ReMix:Final Fantasy X "Rondo Sanctuary" 5:27

By Joshua Morse

Arranging the music of one song...

"People of the North Pole"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy X (Square , 2001, PS2), music by Junya Nakano, Masashi Hamauzu, Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2010-12-01, evaluated by djpretzel


It's OILD time! No, not the Turkish homonym, but rather Obligatory Ice Level Day, which Mr. Morse has again brought to our attention. Anatotitan from TSG writes:

"Yeah ok, so what is it? Every day this month, I’m going to be posting about that beloved video game trope: THE ICE LEVEL! Slipping and sliding, getting frozen, random ice monsters, snowy weapons, all that good stuff. Every day you’ll learn about a new level, hear some great ice level tunes, listen to some nice ice level remixes, download a new wallpaper, AND you can even use the preview thumbnails as icons/avatars if you want! So equip your frosty armor, befriend some yetis, and cast some ice spells as we celebrate OBLIGATORY ICE LEVEL DAY!"

You really don't have a choice, either - it's obligatory, see? The Speed Gamers are also having a Kingdom Hearts marathon from December 17-20 to help out BestFriends.org, a great organization to donate to if you're able. And what's OILD without some ice level mixes? First up is jm himself, with some FFX mixage. This is the first time we've posted a Final Fantasy ReMix from Morse since his debut FF7 mix all the way back in 2003. Seven years of awesome music comes full circle - he writes:

"I've loved Final Fantasy X music for a while now. I'm kind of kicking myself because I'm just getting around to arranging it. I always thought the original was rather interesting. The melody actually reminded me of Chrono Trigger, at parts. Its minimalistic approach made it a bit easier to translate into my own style, too. The name "Rondo Sanctuary" is a bit of a spin-off of the originally intended "Ronso Sanctuary" title. Every time I thought of "Ronso", Rajon Rondo, point guard of the Boston Celtics always came to mind. I decided to give into temptation and stick with "Rondo Sanctuary". I just hope Kimahri not upset with me."

I always forget that jm is a big basketball fan until I see him tweet something about it; cool title, given the context. ReMix is pimptacular, with pimp synths, pimp beats, and even pimp "HIT IT!" vocal FX. Mallets and electric guitar fill things out, harps glissando, and smoothness ensues, with acoustic piano doing the heavy solo lifting towards the end. Lovin' the scratch FX and overall early 80's sensibilities on display; Morse always brings his A-game, but hearing it applied to FFX's OST provides a different vibe with familiar funk. Excellent stuff!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2012-09-25 09:46:25

Groovy and chill(y), this has an awesome beat that just brings out the energy in me. Not exactly the kind of beat that makes me want to dance, but it does get my attention very well. The vocal interjections were pretty cool, and overall this ReMix is just too smooth. Like fresh ice. Morse nails it again.

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42
on 2010-12-28 23:35:33

I've listened to several different takes on the source and it never ceases to amaze me how flexible it is, and what JM has done here is outstanding.

This has more of a coffeehouse vibe, especially that piano, than his other work here on OCR, imho. All I know is that I would want this playing in the background of my favorite bookstore. :-D

I totally agree that this is some of Morse's finest work yet.

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Martin Penwald
on 2010-12-26 04:08:38

The choice of sounds, the "Hit it", the "ha-ha"...if Warren G walked around the corner and told me to regulate, I wouldn't be surprised at all.

But there's more; the sweet guitar around 1:00, the beautiful piano (particularly around 3:30)...there's just so much to love about this remix.

Definitely some of JM's best work, and considering that all of his work is damned good, that means a lot.

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MechaFone
on 2010-12-09 12:57:41

Just finished listening to this one. People Of The North Pole is, like many other reviewers, one of my favorite tracks to FFX. I highly enjoyed this remix. It's laid back, something I can chill to, work to, sleep to. It's definitely going on my playlist for 2011.

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EmpyClaw
on 2010-12-06 22:09:22

A very sweet groove. It got my toes tapping. I really love the source tune, and it's really cool to hear such a different take on it. Although, I think it should have been made a little more latin or something of the like. Not because of style, but because I'm cold and could use some warmer music than ice levels. ^_~ That aside, it's really a good remix. Thanks.

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SuperiorX
on 2010-12-04 21:11:07

Great, loved it! I don't think there is a JM mix (or album) that I have not enjoyed! Good job!

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Kadosho
on 2010-12-04 13:27:30

Definitely reminds me of an old 80's tune. Funky, fresh, and a bit minty.

Very abstract from a usual FF tribute tune. Even better, it feels more original on its own. Sweet.

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Catullus
on 2010-12-03 02:21:00
and named after one of my favorite ballers?!

epic fail.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/rondo

decent song but not really my thing. Reminds me too much of menu music from something like a racing game. Would fit right into gran turismo 5 though.

going to go compare to the source more thoughts to be edited in later.

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Geneson
on 2010-12-02 23:27:17

Whaat, one of my favorite video game themes remixed by one of my favorite remixers and named after one of my favorite ballers?!

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zykO
on 2010-12-02 22:00:30

sweet! rondo strikes!

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Joshua Morse
on 2010-12-02 08:45:37
...even pimp "HIT IT!" vocal FX.

Completely forgot to mention the fact that the *pimp* vocal FX were recorded by myself. Not sure how audible it is on everyone's setup, but there's some beat-boxing sprinkled on the mix, as well.

really cool, and lol, Rondo is one of my favorite players in the NBA

Mission accomplished! :)

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anosou
on 2010-12-02 06:20:48

Lovin' it, want to make love to it.

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Acolyte
on 2010-12-02 00:27:28

I love listening to this when I do some research, settles me down. Superb track, just great stuff right here.

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delbuster
on 2010-12-01 23:16:25

really cool, and lol, Rondo is one of my favorite players in the NBA

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djpretzel
on 2010-12-01 21:57:19

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy X (Square , 2001, PS2)
Music by Junya Nakano,Masashi Hamauzu,Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"People of the North Pole"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Funk,Jazz
Mood:
Mellow
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Piano
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_10_Rondo_Sanctuary_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
9,574,213 bytes
MD5:
b02943627fbb7c092ae2585ade262f6a
Bitrate:
232Kbps
Duration:
5:27

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