ReMix:Chrono Cross "Cosmic Kleptomaniac" 5:33

We continue our Chronopolis: Music Inspired by Chrono Cross flood with a track I've personally been anticipating, as The OC Jazz Collective return to our front page! If you haven't checked out their jazz tribute to Chrono Cross's predecessor - I believe they call it "Chrono Trigger" - then what even *have* you been doing, and who *are* you? Incredulity aside, it's a fantastic album in its own right and puts an entirely distinct spin on the original Chrono classic. This Cross jazz contribution is mellow af, mixes it up with some electric piano, synth pads (!) & muted brass, pairs Dylan's exquisite arrangement with Jay's production chops, and features sublime performances around. Album director Brad "prophetik music" Burr writes:

"My first contact with Wiesty was in the Radical Dreamers project I ran that was released just over ten years ago. It's great to see him still doing music at such a high level. I am particularly excited with how tactile this remix feels -- it's like you're in a jazz club listening to the house band after a long week. The musicality of each performer really shines through, obviously, and Dylan does a nice job bringing it all together."

I didn't realize Thieves of Fate was 10+ years old; time flies, but damn is it good to see so many familiar faces still making amazing music, and so many new faces joining them. Credits as follows:

• Wiesty (Dylan Wiest) - arrangement, drums, keys
• Anthony Lofton - tenor sax
• JohnStacy - trumpet
• DrumUltimA (Doug Perry) - vibes
• audio fidelity (Jay Yaskin) - bass, production

Ringleader Wiesty (Dylan Wiest) writes:

"As soon as Brad announced that he was starting a Chrono Cross project, I jumped on the opportunity. Radical Dreamers: Thieves of Fate was the very first project I was involved in back in 2005 and, so, I felt like this would be a good chance to revisit my introduction to OCR as well as get the OC Jazz Collective involved in some community albums. I have always loved this source. I feel that it is probably one of the most emotionally provocative tunes that Mitusda has ever written (and that is saying a lot given his list of works). This arrangement began as a piano improvisation that eventually formed into an acid jazz ballad. With plenty of dissonant harmony, Juno pads, Fender Rhodes, and Harmon mute trumpet, I wanted this piece to have this distinctly crystalline quality. The crew did an excellent job at capturing my vision for this piece, and I hope that it serves as a launching point for more collaborations in the near future!"

By golly, it *is* crystalline; I was looking for an adjective to describe the vibe & atmosphere on this, but I think Dylan knows best. I dig/respect that the OCJC are incorporating some more electronic ingredients, while still remaining identifiably and satisfyingly "jazz" with the overall aesthetic, and Jay continues to do a great job incorporating parts recorded at different times/spaces and making it sound unified & crisp. Honestly if you're mad, stressed, tired, or just need to come down a bit from wherever you are and relax, this is an ultra-classy, ultra-mellow, yet still musically compelling & interesting jam to get you right!