ReMix:Zelda II: The Adventure of Link "Hyrule's Deadly Palaces!" 3:53

Surf's up!! If you've been shield surfing in Breath of the Wild, we've got the PERFECT accompaniment, as newcomer Furorezu (Daniel Florez) hangs ten & debuts with a bodacious surf rock arrangement of Zelda II & Link to the Past:

"Ever since participating in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy's Legacy of Music contest, for which I created a surf rock version of the Final Fantasy theme, I had the desire to create more remixes in that style, as I have been a big fan of surf rock and find it incredibly fun to play. I toyed around with taking a few songs and jamming out to them but, until November 2015, didn't come up with anything substantial.

That month, I decided to start recording some of my ideas more seriously and flesh them out a bit more. "Hyrule's Deadly Palaces!" was one of those ideas. I first recorded my ideas in Audacity using a drum machine I found online. Hoping to get a better sound, I started learning on how to use Reaper and have been working on re-recording my ideas in hopes of getting better at making great-sounding music.

What inspired me to use these two songs in particular for "Hyrule's Deadly Palaces!" is that I'm a big fan of the Zelda series and its music. It's what actually got me to start playing the guitar 8 years ago and has kept me going since. I chose the "Palace" theme as my first foray into remixing Zelda's music because of its energetic nature, a trait commonly seen in surf rock by artists like Dick Dale, Daikaiju, and Man or Astro-man?, and my memories of playing in the Super Smash Bros. Temple stage just to hear the song.

The remix is primarily based on the "Palace" theme, but, while jamming out to create its solo, I realized that I could segue pretty easily into LttP's "Castle" theme because of their similar melodies. The fact that both songs are based on palaces in the Zelda series was just the icing on the cake, so I decided to incorporate the two songs into my remix. I've had a ton of fun creating this song and will certainly continue to experiment with surf rock for a good while."

Things start off a little lo-fi & loosy-goosy, and I was a bit worried with the snare roll, but as we progress the surf aesthetic becomes clear & fully-realized, and 1'56" really starts rockin' out & delivering on the arrangement's full potential. Gario writes:

"Surfin' through Hyrule's Palaces... very awesome 'Pipeline' sound to it - I loved it. Fun fact: my dad was (and still is, when he can be) a surf dude. He was one of the Palos Verdes beach boys who helped pioneer the whole surfing craze in the 60's, so I'm actually SUPER familiar with this style, growing up with it.

The arrangement works great, with those surfer solos and licks, as well as some of those 'pipeline' runs. The sources are well tread, but there's just... so much love put into the details. The twangs, the extra runs, the style of the solos, etc., just all scream with that surfer style, and I love every bit of it."

There you have it: an endorsement from the son of a surfer dude's gotta mean SOMETHING. Sir_NutS adds:

"What a great adaptation, this works incredibly well when brought to the context of surf rock. The arrangement is very very good, with the new original sections fitting the progression very well. I would've liked a return, or a nod to the original motifs towards the end, as the track seems to shift from the original sources to only new material towards the end, but that's a nitpick."

Both sources work well for a surf rock treatment, and work well together, and while the intentionally dated production aesthetic & lower levels might initially throw some folks off, crank the volume and wait a bit for this one to come into its own... by the time the party's over, Daniel's delivered on the concept without jumping any sharks or wiping out. Good, fun debut!