ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past "Through the Mirror and Back" 3:33

Newcomer halfwalk (Chris Ramey) debuts with a snazzy, jazzy Link to the Past jam that's chock full o' horn section, electric piano noodling, and swagger that's ready to hit the Vegas strip:

"A jazzy medley of two musical themes from the Zelda: A Link to the Past game for the Super Nintendo. Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoy the remix!"

What his submission email might lack in descriptive adjectives his arrangement more than makes up for, with a swingin' take on some LttP favorites that opens all dramatic & cinematic like, then drops the suave on us at 0'19" as muted brass lends Sinatra-esque timing & modification to the melodies. At 1'27" we've got one of the better EP solos I've heard lately, not just in execution but in the actual patch itself, which drips with mechanical attack/release characteristics & smears the flavor around in quite a lovely fashion; if you're gonna noodle on EP, this is a good frame of reference. It's also worth noting just how DIFFERENT electric pianos can sound; even just talking about Rhodes vs. Wurlitzer, there's tons of room for variation & settings & effects within those two iconic examples. This particular EP sounds guuuud... Which is fortunate, because the brass isn't quite as believable, and some of the levels seem a bit quiet, too; for me, the dazzling EP & generous solo portion compensated a bit. Gario writes:

"I actually found the humanization of this track to be pretty on point - articulations and dynamics are very close to how they would be performed in a studio jazz performance. The muted trumpet being mixed too far into the background (at 0:58) is a bit of an issue, but I wouldn't call it a deal-breaking one.

The other thing that could hold this up would be the levels on the track. A little compression on this could've gotten a decent amount of volume out of the master track with minimal loss of quality. It's not impossibly quiet to work with, so I won't hold it too much against this, but it's something to consider for your next track. The walking bass works great with these themes, and the overall jazz style is on point."

Ditto that; super-creative arrangement in a style of jazz that's pretty hard to pull off, and while the horns might not always be as solid as other components, the key thing is that it all comes off with style & panache. Fun, memorable debut from Chris; very interested in hearing more!