ReMix:Donkey Kong Country "Terror Plant" 5:50

Been a while! CrimzonWolf777 (Damon Barlow) follows up his debut Super Metroid ReMix from June of 2013 with a straightforward & enjoyable trance take on "Fear Factory" from DKC:

"I really couldn't think of a clever title for this, so I went with "Terror Plant" because power plants and I imagined what Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong would feel like being two monkeys in a factory (haha). As far as inspiration, I really like trance music. Hearing the original song, I really felt like it screamed of a trancey (Is that a word? LOL) type feel. So, this came to be. This is actually my 3rd and final take at remaking this song. My last take was back in 2009. Hope you all enjoy this song!"

Definitely some familiar staple trance elements here, like the saw pattern circa 3'51" for instance, but I like that Damon added in the second crunchier, guitarish synth lead at 3'08" - the handoff between these two lead parts was definitely a highlight, for me, and helped elevate the track above some of the more dated/expected elements. Gario sums things up well:

"Ooo, we're going with a more classic approach - straight up, unabashed four-to-the-floor trance, even with those layered saws toward the end. The sound design works, but I do feel many of the instruments are pretty vanilla (especially the layered saw that starts at 3:51). The production works well enough, though I do hear some overcompression that occurs when everything comes together.

To be honest, this sounds like a classic OCR track from ~2008 rather than something that is normally produced here today. It's a close call, since the crowding that happens in the track is certainly an issue, but I think it edges past our bar with the nice pacing, the expansions on the theme present and the overall phat beats."

My thoughts precisely; modern EDM production (even in 2008, but less commonly) would tend to apply sidechaining and more aggressive EQ to make everything pop, giving the kick more of a solid whack + sub thump & the highs a bit more sizzle. Chimpazilla also suggested a wider stereo spread and more motion/panning overall, which I think is spot-on. There's a reason those techniques became more ubiquitous, and I do think they help make EDM instrumentals more dynamic & more interesting, so it's not strictly just a question of older vs. newer aesthetics, but I also agree with Greg that what's here is good, production is otherwise solid, and the arrangement does a nice job fleshing things out, in particular with them synth solos. It's awesome to be featuring Damon's work after a four-year hiatus, and I'm digging his take on this treasured classic. I'd love to see him up his already strong game with some modern production techniques to add that extra level of polish, because the foundation here is excellent. Good stuff, looking forward to the next!