ReMix:Gun.Smoke "Space Cowboy" 3:31

By ilp0

Arranging the music of one song...

"Stage 1 BGM"

Primary Game: Gun.Smoke (Capcom , 1988, NES), music by Ayako Mori, Junko Tamiya

Posted 2009-04-02, evaluated by djpretzel


While I'd like to think that OCREMIX.ORG *is* actually "The fastest and easiest way to get what you want!" in at least a couple ways, yesterday's homepage was - as some of you quickly surmised - an April Fools' shenanigan. It had an excellent effort-to-reward ratio, taking us only a couple hours, so we figured rather than show up empty-handed (like last year), we'd make 2009 the year we got our domain cybersquatted. So, no, we weren't hacked or affected by the Conflicker worm - it'd have to be a pretty awesome worm to come up with some of those Youtube links (a BAT BOMB!?) - and our domain did not truly expire and is (sadly) not for sale. Larry DID end up getting a bunch of new MySpace friends thanks to our "Black Dating" link, so there were even unintended and disturbingly pleasant side effects.

What's no joke (segue!) is that, while our domain hasn't actually expired nor is it at risk of doing so, our hosting costs remain significant, and revenue from ads has dipped to about half of what we saw last year, meaning that we're currently running each month at a loss. The only reason we've been able to do that is because of last April and BGC's "Support OCR Month"... I've spoken with him and I think he plans to do something similar this year, and there might even be prizes, but one way or another, I really hope it turns out as well as last year. I know the economy sucks, everybody's hurting, and it's hard to justify donations of ANY kind, to anyone, for anything, but we provide a lot of great music for free, I'm working at least 15 hours a week on the site (usually more), and while ad revenue has dipped, our operating cost has remained the same. We've got a lot of big plans for this year, our tenth anniversary, and anything anyone can do to help is seriously appreciated.

Speaking of great, free music, ilp0 is BACK with his first mix of 2009, a futuristic spaghetti western rock piece with hints of dub/reggae/jazz, arranging Capcom's Gun.Smoke. Ilari didn't provide any exposition in his submission email, so I don't really know what he was thinking, but the title seems allusive to Cowboy Bebop, and the style - while not particularly evocative of that specific anime - could easily be something Kanno would do, modernizing a genre and merging it with others. You've got dirty, heavy drums, a grizzly guitar, sonar pings and synth thwacks, and piano that provides mostly flourishes until around 1'50" where it gets a chromatic and jazzy solo. What really makes the whole thing work all the better is the authentic spring reverb/delay and vinyl sound, channeling dub influences but also the dirtier sound a lot of old spaghetti westerns had, and merging the concept. Gun.Smoke's a game that doesn't get mixed very often, but both K.Praz (where'd he go?) and Gux (ditto) put out some solid stuff way back when, and now ilp0 joins their ranks with an approach that reminds me of some of mutagene's stuff (ditto AGAIN), blended with his own unique style. Everything Mr. Nieminen does has sounded great to me, and equally impressive is that each piece has its own unique approach, tries new ideas, and still manages to sound fantastic. 'Space Cowboy' is no exception; awesome work.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Black_Doom
on 2015-12-18 14:51:21

Yeah, "futuristic western" describes this song pretty well. Right from the beginning I knew this song was going to be badass. These brutal guitar chops in the beginning are awesome, then you've got some weird distortion thrown in, and later some typical ilp0 jazzy/funky things appear. So this song can't be bad! It's just great.

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timaeus222
on 2014-03-29 22:23:16

Dude, the swagger in this is awesome. Those distorted FM-like sonar pings added a neat touch to the grunginess of this too.

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TillyFun
on 2014-03-29 20:16:28

Hardcore :D

The intro and outro are just badass. :) Eerie sense of calm in the middle.

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Emunator
on 2009-12-07 23:17:07

There's a lot of subtlety to this song past the booming guitar, particularly in the piano, that I happen to enjoy a lot :-) That's what I love about ilp0's mixes - he captures your attention with one element at first, but on subsequent listens there's a lot of hidden gems for the listener to pick out, as well.

Edgy, refined, and definitely jazzy - this is why I love this man :-D

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DragonAvenger
on 2009-12-07 22:23:08

I am seriously glad I came across this track. I remember my brother playing this game (and generally sucking at it, not like I would have done any better), so I did a quick check of the source. What ilp0's done to the source is quite awesome, and worth checking out.

There is certainly a Cowboy Bebop feel to this, whether the use of the various styles, or the instruments (piano at 1:50 really feels Kanno-ish), or the general awesomeness of this mix. OA is also right that headphones make a difference in listening to this one.

Recommended, especially after a long and somewhat frustrating day.

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MechaFone
on 2009-04-28 16:27:54

Most awesome! I loved the intro. This remix uses high quality sounds along with high quality production. Mucho recommendation!

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Martin Penwald
on 2009-04-18 15:03:09

The first few moments of the remix would make perfect dungeon/boss-stage music; very badass. I love the guitar, and the piano is a nice addition.

Very nice work.

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Platonist
on 2009-04-15 08:03:10

I'm so in love with ilp0 .. if he wasn't a dude - I'd marry this bastard ... all your remixes just speak to me, man! keep it freaking up!

this is an epically remix-unattended classic which needs more coverage .. more gun-smoke! more gun-smoke! turn it into the new Ice Cap Zone fms!

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Mtlbro
on 2009-04-12 09:03:22

That intro is BADASS really hits me hard! The whole mood(or moods?) of the song is fantastic I love the direction they took with it.

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underthesun
on 2009-04-06 10:21:54

This mix is just awesome, it's been looping for a day in my ears now or something. Can't help but come here to talk about it..

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evktalo
on 2009-04-03 03:36:57

Free goosebumps!

Fantastic mix. I love the guitar that starts at 00:53, and it's just one of the many hilights in a terrific whole. OA has a great point about panning. There's a lot of stuff in this mix yet it sounds spacey.

--Eino

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Lint
on 2009-04-03 03:25:50

Alright, the mix definitely has some deep qualities here. A little bit of this and a little bit of that, with a great mix of backing sound running through the whole track. I have no idea how long the source tune is, but this definitely explores a variety of different ends to a classic "spaghetti western"-inspired piece

The piano lead that comes in during the second half of the piece starts out really striking but I find myself losing some focus by the end of its reign. It feels kind of decaying, like an ancient statue in an overgrown baroque garden - when the piano starts I feel like the nature is overwhelming everything man-made in a maze of green. At 2:40, it's like time suddenly freezes or slows down, and I'm left watching as the head of a statue finally succumbs to the throes of erosion and gravity. It lacks any malicious texture, but it still represents the loss of humanity within a place formerly held in great esteem by mankind.

Sorry for the bad example. Interesting mix though.

---------------- Now playing: ilp0 - Gun.Smoke Space Cowboy OC ReMix via FoxyTunes

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anosou
on 2009-04-02 17:09:59

ilp0 is one of my all time favorite remixers and this remix proves why. Personal arrangements, great playing skills, flawless production and a pure joy to listen to. Fantastic stuff!

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EvilHorde
on 2009-04-02 15:27:21

ROCKS! Awesome. What really strikes me here is the superb production. Amazing, crisp sound and mixing. You can really feel the grip of the low-ends. I also really like what you've done with the original. One of my favorite tracks from the NES taken to a completely different direction yet still maintaining the awesomeness of the original. Great and original arrangement. I've been working with this piece myself, so its always interesting to hear what other people get out of it.

AWESOME.

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ChaosPlayer
on 2009-04-02 12:45:21

I like this. I like this a lot... It has a taste of megaman touch to it from the guitar music. The intruments flows perfectly and smoothly, not heavy, making it ideal and interesting to listen. Guitar, piano, the rthym is perfect. You guys deserve a cold one that's for sure :D:nicework:8):nicework:

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Gun.Smoke (Capcom , 1988, NES)
Music by Ayako Mori,Junko Tamiya
Songs:
"Stage 1 BGM"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Jazz,Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Piano
Additional:

File Information


Name:
GunSmoke_Space_Cowboy_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,148,994 bytes
MD5:
38a062fbd7fdec8aeb34562ea3148339
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:31

 

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