ReMix:Sonic the Hedgehog 3 "Marble Clouds in Azure Skies" 3:12

Some pretty cool news coming out of E3 this year... enough to get even a jaded oldster such as myself a little excited ;) Time to resume broadcast with an upbeat funk/fusion Sonic 3 ReMix from Amphibious, who also has some great original albums in the same vein on OverClocked Records:

"Here's a mix I did in the 2nd round of the Sonic Zone Remix Competition 2014. I was attempting a sort of jazz fusion sound mixed with lots of FM elements. At times the Azure Lake usage is a bit out there, and I definitely played with the rhythms of both themes throughout this tune in the melodies and bass. But I felt that what I did with the sources works well with this style. Overall, this was a super fun piece to put together, and I am definitely working on making more music in this style. Special thanks to those on the Workshop forums who were able to help me spruce up a few things! I hope you all enjoy. :D"

DAT BASS; great, funky, & uplifting sequencing from Jordan, who blends the two themes quite a bit, melting them into a soup and then reconstituting them into something that bears an uncanny resemblance to both sources and is recognizably an arrangement but also kinda sits in its own pocket. zykO addressed some of the concerns about the arrangement being liberal by invoking his patented "eyear" technology:

"i don't do all that source breakdown stuff; ya know, i give the eye test with my ears and this is earsex because i can hear the sources in there, albeit mangled with your brilliant (and liberal) arrangement of them. it's more marble garden than it is azure lake but that's by design and that's fine because it's the better™ source lol it passes my "eyear" test.

that said, production values are on point of course. the chops here are ace across the board, nice showcase of really strong phrasing sensibility; you know when to "say" things and when not to "say" things. over all, a very entertaining tune that stays busy for 3 minutes and some change... does a lot, goes a lot of places. it's active like nike, thick like minaj, stays fresh like farmer's market, and overall satisfies me like... umm.....

i don't like the anticlimactic ending but that's just as small a quip as they come and bears nothing more than a mention in light of how awesome everything else is. anyway, no surprises here. amphibious always comes with it."

Nutritious adds:

"Man, loving this funky approach. Production is spot on - literally no gripes here. Huge thanks to Larry for the detailed source breakdown. Makes my life easier. The amount of integration and sometimes constant switching between both sources along with heaping dose of personal touches is pretty amazing on the arrangement end."

You might say this is "an arranger's arrangement" - Jordan makes it quite interesting & even challenging to track the ways he's using the melodic/harmonic source material at any given point in time, and he switches it up like a champion boxer to keep you guessing. That being said, it's also hella fun, and you don't really need to think all that hard just to have a good time and to spot the many nods to "Marble Garden," especially. Great stuff that's creative, interpretive, fun, AND rewards analysis!