ReMix:Zelda II: The Adventure of Link "Zelda's First Trip to the "Village"" 3:27

By Josh Whelchel

Arranging the music of 4 songs from 4 games ( view all )...

"Above Ground", "Gerudo Valley", "Hyrule Castle", "Temple BGM"

Primary Game: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Nintendo , 1987, NES), music by Akito Nakatsuka

Posted 2011-11-24, evaluated by djpretzel


HAPPY MIXGIVING! We continue with three more mixes from our 25YEARLEGEND flood - thanks for all the positive comments & support! It's been really fun releasing a "surprise" album with some big names in the indie game composer community & seeing the reaction, and I like the precedent we've set for supporting & publishing albums of extra-community origin, when it makes sense. It definitely made sense in this case, and I hope that - whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving today or not - you enjoy this amazing tribute to the music of Zelda. Up next is Mr. Whelchel with one of the album's quirkier tracks, an electronica-orchestral mashup with dubstep elements & a BUNCH of samples. Josh writes:

"Zelda got a little carried away with the stash of bad chicken eggs. They're only slightly hallucinogenic, only slightly."

Definitely some crazy stuff - Josh has a maximalist bent to his style, which is conveyed here through a mix of orchestral elements, dubstep, and the aforementioned samples also figure heavily. Apparently they're from some combination of Zelda ingame FX, TV episodes, and commercials - only Josh knows for sure, but perhaps some superfans can map out all those sources, if he doesn't chime in himself. Album director Roger Hicks writes:

"I love the use of sampling in this track. This is definitely one of the most experimental remixes I've ever heard, and one of the few that actually succeed at being good because of it."

There's certainly a vision here, and while it's warped & at times even demonic, the craftsmanship always comes through. Check 1'56", where you can hear the dynamics clearly in the backing staccato string part, as the EP solos over top - a striking moment of beauty, before the dark energies kick back in. While there are myriad components, each is discrete and "trackable" by the ear, and it's a fun, wild ride just trying to follow everything JW lobs at you. Eclectic, schizophrenic, electric, and perhaps even dyspeptic, at least if you've been eating those bad eggs Josh mentioned, this arrangement is brimming over with creativity, energy, and a willingness to experiment - a great, insane addition to the album!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 11 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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sleepeeg3
on 2012-03-10 23:51:35
Talking of which, why is it filed under Zelda 2 when most of the coverage came from Zelda 3's Hyrule Castle? I even did a source breakdown and everything and I honestly didn't sense much of the Zelda 2 source in comparison to the other sources represented.

Not a fan of remixes where you can barely identify the inspiration. That said, I think this should be moved under Zelda III. The majority of this theme draws its base from "A Link to the Past," plus the mentioned Smash Bros thrown in. There was nothing even recognizable from Zelda II until the strings at 2:45.

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ryankeeton
on 2011-12-27 15:00:22

Crazy arrangement, a lot of energy. I like the dubstep elements. Don't really care for the sound effects, but they're better used than I would normally hear. I feel like some low end is missing from the mix, I want a big fatty bass. Cool song, shit's bananas.

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Tuberz McGee
on 2011-12-25 00:57:32

Interesting intro. I always feel like I'm tripping out. Haha

Reminds me of Daft Punk. That's a good thing.

I love the samples that you use. At 0:47 you kick into a Dubstep type thing.

I'm not huge on dubstep, but I enjoyed it. Mad props man.

I love how you incorporated all of these sources into a mix like this.

I love playing the mix after listening to tonnes of Daft Punk.

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OA
on 2011-12-16 11:37:36

It's pretty sweet, but where is DAT BASS?

The low frequencies seem to be missing. :-(

The arrangement is really fun and crazy, and the sound clips are surprisingly well used, and the length is about right.

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GravitySuitCollector
on 2011-12-14 02:01:43

This song is a trip..., and it's one that seems to go everywhere with the style and the game samples (I hear SSB and OoT, but I'm not sure if that's all). It definitely doesn't get boring, but it sort of freaks me out. 8O I liked the use of strings, and I thought you did a good job switching between themes/moods. Good job, just not my type of music (I'm not sure what my type of music is, though). I look forward to hearing more from you. :)

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Rexy
on 2011-12-02 11:11:05

Wow, this is some seriously trippy stuff from Josh :o And a great cross-breed of not even styles but sources from 4 different games here.

Talking of which, why is it filed under Zelda 2 when most of the coverage came from Zelda 3's Hyrule Castle? I even did a source breakdown and everything and I honestly didn't sense much of the Zelda 2 source in comparison to the other sources represented.

That weird qualm aside, the detail taken to the instrument writing has shown a more artistic side than what you might expect from a multi-source track. Even the strings sound wonderful and realistic and managed to fit well in this half-symphonic half-electronic environment. The voice clips also seemed uncannily appropriate given the artistic direction, though to be fair I can probably also see why it was temporarily blocked from Youtube o_O

All in all, a very amusing mix with not much to fault; might rub off on some due to the quirky direction taken, but I like my quirks, so I am running cool with this one. Good going Josh :D

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DarkSim
on 2011-11-27 12:46:49

I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of The Whelchel, and this mix just blows my mind! Someone was certainly delivering a few odd mushrooms to the potion shop when making this...

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Damashii!!
on 2011-11-26 01:53:51

note: youtube's hating again. ("spam, scams, and blah blah blah")

pretty sure other people noticed, but i thought it'd be fixed by now. =/

anyways, this reminds me of Daft Punk's brainwasher for some reason, and that's a good thing. some of link's sfx made this more funny rather than intimidating, but i guess it fits in with the bad trip vibe.

gggggyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuurrrrrgh

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Crulex
on 2011-11-25 16:43:09

There are ReMixes, and then there are Acid ReMixes. It's certainly creative and interesting. And as experimentally crazy, Dubstep filled and heavily sampled as it is, I kinda like it. The sources are easy to hear and while it is crazy, it still moves with a small bit of direction, like a method to the madness. Acid ReMixes aren't really my thing, but this alright with me.

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Bahamut
on 2011-11-24 20:01:16

This mix is certainly on acid. There's a heavy dose of Smash Bros. samples here that I'm surprised that Dave didn't catch. I have a tough time figuring out how I feel about the mix - perhaps I'll post more on the future on it, it really is a tough cookie, although it does bring some amusement to my face and makes for a perfect random song to play.

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djpretzel
on 2011-11-24 12:15:51

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

Sources Arranged (4 Songs, 4 Games)


Primary Game:
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Nintendo , 1987, NES)
Music by Akito Nakatsuka
Songs:
"Temple BGM"
Additional Game:
The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo , 1986, NES)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Above Ground"
Additional Game:
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo , 1991, SNES)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Hyrule Castle"
Additional Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo , 1998, N64)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Gerudo Valley"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Dubstep
Mood:
Aggressive,Dark
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Orchestral,Sound FX,Strings,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Zelda_2_Zelda's_First_Trip_to_the_'Village'_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,185,175 bytes
MD5:
2472668da6d85e26728517140b459c99
Bitrate:
235Kbps
Duration:
3:27

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