ReMix:Space Harrier "Spaced" 4:36

By d0d0

Arranging the music of one song...

"Theme"

Primary Game: Space Harrier (Sega , 1986, SMS), music by Hiroshi Kawaguchi

Posted 2002-11-28, evaluated by djpretzel


Happythanks! Thanksgiving ain't exactly the biggest and best holiday, fine, but it's a time to see family & friends, have good eats, and get all your xmas shopping done in a mad rush of hectic consumerism - and what could be more fun than that? Plus, unless my family has let me down, free alcohol and coconut shrimp should be involved this go-round, so I'm looking forward to it. Right then - on we go: I can never get enough of the first stage Space Harrier music - like chocolate, air, and Escaflowne, I doubt I'll ever tire of it. I admit and confess to the bias, at least, but don't think it would have affected this particular rendition's posting here at OC ReMix. d0d0 lends his ears and talents to an electro ReMix that's part techno-industrial, part 80's synth-pop, and all fun. The intro is a minor-key, dark arrangement that in and of itself is a peculiar reworking of the theme, featuring an interesting sample (something about a blow job - didn't get the reference, myself. d0d0? Anyone?) - but this more sinister tone lifts and the peppy (fruity?) major-key joy starts fading in around 0'40". Beat is frenetic late 80's techno, almost passable as upbeat old skool rap if it were on a cheesy 808 (these are more 909 drums), with an octave synth bass underneath, some great subtle synth rhythms, floating pads and ambient effects all over the stereo spectrum that give it that "spaced" feel (Houston, we have a mix name), and later on some strings on an original harmony that works nicely. Ending is abrupt and leaves you with a disonant delay, but I kinda thought that was effective. Again, I confess my bias for the theme, but this is a strong arrangement that fits in well with previous efforts. The intro in particular goes the extra mile and packs in several unorthodox musical ideas that add to the whole. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and get jiggy with the egg nog, where applicable - if all goes well and I'm at least partially sober, expect two more (excellent) ReMixes sometime this evening. In the meantime, check out d0d0's latest superb take on a superb theme. Recommended.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 13 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Rexy
on 2011-12-07 03:37:13

Space Harrier! I remember being fond of the source after CarboHydroM covered it back in 2005, so it'll be good to see other interpretations of the theme.

So I guess it starts out rather weird with that "sultry female" voice clip (o__O), though after an atmospheric intro it kicks straight into a rendition of the theme. The filter/synth effect works aren't bad considering they're from 2002, kind of have that Katamari Damacy-like tone somewhat even if it feels somewhat subtle.

So it may feel somewhat dated now considering the combination of the sample selection (though a fair portion of the synths sound good even for their time), straight cover nature of the arrangement and the... introduction... but taking aside the little imperfections I dig this - pretty well done for its time :)

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42
on 2009-12-18 21:18:59

I'll admit the intro is a little creepy especially with the initial vocal sample and the darkly moody intro. While the transition to the main meat of the mix was smooth and nice, meh...

This mix can't really come to any resolution with itself, imo. Each piece is distinctive with it's own little flair. Intro is dark and moody, transition is hopeful, the next piece is feels like a cover of the melody, after the two and a half minute mark it feels mellowed out and purposeful. While I can't complain that it isn't an interesting listen, it just feels too piecemeal for me. By no means is it terrible, it's just "meh" :| I will agree that the intro was the most interesting part of this mix though.

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Bahamut
on 2009-10-02 03:58:13

Haha, what's with the spoken clip at the beginning?

So this mix surprised me - things started somewhat darkish, giving me the impression that I was going to be listening to something maybe triphopish, but then shifted gears into the main melody.

To be honest, I liked that intro segment more than the rest of the mix. The bass was a bit too high, but otherwise that intro segment had some intrigue to it, whereas the main crux of the mix is fairly conservative with the melody, layering a few more instruments in following the progression. It didn't vary things up too much, which just adds to the disappointment for me after the start.

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justinj212
on 2009-01-17 16:11:41

awesome song, and the mix feels very retro. parts of it sound like Sega Genesis music, which I liked. the drums at the end were good as well.

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evktalo
on 2008-12-12 07:42:15

Very nice transition from the intro to the main part. I actually mistyped "pain part" first, I guess I don't like the actual theme that much! It's voiced too softly in my opinion. I don't feel the forward motion that OA speaks of. IMHO the piece could have skipped repeating the A part so much before moving to the next part, that would have kept the energy going better. Regardless, not a bad ditty at all.

--Eino

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-08-31 16:02:49

Transition from the moody beginning to the super-happiness works well, and everything flows nicely. I agree with OA, drums are a little lacking in power compared to the rest of the mix.

I can see the charm of this song, but it's not working for me. Not really my style, to be honest.

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OA
on 2007-05-01 14:48:35

Really nice source selection, What a great cheerful song, I think the space effects are pretty cool, and though the percussion could use a bit more punch, it's a mix that holds up pretty damn well several years later. I am really digging the feeling of forward motion on this one. The samples are slightly lofi, but it adds to the charm. :-)

Recommended.

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Chavous
on 2006-03-04 00:56:29

I was never really good at video games...It was quite a big deal for me to get to stage two, even after playing for hours. Nonetheless, I loved playing it, and the music kept me entertained.

This remix does perfect justice to the original. The intro flowed nicely, and the rest was just superb. The song did seem to loop a hell of a lot, without much change to the original melodies/backgrounds. The flourishes add some nice color to keep things interesting, but it still is very close to the original.

Being close to the original in this song isn't bad for me, I love the song to begin with :lol: , but in remix standards it is a wee bit too close. Anyway, I still love this song, and the mp3 will stay with me for a while.

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Marduk
on 2002-12-21 07:00:27

I'm I thought this was awesome, and one of the better remixes in the past 2 months. Once this song gets rolling it just jams, will that happy 80's flight feeling... I dunno how to explain it. It captured the game and the genre quite well. I especially enjoy the fact he let it ride for four+ minutes, though I could have handled six:)

Nice work on drums and bass, sounds great in the car!

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d0d0
on 2002-12-20 12:05:01

okay, this is not so much a review as a reply to our humble siteops question about the sample at the start... its along story... the sample is from a film called the acid house (channel 4 films) that i saw at the cannon classic here in birmingham, in the foyer there was an old spaceharrier machine that got a few creds before i watched the film. While i was remixing i couldn`t get the film out of my head, so got it on DVD, then in some sort of hazy state i decided to put a sample from the film into the tune... Originally the remix was going to be called half killed by acid that was a very stringy/upfront acid house affair, but as it progressed (after listening to and being influenced by resurection by PPK - space club mix) it got a more spacey feel, less stringy, more synthy...

At the time i finished it I loved it, now i`m not so sure, there were 4 versions of this mix done, this one, an industrial version called mogadon, the semi finished half killed by acid and a more or less straight midi version... in retrospect the criticism on here is more than fair (tho at the time i finished the tune i`d have probably wanted to slap sum1 - was on a new tune buzz :) a more upfront mix was definately needed.

Oh, and a credit needs to goto sid/zerozillion getting things started in the first place he came up with the cool hard synth that i used in the intro.

Have i rambled on for long enough now? can i go?

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sgx
on 2002-12-01 23:38:16

I like this. It moves well, and is fun to listen to. The intro totally gave me a different impression of what was to come than what actually did end up coming(I don't know if that's a good or bad thing). It all seems a bit muddy with a lot of things going on at one time, which isn't that horrible, but the drums kinda end up sounding a little weak. It's not because of a lack of volume, either. Perhaps a different snare sample or something. The section at 2:30 is cool. Good stuff.

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Evilhead
on 2002-11-30 18:56:57

I agree... The main melody is sometimes obscured by the drums and other elements... It seems like it's almost in the background at parts. I really like how it fades from the moody intro into the main theme, though. Also, I'm a huge fan of Space Harrier music, so any remix of the songs are great in my book, but this one could have been a lot better if it was clearer.

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orkybash
on 2002-11-30 15:51:42

Space Harrier 'Spaced'

Enjoyable if you like oldsk00l stuff, though it honestly ain't my favorite genre. For me there's some parts that sound really good (around 2:30), though most of the remix sounds a little muddy - doesn't sound like there's much panning work here, though, so that might explain it. Not the best remix, coulda been better with some more attention to panning, but a worthy attempt nonetheless!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Space Harrier (Sega , 1986, SMS)
Music by Hiroshi Kawaguchi
Songs:
"Theme"

Tags (6)


Genre:
EDM
Mood:
Dark,Energetic
Instrumentation:
Strings,Synth
Additional:
Time > 4/4 Time Signature

File Information


Name:
Space_Harrier_Spaced_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,512,990 bytes
MD5:
12666801e51784bc8839bc7cd9bc95f3
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
4:36

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