ReMix:Super Mario World "Koopa vs. Kefka" 4:12

By Dhsu

Arranging the music of 2 songs from 2 games ( view all )...

"Dancing Mad", "Sub Castle BGM"

Primary Game: Super Mario World (Nintendo , 1990, SNES), music by Koji Kondo

Posted 2007-01-10, evaluated by the judges panel


Dhsu writes:

"This is a track I did for the OUS Bad Dudes EP that nobody downloaded. The theme of the project was boss, villain, and other generally evil tunes, so I did a medley of "Sub-castle" from SMW and my favorite excerpt from "Dancing Mad." I wasn't planning on doing a track for the project at first, but changed my mind at the last minute and pounded this out in about 8 straight hours the day before the deadline. I didn't really have OCR in mind when I made it though, so I decided to have a little fun and experiment a little with multitracking and punching in. So who knows, this might be my first rejection. In any case, I had fun making this, and I hope you guys like it. Thanks again to Mustin for doing the production."

Are *you* bad enough to download the Bad Dudes EP? Apparently few were, but be sure to visit the link and mitigate that pathetic scarcity of both badness and dudeness, post-haste. Cool project theme, and of course you can't go wrong placing Kefka and Koopa in the same room together and seeing what shakes loose. Koopa seems to be kickin' it acoustic piano style, as per Dhsu's usual motif, whilst Kefka's weapon of choice is a big honkin' church organ. If David's last track from Earthbound was serene, this is ominous and menacing, although some of the upper-register material towards the front is too pretty to be scary. The rising, quick patterns are technically impressive, and there's effective use of dynamics to alter the tone from spooky to dramatic in seconds. Oji writes:

"Absolutely solid production as well from Mustin, and you know I was bitching about that quick job done on the original version of Nayru's Love, so this is a far cry from that. Conservative arrangement from David, but well handled and skillfully performed."

Even though it's four minutes long, I'd agree that arrangement drifts to the conservative side, but instrumentation, arranging for piano, and melding the two themes rather seamlessly is nothing to cough, sneeze, or otherwise exhale suddenly at. Production is, as Larry says, solid; I talked with Mustin "Mustin" Mustin at MAGFest a bit and it seems like he's definitely been focusing more on the production side of things lately, with apparently groovy results. Props to both, and kudos to Dhsu for getting into the multitimbrality game rather adeptly.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2011-10-01 14:57:38

Kefka and Bowser....now that is a team. And that organ......so badass! The piano leading up to it was beautiful as well. I love organ and piano mixes, especially in darker atmospheres like this one, so needless to say this ReMix is down my alley. It's so amazing how the two songs just seem to be made for each other. Going straight into my Halloween playlist right now!

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Emunator
on 2009-12-19 02:21:50

Really exquisite piano playing going on, but that's nothing short of what I've come to expect from Dhsu. The mood is fitting for the castle theme and overall I like what's been done to make the original sound even creepier.

The real highlight for me, though, was the organ that came in later in the mix - I was NOT expecting that! :-o You don't hear that often in remixes, but it COMPLETELY works here!

Also, I'm pretty astonished at the seamless transition between themes, I honestly didn't even notice that you ever deviated from Super Mario World. Brilliant work, this comes highly recommended for anyone looking for something downright creepy!

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OA
on 2009-12-18 12:31:34

powerful and classy, this is a great idea executed very well. The 2 themes mesh together perfectly, and the performance is intense.

A classic track- definitely give this one a listen.

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LuketheXjesse
on 2009-04-26 23:58:27

The awesome thing about this mix is that, for anyone who doesn't know squat about video game music, it sounds just like any clssical composition from the likes of Beethoven or Mozart.

Anyway, the conversion to piano is absolutely amazing. Excellent piece.

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Furiousfanny
on 2009-03-25 02:06:39

I really like it. The two melodies mix surprisingly well. I'm also a sucker for pipe organ music.

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Platonist
on 2009-03-07 12:11:52

another awesome arrangement.. actually absolutely adorable adaption 2 1

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starboardman
on 2009-03-02 13:59:54

BEST remix on the site!! I have been listening to every remix from a game that I know, started from 00000 all the way to 01700... maybe because I love both of the tunes that are mixed together, but they are mixed together very nicely and you ought to be very proud of those 8 hours!

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42
on 2009-01-08 20:54:29

Whenever I listen to this, I get an image of the Phantom of the Opera who moved into one of the castles of Super Mario World, specifically the one in the Forest of Illusion, and is performing in front of a massive pipe organ.

To me it didn't seem as angry. Usually when playing the game I always pictured Bowser and castle bosses as "I'm so fucking angry that I'll kill you and the Princess both!"

This version made it seem almost sad. Like he's just a hideous lonely asshole and is out to make the world pay for how sad it's made him. I don't know.

On the other hand, I've never really considered this mix and how it relates to Bowser like that before. It's already been noted that Bowser has a bizarre relationship with Mario; one day he's kidnapping Mario's love interest and trying to destroy the universe, and the next day he's playing golf or racing go-karts with Mario. This mix only adds another layer of mystery to riddle wrapped in enigma trapped in puzzle that is Bowser.

Maybe I'm reading a little too much into the mix, but that's what makes it great; it so complex and contemplative. This is a definitely must download.

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Dhsu
on 2007-08-07 02:31:54

Haha! Thanks, Larry, nice find. :D

And thanks, spazfox, for making my day. ;)

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Liontamer
on 2007-08-07 02:11:30
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Fratto
on 2007-02-14 19:29:22

To me it didn't seem as angry. Usually when playing the game I always pictured Bowser and castle bosses as "I'm so fucking angry that I'll kill you and the Princess both!"

This version made it seem almost sad. Like he's just a hideous lonely asshole and is out to make the world pay for how sad it's made him. I don't know.

Basically, it's incredible.

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Mr. T
on 2007-02-10 12:32:35

I'm a huge fan of your work Dhsu, and this song is no exception. Amazing job.

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Withope
on 2007-02-07 11:35:08

amazing. enough said.

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HoboKa
on 2007-02-07 01:11:57
Finally a great version of the Sub Castle!

good taste of music btw :D

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MrBogus
on 2007-02-06 03:52:22

I'm a sucker for dark and somber music and this mix is definitely it. Absolutely loved the segue into Dancing Mad. The crazy-notes-arpeggio-finger-rolling parts could be tightened up a bit in a few minor places, but otherwise a very awesome piece.

Sources Arranged (2 Songs, 2 Games)


Primary Game:
Super Mario World (Nintendo , 1990, SNES)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Sub Castle BGM"
Additional Game:
Final Fantasy VI (Square , 1994, SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Dancing Mad"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Mood:
Dark
Instrumentation:
Piano
Additional:
Time > Tempo: Slow
Usage > Halloween

File Information


Name:
Super_Mario_World_Koopa_vs_Kefka_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,118,858 bytes
MD5:
27c58dd1e1d3c9097b5395fbaadeefa1
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
4:12
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Bad Dudes


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Published 2006-10-27
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