ReMix:Shadowgate "Death Rave" 5:13

By Nines

Arranging the music of one song...

"Game Over"

Primary Game: Shadowgate (Kemco , 1989, NES), music by Hiroyuki Masuno

Posted 2002-04-18, evaluated by djpretzel


AYREZ continues a habit of churning out some seriously quality techno beats, with liquid analog madness, phased, flanged, filtered, and funky. This rave ReMix from NES classic Shadowgate is danceable to the extreme, and also functions as good drivin' / codin' tunage. Synths are a step-above in terms of vibrance, warmth, and depth, which does make a difference, but it's the tripping triplets that are introduced to a solo version of the "melody" during the break around 2'13" that particularly caught my ear - fantastic inclusion and indicative of extra care being taken to avoid the auto-pilot feel some techno has. Groovalicious, and similar in vein to AYREZ's previous work, which thus far has been a very good thing. There are also some very interesting tone colors in the piano chord work that gains more emphasis towards the closing of the track, which adds a nice character. Recommended.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 12 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Rexy
on 2011-12-06 03:45:19

With no source to compare to, the least I can do is just figure things out by the structure of the track.

So from what I'm sensing, the early intro with the lo-fi synths and the flange work was pretty neat, and similar flange work going in throughout managed to give the track some life. A repetitive nature for the most part, though there were some shakeups in some of the more organic instrument; however, even then it wasn't quite for the better due to sometimes these instruments being in entirely different keys than the synth bass and arpeggio work, which to me came off pretty sloppy.

The synth quality is pretty good though considering its time, and I thought the echoed piano - while a little thin-sounding now - was also a cool addition. It's not a bad production side for 2002 at least.

That aside, the heavy clashing of the accompaniment isn't really doing it for me; it's almost akin to some of Beatdrop's early work where he similarly got keys mixed up between instruments, and for a firm production setting considering the age it feels to me like a disappointment. I will however keep looking through Nines's library to see if something was pushed more fluently in regards to notation; I sense good potential.

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Bahamut
on 2009-09-13 00:55:43

This sounds like your generic bad sample trance that you find in some of the older mixes that are on OCR. I feel like more could be going on throughout the song, although it's not an overly terrible framework for a song.

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Master_Yoshi
on 2008-12-30 18:43:14

It's interesting how the reviews are all over the place here.

I think I was put off by the intro a lot, and I could really have done with that and skipped right to the meat of this thing. In fact there are several times in memory when I have hit the "next" button on my keyboard because of the intro alone, and this is just totally bogus. At the 30 second mark where you have that chiptuney sound and the other electronic elements meshing we have what should have been the intro.

That being said, once you are done with that ridiculous intro, you have an awesome track.

However as I am writing this, I have a huge smile on my face with it in the background. The piano in the end is absolutely killer, it is beautifully handled, meshes wonderfully with the other elements. Man, this mix is just all kinds of awesome. Good stuff, highly recommended here as well.

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WillRock
on 2008-12-12 14:03:11

Not a fan of that intro :S

It sounds very primitive, which in some cases works, but not in this case for me.

However, the production is good for its time :P

however, there are plenty of off notes in this that put me off further.

Its all very similar and boring as a result, but the break down at the end with the piano is a great change, the piano is handled well, despite sounding a little midi like.

It cuts off at the end, not cool :S

I like the production, but they are little flaws with this that make me unhappy with this one as a whole.

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Lint
on 2008-12-06 15:40:59

Alright, I haven't heard the source for this piece, so I can't make any judgments on that front.

I love the intro portion and how the midi-sounding portion keeps going in the background for ~30 seconds after the main beat starts up. The synth line starting at 1:30 is awesome, and then the higher melody that comes in afterwards is a nice break. The quiet portion starting at 2:10 is another neat touch to bring the mix back down to basics and rebuild the whole arrangement of synths. Throughout the whole mix the drums stay very unobtrusive but really provide a flavor to the song that is cool.

The last 2 minutes of the mix bring a piano to the lead and its a great slowing element that allows the song to easily segue into another track without any major shocks to the system. The ending flows well, without feeling forced or sudden.

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-08-22 19:22:05

I was expecting a lot more from the mix judging by the title. It seems pretty standard fare, and I'm not terribly impressed. Nothing really stands out in the mix, and I found it hard to really pay attention throughout. There isn't anything wrong with it either, it's just a bit too cliche for my tastes. The ending is pretty, and and overall its still a nice mix, just not adventurous.

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The Author
on 2007-12-10 11:22:34

The intro is good, kinda mysterious. And it stays in subtly, even when the beat starts. Gotta say, it feels like pretty standard electronica. Not that I don't like it. Something can feel standard and be pretty good. In this case, while I kinda wish it went in a different direction (the intro led me to believe it would try something different), the song is still good.

I just wish it did something more, it feels too generic. Especially at the end.

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OA
on 2006-12-28 11:52:48

I have to say this is a surprisingly appealing mix, full of catchy synths, and a very cool bassline. The drums are pretty weak/forgettable, but the real attention-getter is the way the piano adds some beautiful polychords on top of the pad progression. They are more subtle as it starts, but as the mix reaches it's end, the beat stops completely, leaving just the ethereal flow, and the chords on top. Very ambitious, and completely unexpected.

For a straight-up dance track, it's stunning.

Highly recommended.

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jordex
on 2005-03-29 17:54:42

I played this at a small party with a few of my friends with a strobe light and everything, I also played Nines' FF mix, it was a kick ass night thanks to Nines!

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Polo
on 2005-03-29 17:22:21

Maybe it's how this mix "creeps up" on me and then "rots" away, 'cause I find this goes well with horror stories involving rotting corpses and zombies with their entrails leaking out. But it also feels sad in an end-of-the-world-ish way. The Grim Reaper would be proud.

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Corporal Eschebone
on 2004-08-03 05:02:39

Hmm... No reviews... I guess I'll take this one up.

Nines has did his job here, though he could've done it a bit better. Good track to listen to when you're too busy to notice how uneventful it is. Mreh.

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orkybash
on 2002-05-27 14:45:15

Shadowgate 'Death Rave'

Pretty mediocre techno music here. It's good, but it didn't have the edge that a song titles "Death Rave" probably should - it wasn't intense, it wasn't energetic, and it made me want to keep sitting in front of my computer instead of getting up and dancing. So download it, enjoy it, but know that I've heard much better.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Shadowgate (Kemco , 1989, NES)
Music by Hiroyuki Masuno
Songs:
"Game Over"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Dance
Mood:
Energetic
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Piano,Synth
Additional:
Time > 4/4 Time Signature
Usage > Workout

File Information


Name:
Shadowgate_Death_Rave_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,092,606 bytes
MD5:
d819ceae7eca2cee03cc792151e9d4d3
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
5:13

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