ReMix:R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 "Tarmac Chill" 4:14

OC ReMix turns eighteen years old today!!

And now for something completely different... we move off Mana, but stay tuned into the Jorito channel, as the Resonance of the Pure Land director collabs w/ Xarnax42 on vocals for a funky, spunky vocal dance/disco groove AND our FIRST EVAR ReMix from the Ridge Racer series! Mandatory:

"It's Ridge Racer...

(woo!)

Riiiddddgggggggggge Racer!!!!!!"

R4 was a series high point for execution on all fronts, and that definitely included the music. This track is part of the opening cinematic that reintroduced a reinvigorated "REAL RACING ROOTS" experience on the PS1, with pretty tight drift mechanics & gameplay that still holds up today. Jorrith writes:

"When Ivan started recruiting for the (since cancelled) PS1 20th anniversary album, I was keen on participating, being a nostalgic sucker for the PS1. Originally wanted to remix an RPG track, but, due to the album's criteria (only songs from games with 0 or 1 remix), that wasn't easy. So I racked my brains on other games that I played with great music.

Somehow, I ended up choosing Ridge Racer Type 4 because of the high octane, high fun factor of the tracks. Ambitious as always, I selected the vocal intro song, which is pretty challenging if you can't sing. I had no clue where to start until I heard this mellow chillout track on YouTube which reminded me of the chord progression of "Urban Fragments." So I thought "why not?" and started off with a laid-back groove with long, stretched, jazzy chords.

Next steps were the vocoded vocals, which I originally intended as a placeholder until I could get a vocalist. Turned out I liked the vocoded vox so much I kept part of them and blended them in with real vocals. Which this time were provided by Jesse, whom I worked with before on a Shovel Knight remix. I thought his jazzy, smooth voice would fit the track well and I think the final result proves that!

Added some interesting breaks, some nice variations and SFX, and a sneaky cameo of OutRun's "Magical Sound Shower" as a kind of solo in the middle. There is probably a name for this genre, but I'm proud of my li'l Frankensteinian mixture of chillout pianos/pads, funk guitars, disco strings, in a bed of four-on-the-floor dance kicks, and a splash of jazzy vocals. Hope you enjoy!"

There's nothing *ever* TOO sneaky about "Magical Sound Shower," but it's definitely a nice thematically-appropriate racing theme cameo which also happens to work well in context. Judges did note that the vocal, while performed well, is mixed a little clean/dry, which makes it sit oddly at points, although this is mitigated somewhat by the call-and-answer with the vocoded bits. Sir_NutS sums it up nicely:

"The best part about this arrangement is definitely the chorus, it's so catchy, it could be in a "radio" pop song and nobody would notice. I loved the Magical Sound Shower bit, as anything with a little OutRun in it is bound to get better. The disco feel is maintained throughout the duration of the song and it's fairly authentic, with staples like the staccato strings emphasizing the harmonies and the constant groovy beat. I think Jesse's vocals fit very well this adaptation, even though I find them slightly exposed, but nevertheless, I can say this is pretty damn cool overall."

Ditto all that; I'm happy to have Ridge Racer finally represented on OCR, R4 was always my favorite, and this particular theme has stayed with me all these years, as it introduces the game & at the time was intro FMV worth watching more than once. Fun, energetic stuff from Jorrith & Jesse!