ReMix:Secret of Mana "Mana's Requiem" 3:28

Newcomers Pixel Noise (Dana Difilippantonio & Michael Dooley) give us a lush, serene classical/new age ReMix of "I Won't Forget" from Secret of Mana, with harp, classical guitar, piano, & strings forming an intimate, meditative ensemble:

"Hello! Dana from Pixel Noise here. We are looong-time OC ReMix followers, but have never really been active in the community, other than as avid listeners.

This is an orchestral-style arrangement of one of everyone's favorite tunes from Secret of Mana, "I Won't Forget." We wanted to really try to vary the arrangement, rather than just re-hashing the primary melody over and over. The opening phrase states the melody outright with solo harp; in the second statement, strings and a flute countermelody enter, slightly masking the main melody. The third phrase drops the melody entirely, in favor of string material based loosely on the melody.

From there, the arrangement takes a surprising turn, as classical guitar enters and begins to drive the track in a different direction. A guitar cadenza then follows, which outlines and expands on the melody. The track ends with a final statement of the melody on guitar, accompanied by soft strings and bells.

We hope you like it, and certainly welcome any feedback you have, as we plan on doing at least a few more of these, to provide a full suite of SoM orchestral arrangements! Enjoy!"

Always good to see long-time listeners become featured artists! This is a very mellow, relaxing, & emotive arrangement of an iconic theme, which capitalizes on the strength of its components for a comfortable, meditative journey. I dig the original additions and tonal modifications, and the complementary plucked timbres sound great. DragonAvenger writes:

"What a lovely arrangement! I really enjoyed the counterpoint and the overall soundscape fits really well for what you are going for here."

Judges pointed out some stop-and-go moments in the arrangement as being unusual but not disruptive, though there was a bit more consensus on the production side that things were mixed low and a little skewed towards the right side of the stereo spectrum; Jivemaster lays it all out:

"Felt the emptiness on the left channel during the intro a little off putting, thankfully things begin to fill out over the next minute or so, but the left always tends to feel less active than the right. You have some nice writing here, and I enjoy the orchestral instruments you have chosen, there is a particular sweetness to them. Your originality across the arrangement is noticed and much appreciated, I feel you've done a good job melding original progressions and licks with the source material. Duration is fitting. Your production is fairly decent, everything is audible (a given considering the minimal nature of the track), instruments have a good level of body to them EQ wise."

Agreed with all of the above, but none of the picked nits prohibited me from leaning back & disappearing in the harmonic tapestry that Dana & Michael have woven. Relaxing, engaging work from Pixel Noise that embraces the general Secret of Mana aesthetic while taking it in some new directions. Looking forward to hearing more!