Posted 2009-03-01, evaluated by djpretzel


Whew. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but February 2009 essentially sucked for me, and I'm glad it's over. Every last relevant force of nature seemed to conspire against my finding free time for OCR, I was sick the whole time up until the last few days, and we just didn't post as many mixes as we should have. The six we did get up were great, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't our finest hour in terms of posting. Maybe *everyone's* busy in February, because I talked to more than a few folks that seemed pretty taxed, too. Maybe we've all just been playing a bit too much SF4 for our own good.

At any rate, what's done is done, it's in the past, and March should not only kick signifcantly more ass, but also see an album release. I did want to note some things that explain why February sucked in terms of mixes being posted, not as an excuse but as an explanation:

  • We merged composers and remixers into a single "artist" table (more or less successfully - thanks to all troubleshooters!)
  • We solicited & received numerous profile updates for ReMixers, that we either already applied or will be. I think it's cool to put faces with names and make the entire site more personable, so thanks to those who provided info.
  • We upgraded to vBulletin 3.8. We haven't turned on most of the new features yet, so it's sort of a "meh" update from an end-user perspective, but when we get things more integrated it should be groovy, and this was a big step toward that.
  • We coordinated & announced guest status at not one but TWO conventions in Texas this summer.

... Along with other, miscellaneous behind-the-scenes stuff. In retrospect, we did get a lot done, it just didn't feel like it. Oh well, on with the music. Simon (Scaredsim) was the ringleader on this one - he writes:

"Hi, here is my re-production with extra beginning & end of my Wicked Child submitted as an alternate for Dwelling of Duels : Castlevania Month. A very classic one but I thought I had some good original ideas here, so I made my version. Fishy played the bass. Also thanks to OA for his killer synth sound in the solo. Enjoy it!"

Yessir! It's actually kinda hard NOT to enjoy 'Wicked Child', as it's one of those fun, recognizable, classic themes, but it always helps when it's in the right hands. These are the right hands; a nice timpani rolls us into a short but well executed orchestral intro, with a quick accelerando on a rock acoustic kit that gets things pumpin'. Just the idea there is straightforward enough - transition from orchestral to rock - but I think the tempo change really adds something, and in general am diggin' what this arrangement does with tempo. Guitar is doubled up most of the time, matching the source, but there's variations here and there & a couple intervals that deviate meaningfully. Production's crisp and meaty, with what I would call J-pop/J-rock mixing sensibilities - cleanish, separated sound and no fear of integrating 80's synths.

In this case there's an unexpected but sweet little bell/ep solo at 1'38". The timing on the triplet fall from 1'46" to 1'48" feels a little off to me - unevenly quantized, played, or edited - but I only point out this most trivial detail 'cause everything else is firing on all cylinders. I especially like the modulations from 2'01" to 2'05" - could have just stayed safe & pedestrian, but it's far more interesting this way, it's the type of thing I'm bad at myself and usually don't attempt, and it ends the solo passage in a way that piques the interest and segues naturally. Yes, I'm critiquing/complementing 4-5 second snippets of a much larger piece of music, but sometimes getting down and dirty with the details can be illuminating.

Simon's not done, though, as the afforementioned synth solo (w/ patch by Mr. Luers) comes in with mucho gusto and rocks for a good bit, with the arrangement opting for the power chord, major resolution ending instead of the continuing fadeout - another good call. All in all, an excellent refinement of the original track, integrating rock, pop, and orchestral adeptly, possessing both good ideas AND the energy to execute them.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Marscaleb
on 2020-10-29 19:10:35

Normally I hate it when remixes change the melody. But this song, when it does, actually does sound interesting and enjoyable.

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Vaizar
on 2015-12-30 23:29:07

This was the first OC ReMix that I ever listened to, so it has a special place in my heart. I really like the more intense take, especially with those sick guitars. The source lends itself well to this 80's style rock, with that smooth bell part interrupting the otherwise head-banging material. Smooth ending part from 3:08 onwards as well. Fantastic mix!

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GameBoy
on 2012-06-30 08:04:14

Overall loved it. Great orchestral intro. Synth and guitar amazing. Breakdown around 1:30 till 2:00 interesting. Found via Russian ReMix Roulette.

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Magellanic
on 2011-12-06 07:02:32

A really well co-ordinated orchestral/rock/electronica amalgamation. This mix has really exploited all my weaknesses. Searing metal leads, expansive orchestral soundscape at the beginning and a fantastic synth solo. Really enjoyable mix. The enjoyability factor here is high (as is the energy), its just good, rockin' fun. The balance between personal interpretation and original source material is just spot on. There certainly is no excess fat in this arrangement.

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Cash
on 2011-11-05 23:47:02

Awesome track guys! I really enjoyed the orchestral to rock transition. The guitar work is done well.

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ella guro
on 2009-12-02 05:24:48

Don't be scared, Mr. Sim!

That piano at 1:37 is incredibly sparkly. I don't know how I feel about things that bright and sparkly.

This didn't do much for me (probably just a style thing), but I thought it was done pretty well. The guitar tone is ok and the playing is fine (there's some neat parts that deviate from the original and it sounds like a natural progression rather than something slapped on). The production could be a little better but that's not really a big deal. It works well as kind of a cheesy symphonic rock track, which I think is what it's going for. Not my thing, but not bad by any means.

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Sir_Downunder
on 2009-12-02 01:50:49

A refreshing mix. Production is top-notch transition to guitar from orchestral is awesome.

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pu_freak
on 2009-04-23 15:17:13

Definetly my favorite of the latest OC Remixes, a great track! Fishy's bass with Scaredsim's stuff almost garantees a monstrous track, and they delivered big time.

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Mtlbro
on 2009-04-13 17:12:57

I second the cheers for refreshing diversity in a mix featuring rock guitar. Nicely done I dig listening to these collabs :razz:

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Aoi84
on 2009-03-31 13:46:29

I had to make an account just to leave this song a review = p. I've download several OCR songs/albums, but this song has been on my player all night looped. I feel like the headphones won't go as loud as I want them every time the main guitar riff jumps in.

Anywho, great job, I love the overlapping guitars, the background synth, piano/orchestrated interludes, overall just a fantastic package. Also, the whole song never seemed to lose sight of the original inspiration. That's always my biggest gripe with some OCR songs--5mins of random sounds accompanied by a 30sec chorus from the game. On the other hand, this could easily take the place of the original music. In fact, I semi-fear playing the level without this music.

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Martin Penwald
on 2009-03-21 07:54:38

The beginning sounds like an OST to some 90's Jerry Bruckheimer movie, so it was quite the surprise when the rocking guitar came in, and a very positive one at that.

Nice breakdown at ~1:40, and the synth has an awesomely cheesy 80's vibe to it. Awesome guitar playing between 3:08 and 3:10.

Nice work.

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OA
on 2009-03-13 10:16:52

This is a good mix! Nice keyboard solo, sounds like it was played by a real pro! :

It has good guitar tone and a powerful snare, so I can't ask for much more. It has a nice flow and some good additional parts.

Nice work Simon!

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Fantasy-Listener
on 2009-03-12 04:15:25

A fine remix, it rocks the house :razz:

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relyanCe
on 2009-03-06 10:41:47

wicked. 10char

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jintoreedwine
on 2009-03-06 08:55:01

I'm loving this mix! The intro sounds great and is a smooth lead in to the rest of the song. This particular source song seems to have a lot of mixes, but your mix is fresh enough that it doesn't feel like "the same old same old".

The bell part at 1:38 is excellently done and a nice break in the mix. Of course there's also the synth solo... I am a sucker for some awesome synth and this mix delivers!

To summarize my remarks: Great job!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Castlevania (Konami , 1986, NES)
Music by Kinuyo Yamashita,Satoe Terashima
Songs:
"Wicked Child (Outdoors BGM)"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Synth
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration
Origin > Competition > Dwelling of Duels

File Information


Name:
Castlevania_Who's_That_Child_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,072,634 bytes
MD5:
9f3556786fd85a063fee244d8ffd861d
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:28

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