Posted 2012-01-31, evaluated by the judges panel


One last day left in the first month of the year, so let's make it count with some Sonic & Knuckles dubstep from newcomer A.COE:

"Sonic 3 & Knuckles was the zenith of the Sonic Franchise. Sadly, the new games are frankly an embarrassment in comparison. Hopefully this bitchin' dubstep remix will serve as a fitting tribute to a masterpiece. Just doing my part to give the Sonic games of yesteryear the proper respect they deserve. The Sandopolis Zone (Act 2) music is a little unusual compared to other Sonic tracks, and allowed me to be very inventive while injecting a load of grit and filth. Here's to a level that caused many players a whole lot of grief."

I dunno, I heard Sonic 4 was decent and Sonic Generations seems to be getting a lot of accolades, but the general sentiment towards the franchise has certainly... wavered, over the years. Grit and filth are right; this mix is galvanized with loads of raw current and juxtaposes the distant, verbed Middle Eastern accompaniment with 1.21 GIGAWATTS of searing, shocking bass. OA comments:

"Usually when I hear the phrase "bitchin' dubstep", I roll my eyes at the hyperbole, but I think this track legitimately delivers. Some great rhythmic change ups in the melody, and the backing track modifications are excellent. Production was powerful and clear, even with the dubstep grime added. This is a really good mix."

As convulsive & vitriolic as dubstep's signature basslines are the reactions it seems to elicit in some folk; if you're not sold on the genre already, this probably isn't going to be your epiphany, but for my money it packs quite a punch, delivering on its promises with style & energy. halc had some reservations about aggressive highs on the EQ, but otherwise agreed:

"so yeah, really digging the arrangement. it's a great fit for the source, and adds tons of personalization while keeping the source pretty in tact. well chosen synths and nice automation and attention to detail."

Pretty much; not rocket science, but not autopilot by a long shot, this source material seems tailor-made for such a treatment, and Alex has done a great job executing & injecting Sonic with some wicked, electrified stuff. I smell burnt echidna ;)

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Black_Doom
on 2015-12-06 09:01:59

WOW! I'm shocked! This is definitely one of the best dubstep songs I've ever heard and this is definitely the most unusual reinterpretation of Sandopolis' theme as well. Middle-eastern infused dubstep? Hell yes! It's just as gritty and in-your-face as dubstep can be. Especially love the part from 2:17 - the glitching stuff and bass shenanigans are especially great. Love this song a lot!

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timaeus222
on 2013-05-26 12:29:17

Had a little too much low end reverb for my tastes, but otherwise well-executed.

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bluestreaks
on 2013-05-01 20:51:47
This is dubstep? This is unlike any kind of dubstep I've ever heard.

And I love it! It manages to maintain a harmony that I don't think I've ever heard on a dubstep song, and the fact that it brings justice to the Sandopolis theme makes it even better. Someone should give this guy a medal, or a trophy for that matter.

"Is this dubstep?" lol. This is AMAZING dubstep! I love the dirty music on this website, and it's great to work out to. I don't know why people seem to hate dubstep...

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Crulex
on 2013-04-29 14:34:25

As much as I hated Sandopolis Zone, I've always loved the music of it, and hearing a hard, dark and gritty ReMix of it is amazing to me. I, myself, have grown to like dubstep, but I like it better when used a less obnoxious way like this is. To me, this is the perfect example of balancing melodic rock and dubstep, so well done.

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Master Vash
on 2012-08-06 01:15:22

I have to come back to this. I really do.

As I said in my previous post, this is unlike anything I'd heard before. All the dubstep songs I'd heard before simply... didn't sound good to me. They sounded like noise. Dubstep's popularity confused me. Before this, all I'd ever heard was generic riffs and wub wub sounds thrown together haphazardly and labeled as a "song".

But this track. The raw, guttural feeling. The grinding, vibrating, angry bass, beautifully woven into the rich Sandopolis groove. It had rhythm and structure, which I hadn't heard before in a dubstep song. I had no idea it could sound like this, I really didn't.

I suppose it's akin to hearing poorly-constructed midis of Chemical Plant Zone, then hearing Chemixtrixx for the first time. It truly was something changing and enlightening. Since hearing this, I've expanded my search (since I had a reason to do so heh) and found some dubstep I really enjoy.

To the creator of this remix, Alex Coe: you've truly created a work of art here. You have single-handedly turned a former hater onto dubstep. Congrats.

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Norman_Steel
on 2012-03-19 14:13:12

This is dubstep? This is unlike any kind of dubstep I've ever heard.

And I love it! It manages to maintain a harmony that I don't think I've ever heard on a dubstep song, and the fact that it brings justice to the Sandopolis theme makes it even better. Someone should give this guy a medal, or a trophy for that matter.

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uhhh6677
on 2012-03-17 11:57:31

Absolutely love this mix. I keep coming back to it, and it never gets old. Love all of the elements going on here, and I like the arrangement. Very nice mix! ;)

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DimeTower
on 2012-03-08 01:07:43

Really impressive!! The quote by MasterVash really says it all: I had no idea dubstep could sound like this. Color me impressed, and loving it.

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Loning
on 2012-02-15 16:19:06

I have no idea why, but i cannot stop listening to this remix!!! It's freaking awesome, I love it!!

Definitely one of my favorite mixes by far. Keep up the great work, I want to hear more of this awesomeness in the future!

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souldragon777
on 2012-02-06 19:58:44

YESSSSSSSSSSSS....more....MOre.....MORE!!!!

As a fan of dubstep just before it got really big I am impressed with this amazing work, and I agree that he made the drops as part of the actual rythem to the song which was more impressive, I do like dubstep but it doesn't mean I like all dubstep, just like with any song it has to be done right and this was not done right...it was done FANTASTIC!!!! Keep up the good work!

Sorry I can't add anything that add to any technically or musically critique but I have just been one of those "lurkers" on this website for a long time and appreciate all the work everyone contributes to this site and had my own dream of making a remix worthy of this community and submitting it but I am still an amateur if you can even call me that!

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A.COE
on 2012-02-06 05:09:54
Good track, but this guy is already on my bad side saying all the 3D games are bad (especially Generations, I love that game).

This was actually submitted only a couple of weeks after Sonic Generations was first announced. I'm pleased to admit that Sonic Generations is one of the best games of the entire series, but Sonic Team still has to convince me that they're back in full swing. ;) Thanks for the comments though.

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Ian Schmidt
on 2012-02-03 14:20:32

I'm with halc on this one: it's not that I hate dubstep, it's that I hate it when someone half-times the drum track and LFOs the bass and then waits for money to roll in. This ReMix does far, far more than that and it's genuinely awesome on it's own merits. Another outstanding job by another OCR newcomer.

BTW, I think this sort of style would work really well with a lot of iconic all-FM sources given the inherent grittiness of the YM2612 (and the AdLib/Sound Blaster's YM3812). I can just about hear the outlines of a similar treatment of Yuzo Koshiro's "The Street of Rage" in my head, and it's glorious.

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Overdriven
on 2012-02-02 22:09:26

Good track, but this guy is already on my bad side saying all the 3D games are bad (especially Generations, I love that game).

Music-wise, though, it's pretty cool dubstep. Well done, for the most part.

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ambient
on 2012-02-02 17:31:16

Sick!!! Really good track, probably gonna be on my playlist for a while!

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Scaredsim
on 2012-02-02 03:17:29

FL Slayer for the lose !

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Sonic & Knuckles (Sega , 1994, GEN)
Music by Howard Drossin,Jun Senoue,Masaru Setsumaru,Masayuki Nagao,Sachio Ogawa,Tatsuyuki Maeda,Tokuhiko Uwabo,Tomonori Sawada,Yoshiaki Kashima
Songs:
"Sandopolis Zone: Act 2"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Dubstep
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Sonic_&_Knuckles_Quicksander_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,367,868 bytes
MD5:
fe66dcff94ec8442e485a3a4d6e22983
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:40

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