ReMix:Chrono Trigger "Chrono Moonstone" 5:02

By LSD

Arranging the music of one song...

"Chrono Trigger"

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

Posted 2009-01-09, evaluated by djpretzel


Sam writes:

"Here is another LSD remix from the same session as the castlevania one. Unfortunately Lenwood had just had his wisdom teeth out and could barely play, so this one is also just Dustin and myself. The title of the song is "Chrono Moonstone" I promise to have some trio recordings to submit soon with an uninjured trumpet player... and one day we'll find somebody to play bass who also loves VGM [that's a prerequisite]"

It'd be awesome to hear the full LSD trio in all their glory, but it's also really impressive that - yet again - Dustin and Sam put together one hell of an arrangement/performance. If you didn't dig their CV3 mix, I can't help you much, and you probably won't dig this either, but otherwise you're in for more live jazz greatness. Not to beat the dead "MAG was awesome!!" horse TOO much more, but it would have been downright beautiful to hear these tracks there, and it's a bummer Sam didn't stick around. There's always next year!

The first minute or so here is just Sam on the ivories, and is somewhere in between Impressionism and jazz, with sustained arpeggios on the left hand and some high-register (and quite lovely) melodic work on the right. You get so lost in it that you temporarily forget that, at some point, drums are gonna come in. There's a pretty seamless transition around 1'12" where Sam ditches the sustain and establishes a basic, faster groove, and Dustin comes in soon after. The syncopation that follows is just really fun to listen to, with chords poking in here and there under the familiar-made-new main melody, and drums peppering the whole thing with sizzling rides and articulate shuffles & fills. The two play off each other, and while for some reason I've always found the word "synergy" obnoxious, that's exactly what they have. Again.

Ever since Neskvartetten stopped putting out new stuff, I've been waiting for someone else to come along and fill the live jazz ensemble void they left. While I love Sam's solo stuff too, his work in LSD is helping to do exactly that, bringing live, dripping-with-ambience, authentic jazz performances right to the doorstep of OCR. Hopefully they'll get a trumpet player and even a bass player (though the three-letter acronym name would then be incomplete) and that'll open things up even further, but with drums and piano alone, Sam and Dustin again prove that knowing your instrument, knowing your band member(s), and having a deep understanding of where a source tune can be taken is all you need to cook up some amazing stuff. As with their CV3 piece, this one's basically an instant classic, destined for heavy rotation on my playlist and hopefully yours as well.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Black_Doom
on 2015-12-16 13:52:57

Now this is some impressive jazz stuff. The song is worth downloading simply because of the piano intro itself, but when it picks up... Ah. Eargasm! The flow here is way too perfect. Both piano drum parts are just jaw-dropping. Probably one of the best jazz arrangements. Amazing song!

avatar
Bradums
on 2013-01-12 11:41:43

This is what genius sounds like.

avatar
DimeTower
on 2013-01-09 23:42:49

The first minute alone is worth your download. WOW, the piano. And it picks up from there. Whew!

avatar
XPRTNovice
on 2012-10-27 10:24:41

I've listened to this four times in the last few days because it's just awesome. As a jazz musician and piano player, I bow down to Shnabubula and his keyboarding skills, and the intricate drum work is fantastic. It is easily one of my favorite OCRemixes of all time.

avatar
Kuolema
on 2011-05-29 20:06:19

This is amazing. I played it for my dad who's a big jazz fan and he loved it.

It's funny because when I listen to it it I forget that there are only 2 instruments; The sound is so rich and full. Incredible.

avatar
WesternZypher
on 2010-12-02 14:39:44

So smooth, so alive, so mellow and yet present and active. Great work!!!

avatar
WillRock
on 2010-07-03 09:16:30

Had this one in my playlist since it was released and it really does stand out from the crowd in a good way.

Technically impressive and more importantly - creative playing on both instruments - makes this something a little more interesting than the average remix and gives a sense of unpredictability without alienating the listener.

My only complaint with this is the slightly piercing piano which makes this a little hard to listen to at loud volumes, but in all seriousness, this is the most minor of nitpicks.

Not sure what to say other than download it right now. Even if you think you hate improvisational jazz, give this one a go, you just might be surprised by how much you like it :P

avatar
OA
on 2009-11-27 11:30:59

Classy stuff, well performed and intelligently thought out. Great interplay between the piano and drums, and a very nice presentation of the theme. I think DJP nailed it when he called this one an instant classic.

Highly recommended.

avatar
glasfen
on 2009-02-20 14:59:43

The initial seconds made me think they had incorporated Zelda 3 dungeon music.

I would have been happy even if only the first minute was posted as a mix. What follows is just amazing. These jazzy takes on seemingly overused sources really say a lot about the quality of musicians on this site.

The drum solos seemed out of place at first, but, now that I've listened to it umpteen times, they keep the whole thing fresh and unpredictable.

Very slick.

avatar
owq
on 2009-02-20 10:29:21

OMG this is some madzzz shitzz. I registered just to say that this got me so excited!

avatar
richter
on 2009-02-14 16:18:53

Whoa mama, this is intricate and complex and extremely enjoyable. Seems to stumble slightly in the middle, but it's so well put together that I believe it was fun and intentional. Well done!

avatar
Martin Penwald
on 2009-01-27 15:04:28

The piano playing is so good, it makes me forget that I'm listening to one of the most overused sources ever. Nice work.

avatar
Random Hajile
on 2009-01-18 13:50:35

Damn, Shlaboopashnoop is serious business.

I absolutely loved this remix and hope to see much more from these guys.

avatar
Felix the Cat
on 2009-01-18 01:18:10

Daaaaaaaaaaaang. Very impressive.

avatar
halc
on 2009-01-15 23:41:20

damn dude you are an amazing piano player. drummer guy's pretty good himself.

excellent excellent

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


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

Tags (3)


Genre:
Jazz
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Piano
Additional:
Arrangement > Duet

File Information


Name:
Chrono_Trigger_Chrono_Moonstone_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,880,012 bytes
MD5:
39a5247c2dfe1e607c3662d0c80d4b8e
Bitrate:
127Kbps
Duration:
5:02

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes