ReMix:Seiken Densetsu 3 "The Final Moments" 4:35

From pu_freak (Pieter van Os) comes this touching, comforting, & mellow piano-centric ballad from Seiken Densetsu 3: Songs of Light and Darkness, landing on the "light" side of the album, with perhaps a touch of bitterwseet memory, and using minimal accompanying strings & bells to increase intensity:

"With this mix, I wanted to create an emotional and intimate version of the source material by using just piano, which is backed up by strings later in the mix. It's a fairly conservative mix compared to my usual mixes, since I didn't alter much of the source, I just added a lot of original stuff to complement on the main melody of the original. It switches back and forth from original stuff to the main motif I've used from the source.

I hope that when people listen to this, they can truly relax and just enjoy the moment. That's the feeling I wanted this mix to have, at least. It's a piano-heavy song, so if you don't like piano or slow-paced mixes, this isn't something to your liking. For everyone else: enjoy the song and become truly relaxed and at peace when you listen to it. If that worked, then my aim for this mix is complete."

This was an earlier contribution to the album, evaluated back in 2011, but it's held up pretty darn well. Album director Rozovian writes:

"pu_freak has a remix early on the album, fitting for the character Duran when he takes off on his adventure. Here's pu_freak again, presumably featuring the end of Duran's journey, with evil vanquished and the heroes on their way back home. It's a beautiful ending. Not the only ending track, but possibly the sweetest of them. When the main melody comes back at 2:30, it sounds and feels like a scene from a movie. Great work, dude."

There's a relaxed, even familial feel to the voicings & general aesthetic, and emotive dynamics and performance help make that resonate... while it's certainly not dancin' music, there's enough flow, build, & storytelling that it occupies the foreground with confidence. Emunator was on the panel at the time, and his vote was particularly insightful & comprehensive:

"The new approach to how you separate your right and left hands definitely leaves you with a sparser soundscape that's not always completely filled out, but definitely brings a delicate, gentle quality to the performance. I think for a very simple source like this, it works very well and the piano adaptation was a brilliant idea, as it lets keep the playful melodies intact while doing a lot of expansion on the left hand and with some melodic wankery from time to time :)

Some of the right-hand riffs in the intro felt loose in the performance, and this feeling of improv-ishness and loose timing pervaded throughout the rest of the song. It's nothing that isn't present in your other mixes that have passed the panel or been released on projects, and as you continue to refine your craft and gain even more confidence with your performances, that'll naturally become less prevalent, but it's still something to watch for. I am a fan of the improvised sound of the performance (whether or not it actually was one) though, personally. Once you hit the sections with the strings/bells and the left hand writing becomes more active, your timing issues clears up a ton and the performance feels more cohesive and flowing. None of this amounts to a dealbreaker in my opinion, but I thought it was worth saying.

Production-wise, I gotta say this is sounding a lot cleaner and less noisy than a lot of your previous submissions, which is a great sign! The string articulations are not fantastic and they don't do anything spectacular in terms of writing, but their addition is a welcome one as they add just a bit of texture to the ending."

I did notice aspects of the timing which felt halting, but only in passing; generally Wes's comments above are spot-on & cover both the minor weaknesses and considerable strengths of the piece. Ultimately, this track sinks or swims based on whether it can tug on your heartstrings a bit & make you forget about life for a while and/or get you feeling alright. I think Pieter succeeded in his goals, personally, so if you're looking for a bit of escape, emotion, reflection, & warm feels, you've come to the right ReMix. Enjoy!