ReMix:NiGHTS into dreams... "Overnight Cloverleaf" 4:44

By José the Bronx Rican

Arranging the music of one song...

"Gloom of The N.H.C."

Primary Game: NiGHTS into dreams... (Sega , 1996, SAT), music by Fumie Kumatani, Naofumi Hataya, Tomoko Sasaki

Posted 2011-07-05, evaluated by djpretzel


José's been so busy w/ video work, including his fantastic trailer for Lucid Dreaming itself, that we don't see as many mixes from him, which is a shame, because each piece he's put his name on has been great. While his rapping chops are in absentia here, Mr. Bronx Rican turns in another instrumental that's refined, mellow, and has a craft & motion to it that echoes the Sega jazz fusion style of ages past. Stevo writes:

"Close your eyes and take a flight deep into the forest, shrouded in fog and full of wonders to explore. When Mr. Bronx Rican joined up, I expected to get some hip hop with slick rhymes, but I was blindsided when he showed me progress on this jazzy piece of work. José shows great versatility with the pianos and mallet instruments, supported by well-written drums throughout. There's a lot of "whooshing" sounds that evoke the sensation of flight. This track is a lucky charm to keep in your pocket when you're flying through the mist."

Swift, shuffling brush work on the drums, funky wah clavs riffing all over the place, rise-fall bass that recalls the OutRun OST, and chromatic percussion dueling with EP over the breezy, undulating fray. It's like a breath of fresh air, avoiding any one structure or letting one riff take over but instead flowing through with grace & intricacy. I think this mix really captures what Sega VGM in the late eighties and early nineties was all about, albeit with updated production aesthetics & the artist's own character imbued into the tapestry. Sure, the company had its share of more melodic, anthemic work that still resonated quite a bit, but so many of the stellar - and often overlooked - gems had jazz fusion sense & sensibilities. Refreshing, emancipating work from José that gives Lucid Dreaming a smooth, airy oasis.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 14 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Black_Doom
on 2015-12-10 13:27:48

One of my personal highlights of LD. So sexy smooth and laid-back. Really diggin' the lush percussive textures. And the overall feeling of flight here is great. Very cool work! :D

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timaeus222
on 2013-12-13 00:42:52

I love this way more than I did back then. I hear that jazz fusion vibe for sure. The piano has a narrow but cool unique feel to it, and it works well with the e. piano and that sweet clavinet. Really funky stuff man. This is a style that not many people do, and you should do more of this sometime! :)

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Tuberz McGee
on 2011-12-25 00:29:08

Opening with that piercing Piano sound is just a balls out way of making you pay attention.

It's great. You instantly get pulled into this world of pure delight.

The kit sounds lively and almost Jazzy. The synths are very fun and "playful".

The Harp and Piano are contrasting of this with a very Jazzy mature approach to the melody.

All in all, this mix represents the feeling of NiGHTS with an unexpected contrast of playful youth and jazzy maturity.

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Level 99
on 2011-12-16 15:27:28

Funny thing, this mix. When I started the project, I knew José was a fan of the soundtracks, I just didn't know what he'd do if he'd pick up a track. At first I thought he might do some of his fantastical hip-hop somewhere on the album, but then he picked Gloom of the N.H.C. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better arrangement.

Being frank, this perfectly treads the line between being faithful to the source while also being completely original. There is so much attention to detail here that there's indeed something new to hear on every listen. Fantastic Clav, as Andrew pointed out. Just...gah, everything is so so so good. The NiGHTS motif is included in ways that logically fit, and the ending cameo of Ideya Palace is charming.

In short, this is a masterpiece. It is hard to imagine this being topped.

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Crulex
on 2011-12-16 12:16:01

NiGHTS has quickly become one of my favorite albums on OCR, thanks to songs like this one. I'm impressed by Jose's versatility and the way this jazzy little ReMix continues that "flying through the air" feeling that a lot of NiGHTS tracks have. Love the piano and I liked the little jingle at the end. So smooth and while not overly upbeat, it's got a cool mix of energy and soft chilling music. Great job on this one here.

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Bahamut
on 2011-12-15 11:50:24

Well this is a surprise, a nice jazzy uptempo song by Jose. It has a mystique to it that the synths lends, as well as the keys. I like this feel that is kept throughout the song by various devices and kept fresh. The flow is accomplished almost effortlessly, giving a smooth glide through the song.

Solid unexpectedly good stuff from Jose!

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OA
on 2011-12-12 14:25:17

great textures on this, and DAT CLAV is excellent, and the small nights motifs sprinkled about make this more of a super classy backing track for anything I care to do rather than something i'm actively rocking out to. There is so much going on, but it's so well spaced and layered that you can focus on something new with each listen, and the care put into each part makes each listen equally rewarding.

Really intelligent and nuanced work here, Jose, well done! I love it!

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Crossing
on 2011-12-11 11:12:37

Well, this ended up being one of my favorite remixes from the NiGHTS Lucid Dreaming album. It's ability to relax you is one of the best things about this track, everything fits together so perfectly. The intro is especially good in my opinion. It's quiet piano with background sfx are beautiful. I would love to hear a more atmospheric version of this, based on the intro.

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Rexy
on 2011-12-01 18:12:39

Another strong track I remember from the NiGHTS project launch. It manages to fit so well with Jose's more laid-back style that I've come to see of him lately, especially in regards to the instrument choices (namely a lot of key-based instruments) and varied drumwork going on here. It plays so strongly with each of the different components of the source (even the rhodes solo at around 2:40), and even manages to find room for cameos along the way (the NiGHTS main theme and the appearance jingle at the end, most notably).

It's hard to find much to fault here; if anything I'm not so sure about the accompaniment writing during the rhodes solo as it doesn't seem to match melodically with the rest of the writing, but that can probably only be seen as a nitpick in regards to the structure.

Overall I dig the atmosphere work going on here, and while I do miss the Bronx Rican rhymes from time to time, a nice expressive instrumental work can be just as sweet to hear. I'm all set for more, Jose :)

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DiGi Valentine
on 2011-07-07 06:55:11

Always had been a fan of Jose's work so seeing him take interest in this song had me excited from day one. You gotta love this, it gets the mood of NiGHTS so spot on it's hard to picture this song for any other game other than NiGHTS.

I remember when i first heard it, i was totally caught off guard by the NiGHTS flute jingle at the end of the tune. I had to rewind it. It was the perfect homage to the character in an already great song. That jingle is NiGHTS' trademark. To have this album with that jingle present somewhere was like the cherry on top of the ice cream cake. Just brilliant.

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DjMystix
on 2011-07-06 03:13:41

Very nice! brushed drums used very effectively and gives me tons of inspiration to do something like this. Smooth mix!

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WesternZypher
on 2011-07-06 00:29:38

A sweet jam perfect for knocking back something cold, reflecting on the day past and the day ahead, and then heading to bed!

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AkumajoBelmont
on 2011-07-05 19:09:42

I love this track so much. So, so much. So, so so so much. Gotta love José ... his stuff gets me everytime.

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djpretzel
on 2011-07-05 13:38:22

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
NiGHTS into dreams... (Sega , 1996, SAT)
Music by Fumie Kumatani,Naofumi Hataya,Tomoko Sasaki
Songs:
"Gloom of The N.H.C."

Tags (5)


Genre:
Fusion,Jazz
Mood:
Mellow
Instrumentation:
Piano,Vibraphone
Additional:

File Information


Name:
NiGHTS_into_dreams_Overnight_Cloverleaf_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
8,468,406 bytes
MD5:
2cd71d79c924920047757752ea72d0e4
Bitrate:
236Kbps
Duration:
4:44

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