ReMix:Castlevania "Vampithrillic" 4:20

For his third posted OC ReMix, Just Coffee (Gian Descallar) goes retro, aesthetically & with his source, taking the original Castlevania for an 80's synth-pop ride, with oodles of cowbell, funky FM bass, piles of synth, and inspiration from MJ:

""Vampire Killer" is something I've always wanted to make a remix of way back when I was first learning my how to's. Previous attempts were mostly EDM, but they weren't very good, so I scrapped the idea. Time went by and I've decided to revisit the project and redo it with new knowledge and a different flavor.

Initially, I wanted it to be kind of a funky cop movie theme, but elements of the source kept tugging at me to make it more like a horror movie pop song in certain spots. So I redid a few more phrases and added the prologue slowed down to half in order to give it a spooky intro. I also added the notable bassline from "Stalker" because it makes for a nice interim between phrases. The 8-bit sample break that starts at 2:00 is an attempt to harken back to dance breaks, like in Michael Jackson's "Thriller" wherein there's just the beat, and dancers would literally step up to take the spotlight. Since I have no dancers, I stitched the samples together to make it seem like there's some dancing going on as well as serve the nostalgia wine to go with the cheese."

Nice. Now I'm hungry though. Gian definitely channels the sounds & feel of the decade, with plenty of staples and a stylin', hip arrangement that puts them to good use. Spooky AND funky, so.... spunky, basically. DragonAvenger writes:

"Definitely fits the bill of the 80's genre here. Really enjoying the soundscape you created here, and the groove is really great. A lot of detail went into little parts, like the percussion hits, and it really makes the track shine. Soundscape is clear, with the leads shining through well."

I like the dance breakdown; in particular, it avoids a more modern presentation and keeps things consistent with how'd you have heard them back in the day. Nice fakey-guitar solo afterwards, too. Authentic & enjoyable tom fills, and the FX here and there - especially the ending laugh - further cement the "Thriller" likeness. Sir_NutS diggS it:

"The mix itself is clean, and drums feel punchy. The arrangement is somewhat conservative but helped by the style to which it was translated to, and the instrumental breaks which use small sections and motifs from vampire killer to interact, and sometimes do call and response with the varied percussion writing."

Drums are definitely a highlight, and if you've got a fever, they feature your only prescription, heavily. Very of-the-era, pulls it off with style, & gives Dracula a Flashdance-worthy makeover so he can wear his sunglasses at night & get down. Enjoy!