ReMix:Wild Arms "A Ring and a Promise" 7:55

By Ashleigh Coryell, bLiNd

Arranging the music of one song...

"Lamentation and a Promise (Prologue 2)"

Primary Game: Wild Arms (Sony , 1997, PS1), music by Michiko Naruke

Posted 2009-12-13, evaluated by djpretzel


Well, first, thanks to everyone who chimed in wishing us a happy 10th birthday - Dale North's post on Destructoid almost caused me ManTears, and a big muchos gracias to The Escapist, Joystiq, and many others for the best wishes! Mr. Bronx Rican sent us our shnazzy 10yr anniversary logo just in time, and posting ten mixes in a row - while seriously hard on the ole carpal tunnels - was a blast. 2009's not over yet, as we mentioned, so we're still really writing the history of our tenth full calendar year of existence. And boy do we have an excellent page to add to this chapter; bLiNd gives us a finished "advance preview" trance mix from the still-in-progress Wild Arms project:

"I have been doing many electro-house tracks lately, and even though people like them they want to hear my trance roots again, especially Jade and since we have been poor this year I decided to make the song her one-year wedding anniversary gift! I named it A Ring and a Promise since that is what I gave her last year. To the fans and ocremix community enjoy a preview of the project from me, and to Jade - You are the love of my life and I hope this song expresses that commitment, feeling, and promise..."

Allow me to express a collective "awwwwww..." on behalf of the community - Happy Anniversary, Jordan & Jade! What better way to say "I love you" than with nearly eight minutes of some of the best trance Jordan has yet produced, complete with vocals. The artist writes:

"This one has been in the works for a long time. I have been wanting to do a vocal trance song for Jade for a while since I found out its her favorite type of electronica.

I went through a process of choosing a source and came to the conclusion that there is no better choice than one from the Wild Arms project. The source is Lamenting and a Promise and there is no point on trying to improve perfection so I did a complete spin off for trance... The guitar riff melody is perfect for lyrics so I wrote lyrics that are directed towards Jade. The meaning is hidden and I am sure many people would find their own meaning in the lyrics. I used every tool in my arsenal for this from the small basic delays and standard synths, to the JP8080.

But the most important element is the vocalist of course. My sisters good friend Asleigh James is an amazing vocalist for her church, definitely anointed and gifted and I have known her since childhood. She thought it would be a great idea to do this track together so I secretly went to my wedding photographers pad, who is a lifelong buddy of mine (Fred Morledge http://www.photofm.com) and recorded on his home setup behind Jades back. She thought I was going to get our wedding photos :P, which I did, but some real magic happened there."

Nice surreptitious mixing surprise, Mr. Aguirre; Ashley adds:

"Hi my name is Ashleigh James, and I live in Las Vegas, NV. I grew up in a family of many talents.. my dad was a singer and traveled the world with the temptations, the platters, The coasters, etc. My mom was going to be a dancer for Tina turner and was also a model! So I grew up around singing and dancing and with different styles and cultures. Needless to say it has always been a passion of mine! I recently graduated from Kairos school of ministry where I am now certified to become a licensed pastor. I am also currently a worship leader at a church and am going to be working on an album which I hope will be out by 2010....

This was the first time that I have recorded for this type of music! It was definitely a stretch, but it was a good stretch! All these years of listening to Jordan create these songs I never would have guessed in a million years that I would be recording vocals for him! It was a pleasure to work with him, and I would do it a million times over again!"

Great mix with a great story behind it; Jordan called me several times to ensure & coordinate the mix's release today, and considers it one of his best mixes, and I agree. I'm fairly certain it's going to be stuck in my head for the rest of 2009, at the very least. I'm definitely looking forward to the completion of the Wild Arms project - this mix alone guarantees it'll be epic. Congratulations to J&J for their first full year of matrimonial bliss - here's to the many more to come!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
eggsngaming
on 2016-10-04 18:56:06

Having never played Wild Arms (heresy I know, I'll show myself out), everything on OCR from Wild Arms is brand new to me. Blind kills it every time, but this one might be my favorite of his. Gorgeous vocals by Ashleigh, strings and soft synths make the first half an easy ride then BAM, the synth chords at 4:20..man. I've replayed that part so many times I've lost count. Then bringing them back at 6:33 is perfect.

I also have a thing for trance when it's in the key of G for some reason. It's always relaxing and energetic at the same time.

avatar
metamorphosis
on 2014-07-17 19:40:36

I used to feel that this was a poor second to Blue Skies, but I see now that it's a different feel overall. And when the breakdown kicks in at 4:17 - I lose it.

avatar
Crulex
on 2012-04-20 13:17:48

Those vocals are absolutely beautiful and that electronic beat behind it is hot. Seriously, this is a sweet nearly eight minute ride that screams trance which is surprisingly on quite a lot of Wild Arms tracks. Nice stuff.

avatar
dirtywhitellama
on 2011-10-27 03:32:10

at least the lyrics are posted, cause there are some I chronically mishear every time....

for example... I hear her sing "searching for... a life that will bring you more... misery... is what your heart seems to need" - instead of mystery!

and "silence is a moment when your heart breaks" ..instead of lives.

oh well, its a lovely track either way, have always enjoyed it!

avatar
MisterBiggler
on 2011-06-01 11:53:51

i think a few months ago, i was working late into the night and tuned into the ocr stream on rainwave (is it?) and heard this, DLed it, and threw it on my mp3 player.

for some reason i forgot about it completely until today when i was driving to a meeting and it just blew me away, and i've been listening to it non-stop since then. easily the best piece of music i've heard in many, many months. i listen to it and feel like im in another world or something. cliche perhaps but they exist for a reason; its just this song resonates w/me in a way i cant seem to put into words well enough. the vocals are beautiful too, gorgeous. i'm absolutely in love with this song. continue to do what you do bLiNd, its phenomenal.

avatar
MechaFone
on 2010-12-20 23:44:48

Wow. Just wow. Everything about this remix is outstanding. Vocals, arrangement and production. Everything is top-notch.

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Janus83
on 2010-10-03 15:57:51

At the moment my most favorite song in my whole MP3/CD collection and that means ALOT!

Just awesome! Thats it, awesome!

avatar
Marmiduke
on 2010-06-12 03:13:39

One of the more recent mixes that punctuate OCR's release history. We get a lot of remixes on the site, but few are as impactful as this.

It's familiar territory genre-wise, but interesting the entire way through. A mix like this is all about production, and it is just overflowing with extremely high production values. The vocals take it up that extra notch. Usually when a mix is this good, I feel like it's someone showing off. With this though, knowing the story behind it, there's not a selfish thing about it.

This is an undeniably stellar piece and an instant classic. I'm overjoyed that bLiNd was generous enough to share it with the world. I dare say that a trance mix has never sounded as good as it does here. bLiNd is the one to beat.

avatar
(Lyrics) Serotriptomine
on 2010-02-23 19:21:42

I bought this game and many other wild arms over the PSN and through gamestop. This remix made me lose track of time whilst the female singer took over my subconscious. I literally just did my college discussion homework to this song and finished it without realizing I was even listening to a song!

I enjoyed this, but I can't really tell you which part was amazing, I think the whole piece counts right?

10.00/10.00

(I'm not qualified to judge your work, this is how much -i- Enjoyed this song.)

avatar
ProjectSpam
on 2010-01-21 17:24:07

Probably my favorite ReMix since Harmony's Dragon Song. This is a really phenomenal piece of work. True perfection... you're very talented, Jordan.

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Martin Penwald
on 2010-01-06 16:42:47
Love 4:25 on to 5:25 as it reminds me of a Euro kind of vibe!

I'm the complete opposite; this part (as well as the similar one later on) is the only thing I really dislike about this mix, as it sounds like every trance song ever produced in Europe back in the late 90's/early 2000's. Ugh.

However, other than that, this remix is very good. Love the slow part between 0:40 and 0:50, and the strings add a lot. Moreover, Ashleigh's voice is really awesome, and I hope you two collaborate more in the future.

Nice one.

avatar
42
on 2009-12-31 00:39:32

O_O

Wow. Astounding....

Honestly, I can't really think of anything to say that wouldn't be repeating something someone has already said. This mix encapsulates so many weighty subjects and is the product of true and honest feelings. It is obvious that time, effort, and love has went into this mix. And knowing the reasons behind this mix gives me a warm fuzzy feeling whenever I listen to this. :-)

Truly Beautiful.

Thank you so much for all you've done and all that you do.

avatar
ZealPath
on 2009-12-30 18:19:06

I waited a while to check this one out since I wasn't familiar with the source which was a huge mistake. This is really spectacular, this is going to be the first mix that I tell my friends who aren't necessarily into VGM about, this transcends the whole "video game remix" thing, this is just an awesome trance song, period.

I absolutely love the "breakdown" (if you can call it that) that comes in around 4:00 and 6:00, very very cool. The vocals? Absolutely beautiful and perfectly executed, and it took me a while to realize that I don't think I've heard a bLiNd song with vocals before, I think you just might be onto something (yeah, what a surprise :lol: )!

Finally who couldn't love the story behind this mix, I wish you guys nothing but the best moving forward!

avatar
bLiNd
on 2009-12-30 02:01:56
I don't know what it is with your work (like... everything you've done here), but whenever I listen to a song of yours for the first time, I sort of just pass over it. It's not until a day later when I'm replaying passages over and over in my head that I realize how infectious and awesome your work is. Maybe because I'm being presented with countless minutes of explosive awesomeness that my brain must enter self-preservation mode. Maybe.

I don't really need to praise the quality of your work - you already know this stuff is polished and awesome. But Ashleigh's voice is beautiful. While the vocal melodies initially seemed unsatisfying, I knew I was wrong in thinking so when I woke up one morning and had "searching for / a life that will bring you more" stuck in my head and I could not seem to remember where I heard it.

And the lyrics, too, transcend amazingness and hit so close to home. My mom passed away this month, and she was really unhappy with her life. She wanted (and deserved) more, but unfortunately never got it. Her poetry talked about how her only escape and freedom from her life would be death, and I suppose now she has it. The yearning to be free is something I can relate to, both through my mother's pain and within my own self. And now, I feel like an optimist drowning in possibly the worst situation of my life, shackled in grief and desperately longing to see her, having tried faithfully to take good care of her in her poor health only to meet some sort of failure... but like you say, if I "just hold on," I know I'll meet the rising dawn and I'll find the strength to move on with my life, free from the longing and the pain and able to remember her in happy memories, capable of progressing through and succeeding in my own life.

Soo... I know I'm not necessarily the intended audience, but thank you for posting this remix here so that we could hear it. May you and Jade have many fun-filled, happy years to come, and may your difficulties ease with great haste.

Wow....

I am so sorry to hear the passing of your mother. Jades father passed away a few years ago and she still struggles, but the pain does fade eventually. Don't fight the feelings, you must process them. Don't bury pain and hurts, otherwise it will come back one day...

These compliments are some of the most meaningful words ever said to me about my music. God gives me my abilities, gifts, and inspiration and the glory goes to him. I cannot take credit for these songs, whether original or remixed. He is a loving father that wants me to make music for him, and I am truly blessed that is his will for my life. I am glad this song encouraged you...

avatar
SoulinEther
on 2009-12-29 17:26:25

I don't know what it is with your work (like... everything you've done here), but whenever I listen to a song of yours for the first time, I sort of just pass over it. It's not until a day later when I'm replaying passages over and over in my head that I realize how infectious and awesome your work is. Maybe because I'm being presented with countless minutes of explosive awesomeness that my brain must enter self-preservation mode. Maybe.

I don't really need to praise the quality of your work - you already know this stuff is polished and awesome. But Ashleigh's voice is beautiful. While the vocal melodies initially seemed unsatisfying, I knew I was wrong in thinking so when I woke up one morning and had "searching for / a life that will bring you more" stuck in my head and I could not seem to remember where I heard it.

And the lyrics, too, transcend amazingness and hit so close to home. My mom passed away this month, and she was really unhappy with her life. She wanted (and deserved) more, but unfortunately never got it. Her poetry talked about how her only escape and freedom from her life would be death, and I suppose now she has it. The yearning to be free is something I can relate to, both through my mother's pain and within my own self. And now, I feel like an optimist drowning in possibly the worst situation of my life, shackled in grief and desperately longing to see her, having tried faithfully to take good care of her in her poor health only to meet some sort of failure... but like you say, if I "just hold on," I know I'll meet the rising dawn and I'll find the strength to move on with my life, free from the longing and the pain and able to remember her in happy memories, capable of progressing through and succeeding in my own life.

Soo... I know I'm not necessarily the intended audience, but thank you for posting this remix here so that we could hear it. May you and Jade have many fun-filled, happy years to come, and may your difficulties ease with great haste.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Wild Arms (Sony , 1997, PS1)
Music by Michiko Naruke
Songs:
"Lamentation and a Promise (Prologue 2)"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Trance
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Vocals: Female
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original
Time > Duration: Long

File Information


Name:
Wild_Arms_A_Ring_and_a_Promise_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
8,285,142 bytes
MD5:
8c0ff5440eaaa4e37f213790530ba369
Bitrate:
138Kbps
Duration:
7:55

Searching for
A life that will bring you more
Mystery
Is what the heart seems to need

Silence is
A moment when your heart lives
There will be
A Vision of being free

Pain will fade
And hope will bring a new day
The sun will rise
It's rising in your new eyes

Just hold on
Don't you run

You will see
And be free

(x2)

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