ReMix:Kingdom Hearts "Trinity" 3:46

By Tspeiro

Arranging the music of one song...

"Dearly Beloved"

Primary Game: Kingdom Hearts (Square , 2002, PS2), music by Hikaru Utada, Yoko Shimomura

Posted 2014-11-13, evaluated by the judges panel


Newcomer Tspeiro (Tyler Speiran) split the judges panel with this trance arrangement of "Dearly Beloved" from Kingdom Hearts, primarily due to some repetition & sustained gating on the chorus, which aren't entirely uncharacteristic of many works in the genre. I weighed in on the decision myself, and what struck me as unique was the extended, half-tempo intro, which I think could have been developed into a sweet chill/downtempo track without ever blasting off into tranceland. Some nice lo-fi/bitcrushed drums accompany delicate piano and synths for most of the first minute - a solid foundation for what could have been a 9-bit jam. Gated synths more or less take over the mix @ 1'22" after the build & drop, and while the energy is good & Tyler bumps it up an octave after one repetition and includes some nice filter effects, I prefer the detail & variety in the slower sections. Palpable writes:

"I've heard songs before that alternate between high-energy trance sections and ambient or downtempo sections, and as long as it builds appropriately up-and-down, it works fine. Tyler did a fine job here, I wasn't thrown much, nor did I think the synths used were all that generic. The building block sounds may have been, but with some filters, FX, and portamento, they stood out."

Beatdrop went a bit further in the positive direction, and helpfully broke his decision down into three parts:

  1. "The source doesn’t have a whole lot to it, and I think the arrangement here takes enough liberties with harmony (and, obviously, style) to keep it interesting despite being nearly four minutes long whereas the original was essentially an 8-measure loop. That takes some effort.
  2. Texturally, although it’s rife with dance music tropes, all the sounds fit together very nicely, and the contrast between the more delicate sections versus the main dancey sections warrants repeated listens. Yes, it's generitrance. But it's generitrance executed really damn well.
  3. Lastly, and most importantly, it’s just damn catchy. While the original is well and good, it's too short and inconsequential to make an impact. This take on it is probably going to be stuck in my head all day, and I’m not going to complain."

I think it's a good thing that the judges panel still produces split decisions; if there were too many such instances, it might speak to a partisan ideological divide or overall inconsistency, but if there were too few, it might instead suggest groupthink and/or too little flexibility. Dain's three-point breakdown encapsulated with more clarity my own general thoughts, and ultimately I think this arrangement deserves ample credit for making the trance/downtempo transitions work and for blending 9-bit instrumentation with staple trance patches and having it sound relatively cohesive. Your mileage may vary - let us know what you think on the comment thread, and congrats to Tspeiro for a conversation-generating debut that's still pretty darn easy to enjoy!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 8 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Chernabogue
on 2015-12-15 15:43:45

New review: okay, I don't think the source/original melodies and genre matched too well here. It is well produced though: good choice of effects, synths, and nice mixing. Maybe it's lacking a little bit in the bass during some parts. Nice effort though -- keep up the good work! ;)

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timaeus222
on 2014-11-21 03:50:34

Yeah, I agree that the intro lacked bass, but if you listen reeeeeally closely, you can hear a little sub bass. :-P Personally I don't think this embodies true trance (not that I'm complaining), and I think that helps its case. Essentially I agree with djp in that it doesn't sound as repetitive as traditional trance, but also that it was still kind of repetitive. I really loved it at 1:08 when the more texturally full pads came in (I didn't think it was muddy there, but the bass was a little thin/boomy and not so much present as it could have been). The more generic trance parts with the supersaw and such were alright, and could have been better, but overall this is a pretty nice addition to the site. I think a fair amount of people would like this. :)

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Zidane
on 2014-11-21 01:48:46

I'm jammin'

Good job, Tsperio.

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Crulex
on 2014-11-18 10:57:51

Not bad. It does seem to have a lot of the trance elements that folks are used to, but I personally like the little touches like the bitcrushed drums early on and the chippy elements that are sprinkled around. Even the smallest change to a formula that is already good to begin with can make for a nice listening experience. I'm not crazy about it, but credit goes where credit is due and this is pretty good all in all.

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Helios42
on 2014-11-16 21:54:29

Hey, great job with this mix, Tyler!!!

I'm kinda a sucker for the trance remixes - they remind me of a lot of cool jamz that happened to be in my first favorites when I started seeking out more video game remixes.

What I like about this mix in particular though is the calm, catchy way it approaches what I always think of as a beautifully sad song. Dearly Beloved is one of the truly great title themes that get me to stop and just listen to them for a while. It really gets me in the perfect mood to play whatever KH I'm on...

That makes it a tough song for the remixers though - because I'm always dying for a remix that captures that feel but it's also very hard to do match those expectations. This definitely captures the source's vibe, and it's a great mix to sit back and let wash over you.

At least in my mind, repetitiveness is a moot point when it's the kind of song that's easily enjoyed as an underlying, passive piece like this. I've very excited to add this onto my "quiet solitude" playlist! Not enough love for the calmer mixes, so I'm always glad to see something like this!

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relyanCe
on 2014-11-14 17:09:12

old school trance is always refreshing to see done well

that being said, the track didn't pull me too far into it outside of its quality of execution

7/10

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OverClocked PodCast
on 2014-11-13 15:56:57
Yes, it's generitrance. But it's generitrance executed really damn well.

That's what was going through my head. I particularly enjoyed the 8-bit-like breakdowns-- they reminded me of halc just a little-- but everything else sounded real run-of-the-mill. Luckily, the mill is a pretty sweet mill and also is good at running.

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djpretzel
on 2014-11-13 14:50:26

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Kingdom Hearts (Square , 2002, PS2)
Music by Hikaru Utada,Yoko Shimomura
Songs:
"Dearly Beloved"

Tags (6)


Genre:
EDM
Mood:
Energetic,Mellow
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth
Additional:
Time > 4/4 Time Signature

File Information


Name:
Kingdom_Hearts_Trinity_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,520,165 bytes
MD5:
4f5494ddb63f21d6333f69a021edcd63
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:46

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