ReMix:Super Mario Kart "Rainbow Rain" 3:34

By vail

Arranging the music of one song...

"Rainbow Road"

Primary Game: Super Mario Kart (Nintendo , 1992, SNES), music by Soyo Oka, Taro Bando

Posted 2002-08-03, evaluated by djpretzel


vail's initial offering was a nice Tempest 2000 ReMix, our first Jaguar submission, which took the high-energy original and aimed for a more hollow, ambient sound. By most estimates, it succeeded in that goal, but Nate's trying something vastly different with this Super Mario Kart ReMix of 'Rainbow Road'. Now, Mazedude gave us some very outlandish experimental jazz coverage of this very track a while back, and while its flexibility and wild meandering made me question his sanity a bit ^^, I for one enjoyed it. vail's take certainly isn't as risky or perhaps as daring, but it does change things around a bit and may be a tad more accessible for some. Nate writes:

"it starts out with a final fantasy type of arpeggio thing, but it tries to slow down to a more groovy version of this badass song. Anyhow, my email is vail@wsu.edu, and i'm kinda drunk right now, soh opefully this email makes some sense."

Sounds like me on a Friday night :) Indeed, it made enough sense to me, and if Nate was inebriated during the compostion of the mix as well as his email, it doesn't show. Though the volume is mixed kinda low, this is a nice laid back pop mix with, as vail indicates, Nobuo-esque arpeggios, as well as some nice drums and a liquid smooth midrange analog lead at 0'43" that blends very well. I think in the end Nate could have explored this idea a bit more - some trip-hop angles on the drums, slightly more agressive mixing, etc., but nevertheless it's very smooth, flows coherently, and is another jazzy and unique take on the theme. Despite my feeling that more could have been done, what's here is very atmospheric & quality, and comes recommended.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2022-03-21 01:54:58

I hear the Final Fantasy arpeggios type deal, and I enjoy the laid-back chill vibe of the mix, but yeah, some of the production could have used a little shine. The one thing that stood out the most to me on that were the cymbals. But it was still cool in its own way and was decent enough. Nothing that I overly disliked or absolutely loved, just liked it well enough. Not bad.

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Nutritious
on 2011-12-08 10:28:00

This was one of the first batch of mixes that I ever downloaded from the site - years before getting invovled or even signing up for the forums. With such a strong yet unique source, it's sometimes difficult to come up with an effective approach to a remix. So with that in mind, the downtempo relaxed feel is probably the right call here.

While sound design might not be anything special today, this was quite solid for an '02 mix. I still enjoy listening to this.

Everyone talks about getting nostalgia hearing mixes from childhood gaming. If there is a such thing as OCR nostalgia, this would be it for me.

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MrKyle
on 2010-01-08 09:52:44

I can't say that I love the crashes especially in the latter parts of this piece, but for the most part, I love it. Very smooth synth work and I think it does what any good ambient groove should: slow you down, make your mind wander (ah those were the days), and put you in a trance. The leads shouldn't get in the way, and they don't they definitely compliment the whole composition. The crashes just bring me out of it at times; a bit too harsh. Also, I agree that it could've been mixed a bit more aggressively, and that the bassline could be more pronounced, but this piece sounds great over monitors and crappy two-way desktop speakers. So that speaks for itself. Nice work!

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42
on 2009-12-27 00:21:16
Yeah, this is pretty... dull. And pretty.

I would agree with this. While I can respect a mellowly slowed down piece for atmospheric purposes, this literally feels mutedly dulled, like it was dipped in sepia tone or something, and it just really downs the whole mix.

This one just isn't clicking with me; where I'm expecting something vibrant, I'm getting shades of gray.

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Bahamut
on 2009-09-30 11:45:30

I remember this mix...it didn't really grab me back then, and it still doesn't. All I see here is the original melody generally just slowed down with a little more complexity to give it the imagery of rain.

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Dafydd
on 2008-12-23 16:05:16

Yeah, this is pretty... dull. And pretty. Could definitely use some more bass, that could have given it a much more cinematic feeling. The bassline is great, it just needs to be stronger and drier. The delayed oboe feels a little too fake for my taste. The arrangement is really nice but being as laid back as it is it's not very exciting to listen to.

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-09-26 18:52:15

Nothing really stands out for this. Overall it seems a bit quiet. Nice laid-back feeling. I was convinced this was a FF mix at first, kinda weird to have the Prelude arpeggio at first.

Nothing particularly wrong with it, but just not a real attention getter.

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Martin Penwald
on 2007-01-12 16:26:01

This is a quite relaxing remix. It creates a very soothing atmosphere that goes on for three and a half minutes without forcing the listener to pay too much attention to it. Nice background music, or, as some of the earlier posters mentioned, a good credit-roll track.

However, the low end sounds a bit weak to me, and the ending is rather abrupt. I'd rather prefer an ending where all the instruments fade out on after the other, until only the main melody remains.

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about:blank
on 2006-12-31 23:37:17

This isn't bad. Nothing in this mix really jumps out at me, but, I geuss for the style of the song, nothing should jump out at me. That being said, I still like the style of this.

All in all this isn't one of my favorite mixes, but it's still pretty good.

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OA
on 2006-12-29 14:44:42

Total victory lap music! Nice and laid back, it evokes the memories of a hard won race, with the future ahead. The synths are well used, and everything is clean. I actually prefer this mix to the original quite a bit. The mood you've created is great, though there are a few very minor production issues. The repeated crash cymbals need a bit of variation, and sometimes the strings are a bit bright. Otherwise, a fantastic mix.

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RimFrost the Tourianist
on 2005-08-17 09:41:27

Wow. I'm frankly amazed about the mellowness of the Mario Kart remix at hand. Because i was expecting to hear something upbeat and technolike. But this ..this is sooo sweet and cool, I can't stop it playing.

Also good use of instruments ,and excellent timing in the track.

Thumbs Up !

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Blue_Drac
on 2005-08-16 16:07:54

This sounds like something one would hear at the end of the game while the credits roll across the background of the rainbow track as Mario drives a final lap holding th e checkered flag.

No, that's not a run-on, and neither is it disparaging. It's good in its own merit, and has its place. Well thought of, but the engineering has too much treble, lending a rather tinny sound.

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Stranger
on 2002-08-06 17:27:27

this song is getting too much bad rap..time to give it PRAISE!

this song was great..sure its not top notch, but its better than that other remix of it, which i couldnt even tell it was like the actual song!

but this..this is great shit..you can pick up the beat..and it has some sorta..ambient touch..(thats not bad..thats great!)

improvements needed...none..its hella good, i dont see why this gets turned down

outta 10 id give it 9.5 cuz this is probably one of my fave songs off the soundtrack and he captivates it..now if u guys wanna make a better song..go ahead...i wanna hear it..

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Nate
on 2002-08-05 11:48:43

This is a nice slow, steady groove, if you like that sort of thing. It could be because I've still got the sugar-high of Mazedude's funky remix of this song in my head, but I can't say this one does much for me. Can't fault the production values, though.

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Disco Dan
on 2002-08-04 14:13:24

Super Mario Kart 'Rainbow Rain'

Wow. Two Mario Kart remixes with a couple of weeks from each other... and of the same stage. It's like those Guardian Legend remixes from a while back. Anyway, this mix doesn't appeal to me personally, but that's because I always had a different idea of how it was "supposed" to sound. But it's a good interpretation nonetheless, and a nice try, if nothing else. The Rainbow Road theme is full of 9ths, 7ths and chordal inversions up the wazoo, not to mention major-minor combinations and an assortment of other various jazz chords. So I really didn't expect as many right chords and notes as I heard here. It's a tricky original, and I'd say that the remix here was prepared very maturely. I think at times the song sounded a bit to raw, like there were absolutely no effects put on it, but this is just a personal preference, and overall it's not a bad listen. Eventually I'd like to hear a version of this song that didn't lull me to sleep, seeing as the course was always stressful for me to play and far from sleep-inducing.

DC

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Super Mario Kart (Nintendo , 1992, SNES)
Music by Soyo Oka,Taro Bando
Songs:
"Rainbow Road"

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File Information


Name:
Super_Mario_Kart_Rainbow_Rain_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,754,049 bytes
MD5:
7643f22e17fc98d50fbbb85718163036
Bitrate:
174Kbps
Duration:
3:34

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