ReMix:Shinobi "Dark Tortoise" 3:37

By moonove

Arranging the music of one song...

"Bonus Stage (BGM 4)"

Primary Game: Shinobi (Sega , 1987, SMS), music by Yasuhiro Kawakami

Posted 2004-06-06, evaluated by djpretzel


Cool, classic Shinobi. I love this theme, in all its pentatonic, cheesy Yuzo Koshiro ninja goodness. In general, Shinobi was a game that captured a lot of what was cool about ninjas, and while most gamers of the day grew up with larger helpings of Ryu Hayabusa than Joe Musashi, I still know in my heart of hearts that Joe could kick his posterior in a one-on-one. You see, it's all about the ninja magic, my friends.... Okay, before I start some sort of a fanboy schism war pitting Shinobi against Ninja Gaiden, let me get to the music. Newcomer moonove gives us a very cool, semi-ambient electronica reworking of the Black Turtle theme. The chord progression here really works to his choice of genre's advantage, as it's mysterious and tentative and floaty to begin with, which is further brought out by the myriad synth textures used. Things intro with warm pads and a synth gurgling, very low, and then the familiar (to some, I hope) belltone melody makes it entrance, with some chimes and well-timed pad swells. At 1'04 the beat and bass come in, along with a similarly gurgling synth percussion effect that's panned hard left and hard right for a super-stereo effect. There's some FM7 "Exciting" type synth chord stabs, and at 1'54" some rising, delayed analog arpeggios - all very cool and traded off skillfully so that the whole thing is smooth and seamless. This is a great example of a minimalist piece taken and elaborated upon not by messing around extensively with the main melody (which is also legit in my book and works well in addition) but by adding a half-dozen auxiliary parts that weren't in the original and change the tone and style substantially. Good, classic nostalgonica (yes, I can invent words at will. Being webmaster has to have SOME fringe benefits).

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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WesternZypher
on 2012-02-22 15:06:51

Definitively would've loved to hear more. Is this how ninjutsu reptiles groove during slow moons?

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Liontamer
on 2011-12-02 00:29:50

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuper chillaxed. The dynamics are subtle, but I've always enjoyed the mood of this one.

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Nutritious
on 2008-11-05 16:22:56

Great remix here. Textures and chords give it kind of a mysterious feel which I really dig. The hard panned percs are a bit weird, but I can live with 'em. Pad and bell lead are both gorgeous. Simplistic, but interesting throughout.

Thank you all for your support.

I'm gonna do some other remixes soon. Asap i find some time. Work Work Work !

Shame this wasn't the case, I would've loved to hear more.

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OA
on 2008-04-10 10:35:01

A bit on the repetitive side, but it is a really nice chillin' mix. The sounds used fit well together and, and though the super wet claps are strange, they give the mix character.

The melody threw me off at first because of the accidentals at the end, but after a few listens, i've grown to really like it. The pads are really nice, an d the textures are quirky but they work. I have to say that even though it's just the same melody with different backing, it somehow stays really fresh throughout. I'm still kind of baffled how you did it, but there you go.

Nice remix.

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Txai
on 2008-03-08 12:14:36

This is the Bonus Stage Theme from Shinobi. Alex Kidd in Shinobi World has a similar soundtrack because it is a parody of the Sega game Shinobi.

Certainly an amazing track. The bass, the beats, the pads...I love it all. There is an awesome feeling going on this song, which is the main reason I can loop it several times and never getting tired of the music, besides it being meditative and very, very chill.

If you like this one, be sure to check out his originals at http://www.moonove.com/, in addition to some other Shinobi arrangements available.

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D'Sparil
on 2006-02-17 12:50:06

This is a great track. Very subtle and laid back, excellent to chill to. Interestingly enough, Shinobi is not where I have heard this melody before.

There was another game out for the Sega Master System called "Alex Kidd in Shinobi World". I don't know if the same composer did music for both, but the track remixed here is the same as the inbetween level music for that game.

Upon further research, many tracks are the same from both games. Including the boss theme, beating a level theme, and the dying theme.

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Less Ashamed Of Self
on 2005-07-29 22:42:35

Anyone else hear Level 42?

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Burnov
on 2005-01-25 18:20:01

This was one of the best songs in shinobi. I'm really surprised it took this long for someone to actually remix it.

Great job.

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moonpie
on 2004-08-12 08:54:46

Thank you all for your support.

I'm gonna do some other remixes soon. Asap i find some time. Work Work Work !

Who made the first musics of Shinobi ?? Isn't it Kushiro ??

moonove

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Snells
on 2004-06-15 00:28:04

I am in love with this remix. It is so simple yet so amazing. Deffinitly one of the best in my books. :D

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Bob_E
on 2004-06-09 00:31:42

Excellent stuff, very nostalgic tones.

I agree with CouCou; those hard pans are a bit much on headphones, but otherwise a great tune to listen to! Atmospheric++ :D

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endblink
on 2004-06-08 23:44:58

Has been on repeat on my WinAmp since it's release.

Yeah, I love it THAT much.

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duck king
on 2004-06-08 18:51:21

The vibe created on this mix is sweet! Excellent arrangement! :D

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phantomINTELLECT
on 2004-06-08 13:46:01

This has got to me my new favorite song off this website. It's so cool and laid back, and the riff used is just so damn catchy. Please keep making mixes for this website, there are too many bad remixers and it's people like you that give me hope music is still good.

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Coucou
on 2004-06-08 05:54:02

My opinion: the pad, the bass, the bell sound and the arpeggiator are excellent.

But I can not bear (stand) [*] those the too hard panned percs in my headphone. For me, they ruin the whole mix; can we have a version without ? :wink:

[*]once again, sorry for my horrible english speaking and writing.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Shinobi (Sega , 1987, SMS)
Music by Yasuhiro Kawakami
Songs:
"Bonus Stage (BGM 4)"

Tags (3)


Genre:
Ambient
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Shinobi_Dark_Tortoise_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
3,565,362 bytes
MD5:
94c4ac090c95c0eca90f0d3966de1a8c
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
3:37

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