ReMix:Gunstar Heroes "Challenge Accepted!" 2:50

Happy birthday to newcomer timaeus222, aka Truong-Son Nguyen, who makes an aggressive (get it?) and memorable OC ReMix debut with this track off our recently-released Gunstar Heroes album!! Blending rock/metal with a mechanized assault of electronic textures, the artist definitely captures the spirit & aesthetic of the game - most of the GH songs are actually rather tricky to work with, but this is a perfect approach that ups the ante & uses its 2'50" runtime to fully explore the minor-key, malicious source tune:

"Probably one of the most fun ReMixes I've ever had the pleasure of working on. There's some incredibly complex processing going on here, especially on many of the basses. This is also the first song on which I've tried Granular Synthesis (the intro bass). Stereo separation played a huge role in making this work. It wasn't until a few months ago that I learned how to shift a sound to the back of the listener's head (when wearing headphones), which helped quite a bit at the climax. I wonder how well that translates to speakers... :P"

In addition to being a solid arrangement with an effective blend of instrumentation, the attention to soundscape, including some unique textures & effects, really helps create an alien, enveloping environment. Larry writes:

"I thought Truong-Son did a good job of adding his own spin to Gunstar Heroes’ stage 4 boss theme; the opening was a pretty excellent hook, and I loved the drop at :30 headed into the main melody. A small thing, but the quieter countermelodic writing underneath the lead from :33-:44 was a smart detail that lots of up-and-coming musicians might neglect to do; nice sound and a nice touch!

While the source tune has a very deliberate tempo, this take had a bit more of a swagger to the timing once things picked up. The guitar samples strained for realism in places (mainly the thinness of lead at 1:07, and some of the more exposed rhythm work), but still added good meat to the overall presentation and provided some effective dynamic contrast to the more electronic elements. Definitely some room for growth, but a very solid combination of electronic sounds with a rocked-out edge here, and a promising debut!"

Agreed; some minor nits to pick, but this is challenging (get it?) source material & timaeus222 fully embraces it with a hybrid genre/sound that's simultaneously evil & exhilarating. I'd even say that this track would have worked equally as well & fit right in on BadAss vol. 2, as it definitely has that vibe. Happy bday, congrats on a distinct & worthwhile debut, and definitely looking forward to hearing more!