ReMix:Akumajo Dracula X: Rondo of Blood "Phantasmal Hellfire" 3:57

timaeus222 hits us up with another VV2 cut, applying some aggressive big-beat & dubstep components to Dracula X:

"This mix is a project mix for Vampire Variations II. This deviates quite a bit from my usual stuff, though this tangent appeared to really make me kick my game up a few notches. It's my first time going with such an aggressive production scheme, but I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoy the outcome. This ReMix is in no way one that rocks your speakers or gives a feisty left hook to your headphones. Instead, it annihilates them both. Prepare to get your socks blown off faster than you can say, "MythBusters proved it impossible"!

Source Breakdown (I used the synth-y source since the notes were easier to hear. ;D):

0:00.00-0:24.05 - Piano, strings in first 7 seconds of source
0:24.05-0:36.04 - Bass, strings in first 7 seconds of source
0:36.04-1:00.05 - Original
1:00.05-1:12.05 - Bass, strings in first 7 seconds of source
1:12.05-1:24.03 - Sync Lead, left speaker in source at 0:14
1:24.03-1:36.04 - Sync Lead, right speaker in source at 0:22
1:36.04-2:00.04 - Bass, strings in first 7 seconds of source
2:00.04-2:24.05 - Piano, strings in first 7 seconds of source
2:24.05-2:36.05 - Bass, strings in first 7 seconds of source
2:36.05-2:48.04 - Sync Lead, left speaker in source at 0:14
2:48.04-3:00.03 - Sync Lead, right speaker in source at 0:22
3:00.03-3:12.05 - Original
3:12.05-3:24.05 - Sync Lead, strings in first 7 seconds of source
3:24.05-End - Bells, strings in first 7 seconds of source"

Whole lotta sync lead! Definitely a more aggressive/EDM/step/glitch style than we've heard from Mr. Nguyen in the past, but I'd say he wears it well. Larry agrees:

"Interesting change from a tense piece into more of a beat-driven groove. Though the snare pattern was too plain for me during the busiest sections, the overall interpretation was very creative in how the rhythms and timing of the source were altered. I don't know why, but the abrasive stuttering synth first used at :24 gave me a Genesis-style vibe with soundtracks like Cyborg Justice. (Someone ReMix that game already!)

The piano at 1:59 was thin, but I loved that classical-minded change-up before moving back into heavier territory. On the ear candy side, the bell sounds that wrapped this up at 3:23 were a great choice, and I would have loved to hear more ideas with that part earlier in the arrangement, since they provided a striking contrast with the previous instrumentation. I could go for a bit more aggressive presentation here overall in terms of the production. That said, there were lots of interesting twists in this arrangement with a nice hybrid of genres. Props for showing love to Dracula X!"

This is definitely a more obscure source from the halls of Castlevania VGM, but when it originally came out for the TGCD (okay, PC-Engine CD-ROM) Dracula X was all the rage among the few gamers lucky enough to be able to play it, in large part due to the soundtrack. Diverging from his regular fare, timaeus has put together a great initial foray into the world of harder-hitting beats & cutting synths, lending strong electronic to the second volume of Vampire Variations!