ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening "elegy of the solipsist" 4:16

By melody

hip-hop jazz piano vocals-voice-acting chill mellow

Arranging the music of one song...

"Waking Up at Tarin's House"

Primary Game: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo , 1993, GB), music by Kozue Ishikawa, Minako Hamano

Posted 2012-01-28, evaluated by the judges panel

Of this smooth, hypnotic, philosophical Link's Awakening groove, melody (Peter Kim) writes:

"the inspiration for this one comes from link's solipsistic struggle while marooned on the alien island of koholint. i did my best to put myself in the shoes of a boy who desperately pushes forward in an effort to validate his experiences as true. note: the source is specifically "link awakens in marin's house," and not "koholint island." so yea, this is a remix of what is essentially a 10 second tune."

Piano intros into a dreamy hip-hop/jazz groove that incorporates both ambient synth textures and spoken-word samples of lectures/readings that appropriately play to the nature of reality and thought. If it weren't as relevant to the context of the game, it might seem a little hoity-toity or superfluous, but in this case I think it works rather well, and the two different quotes do compliment one another. OA writes:

"The arrangement was good, with an expanded sound and some nice piano comping and runs. The source here really feels like it was treated with care, and the song itself, while having a pretty static backing, still has a lot of interesting stuff going on. The beats seemed pretty auto-pilot, but the relaxed mood was actually enhanced be the repetition, so I'm willing to consider it a stylistic choice."

halc adds:

"this is one of my favorite Zelda tunes, and you've done it great justice. you've definitely established a distinct sound, always full of lush, flowing textures and beautiful color tones. I agree that the beat can get a little repetitive at times, and those killer basslines could've been brought forward a bit more, but overall, I'm loving this mix. nice work."

Ditto that bass compliment - good stuff. I dare say this mix could have used a bass solo or cadenza of some sort; don't see enough of those in general, and would have worked well & been a bit riskier, but the overall concept & polish are certainly here, and the piece is transporting in the right way. Very contemplative, chill mix from melody that, while dreamlike & mellow, still has a lot of details - and gets those details right.

― djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Black_Doom
on 2015-12-02 14:12:06

It's simply one of the best exaples how to expand the 10-seconds source intro a solid song that doesn't bother you with repetition and that sounds totally like it was made with enormouse dose of care. The blend of soft piano, airy philosophical quotes and nice drums actually make this track an amazing piece of music. It actually reminds me of Ben Briggs' "Lucidic", though the approaches for tracks are really different Sick work.

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Moguta
on 2013-07-30 20:20:40

Love the ethereal philosophy quotes! Goes so well with the soundscape. :)

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melody
on 2013-04-29 20:27:19

appreciate the exceedingly kind words, crulex!

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Crulex
on 2013-04-29 14:29:55

melody works a piano like no one's business, and it shows even more on this beautifully chill hip-hoppish ReMix. Loved the little sound clips added in relation to the music here. Genius.

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melody
on 2012-11-14 11:29:34

this reply is unfashionably late, but i want to thank everyone for their kind words.

some of you have rightly identified the philosophical drive undergirding this track. awesome! for those philosophically inclined, there is really interesting work on this uncanny overlap between the concerns of meta-ethics/metaphysics and the ontology of music. an example: philosophers of music have essentially transposed moral platonism into the debate over the objective vs. subjective nature of musical semantics.

also, this seems to be the appropriate thread to bump to announce my new album, illuminate! it's fueled by the same inspiration that led to the creation of this remix, so hopefully most of you will dig it.

updates will be via my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/intheori

or the ocremix thead: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=41517

and the first track off the album has already been released and can be copped here: http://tinyurl.com/illuminatepromo

This has a lot of similarities to the song 'fingerprints of the maker' from your 'in theory - singularity' album, which everyone should check out cause it's awesome. In fact this song feels like it would've fit in perfectly there.

a remastered, slightly reworked version of elegy of the solipsist will be on the album!

peace and thanks,

peter/melody/in theory

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454Casull
on 2012-04-01 22:50:16

From 0:20 to 0:23 I always think I am listening to two different songs. Other than that, good stuff.

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Doomaster14
on 2012-02-04 19:45:23

This is not usually my type, but it came out surprisingly well.

Thumbs up!

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champ the hippie
on 2012-02-01 11:32:24

my goodness, what a mix! smooth, rich, and so deep. i'll definitely be coming back here for a repeat of that experience. halc and djpretzel both had it right, that bass is amazing. well played, melody. well played, indeed

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DetectiveTuesday
on 2012-01-31 13:29:30

Congrats Melody. This remix was awesome from the moment I h.eard it

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Dave Harris
on 2012-01-29 16:07:51

this is sooooooo melody. I rike.

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YoshMaster
on 2012-01-29 09:14:52

Also, I've always adhered to the Solipsism's way of thinking. I've always felt like that. So the "theme" is something I related to ;)

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YoshMaster
on 2012-01-29 09:06:13

Ahhhhh man this is mellow!!! :)

I love it so much!! This 10 sec melody was strong enough that everyone remembers it from the game and now it's been turned into an awesome song!!!

THANKS!!!! :D

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BlackRazgriz
on 2012-01-29 03:30:23

I now know what Solipsism is. I also just reconfirmed my beliefs that music and video games does have philosophical value to it. Two birds, one stone. Thanks melody for this amazing piece.

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uhhh6677
on 2012-01-29 00:09:48

This mix is very mellow, and I like it. The piano-y jazzy feel to it is a very easy listen. Very nice mix!

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docnano
on 2012-01-28 15:26:39

This remix is superb, regardless of whether it or its writer actually exist...

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo , 1993, GB)
Music by Kozue Ishikawa,Minako Hamano
Songs:
"Waking Up at Tarin's House"

Tags (6)


Genre:
Hip Hop,Jazz
Mood:
Chill,Mellow
Instrumentation:
Piano,Vocals: Voice Acting
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Legend_of_Zelda_Link's_Awakening_elegy_of_the_solipsist_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,032,902 bytes
MD5:
e81d3279cd7a10ddadce024ddc7957f7
Bitrate:
185Kbps
Duration:
4:16

transcript

fred dretske's "i think, i think, therefore i am" lecture:

and the premise is clearly true, at least it is for everyone who thinks it's true. what reason do thinkers have for thinking they think? is it simply the fact that they think..

d.e. wittkower's readings of rené descartes' "meditations on first philosophy":

i suppose, accordingly, that all the things which I see are false; fictitious. i believe that none of those objects which my fallacious memory represents ever existed; i suppose that i possess no senses; i believe that body, figure, extension, motion, and place are merely fictions of my mind. what is there, then, that can be esteemed true? perhaps this only, that there is absolutely nothing certain.

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