ReMix:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 "Atmosphere" 4:06

By halc

Arranging the music of one song...

"Sky Chase Zone"

Primary Game: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega , 1992, GEN), music by Masato Nakamura

Posted 2010-03-15, evaluated by djpretzel


Mr. Wheeler writes:

"My attempt at a more trance-structured mix, and as you can probably guess it's been infused with some chiptune stuff. Ended up with a sorta chippy-dance-disco sounding mix, and hopefully you will all think it's 'cute', as usual (since everybody seems to think my mixes are cute). Have fun."

I can't tell if he's bitter about the whole "cute" thing, indifferent, or embraces it fully; there are certainly worse adjectives one could be associated with, and I think major-key electronica with chirpy, chippy textures is definitely gonna get labeled as such, in a positive sense. It's not a word I personally like to use too often, simply because it can run the risk of sounding a little diminishing... while halc's mixes are upbeat and seem light and at times effortless, it's pretty darn clear there's a lot of attention to detail and skill at work in each track, so it's not like he's a soft & furry puppy that magically poops out adorable and odorless chiptunish electronica. Try getting THAT mental image out of your head for the rest of the day ;)

No, cute or not, each of halc's mixes has depth & texture, and this arrangement of 'Sky Chase Zone' from Sonic 2 is no exception. This mix has the afforementioned trance structure, but still employs lighter, chippier textures, especially with some of the percussion, and also makes excellent musical use of the ubiquitous Sonic "ring" sound effect. Synth leads are simpler but have modulation & gating that give them more character, and the percolating drums and simple, undulating bass let them shine. Since Sonic 2 is far from obscure in the world of VGM, it's kinda surprising that this is our first arrangement of the source in almost nine years, since Kaijin's take on it, and it's good to see the theme getting some love. Classic halc, classic source, gotta love it.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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bluestreaks
on 2013-05-01 21:06:48

This is pretty cute ^__^

But in all seriousness, I like it gets better and better as it progresses. Good job!

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Daemos
on 2012-04-04 10:46:57

When I started listening to this I was imaging flying on a hang glider among the clouds. then I heard the Sonic "ring" and just smiled, I couldn't help it. my boss asked what I was smiling at and I played it for him, and he smiled too, then gave me a warning for listening to my phone during a meeting.

Oh well, excellent mix.

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Crulex
on 2011-05-24 13:01:08

Very clean, easy-going and.....eh, not cute, but close enough to be nice and peaceful. Extremely comfortable and relaxing. Very fitting for the Sky Chase Zone. Another Halc mix that doesn't disappoint. And the mash-up wasn't that bad either. I like the creativeness of these things.

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Emunator
on 2010-12-14 14:39:16
Simple and clean is the way halc is making me feel tonight

Hah, no kidding. This mix is really pristine and not overly-busy or crazy at all. Great for chillout music with a bit of a kick to it (pun intended) and though it doesn't really get as crazy with processing, sfx, or arrangement as I've come to expect from Drew, this is still a really quaint arrangement that'll pop up every once and a while on my playlist and put a nice smile on my face.

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halc
on 2010-12-14 07:28:03

interesting mash-up with some random hip-hop song:

:lol:
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Skinner3D
on 2010-10-15 19:09:03

Light, bouncy, fun remix of an epic song. :D I wouldn't call it 'cute', but I wouldn't call it trance either. :D

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Oni865
on 2010-04-08 21:09:24

This remix makes me want to go flying around in an airplane. Either that, or riding some creature from a fantasy movie like "The Never Ending Story" or something like that. Anyways, I always loved the original source of the song. This remix is definitly worth listening to, and is a must have in my book. Keep up the good work, halc :)

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Martin Penwald
on 2010-04-04 02:05:40
Simple and clean is the way halc is making me feel tonight

I see what you did there.

"Cute" is the word that immediately came to mind when I first listened to this remix, and reading through the comments, I'm obviously not the only one to think that, as is the case with "airy". Also, nice use of sfx from the game.

Good stuff.

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MechaFone
on 2010-03-30 10:46:50

Holy crap. I actually missed this one on the front page, dunno how that happened.

Wish I'd gotten to this one sooner, 'cause this is just awesome. It's airy, light, and gives me the impression that I'm really floating on a plane that won't let me fall no matter how much I want to fall off.

Awesome remix here, don't miss this.

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Epsilonia
on 2010-03-17 19:51:17

Is it just me, or do the first few bars sound like the first measures of the Reading Rainbow theme? I'm sorry, I just had to point that out :)

Anyway, love the mix. One of my favorite stages from any Sonic game. This definitely does the source material justice.

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bjnartowt
on 2010-03-17 12:05:24

Yay! A halc remix!

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ChaosPlayer
on 2010-03-17 02:37:34

+A must listen. If you're not a fan of that level when you recognize it, well eat your heart out. The creation of this sound track changed all that with how I felt about that level sound track (at least that's how I remembered it being a high pitch sound from the actual game).

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halc
on 2010-03-16 22:36:02

thanks K.B., your reviews always make me happy :D

also..

Head-bopping. Head. Bopping. Cute my hiney. Unless this is halc. In which case ok.

HOW ON EARTH DlD YOU FIND ME??

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K.B.
on 2010-03-16 22:21:20

Head-bopping. Head. Bopping. Cute my hiney. Unless this is halc. In which case ok.

The reason I like halc's stuff so much is not just because it's awesome; it's also because his mixes have a certain... ambiance... that few songs, let alone artists, are able to so perfectly capture. Yes, they're fun. Yes, they're bright. But more than that they're uplifting. There's an emotional depth conveyed in each of his works that provides meaning... grounding behind the lightheartedness. You can hear the care put into each note, and the end result is rejuvenating to the listener. I can honestly say that whenever I feel like putting on some good - and I mean quality - feel-good music, halc's stuff is always a first choice.

Or at least that's what I get out of it. And who am I but a simple, right-brained listener with my own set of tastes.

As far as this remix, halc takes it to new... what? I've already exhausted my pun allotment? But I intentionally avoided using the descriptor "airy" before! Bah, fine.

Never cared for the source. Loved every second of this. Ace. Simply ace.

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jintoreedwine
on 2010-03-16 20:09:13

This song is great. It's cheerful and upbeat nature really does it for me. Also, I have a fondness of the chip-tune bits of the song. The sonic-picking-up-a-ring sound effect is really awesome and I think it fits right in with the piece :) .

Nice one :)

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega , 1992, GEN)
Music by Masato Nakamura
Songs:
"Sky Chase Zone"

Tags (3)


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

File Information


Name:
Sonic_the_Hedgehog_2_Atmosphere_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,983,518 bytes
MD5:
4a83c97fd04e41af990db841ff345e7b
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:06

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