn't mind an update, ceratinly. Overall a kinda fun piece.

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evktalo
on 2007-12-08 13:57:52

That extra percussion definitely wins me over. It's just ..fun.

Gotta agree with OA on this one, would definitely need a sound update. But damn, it's a fun romp..

--Eino

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about:blank
on 2007-12-04 16:16:22

My first thought when hearing this was "Wow, this sounds very midi-ish." It's very rigidly sequenced, but somehow the percussion makes up for it. I like the part at 1:04 when the extra percussion comes in. I think I recognize most of it from a soundfont that I have.

Anyway, I didn't really care for the sequencing of the musical parts, but the percussion is indeed pretty cool. Also, the strings that came in around 1:54 weren't bad, and did serve to give the mix a feeling of closure.

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OA
on 2006-12-28 11:43:05

Super basic and midi-sounding, I can't say that this will win any awards for sound design. Though basic, it does have a certain charm, especially when the extra percussion comes in. When the extra material comes in, it starts getting really good. This mix would be really good with several changes, most notably a synth update, a little less repetition early on, and maybe an extra section. As is, it's a bit dated, however nice.

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watkinzez
on 2005-03-15 00:49:02

Cool, I just came across this while listening to Winamp on shuffle. Surprised me for a rather old mix. The bass and drums are the highlight, but as djp said, the expansion of the main melody should have come in sooner. Nevertheless, a pretty cool song.

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SsaiskK
on 2003-05-04 07:51:13

kicks off pretty well, but i wonder if it woulda been better to switch the synth and percussion entrances... but only cause i like hearing the beat down quick. neway, i dont think i enjoyed it as much as saunders, but it was pretty solid. djjake has a thing for driving bass, and this one nails it perfectly. percussion break at ~1:00 is nice ;) triangle + woodblocks all the way baby, thats what im talking about.

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Saunders
on 2002-05-15 23:24:09

Wizards Warriors 'DJ Jake'

YES! I absolutely loved this tune as soon as I heard it. Great bass, great, well, everything. I don't think I ever found anything about this mix that I didn't like. Maybe length. I would've loved to hear it a bit longer. Especially the ending part.

This mix made it's way onto my 2nd or 3rd OCR CD. It's just that cool.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Wizards & Warriors (Acclaim , 1987, NES)
Music by David Wise
Songs:
"Woods of Elrond"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Experimental
Mood:
Quirky
Instrumentation:
Electric Piano,Piano,Synth
Additional:
Effects > Lo-Fi
Time > Duration: Short
Time > Tempo: Moderate

File Information


Name:
Wizards_&_Warriors_DJ_Jake_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
2,445,224 bytes
MD5:
390b7c1eca94733ef2f4ea51cde1b73a
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
2:27

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