ReMix:Final Fantasy IV "Fallen Dragoon" 5:30

By AeroZ

Arranging the music of one song...

"Suspicion"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy IV (Square , 1991, SNES), music by Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2009-07-19, evaluated by djpretzel


Absolutely brilliant; I don't think I've been shy at all at expressing my appreciation for all of Sebastian's mixes to date, but this one may be his best yet. He's taken his new chiptune direction and combined it with cello and orchestral elements, and the result is simply masterful, something that couples beauty with nostalgia, synthetic with organic, and awesome with... more awesome. OA writes:

"Sebastian was hugely inspirational for a lot of people on the project with not only his enthusiasm, but also his creativity and skill. I've never heard anything like his cello with chiptune accompaniment before, and the fact that he not only tackles such a seemingly strange pairing, but makes it work so seamlessly is nothing short of amazing. It starts out with a deeply moody cello duet, and then quickly transitions to densely layered synths, and it's an effective shift, but it's true form is revealed when the two are combined, and a soaring cello melody is backed by crunchy percussion, and a roiling and stuttering synth background. There's a reason we call him the King of Sweden."

The "King of Sweden," eh Andrew? I think you've hurt AnSo's feelings... I'm personally fine letting them rule the nation as part of a two-man oligarchy, myself. Like OA, I've never really heard anything like this mix... I'll admit to a modicum of "cello bias" in that I love the instrument and what it's capable of, but hearing it paired up with an electronica/chiptune arrangement that feels so natural... it's more than a little surprising how well it works, or rather how well AeroZ makes it work. He explains:

"I wanted to give the cello a more leading part in this one, to really get the deceptive feeling of the theme. The first part is more a rhythmic touch of the theme. I wanted to go a little 80th with it. Then just turn it to a dark and deep tune. Did a lot to try get the listener to really feel the betrayal of Kain. I think it's one of the most touching parts in the FF4 story. And it's my first big mix combining the cello with 'Reason', so it's a big lesson or me as well. Enjoy!"

This is a fantastic, creative piece of music that accomplishes everything Sebastian describes and more; as I always caveat, the word "synergy" is more often that not used in cheesy contexts where it doesn't necessarily apply. I try my best to save it for situations where it really is appropriate, and this is one of them - the synergy between cello and chiptune (cellotune? chipello?) is resplendent (another use-in-moderation word), and this mix is definitely yet another reason to check out Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Necrox
on 2015-12-20 00:44:23

Wasn't really feeling the cello in the intro, but the electronic entrance was pretty cool. Around 1:44 is pretty nice; The incorporation of strings back into the electronica was sweet, really cool how the lead and cello interact. It reminds me of forbidden love for some reason. Good stuff, an interesting mix.

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Black_Doom
on 2015-12-19 00:43:15

Simply stunning! I love Sebastian's "Tellah's Prophecy" (which is a combination of electronica and cello as well) from this album a lot, but this is much more beautiful - I'm big sucker for such soulful songs, and I'm sucker for the cello too, so this mix instantly hooked me. Incredible work, Mr. Freij.

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Algamest
on 2011-08-18 12:52:19

One of my favourite songs from one of my favourite albums :)

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DimeTower
on 2011-08-18 01:12:54

I posted as part of the album: but for anyone stumbling on this song, this is one of the best songs I've ever heard on OC Remix. One of the most multi-layered, evocative, impressive efforts I can think of. Words do not do it justice.

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Souliarc
on 2010-04-26 18:12:16

So well done... wonderful piece! Loved listening to it.

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Crulex
on 2010-04-07 10:29:30

Very good piece. Brings out the emotion of the original real well and then sends it into overdrive. Sweet stuff here.

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tweex
on 2009-11-10 17:25:41

Finally. What I came to hear: Cello. Opening sounds good. Intonation is solid, which is always impressive. Sure enough, the chiptune lead makes it's appearance soon after. The drums, while groovy, start out a little more mellow than some of your other percussion tracks. It almost has a latin feel to it. The orchestral stabs in the middle are sex-ellent! Very Hans Zimmer. It sounds fantastic. The cello and lead synth playing in unison is pretty hawt. A little intonation issues in there, but it's not bad at all. The constant changes in dynamics keeps it moving and interesting. Excellent track mate. Looking forward to hearing future subs!

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Marmiduke
on 2009-10-31 00:35:07

Amazing work with textures in this one. A thick tapestry of unconventional sounds molding into one another. It's mad scientist stuff. I'm just glad someone had the stones to marry digital retro and acoustic classical, and even more blown away by how well it works.

I think even moreso than the very unique and absolutely stunning instrumentation and performance work in this piece, I'm really loving the arrangement. It's not everyday you get something understated and chock full of ranges and tones. This really does go on it's own personal, deranged sonic adventure, and I was with it every step of the way.

The cello work in this alone makes this one of the most professional sounding mixes to be released here, but it is the other major foundations of the track that exude the most brilliance for me. This mix does a lot of things in its running time, but it does not disappoint.

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Emunator
on 2009-10-03 22:18:25

AeroZ, you are a master of taking your songs to new levels of creativity while still keeping them accessible and not too weird. It satisfies my craving for unique, unconventional blends of musical styles, but I've also passed this song around to a few friends that have more mainstream, traditional tastes and they've loved it, too. That's quite a testament to your musical vision and ability :-)

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OA
on 2009-08-07 10:37:30

Some of the best cello work i've heard from Sebastian. An absolutely stunning performance, . 3

I (politely) demand a collaboration at some point in the future!

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SoulinEther
on 2009-08-02 03:57:38

i can't .. write anything about it. but i can implore you to listen to it. it's...tragic. well, mostly.

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Bahamut
on 2009-07-22 09:07:49

One thing that caught me with this track is that I remembered hearing a portion in the MAGFest preview as well. The transition to that section of the song absolutely conveys the emotion conflicting thoughts going through Kain's head.

An interesting take on Suspicion to say the least!

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Liontamer
on 2009-07-21 13:45:16

VERY strong stuff. I'm glad Andrew and Dave both appreciated the synergy of electronic and organic instrumentation as much as I did. This was some really intelligent arrangement!

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Level 99
on 2009-07-20 15:35:53

If you teach me to play cello I'll let you take me to level 100. I promise I wont struggle next MAGfest.

I've noticed that many of AeroZ's tracks contain very emotive strings and synth selections, if not on a bit of the goofy side sometimes. This track, however, seems to have none of the goofiness like in his Overture ~ Tellah's Prophecy track. The live strings are nearly heart-wrenching and the mastering meshes the instrumental selections together throughout the entire song in a way that you can't help but feel immersed in the emotion conveyed. The first time I listened I was pretty speechless. KEEP IT UP!

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BlackPanther
on 2009-07-20 10:29:30

This track is sweet as hell, I'm so lovin this right now. Those synths that come in in some of the parts makes it sound very vibrant. Love the mood and atmosphere great job man!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy IV (Square , 1991, SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Suspicion"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Chiptune,Electronic,Strings,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_4_Fallen_Dragoon_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
9,137,442 bytes
MD5:
eb5cf0756582e0450b5e048a4d221615
Bitrate:
219Kbps
Duration:
5:30

 

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