ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword "Hidden Shrines" 4:11

From everyone at OCR, we hope you're staying safe & doing the best you can during this coronavirus situation; I'm working from home with my wife and two kids, but we can still find some time to keep posting amazing VGM arrangements, which - who knows? - might help *someone* out there cope with cabin fever and/or the general stress of lockdown. We ended last week with a compelling piece from Rebecca E. Tripp, and we begin this week the same way, as she teams up with TPR (Dan Collins) on this exquisite new age Breath of the Wild/Skyward Sword mashup:

"This is a mini-medley of two themes from the Legend of Zelda series, "Temple of Hylia" from Skyward Sword, and "Cave Shrine" from Breath of the Wild (which I tend to associate specifically with the Spring of Courage). It was created by myself and TPR. He's already agreed to let me submit this. :)

This project was a dream come true. I have always wanted to collaborate with TPR! I think our two styles go together quite nicely, and that this track ended up being one of the prettiest things either of us have worked on! In the unlikely event that you're not yet familiar with Dan's (TPR's) awesome work, you can check out his YouTube channel. He has a massive collection of ambient piano covers from all the games you like, as well as some original work.

As with my previous Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild medley, I felt that these two themes were thematically, musically, and aesthetically connected!"

Judges griped a bit about hot levels in last week's mix, and have voiced concern for some other mixes being on the quiet side, but this piece sits in the Goldilocks zone for levels, at least for me - sounds great. Beyond the mastering, there's a beautiful attention to space & clarity, and a tasteful use of rainstick and chimes to create a sacred, reverent sorta vibe. On top of that you've got a lush blend of harp, piano, bells, chromatic percussion, a wind/flute lead, and ambient/choral pads, plus a cool synthetic reversed effect that hits a couple times & adds that little extra flavor to the soundscape. Neat. Judges were unanimous; MindWanderer enthuses:

"Sweet and simple, yet with a rich and varied soundscape. This strikes an excellent balance between the melodies of Skyward Sword and the ambiance of BotW. Nails it."

Indeed! Chimpazilla adds:

"Sweet and simple, yes. Slow and ethereal. I love the little reverses, they add just the right hint of mystery to the soundscape. The two themes are seamlessly integrated into one arrangement. I love the little nod to the main Zelda theme at the very end."

Beautiful work; judges really didn't have anything to offer other than praise, and I can hear why - everything clicks & sounds sublime. Fantastic work from Rebecca (as always!) & Dan (welcome aboard!) - highly recommended!