ReMix:Chrono Trigger "Calamitous Judgment" 5:12

By zircon

Arranging the music of one song...

"The Trial"

Primary Game: Chrono Trigger (Square , 1995, SNES), music by Nobuo Uematsu, Noriko Matsueda, Yasunori Mitsuda

Posted 2004-07-21, evaluated by the judges panel


The judgment of this mix was anything BUT calamitous, with a clear consensus that newcomer zircon's Chrono Trigger ReMix, styled somewhat after Dan's popular Triforce Majeure opus, is some good business. Unlike that mix, which was mostly appreciated due to having one of the best mix titles ever [/sarcasm], this one's all that and a bag of chips. First, some background - zircon's been around awhile, on #ocremix and the forums, and runs a site called SoundTempest which is self-described as "The premier online community for original video game music." - it's an interesting concept and has been steadily picking up steam. Check it out for some great original works, including many by familiar ReMixers. He writes:

"I put quite a lot of time into this and revised it numerous times with the help of the people at the WIP forum, and I'm very happy with the results. The style, you may notice, is influenced by Disco Dan's Triforce Majeure, and I think it's an uncommon style (dance/orchestral) that could use more attention."

Revision is always good. Honestly, from poetry to art to music, it's been something I've always been very bad at, and is a creative skill unto itself. Perhaps not right for everybody, but usually helps to some extent. The Triforce influence is most evident in the specific combination of pizzicato and a tight, fast breakish/hip-hop beat, along with the dramatic stabs, but there's plenty of deviation like the extended break going into the third minute, the relegated role of synths (and generally more subdued timbre as well), and of course the material itself is different - more Danny Elfmanish melody and progression, slightly demonic and at times reminiscent of Ghouls N' Ghosts. In related news I'd like to thank Judge Beatdrop a.k.a. Dain Olsen for his numerous contributions to the site both as ReMixer and formerly as Judge, as he's stepped down due to time constraints. Liontamer, a.k.a. Larry Oji, who also runs the VG Frequency radio show and helps out at the ormgas streaming radio site, has come on board as our latest addition to the panel, and had these kind, initial words for zircon's mix:

I'm so used to "The Trial in Concert" that it's strange hearing someone else arrange "Kingdom Trial" so heavily. The production's pretty nice and the Disco Dan/Triforce Majeure homage is great. Everything here really carries that grandiose level of energy and creativity. To make sure I'll remember it, you get my very first YES. [sniff, sniff] I'm proud of you, bro!"

The panel has been moving with increased speed in judging submissions, and Larry should make a great addition to the team. So a joint welcome to him as a judge and zircon as a ReMixer is definitely in order; be sure to peep their respective links and check out the ReMix, which while paying clear homage to Mitsuda's work as well as Cabrera's paves its own way with some quality and style. Good stuff.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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BLAHMASTER
on 2016-07-19 15:52:41

The ending of this one really clicks with me for some reason. :-)

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Marmiduke
on 2010-09-28 00:55:11

You'd never know this was a debut mix. zircon at his most embryonic. While this lacks some of the refinement that further years of expertise would award, it is still of extremely high calibre.

I like that this is very much bound to the classical roots of the source, and despite having dance conventions and sounds, it never really lowers into actually danceable territory. This isn't club music; it's closer to IDM, though with heavy emphasis on melody.

Samples are really great from the get-go. The pacing is superb and the arrangement is consistent with the quality of the mix. I think much better arrangements from zircon were still to come and I would say that is the area where he has made the biggest improvements. But debuts are rarely this strong or well-defined. I think this gains a lot of listening in retrospect.

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OA
on 2010-05-06 15:47:11

A few of the more legato samples haven't aged as well, but gdamn does the rest of this hold up strongly- excellent pacing, tight beats, and a real dramatic flair make this a killer mix all the way through. It contains a lot of cool zircon stylistic choices that with the benefit of hindsight have only been expanded upon in the past 6 years. The level of expansion is really good as well, with a lot of additions and some breakdowns too, and a solid flow.

Excellent stuff, and a stellar first sub. Also cool that it was the first song Larry ever YES'ed. Historic remix! :D

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JadeAuto
on 2009-12-08 23:28:43

The bombast and flare of this song, turning a suspenseful tune of worry and fret into hyped-up symphonic bliss keep me coming back time after time. Even the slower parts of this song just give off a hyped up, edge of your seat with worry feeling.

Another song I can't get enough of. The strings totally make this ReMix worth it.

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yosefu
on 2009-06-13 05:08:45

Zircon's work is always ear candy for me. The song was mixed well and i just purely just loves this, so thankyou.

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Ryze
on 2007-09-22 08:29:37

WOW! I maybe a little late but damn this is a good remix, probably one of my top 10 of all the remixes. 5 minutes and 11 seconds of pure audio joy for me!

GREAT WORK :)

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Geoffrey Taucer
on 2007-02-27 21:45:33

Several of my girls are doing their floor routines to this mix this season, and it's a huge hit at the gym.

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DragonFireKai
on 2007-02-27 14:29:07

Very interesting execution. Taking a orchestral piece, such as Kingdom Trial and making it into a Dance tune is common, but rarely do people still maintain the link to the orchestral segment of the original track.

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ocremixfan
on 2006-04-15 23:46:03

When I was downloading this one I was thinking like this: "A 'Trial' remix... must be ordinary stuff!"

Oh my... I was wrong! DAMN wrong! Incredible remix! A masterpiece! You are a genius, zircon!

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Drack
on 2005-10-02 09:49:43

This is incredible. I really liked the Kingdom Trial and this piece kicks it up to a whole new level.

This is my fav remix currently

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Bummer
on 2005-09-12 12:37:03

Awesome remix. One of the first

I downloaded and I still haven´t regret it.

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o19
on 2005-08-22 17:25:54

One of my top 5 from the site.

Very enthralling and amazingly cohesive for such a fast-paced melody.

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Delwack
on 2005-03-24 00:09:34
Is it just me, or does this sound a lot like Kefka's theme from Final Fantasy 6?

I hadn't read the description, and I was trying to figure out what song from Chrono Trigger it came from, because I could have sworn it was a take off of kefka's theme.

So it's not just you =), maybe it's just the two of us... .

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bonerxsxex
on 2004-11-22 13:03:31

great

5/5

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TwinTurboTerrorist
on 2004-09-28 03:03:01

WOW. This is one of the best remixes on the site, period. Your Triforce Majeure inspiration spurred you on to possibly equal that song on your FIRST SUBMISSION.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Chrono Trigger (Square , 1995, SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu,Noriko Matsueda,Yasunori Mitsuda
Songs:
"The Trial"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Orchestral,Strings,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Chrono_Trigger_Calamitous_Judgment_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,067,434 bytes
MD5:
3db0dca1391c1f96e1df7085bdf50780
Bitrate:
153Kbps
Duration:
5:12

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