ReMix:Shivers "Cerebral Rose Jam" 4:41

By Israfel

ambient piano synth mellow middle-eastern

Arranging the music of one song...

"Museum Hall"

Primary Game: Shivers (Sierra , 1995, WIN), music by Guy Whitmore

Posted 2004-12-29, evaluated by the judges panel

Let's be upfront - it's pretty unlikely that you've played Shivers. I'd imagine this ReMix will get more listeners from fans of Israfel than of the source material, but I'm fine with that - it doesn't reflect negatively on the game or its music, it's just that some titles aren't as well-known as others. Sierra did its very best to keep the Adventure genre alive, and delivered many a classic PC title back in the day. Bottom line is, whether you're an Israfel advocate, Sierra nut, actually played Shivers, or are simply into well-crafted, ethnic-infused compositions of the ilk the ReMixer is so adept at creating, you should take the time to check this ReMix out. Michael writes:

"The main theme was used as the basis for several arrangements within the game. So sometimes it was played slowly, sometimes quickly, with backing material, or sometimes solo. My own take of the melody takes it at a more leisurely pace. As far as the samples go - the ethnic samples are from Quantum Leap's Rare Instruments collection, the piano is the one that comes bundled with GigaStudio, the percussion is from Sonic Implants and everything else was freely downloaded."

When Shnabubula first started submitting his stuff, some comparisons to Michael's work were drawn, and to anyone who's been following both artists I think this mix again illustrates certain similarities in style, specifically juxtaposition of very emotive, authentic acoustic instruments with extremely synthetic timbres, in this case solo string, wind, and vocal leads being contrasted against insectile, creeping/falling electronic arpeggios. Articulation work abounds, on all the leads, w/bends and ornamentation, and also on the organic, hypnotizing percussion, which melts into the bassline in an opium-like daze of sound. Very Eastern, not only in instrumentation but also structure. The progression at 3'08" and the like, with synth pads, is striking, delicate, and beautiful. The panel's own mojo-worker and all-around ladies' man, Larry Oji (aka Dr. Feelgood) interjects:

"I also had to say that this track makes great makeout music. Cue it up in the background for your lady."

... where applicable. Smooth, exotic stuff from Israfel.

― djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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paradiddlesjosh
on 2024-01-25 22:01:10

Beautiful take on the source! The percussion work is the highlight of the piece, contributing to a vibe.

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Dyluck
on 2024-01-25 21:59:19

Arabesque. I'm transported to a world of rosewater and incense. A souk at night, desert traders slowly coming and going lit by lanterns and torchlight...

The drum beat is top-notch, that string instrument and the addition of piano just gives a beautiful juxtaposition.

Beautiful track. Absolutely beautiful track.

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DarkeSword
on 2024-01-25 21:58:05

This is a thoughtful blend of middle-eastern aesthetics with a jazzier piano. Really pensive work. Incredibly relaxing. Absolute masterpiece.

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Xaleph
on 2024-01-25 21:55:41

I love the intro, piano, percussion - it has a super chill vibe. The mastering is really well handled as well. Not sure how I missed this years ago as @OceansAndrew said - but it's quite good. I could totally mix this into a psytrance theme. The entire song is absolutely beautiful. Great work!

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OA
on 2009-03-23 10:52:21

Damn, not sure how I missed this gem. This track is both intense and inspiring.

Kindof at a loss for words, really. :/

Just download it.

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MechaFone
on 2008-11-19 18:46:24

There are so many different kinds of sounds coming from this remix-I can't even name one of them, I'm so hypnotized. One of the more interesting remixes I've found.

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siven7
on 2007-08-21 14:08:29

Musical sex is right - holy crap, this remix is amazing. Considering that the whole thematic portion of the game is based on 8/16 bars of music, really amazing interpretation, holy crap. It's like a harem of Sierra wickedness in this piece.

Really nice solo violin sample too, really good. Also, I love how you play with the theme (in no way relating to musical sex, lol) and monkey with the listener's sense of expectation - if you've played the game, you know what I mean. Really great arranging and development, truly-truly well done!!

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big giant circles
on 2007-08-21 02:21:17

I concur with Larry.

In all seriousness, this is one of the coolest tracks on the site. Period.

If you haven't listened to this yet, do it now without hesitation or excuse. If you have, get your significant other and play it again.

If you don't have a significant other, then just go get your mom/sister. When you hear the musical sex that is this remix, you won't care who she is.

Seriously.

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Liontamer
on 2007-08-19 23:50:30

My lady, ThatPaige, wrote up on the VG Frequency blog about her love for this track. She knows what she's talking about. This track is the business. You don't know jack about OCR if you haven't given this a listen. It's required downloading.

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Reliken
on 2005-11-15 23:31:15

Man, I love this game. I played it a lot when I was younger... I wish I still had the CD, or I could find some place to download it... It'd be pretty small. It'd also be cool to find a quality version of the soundtrack somewhere.

But all in all, an excellent remix from an excellent game.

... and Shivers Shivers 2

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Jack the Ripper
on 2005-10-26 08:57:50

Whoa, very nice interpretation. I reckognize the source, even. Shivers rocks, btw. Absolutely loved the game.

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ella guro
on 2005-01-13 22:47:37

I've been meaning to write a review of this since I first downloaded it on vgmix. I really did enjoy the combination of different timbres in the mix - the steady ethnic drum and bassline do a good job of bridging the gap between the jazz piano and the more overtly ethnic world-music instruments. The plucked synth is also used to an interesting effect, though I don't really like the way it's mixed.

I have also never been a fan of the choral stuff in Israfel's music (I'm just not a fan of that kind of thing in general), and this is no exception. Still, I've learned to deal with and it doesn't detract from the mix for me. Great work, dude.

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playingtokrush
on 2005-01-13 19:51:16
A popular observation. This isn't the first time that people have compared my music to the soundtrack in World of Warcraft. Which is mildly interesting insofar as I have honestly never played it or heard the soundtrack. No, seriously.

You should listen to "Dun Morogh" from the soundtrack. There's a striking similarity.

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Israfel
on 2005-01-04 01:40:23

A popular observation. This isn't the first time that people have compared my music to the soundtrack in World of Warcraft. Which is mildly interesting insofar as I have honestly never played it or heard the soundtrack. No, seriously.

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playingtokrush
on 2005-01-04 01:30:09

Who else thinks Israfel has played or listened to the soundtrack of World of Warcraft?

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Shivers (Sierra , 1995, WIN)
Music by Guy Whitmore
Songs:
"Museum Hall"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Ambient
Mood:
Mellow
Instrumentation:
Piano,Synth
Additional:
Regional > Middle Eastern

File Information


Name:
Shivers_Cerebral_Rose_Jam_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
7,104,176 bytes
MD5:
15f8dfa4348569d2673e97c4a02bcf5a
Bitrate:
199Kbps
Duration:
4:41

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