ReMix:Christmas NiGHTS into dreams... "Winter NiGHTS (Hey, Dreamer)" 3:44

By Level 99

Arranging the music of one song...

"Winter Sleep"

Primary Game: Christmas NiGHTS into dreams... (Sega , 1996, SAT), music by Naofumi Hataya, Tatsuya Kouzaki, Tomoko Sasaki

Posted 2010-12-25, evaluated by the judges panel


What's this? A Christmas NiGHTS ReMix.... *ON* CHRISTMAS!? It's almost like we planned it!! Though Jewish himself, Stevo graciously helps us unchosen gentiles - believers and secular celebrators alike - enjoy merry ho-ho and conspicuous consumption with a well-timed holiday-themed mix that we may honestly have expedited a bit in the interest of temporal relevance. He writes:

"It's no secret that I have a large amount of love for a certain purple jester. On top of that, the Saturn remix section looks awful bare.... Winter Sleep, as a source tune, is only 28 seconds long. It's a soothing, chimey, flute-filled relaxing song. Perfect to put on loop before you go to bed because can melt in the song's atmosphere. There's four main components to the source that I have used in my arrangement of the tune: the flute (which plays a variation of the NiGHTS motif with an added melody during 9-16 measures), the voice, the backing pads, and the bass. The source also has some percussive elements and random chimey sounds, however they were not directly used in the new arrangement.

This version is a remastering of the song I did for the Winter Dreamers EP last year, which was a small holiday project I worked on with the admins of NiGHTSintodreams.com. You can grab the whole EP from their website: http://www.nightsintodreams.com/?p=783. As for the song itself, it is very reminiscent of the emergence of synth rock 60's/70's pop rocky style. I would definitely say the electronica experimentation of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer was a big influence in some of the sounds I chose."

Funny, because I actually listened to this mix before I read the submission email, and the synth solos definitely reminded me of ELP - easy to spot the influence. Guitars & synths blend for a 70's rock vibe, and yes, Stevo rocks some pretty respectable vocals. The thick doubling, widening, and harmony help beef up the singing, and I like the climax towards the end with the repeated "Hey, Dreamer" refrain. Sleigh bells help add some seasonal flavor; my main beefs would be that I'm not a huge fan of the snare used, and I think the backing guitar parts could have been brought up a bit more to fill out the mix, even after the production tweaks. Shariq concisely writes:

"Pretty decent. Vocal performance is a little rough intonation-wise, but it's not bad. Interpretation is pretty good; a pretty good rock take on the source tune. Good development through the piece, nice highs and lows."

Solid initial vocal mix from Stevo, who rocks out the Christmas NiGHTS source with an energetic arrangement; he's shown with previous mixes that he can definitely incorporate guitars & synths quite adeptly, and I'm interested in seeing where he goes with future vocal mixes in 2011. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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evktalo
on 2014-12-19 16:05:35

Rexy is playing this on Sega Mixer Drive right now. This is quite nice indeed. I'm liking the synth bass and stuff, it builds a nice, airy foundation with the clean guitars.

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DurtyWilly
on 2013-01-26 00:30:00

OK, for the last three years this has been part of the soundtrack of my life. I've shared this with my friends (quote, "Durty is changing my life with this music"), and I think it's both exemplary of the best OCR has to offer, and proof that the experiment that OCR started can yield rich, tasty, and rewarding fruit.

OK, it's not even just the best that OCR has, but the best that my ears have the option of listening to. This should be on the radio. All the radios.

Do more like this, please. (Sorry it took me so may years to post Xp)

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LunaYoshi
on 2011-01-31 15:55:34

This is such a beautiful remix, man! Auto top-5 on my playlist. :)

But it's been bugging me since the first time I heard it. I've never played Christmas Nights, but that melody sounds really, REALLY familiar to me somehow. I ca--

Oh, I found it. It sounds an awful lot like the World Map music from Donkey Kong Country 3. Either a weird coincidence or someone got really inspired? I dunno.

BUT WHATEVER. This is awesome. Thank you for mixing it. :)

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Martin Penwald
on 2011-01-12 15:25:39

Level 99 sings? A surprise, and as it turns out, a pleasant one. The vocals aren't mindblowing, but they're good enough that they work for the remix. The lyrics are pretty sweet, too.

Personally, I think the layered vocal stuff at the end is a little over the top, but after listening to the remix repeatedly, it doesn't bother me as much as I first thought it would.

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Ursa Major
on 2011-01-06 23:07:24

I sometimes shy away from the remixes that have singing in them. This is one of the rare exceptions! I always have liked your work Stevo, and I am very impressed with this song. Keep it up!

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luhny
on 2010-12-31 08:12:37

Oh, this is interesting. I never knew Stevo could actually sing. Sounds pretty good. I like the vibe of the whole piece in general - nice job. Thanks for sharing this.

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Crulex
on 2010-12-30 10:33:47

Ah, a nice Winter ReMix for the end of the year. The lyrics are really good for getting the point across, and Stevo's voice is actually pretty good! It does have that 70's vibe to it, and it really seems to just fit the mood and vocals of the song. I really enjoy the whole echoing "Hey Dreamer" bit at the end. Awesome stuff, Stevo.

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OA
on 2010-12-28 14:23:21

I like this one a lot, nice backing parts, pretty solid vocals, good lyrics.

Good times, Uncle Beebo. :D

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Vilecat
on 2010-12-27 16:20:09

Fgt vocals, gtfo Stevo!

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DiGi Valentine
on 2010-12-26 16:23:39

Oh, i've not heard this before. :o

Nice one for getting it posted on OCR, Levs.

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bLiNd
on 2010-12-26 12:25:33

Stevo u da man. Tho I make electronic stuff I am always envious of those who can rip up a guitar, rip up their vocal chords, and rip up other genres. So in essence, I envy you Mr. Talent Jewmanboy. 33

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DragonAvenger
on 2010-12-26 11:06:03

While I personally like the more natural vocals in the song, I will admit this has a charm of it's own. Stevo did a great job in his delivery to really make the track come alive, and I need to hear more vocals from him!

Nice work, bro!

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AkumajoBelmont
on 2010-12-26 05:35:18

Awesome stuff Stevo. I'd say it's a pretty big improvement on the previous version of this track!

Love your vocals in here man, and all your little synth arps are absolutely divine. This is could be one of my favourite mixes of yours, dude. Of course, I'm totally partial to the source material, so there may be a little bias in there :D

Your totally right dude... definitely not enough Saturn ReMixes on the site. Saturn gaming was awesome, because it was part of that strange little period of time where most games had their OST's on the actual discs in the Redbook audio format.

Moar Sega Saturn Mixes Plz.

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Obtuse
on 2010-12-25 22:49:48

I love the opening sleigh bells. The ambiance of the opening feels very warm. Then you have those slick arps with the bass.

I had never heard vocals in a Level 99 mix before so I was really surprised by it. The vocals sound pretty awesome. I can tell you are enjoying playing with your new vocal plugin!

The synth solo is extremely festive.

Love the multi- layered vocals at the end. I hope to hear more vocal mixes from you Stevo!

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djpretzel
on 2010-12-25 22:17:35

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Christmas NiGHTS into dreams... (Sega , 1996, SAT)
Music by Naofumi Hataya,Tatsuya Kouzaki,Tomoko Sasaki
Songs:
"Winter Sleep"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Bells,Electric Guitar,Singing,Synth,Vocals: Male
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original
Usage > Winter Holiday

File Information


Name:
Christmas_NiGHTS_into_dreams_Winter_NiGHTS_(Hey_Dreamer)_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,411,728 bytes
MD5:
0d7a13b5aa10c77100081fede38d9339
Bitrate:
225Kbps
Duration:
3:44

On a cold winter night
You warmed my heart as we held tight
The dreams will come in time
Just as the seasons change, our fears will be left behind

[Chorus]
Hey, Dreamer
Hold on just a little more
The sun's not far from the horizon
And this is the day that we have long been waiting for.

Heyyyyy...

[Chorus]

Hey, Dreamer
Hey, Dreamer
Hey, Dreamer
Hey, Dreamer

Hey, Dreamer
Hey, Dreamer
Hey, Dreamer
Hey, Dreamer

Heyyyyy, Dreamer

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