ReMix:Final Fantasy IV "The Light of My Father" 3:38
By Mustin
Arranging the music of one song...
"Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY IV"
Primary Game: Final Fantasy IV (Square , 1991, SNES), music by Nobuo UematsuPosted 2016-07-19, evaluated by djpretzel
Happy 25th birthday, Final Fantasy IV!!
Mustin writes:
"Today is the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy IV (Initial release date: July 19, 1991) and I wanted to pay tribute to the game that had the most profound impact on my life. I must have been about twelve when I got a Super Nintendo. It was a while after everyone else, and I took my SNES over to a friend's house for a sleepover. I wanted to play Super Mario World because I had never had the chance to play it outside of the store kiosks, but my friends had rented a game called "Final Fantasy IV" (then II). I was completely uninterested in this game because it involved reading and graphics that weren't as good as Mario. But after they fell asleep I felt compelled to pick up the controller and keep going on their game. From that moment, I was hooked. The music drew me in and I quickly became an RPG fan. When they woke up the next morning, I was still playing. I owe this game a lot for distracting me from many of the more difficult parts of my childhood. I identified with Cecil and his struggles with the darkness within him, and with him not knowing his father. I'm very thankful this game was there for me when others weren't.
I started playing around with a Rhodes sound and just reminiscing on the theme. Then I kicked in a little spice for the full version of the melody which I only hinted at before. The bridge of this track takes influence of the Lunarian soundscape to represent the presence of Cecil's father. And I liked using the sine lead to carry out the melody at the end as it's very nostalgic to me.
I hope you enjoy my tribute and if you haven't had a chance to play the game, I highly recommend it."
Excellent.
We're posting this out of cycle because hey, it's FF4's 25th birthday, Mustin clearly has a deep connection with this game and its music, and that definitely comes through in this mix. He starts off with solo electric piano that's actually more than just an intro - it remains solitary for long enough that I thought this was gonna be a solo EP arrangement, but a sweet RNB/ballad groove eventually comes in and things develop from there. The initial playing on the EP is laid back, expressive, and chill, with a good sense of where to add some flourishes & stings. Electric piano really is its OWN thing, and especially as a solo instrument it can & should be played differently from an acoustic piano... and this is something Mustin clearly knows. Overall production reminds me of his own FF7 arrangement, "Serenity," not for style per se but for how each individual element is discernible and is "just so" - very particular sounds, in very specific positions, with very precise part-writing. Mustin has powerful producer feng shui, in other words. This isn't a sprawling opus or something designed to bowl you over with technique, but instead is a very tightly put together, emotive package that channels mellow waves of nostalgia and takes its time to reminisce, smell the roses, and THEN develop into a groove.
We hadn't posted anything from Mustin since 2011's (excellent) "KR44441D" Metroid ReMix, so in addition to providing an excellent 25th birthday homage to FF4, it's great to see him back. Enjoy!
Discussion
on 2016-08-03 13:55:04
I had to immediately replay this one, I loved the intro so much!
It really pays to pay attention to everything that's going
on at every point in this song. DJPs review seems spot on
to me. 
on 2016-07-31 22:09:57
I liked reading about Mustin's very personal connection to this game. Video games mean a lot to me for the same reason he stated. I had a really terrible, traumatic childhood and games basically raised me more than anyone did from the age of 12 up, so I have a very personal connection to the games of my youth also (altho FFIV is not one of them, admittedly). I actually really thought about making game remixes because of the strong emotions that certain game music evokes in me, but I gave up b/c of how complicated it looks (lol)
I like a lot of Mustin's remixes and think it's awesome how much blood, sweat and tears he pours into the hobby, but this is unfortunately not one of my favorites of his. One peeve of mine is that this song's mellow intro lasts longer than an intro usually lasts, so I turned my volume up, thinking the whole song was gonna be like that, only to be blasted when the louder part started. It doesn't have a whole lot of variety for my tastes either.
on 2016-07-28 19:22:59
@DimeTower Thanks so much! My name is Mustin, and thank you for enjoying my arrangement!
on 2016-07-26 15:26:12
ANY Final Fantasy mix is going to, for me, already set the bar pretty high. FF IV is going to set that bar even higher. When I hear that the remixer is intimately familiar with the source, now I'm expecting some real care and love in this remix.
Whatever doubts I had were wiped out in the first 1:19. What a wonderful, wonderful opening, where there was nowhere to hide in over-layered instrumentation; there is only the quality of the handling of a quiet, powerful take on the very core theme of the game. And the mood of the remix is really, for me, what makes this such an enjoyable listen; it's evocative, moving, and laden with emotion. Special props for 2:45+, where the percussion drops out and it's just a beautiful walk into a gorgeous sunset. Good heavens, this made 3 minutes just fly by, since I spent it transported to another world in another time. Thanks so much to the remixer for the journey. You've done FF IV proud.
on 2016-07-20 13:43:29
Was my number 1 game as a kid too. Has a really strong
Stairway to Heaven vibe in the beginning. Such an iconic
motif. Love the additions.
on 2016-07-20 13:07:25
Thanks, @The Damned!
@docnano The music and the sense of adventures were certainly what drew me in! And I've made plenty of remixes since 2011. This is just the first for OCR in that time! Thanks for listening and taking the time to comment!
on 2016-07-20 11:46:17
Wow, 2011... has it really been that long since we heard a new remix from Mustin?
Love the chill vibe of this mix. I can also relate to the personal story; I have my own vivid memory of playing FF4 into the wee hours of the morning at a friend's house, hunting for where to drop the Key of Magma. It was just that kind of game -- a real high point for the series, in no small part because of fantastic musical themes like this.
on 2016-07-20 11:04:52
Yay! Comment thread is fixed!
Good remix. Nice style. And it's FF4, which is already a plus.
Sources Arranged (1 Song)
- Primary Game:
-
Final Fantasy IV (Square
, 1991,
SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
- Songs:
- "Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY IV"
Tags (7)
- Genre:
- Ballad,R&B
- Mood:
- Funky,Mellow
- Instrumentation:
- Electric Piano,Synth
- Additional:
- Time > Tempo: Slow
File Information
- Name:
- Final_Fantasy_4_The_Light_of_My_Father_OC_ReMix.mp3
- Size:
- 5,318,424 bytes
- MD5:
- b193e130aebde53693d45e1ba67dae4b
- Bitrate:
- 192Kbps
- Duration:
- 3:38
Download
- Size: 5,318,424 bytes
- MD5 Checksum: b193e130aebde53693d45e1ba67dae4b
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