ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time "Buy or Bye" 4:17

And now for something *completely* different... get your lederhosen on & your Marley out as Nostalvania (Markus) sends us a quirky mix of polka, reggae, & chiptune, taking the already-silly Ocarina of Time "Shop" theme to newer & still-goofier places:

"I'm back with another ReMix, and this time it's really something different. I actually made an early version of this track some time ago. It originally was meant to be like a parody of the shop theme from Ocarina of Time (Honestly, i just can't take that source seriously lol).

Anyway, i always had the feeling that this has more potential than just to be a parody. Then i started to rework the track, added more variation in general and improved the mixing. The result is a funny mix of EDM, german folk music, polka, reggae and chiptunes. Admitted, it still kinda sounds like a spoof, that doesn't mean i wasn't serious about the musical aspects, though. I tried to keep it interesting by using different instrumentation, tempo changes, changing between binary and ternary feeling, key changes (four of them) and a nice accordion solo at the end."

This mix makes me realize that we need, among others, a "polka" tag. With which to tag polka, and what not. Markus' work has often been playful, but rarely has it ascended (descended?) into absurdist genre mashups this zany. That's not an insult - as he writes, it's a "spoof" with musicality, and there's craft to the crazy. Joke's on you if you dismiss it as a joke, because while it's smile-inducing and may make you (temporarily) Bavarian, it's a pretty fun & cohesive genre-hop across a source that invites such romp. Chimpazilla gives her present sense impression:

"What an interesting combination of potentially-serious EDM and super silly brass and accordion, all well executed and ultimately giving this a cute comic flare. I like the total change of pace at 1:55 to a somewhat reggae groove. Oh, a trucker's gear shift haha! Nice bitcrushing. Oh wait, a second gear shift! And a third! Ok this is super fun, love it."

Some judges found the intro a little disconnected from the rest of the piece, and Larry wasn't feeling the blatty low brass at points (I feel like it sells the absurdity a bit, personally), but the mix still passed unanimously on charm, good looks, sound structure, and sheer oompah/offbeat elation. If you need to shake some sillies out and you want the perfect VGM jam for it, I think Markus has your number; enjoy irresponsibly :)