ReMix:Sonic CD "The Boom (Undeleted)" 2:36

Ladies & gentlemen, it is with great honor & pride that I announce the immediate availability of our 45th FREE arrangement album, Sonic CD: Temporal Duality!

This album is great in so many ways - it closes out a full cycle of albums dedicated to the 16-bit era of Sonic the Hedgehog, with Sound of Speed, Hedgehog Heaven, and Project Chaos representing the first three games... it's extraordinarily diverse but is probably, all things considered, our funkiest & hip-hoppiest community effort to date... there are familiar faces & great new artists represented... a thematic unity ties everything together... I really can't say enough good things: MAJOR props to the team, helmed by SuperiorX & Phonetic Hero, for knocking this one out of the park! The stakes were high: Sonic CD was a VGM milestone, and it affected my personal concept & notions of game soundtracks quite dramatically when it came out. It was the first redbook score I really remember hearing and thinking.... DAMN; that's pretty hot. I remember Gamefan magazine reviewing the Japanese version of the game and giving it straight 100's, then revising those scores downwards when they played the US version with its differing soundtrack. I never understood the controversy or the debate; BOTH soundtracks stand completely on their own, have their own feel, work with the game, and are superb. What it boils down to is that the world of VGM was granted not one but TWO amazing scores, and when I heard that Temporal Duality was arranging both the US & Japanese versions, I just had the widest grin... for me, this album almost singlehandedly ENDS any debate as to which soundtrack is "better"... answer? They're both epic. Deal with it :)

We start things off with the RETURN OF JIVEMASTER!! While technically Joel returned on For Everlasting Peace (physical CDs are NOW IN STOCK!!), this mixpost marks his return to the homepage. 2013 has been the biggest year ever for epic long-hiatus returns, and Mr. Bird's last posted mix was in 2005, over eight years ago. And it's not just a comeback, it's vindication & retribution for a previously removed arrangement that's even older; Joel writes:

"A late addition to the album, "The Boom (Undeleted)" almost didn't happen. Taking inspiration from the all-but-forgotten "Da Boom" remix - a pulled track from OCR, "The Boom (Undeleted)" is the realisation of the remix I wanted to create 10 years ago. The tempo has been relaxed to create more of a traditional pop vibe, while still maintaining the original song's energy. Vocals are performed by OCR newcomer Rabcandy, who brings a sweet playfulness to the track. I'd like to give out a special thanks to ladyWildfire for her vocals in the initial proof of concept of this mix."

I'm not ashamed to admit that I REALLY loved "Sonic Boom" when I was playing this game on ma Sega CD back in the day - I'd sit there and watch the FMV intro multiple times. Sad? I DON'T CARE!! Joel's maintained much of the original feel, which I'd describe as "Severely Enthusiastic," and updated the production for a more modern pop sound, with some lovely & appropriate vocals from Rabcandy. It's short, it's sweet, it's to the point, it captures what made the original track so much fun, and it's a nostalgic & emphatic way to get things goin' with our mixflood! Director Matt "SuperiorX" Keller writes:

"The backstory behind this track is pretty cool, actually… Joel explained to me how he had a Sonic Boom mix that was posted on OCR waaaaaaaaay back in the day and was pulled during one of the old OCR site clean-ups of tracks that sampled too much original source material and whatnot, so this mix kind of turned into a personal vendetta for Joel to get "Sonic Boom" back on OCR. Hence the title "The Boom (Undeleted)." Joel really brought his A-game on this mix: the execution and production is top-notch, the instrumentation fits the style perfectly, and the song just has an overall crisp and polished sound to it. Joel's wife, Rabcandy, did a great job nailing the vocals on the mix too. The vocal layering and effects were utilized perfectly to match the electronic soundscape. The end result is an upbeat and addicting mix that is just plain fun to listen to!"

Vendetta fulfilled!! Ditto all that! Great to see Joel back after so much time & in such style, and to see an arrangement idea resurrected, reformed, & refined! Fun stuff from the master of jive; enjoy, checkout out the rest of the album at soniccd.ocremix.org, help us seed the torrent & spread the news, and stay tuned for more!!