ReMix:Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium "Sakura Storm" 5:39

Guifrog sends us our first featured Phantasy Star IV ReMix since 2006 with this ethno-electro Asian EDM jam on "Her Last Breath":

"Oioioi. This one's an 8-year-old track I thought I had to revisit. Hope it expresses what I meant better than before! And, tada."

Really cool blend of shaku/taiko(esque)/koto ingredients with an otherwise electronic soundscape; this is some of Guifrog's best production & sound design to date, and since his arrangements have always been engaging, creative, & elaborate, that means you're in for a treat. MindWanderer:

"Obviously I wasn't around back then to hear your original submission, but you sure know what you're doing now! It's a gorgeous, clean soundscape with great energy and an exciting mix of electronic and Asian instruments. Well worth the wait."

What he said; in some ways this is a more refined incarnation of the type of instrumentation blend I was shooting for with "Koan of Drums" way back when. Of course, I also arranged this very same theme, but it was more of a sad/downer take, as Larry notes:

"Nice to have something join djp's version of this theme on OCR; I'm so conditioned by Dave's arrangement, that it struck me as odd when I heard the differences in the original song compared to his take, so that just shows how long it's been since I've listened to any of this.

It's been 9 years since I've heard the rejected version of this, so I supposed the old expression fits: "You've come a long way, baby." Great energy, Guifrog; just a totally different animal compared to the source tune."

Larry's old enough with the site to remember the first version of this mix, and has followed the artist's progression enough to appreciate the improvements, so his words carry additional weight. I don't know if Guifrog's bought some new sample libraries or plugins or just sat down & focused more on the production side of the house, but this is tight - sounds great, crisp, & clean, while also offering great timbral variety & flavor. It's been too long since we've featured something from PS4, which is a beautiful game everyone should play at some point, and I'm thrilled that the artist revisited & revamped this arrangement. Excellent!