ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening "Sweet Dreams, Koholint" 3:24

We hope you're enjoying Hometown Heroes: Town Themes Arranged; next up we have a mix with an origin story that echoes its emotional effect, as album director DaMonz collaborates with his mom (on cello) & their family friend (on flute), recording in a family-owned studio to create a beautiful, graceful, & inspiringly positive chamber piece with spirit & soul; he writes:

"This one has a fairly simple story to it. I am a huge fan of the Zelda franchise, and Link's Awakening is one of my favorites of the series. So, during the development of the Hometown Heroes project, I randomly had the whole concept idea of this arrangement. My mother Christine Giguère provided the cello performance, and Denis Bluteau, one of our family's closest friends, provided the flute performance. The recordings happened in none other than Sébastien "Trainbeat" Dufour's studio. Sébastien also happens to be my mother's husband, so this entire endeavor ended up being a nice family effort. I'm very happy with the end result, and I'm very grateful for everyone's contribution!"

What an amazing mix, and how very cool that Emery has the type of relationship with his family/friends where they can come together & spend the time and energy and passion to make this arrangement come to life. While not explicitly framed as such, this has a very wintry/holiday vibe, and even reminded me (in the best of ways!) of the soundtrack to A Christmas Story at times. Perhaps it's just that sense of being... at ease. Upbeat. Surrounded by people you know well, etc., which often correlates to major holidays. Larry Oji writes:

"Can you go wrong with a tender intro like this? I didn't know Emery was capable of delivering something so delicate, so I love how taking over the Hometown Heroes project tapped into this side of his arranging. Both his mom's cello and Denis's flute performances are impeccably beautiful, and, along with his stepfather's studio support, Emery's piece closes the project in a way that strongly celebrates family and friends. This is easily one of OCR's most accessible arrangements whether a listener knows VGM or not. Be a friend and share it far and wide."

You heard the man - you can play this for babies, grandparents, and everyone in between, the world over, and I think the warmth and cheer will translate. A superb, playful, & even compassionate arrangement, breathed into its fullest possible life by talented musicians. Highly recommended; bravo.