ReMix:Mega Man 2 "Wily's Inferno" 3:43

FOUR FOR THE FOURTH!! This 4th of July we've got 4 mixes 4 you. 4 real!!

Okay, that's more than enough of that, but we've decided to celebrate the US of A's independence day with some musical fireworks of our own - a quartet of awesome mixes for you to enjoy while setting off small incendiary devices or otherwise being patriotic... or for the rest of the world, tolerating us for a day ;) We begin somewhat appropriately with a collab between Mr. Medford, an American, and Mr. Harby, who is NOT an American but a rather awesome Redcoat, aka British Person aka bloke. Our two nations have come a long way since the misunderstandings of the 1700's, and I'm a pretty big anglophile myself, so I'm hoping he doesn't object to helping kick off a quadrant of musics celebrating our independence TOO much. If anything, this arrangement that Nutritious put together and WR lended his synth soloing chops on shows that we've mended things 110% and can now make awesome music together. Of this upbeat electronic jam that marries MM2 Wily & MM5 Napalm (hence the title) and also incorporates some orchestral components, Justin writes:

"I'm not really sure why I didn't submit this back when I made it over a year ago now. This mix was also created as part of the 2011 Wily Castle Remix Gauntlet competition. It was my first track for the competition, where we were tasked to combine our chosen theme (mine being Napalm Man) with MM2 Wily Stage 1. Again, there was only a week to pull the track together, but sometimes I think tight schedules bring out the best in me, forcing me to be creative and execute without much time for second-guessing.

Mr. Harby brought some killer synth lead work to the track from 1:14-1:57. Interesting tidbit -- he sent me two versions of the lead synth track (original and a revised version), where I'm pretty sure the only change was modifying the octave on specific parts of the track. On a whim, I put both versions into the track, hard panning them opposite each other. For the most part, since they're almost completely identical, it just sounds like a single synth. But on the parts where he did make adjustments, it created this very cool stereo effect that surprised both of us.

If I had anything to change, I probably would've gotten more creative with the Wily theme, since it's really been done ad naseum at this point. However, given the original time constraints, I hope it can be forgiven. :) Hope you guys enjoy it."

Dramatic orchestral intro with dem big drums & dat epic sound - I love how mallets & horns are brought in for the second go-round, and then synths take over @ 0'43" as a more electronic palate emerges. Synth solo has a bit of a wah attack going on and screams, twists, and gyrates quite nicely. Larry writes:

"Interesting switch from the orchestral opening into what turned out be a primarily synthy piece. Though I would have liked a snappier sound and/or some rhythmic variations for the main breakbeat, the fast pace and overall energy was a winner. WillRock's synth solo from 1:14-1:57 was fun, and if you had told me this was Will's mix with Justin as the one with an orchestral cameo, I would have believed it. Props to Justin for working outside his usual box and coming up with a strong combination of "Dr. Wily 1" with the overlooked goodness of MM5's "Napalm Man"!"

Very good, fun stuff that does a good job combining two source themes, two genres, and two artists contributions. Kudos to Justin & Will for another fine entry from the WCRG compo!