ReMix:Darkwing Duck "Funky Moles & Trashy Ducks" 2:47

When in trouble, I've usually just called my parents, to be honest. But conventional wisdom proposes two alternatives; obviously (should go without saying), you could call the Ghostbusters (they're ready to believe you), but there's also the avian option, the one-and-only DW. No, not Dwyane Wade. That's not even how you spell "Dwayne" - he can't help you. You'd be forgiven for guessing Denzel, because he HAS landed an upside-down plane drunk & defended gay Tom Hanks against bigotry, but he's ALSO a dirty cop. No, I'm talking about Darkwing Duck... a name that should technically acronymize to DD and not DW, but the thing is that "DD" doesn't rhyme with "trouble you" - I've checked. If you're not following ANY of this, don't feel too bad, neither am I ;)

Long story short(er), timaeus has been on an absolute ROLL lately; he keeps getting better, he keeps branching out, and we keep seeing more of him. Here he provides our FIRST ReMix of Darkwing Duck (see? it wasn't just random...) for the NES, an exquisite funk/jazz/chip/dub spectacular that defies categorization and combines much of what he's capable of stylistically under one roof, mixing in Mega Man 7's "Junk Man" theme as well:

"One of the most hardcore remixes I've ever written... in 3 and a half days at that (with 3 days of polishing and reducing repetition) for the Wily Castle ReMix Gauntlet 2013 -- not (dat Disney twist). It didn't leave me the least bit disappointed, however. The "Moliarty's Tower" source was literally my favorite source from Darkwing Duck after listening to the entire OST once through. That OST is SO FUNKY. You gotta check it out!

While writing this, I was using my own duck-like synth leads (a modified Moog, an 80's acid house bass, and a resonant FM sync with loads of distortion), funky wahed E. piano, high-energy spiccato and tremolo strings, PWM basses, and all sorts of wacky, old-school stuff. Then at some point, my mind just said, "Now fuse dubstep with retro funk." I just went for it using my private stash of custom dubstep basses, risers, and drifters, and I got this madness. Prepare your ears, and feel free to listen more than once to notice everything!"

He went for it, alright, and I think it mostly works, which is a triumph in & of itself. You don't hear fusion of this sort often, or at least I haven't, and while there are probably reasons for that, he pulls off the chimera with relative grace & style, merging funk, chip, wub, and a whole lotta SWANK into a single arrangement. Bottom line? He got dangerous. Palpable writes:

"Smart blend of sources here. It's a little bit of an oddball song due to the unorthodox combination of EP, strings, and dubstep wubs, but the writing is undeniably funky. The vibrato caked on to the leads makes it a lot more fun to listen to, as if he's toying with just how much the listener can take. Truong-Son keeps it just tasteful enough."

I love mixes like this - new sound, new game, new direction from an established artist, and multiple arenas of technique on display & smartly integrated. Custard, good. Jam, good. Meat, good... what's not to like?? I'm also glad that our first arrangement of this game's soundtrack celebrates the infectious funk that is its raison d'être - BUNBUN is the BUSINESS. Props to timaeus for trying something new & going where his mind took him; it's resulted in one of his best mixes to date & a VERY fun piece of music!