ReMix:Chrono Cross "If I Could..." 4:24

Time for a beautiful vocal pop/ballad from Chronopolis: Music Inspired by Chrono Cross, as Jorito (Jorrith Schaap) assembles a crack team of specialists for another unique sonic journey:

• arrangement, production, backing vocals, lyrics - Jorito
• vocals, lyrics - JoyDreamer
• violin - Trev Wignall
• saxophone - prophetik music

This is the acoustic version of the synthwave mix we've already posted, but it's different enough to stand on its own as a distinct arrangement, even with the same lyrics. Album director & saxophonist prophetik music (Bradley Burr) writes:

"I approached Jorito about contributing to this project after noticing his post in the thread saying he was interested. He was still busy at the time but asked me to follow up with him at a later date to see if his schedule had calmed down. A few more follow-ups and he was hooked! I'm so glad he was able to contribute, as his additions to the project (both musical and otherwise) have been invaluable."

Indeed; Chronopolis was a great, diverse album filled with dynamic live performances & collaborations, thanks in large part to Jorrith's contributions; this piece personifies this aspect of his work:

"Originally, I wanted to remix "Voyage - Home World" for the album, but when I finally was able to sit down and give it a go, I struggled to come up with something that would do this piece justice and still make it different enough. When I checked out the rest of the OST, I stumbled upon "Reminiscing" and that track immediately resonated with me, since I'm a sucker for these kind of slow, melancholic tracks.

I thought the source material would work well as a vocal ballad, and that, of course, means vocals. I just knew that Joy would have the perfect voice for this, and listening back to the track, she definitely doesn't disappoint! Since she's a big fan of Chrono Cross too, it made co-writing the lyrics a breeze and also a lot of fun.

I also knew quite soon in the process that I wanted a live performed solo part, but couldn't quite decide if I wanted a violin solo or a saxophone solo. When Brad mentioned he's plays saxophone, I asked him to give it a shot, and he came up with a kickass solo. However, I couldn't quite ignore the idea that violin would sound great on this track too, so I wrote some interesting, soaring lines to accompany and compliment the vocals. It already sounded pretty good with the samples I used, but I asked Trev if he could kick it up a notch, and he delivered a fabulous performance that really makes the violin sing.

Dig it. Hope you do too."

I do; while it would still be excellent as a standalone mix, this fits right in & really gels with the organic, intimate aesthetic that permeates the album. Vocalist JoyDreamer (Anne Marie Joy Jørgensen) adds

"It's been lovely working with Jorrith on the different tracks during this short period. He's always so full of ideas and creative talent that it's impossible to dislike his work. Or maybe that's just my personal taste? Whatever it is, I'm very satisfied with what we've put together for the album. As a fan of the old Chrono Cross games, it felt so natural working on the tracks, both melody and lyric-wise. As for the lyrics, Jorrith also had a great impact on the final outcome as we're fortunate enough to live in the same time-zone, enabling us to work on the writing on a more focused level. It was a fun experience, finishing a set of lyrics real-time.

I think that the two compositions we've managed to put together are special because they are so different yet the same. The same set of lyrics were used but the feeling for each weigh differently and bring a different feeling forth. While the ballad version of the song is very lighthearted and holds onto a fragment of hope, the synthwave piece puts weight on the words and lets the listener soar -- almost meditate-like.

I hope whoever listens will enjoy what we've put together. :)"

On paper I might be concerned with the same theme being arranged twice for an album, with shared elements, at least in terms of both mixes being featured on the site, but I agree with Anne Marie: while there are shared ingredients, the recipe is different, and more importantly, the mood & emotions evoked are unique. I'll again mention how much I dig the lyrics, which happen to work quite well in both settings. Violinist Trev Wignall adds:

"Jorrith once again asked me to contribute to his beautiful arrangement, and I was really able to have my violin truly sing to this tune. It felt sublime. I love how this turned out. The sax and vocals are stunning, and the use of open musical space is very well done."

What he said :) Great ReMix in its own right, a worthy fraternal twin to its synthwave incarnation, and (another) fabulous collaboration from Jorrith which confidently wields the vocal & instrumental talents of Joy, Brad, & Trev. Highly recommended!