ReMix:Deus Ex "Neonature" 6:03

We end our flood of artist debuts - and our overall flood month - with a Deus Ex arrangement from nervous_testpilot (Paul Taylor), co-owner of indie game developer Mode 7 and composer of the critically-acclaimed (and deservingly so!) soundtrack to Frozen Synapse!! Pretty cool, eh?

"After chatting with TotalBiscuit on Twitter a while back, I decided to do a remix of the amazing "UNATCO" theme from the original Deus Ex, one of my favourite games. As people seemed to like the cyberpunk stylings of my Frozen Synapse soundtrack, I thought it would be cool to bring them to the evocative melodies of Deus Ex. I hanker for the time when original game music was about melody and emotion rather than "texture" and simply functioning as auxiliary sound design to accentuate the player's state. People still love tunes and they still love real music that stands up outside the game; I really appreciated this in Deus Ex, so this is my tribute to it. I'd really love to get time to remix more of this soundtrack, and if Eidos Montréal are listening, I know you're expanding the Deus Ex franchise, so drop me a line if you want my contribution to future games!"

Well said... and really well done. This has a fantastic futuristic aesthetic that makes 110% absolute sense when paired with van den Bos's classic Deus Ex source; production is clean, clear, crisp, & warm. It's a throwback and a leap forward at the same time, and Paul knows that specific sound very well, and is able to modernize it without losing the essence. Larry writes:

"Nice work, Paul! Loved the Frozen Synapse soundtrack since hearing it on IGF's audio jury not too long ago, so it's cool to hear you apply a little bit of that touch to Deus Ex. :-)"

OA adds:

"The mood is here is rich and enveloping, which really lets you get caught up in the melody. I think the extended robot monologue went a bit too long, but it was well processed. I do think the song topped out a bit early as far as intensity, and I would have enjoyed a bit more dynamics overall, but beyond that, this was very nicely done."

Very glad to see another notable indie composer contribute to the site; if you dig this mix & wanna hear more, definitely check out the Frozen Synapse soundtrack along with Paul's other work - you WON'T be disappointed!

Thus concludes our month of floods; these five mixes have been my favorite flood this month, not only because the arrangements themselves are so damn excellent AND varied, but also because it always makes me happy and proud of our community to see new artists contributing. Thanks to Byproduct, C-Curt, nckmusic, Yffisch, and nervous_testpilot for some truly fantastic ReMixes - from upbeat synth rock to chilled trip-hop to brooding soundtrack work to DRUNK MONKEYS to this closing cyberpunk odyssey from Paul, it's been a huge treat! See you in October!