ReMix:Wild Arms "Unstoppable" 4:33

By Flexstyle

Arranging the music of one song...

"Critical Hit!"

Primary Game: Wild Arms (Sony , 1997, PS1), music by Michiko Naruke

Posted 2011-12-22, evaluated by djpretzel


Unstoppable? Why yes, we are. This ReMix from Flexstyle has beats the size of the Chrysler building, but you wouldn't necessarily guess it from the mellow, soft jazz radio-filtered intro, which also serves as the outro. Sandwiched in between this smooth, supple downbeat groove is some high-octane electronica, almost like an inverted Oreo cookie that packs hard-hitting chocolate crunch between creamy outer layers. Crap, now I'm hungry. Mike writes:

"Out of the three tracks I did for the Wild Arms project, this one is probably my favorite. Although it's not as technically polished as my other two tracks, I think it manages to convey some incredibly raw energy, especially during the breakdown. I probably had the most fun doing this one, as well—angry wobble basses with raucous supersaw arpeggios make me happy! As with most of my OCR works, I haven't actually played the game, but I hope this song conveys the sense of urgency present in the original source."

Flex showed up big for A&D, and this track pulls no punches. Bass lines up w/ jabbing kick drum for repeated gut pumps of compressed goodness, shimmering trance textures fly over top, and the intro and outro style actually reprise inside the track at 1'54", so they feel less like bookends and more like a key part of the overall story. Jade must have heard me talking about cookies... in the future:

"One word: FLAVORFUL. Flexstyle never ceases to amaze me. This is a fight that no one's backing down from! A false intro starts off with the captivating vinyl-sounding piano, followed by getting thrown for a loop as the track explodes. There are Pendulum influences all over this song, with its driving beat racing to end the battle with victory. The build at 1:54 ends with a slamming statement at 2:16 exploding in your face! OCR is in need of more Drum and Bass and Flexstyle is one of the guys to do it. This track is totally armed and dangerous!"

Which is also the album title, in case you're dead. I definitely agree with her comments, and it's also just great to see Flexstyle sneak a third mix onto the site in 2011, as he's really established himself as a consistent, talented, & creative artist this year. Definitely looking forward to hearing more; another impressive cut off an album that quite simply spoils us with excellence!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 10 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Black_Doom
on 2015-01-16 14:41:07

One of my Flex's favorites. It's absolutely exact comparison: this mix is like an Oreo coockie. Powerful, high-energy, slightly abrasive, slightly sad D'n'B jam, surrounded by tasty soft old-school vinyl piano.

avatar
Melodious Punk
on 2013-05-13 22:35:00

this is a great mixture of styles. it's more relaxing than I would expect but I could definitely beat something to a pulp with it playing.

avatar
Bahamut
on 2012-07-05 22:45:49

That intro is deceptive, this is an energetic DnB take on the battle theme. It does a solid job for a battle type track, although I feel the mayhem could be upped some with some more crazy effects thrown in. Not sure how much of a fan I am of the slow outro here, it comes off as a bit out of place to me.

Perhaps I'm just projecting opinions with those critiques, but the track is definitely enjoyable for me, and stood out personally.

avatar
Kuolema
on 2012-01-13 10:46:41

This is one of my favorites from the album. Love the energy!

avatar
ryankeeton
on 2011-12-26 21:11:08

I'm feeling the delicious jazzy radio intro/outro sandwich. Loved this track, tons of energy. Big fatty beats. I liked the transition at 2:20. All the synths are very effective and enjoyable but maybe a little standard/expected. The intro/outro helps add more character to the track though

avatar
Rexy
on 2011-12-23 10:37:18

Given the original source is a battle cue, I can see how it could fit well for Flex's... ahem... style. (no pun intended)

So it does start (and ultimately end) a little bizarrely with the FM radio soundset, with that laid back rhodes, though it soon shifts over to some nice clean radio-esque drum n' bass (though later shifting in dubstep elements within the second half). Faithfulness to the source is easily noted, and major props for even showing some variation to the theme by transposing the key on the go-arounds here.

That breakdown at the 2 minute mark, with the velocity-varied polysynths and eerie focus on higher-ranged instrumentation, managed to show a strong sense of calm before building up that urgency again. I'd say that's a classier moment coming from his way of writing, especially considering everything that I've heard from Flex in the past through the PRC and recent unofficial albums.

I don't think I can see much bad to say about this one at all - in terms of the writing, it ended up being one of Flex's best released works. He might not agree from what I've read in the writeup, but given that it shows a drastic writing evolution I can see it to be a start towards bigger things. I say keep up the strong efforts for 2012 :)

avatar
Loning
on 2011-12-23 08:33:35

Great song! an impressive mix that brings out Wild Arms! Great work Flexstyle!

avatar
Mechanized_Angel
on 2011-12-22 20:48:50

This track is on my top 5 in this album. I find it really hard to even seperate what's good and what is bad on this album. I've already chewed threw the first three discs and not once did I skip through a track every single one is well crafted. You could just tell that everyone loved this project and put a lot of effort into it!

avatar
Crulex
on 2011-12-22 19:58:17

Hmm, oh yeah, I'm really digging the radio-style intro and outro here. And yes, them beats do indeed pack a punch, which is exactly what you would expect from a Drum and Bass ReMix. You got lots of fun energy pouring out of this one, and I can hear some of the Pendulum influences. The little break in the middle was a good call, especially when you deliver more deliberate beats right after that. A great track for sure.

avatar
djpretzel
on 2011-12-22 18:55:10

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Wild Arms (Sony , 1997, PS1)
Music by Michiko Naruke
Songs:
"Critical Hit!"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Piano,Synth
Additional:
Time > Tempo: Fast

File Information


Name:
Wild_Arms_Unstoppable_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
7,693,774 bytes
MD5:
488d0080db62c9289bbd792088740e0c
Bitrate:
222Kbps
Duration:
4:33

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes