ReMix:Twin Cobra "Blade Pitch" 3:29

Sir_NutS (Paul Michael Molina) gives us a brilliant, fuel-injected dose of synthwave goodness with this energetic take on the stage 1/6 theme from Twin Cobra (GEN):

"My friend F4T4L and I are fans of crazy synth rock FM tracks with screaming guitar lead solos on the Genesis, so one day I decided to give this one a go. At the time of release for this game, Taito was putting out great arrangements for their arcade and home console games, and this is one of them. Full of energy, drive, and crazy solo arpeggios which are all a great fit for a shmup.

I thought I would give it the same treatment with my remix, so I kept the same fast BPM but upped the ante on the arrangement by going even more ham with the soloing and expanding on the original arrangement with new sections. The synthwave style I thought was a good fit as well, given the date of this arrangement. I added a few references to the game such as the helicopter blades that can be heard in the breakdown (not a sample, made with synths!), and a lead that cuts right through the mix.

I had quite a bit of fun with this one and it also helped me get back into making music again. Enjoy!"

This is top Nuts - Sir at his finest - which is pretty damn fine: love the energy, love the warm, brassy, & searing texture combo, and the source material definitely lends itself to the genre of choice. And of course, the ham AND cheese on the soloing is a thoroughly satisfying indulgence. Judges were rightly unanimous; MindWanderer writes:

"No surprises here: NutS brings his usual synthwave flair, and as he said, it's a natural fit. The breakdown hits a little early, which results in it feeling a little long, but I'm nitpicking. The original riffs and noodling are superb."

Larry Oji concurs:

"Yep, good energy, effects and layered part-writing throughout to present a nicely souped-up take on the source, Mike! Love your style; the power and stylishness of this arrangement works with this tune nicely."

I think "power" is the right word; Mike's taken the original game's helicopter & turned it into an FTL spacecraft (spoiler alert for the next featured mix), making this sound more like intergalactic warfare than some planetary tiff. But... in a catchy, fun, sunglasses-at-night, neon-laced package sorta fashion. Wonderful, accessible, & invigorating stuff - highly recommended!