ReMix:Final Fantasy VI "Savage Triumph" 3:33

Flexstyle helmed this last-minute EDM + rock + orchestral addition to Balance and Ruin, with assistance from Nutritious & OA; we couldn't very well release an FF6 album without an arrangement of "Wild West," now, could we?? The genre here might best be described as "kitchen sink," as there's quite a bit going on; Flex writes:

"Oh man, this track. You guys, this track right here. This was the third and final track that I completed for the FF6 album, and MAN was it a blast to do! This was SO MUCH FUN to make, and my collaborators were amazing. This source came up during a staff meeting as being one of the last that needed to be mixed. I volunteered, but Andrew (OA) had expressed strong interest as well - the solution, of course, was to combine our powers and become an unstoppable force! OA really brought the heat with his RAWKIN' guitar chops, and contributed some of the percussion, some strings, and sound effects (including the massive explosion-y thing before the final climax). He also contributed a couple of synth bits and bobs to fill out the soundscape, and a ton of much-needed feedback. Justin (Nutritious) also joined our already-strong group, adding a smattering of strings, the orchestral sounds during the breakdown, bass/wub-stabs, sound effects, and bolstering the main drums with some much-appreciated meat and a bit of TLC. I did the main drum work, most of the bass work, all the synth lead work, and production duties. I also did the final mixdown 'n such. I would be remiss if I didn't mention my friend Corey (KingTiger), who graciously contributed a nice set of a few mini-djembe takes for me one afternoon, which I used in some of the buildup parts in the background. #raddjembelicks (If I missed any parts of the process, please forgive me -- this was a monster, and everyone chipped in with a LOT of great material!)

Anyway, the idea behind this song was to create a super-polished, yet super-intense take on the Veldt theme. The atmosphere reflects desolation at times, and bloodlust at others - perfect for the wilderness! Also there's a lot of headbanging, because guitars.

I'm not sure what my best song I've ever helped create would be, but this is definitely RIGHT up there. This was a song that really stretched me as an artist - I gave this my absolute best, as did my collaborators. I think it shows, and I hope you have as much fun hearing this as we did making it! I think that my collaborators and I accomplished every last thing we wanted to accomplish with this song, so I hope you enjoy our collective work!"

Props to all involved; I like to envision the origins of this collaboration going something like the scene from LotR:FotR, where Flex is like "You have my beats!!" and then Nutritious chimes in "And you have my strings!" and then OA: "And MY axe!!" - something like that. Then OA's axe gets toasted, but he grows a new one in between scenes. Of course, each contributing artist did MORE than just one component, making this a very inclusive/participatory type of collab where there's a real meeting of the minds. Palpable writes:

"The intro to this song is unassuming to say the least: slow, lumbering, and not too different from the original. You know something's up at 0:23 when the quicker-paced hand percussion and big, dumb tom drums enter the picture, and by the time the massive dubstep section hits, you can't help but smile and wonder where this is going. Guitars soon get added to the picture and from then on you are ready for the song to take any detour. Those detours include cinematic strings, huge drum breakdowns, crazy glitching, and one incredible solo. This song really has it all, and perhaps it's not surprising that with three extremely talented people behind it, it's flawlessly executed, with no seams to indicate that this wasn't a singular vision from the start. One of the craziest songs from one of the best albums OCR has put together, and it's amazing to think it was an eleventh-hour addition."

Well said, as always. At 3'33", this isn't a terribly long mix, but it uses its time well to capitalize on all the potential malice & mischief locked up in the source melody, opening Pandora's Box and letting the contents run amok. It's a controlled chaos, though, with craftsmanship & musicianship ever-present, and as Vinnie says, three artistic voices have been seamlessly coalesced into a single, commanding presence. "Savage Triumph" is exactly what the title says it is; awesome work!