ReMix:Donkey Kong 64 "Crystalbound Chant" 6:20

Ice, snow, & caves, oh my! Rebecca E. Tripp takes us on an extended classical + new age journey with a medley of themes from DKC1, DKC2, & DK64:

• 0:00 - "In a Snowbound Land" (DKC2)
• 2:12 - "Ice Cave Chant" (DKC1)
• 3:55 - "Crystal Caves" (DK64)

"This medley contains "In a Snowbound Land" from DKC2, "Ice Cave Chant" from DKC1, and "Crystal Caves" from DK64 (which I know isn't technically an ice theme, but it very much belongs with the other two, in my humble opinion!).

This arrangement sort of exploded out of me all of a sudden. I've always loved the ice, snow, and crystal themes in video games, and these were some of the most beautiful ones ever composed (originally created by David Wise and Grant Kirkhope, respectively). I don't know if I did these themes justice or not, but I hope that I at least made this medley sound VERY cold! I was going for glistening, echoing, reflecting, brisk textures. A cool draft here, a snowy bite there, a piercing shimmer here, a clunking, glassy formation yonder. There are parts which sound like chattering teeth and bones in my mind, or dead leaves rattling in a December wind. All around is a granular mist, filled with white little heat-zaps which steal everyone's precious warmth. I hope you enjoy this (although I sort of also want you to need to put on an extra few layers while listening to this)!"

It's the dead of summer in these parts, so a little Ice, Ice, Donkey is the perfect way to cool down. Liontamer writes:

"The winter feel came together well, and I thought the DK64 usage did fit the overall ice imagery, so good job there. For the DKC2 section, I enjoyed the small details like repeating the melody with the accent instrumentation, e.g. the bells from :48-:53 & 1:46-1:54, 1:58-2:00 & 2:04-2:06. The theme transitions were quick but were smooth enough in the big picture to not feel like drastic departures that broke the track's flow; it was a nice touch, for example, that the countermelodies of "Ice Cave Chant" and "Crystal Caves" have similar patterns, so it made sense that the themes changed yet felt similar in tone. And there were supporting parts that served as a brief bridge in the background as the themes changed (strings and mallet perc, respectively). I actually found this track very comfortable rather than frigid, but I can think about the winter without it making me shiver. :-) Lovely work all around!"

Ditto; while there's a beautiful frigidity to the aesthetic, there's also an underlying warmth in some of the affable, major-key melodic motifs. If I had to nitpick, some of the more exposed choral elements felt too isolated at times, but the blend of chromatic percussion & winds is otherwise mesmerizing, as Rebecca again weaves a fabric of mixed & complementary textures. Conceptually I think the idea of spinning these source tunes into a single, coherent cloth worked out *quite* well, and makes for a wonderful, icy Donkey Kong tribute; enjoy!