ReMix:Final Fantasy VII "The Cosmofarian" 3:11

I wanted something different for OCR04000; we've been around a long time, and the VGM arrangement scene has grown so much during that period. One of the things I miss from the "good old days" (or at least associate a bit more with them...) was artists trying weirder concepts out & playing with unfamiliar genres. As much as it is a site dedicated to games, and to music, OCR is a site dedicated to the infinite possibilities of musical arrangement, specifically, and commercial markets *tend* to resist individual artists moving too far & too often along the spectrum of stylistic diversity & influence. Well, we aren't a commercial market, we're a labor of love, forged in the chaotic cauldron of the earlier internet, when anything was possible & we hadn't yet seen as much of... The Dark Side ;) To be clear, I'm not throwing shade on the emergent commercial mixing scene, which I view as both fantastic AND inevitable, but I do think meaningfully distinct & vital work remains possible outside of that space.

So with that said, this is a strange & hopefully agreeable blend of roots reggae, blues, & rock, arranging Final Fantasy VII's "Cosmo Canyon" from the incomparable Nobuo Uematsu. I've always loved reggae, even though I'm guilty of the cardinal "reggae tourist" sin of being primarily familiar with Bob Marley's Legend. There's a fair bit of dirt, grit, and hair on the organ & wah clav, and then the amped/distorted clavinet that gets the solo is a big potty mouth. Drums are Toontrack, bass is Scarbee's Rickenbacker, organ is Sound Dust, guitar is Shreddage w/ Chandler GAV19T, brass is Session Horns Pro, & both clavs are Spectrasonics Keyscape, and that's basically everything. Doesn't stick around too long, but I had fun taking the very solemn, spiritual source and going in a... different direction.

Alternate mix title would be "Red CDXX" - "The Cosmofarian" is conceptually envisioned as a creature of intergalactic power & near-omnipotence that doesn't give af, like the MCU's celestial beings... except its primary focus is spreading peace, love, & music throughout the universe. Larry Oji writes:

"I appreciate Dave's conceptual throwback to simpler times in the VGM arrangement community; there's a certain lost charm when it comes to people trying riskier directions when it comes to interpretation, so this track fits nicely in that framework. Beyond being quaint, this piece plays to a lot of djp's traditional strengths: a willingness to take genre risks, keeping textures simple yet fully fleshed out, playing parts in live for a more organic-style presentation, getting melodically liberal, leaning into comping/vamping, and not overstaying the welcome. :-)

I've said before that when you look at what djp's posted from the very, very beginning of OCR, you can tell he's all about embracing less conventional arrangement approaches, whether by himself or other artists.

I've also championed unconventional pieces myself in my role here, and applauding the weird and nontraditional makes OCR that much better. It's a facet of this place I know we'll never lose, so whether it's 5 more years and 1,000 more mixes, or 20 more years and 4,000 more mixes (I fully expect these links to eventually work), here's to both a concept and a community full of ideas, ambition, talent, passion, and the love & appreciation of video game music as an art form!"

I'll drink to that.