ReMix:Psycho Pinball "Kamomilla" 2:59

By Eino Keskitalo

Arranging the music of one song...

"Psycho"

Primary Game: Psycho Pinball (Codemasters , 1995, DOS), music by Tim Bartlett

Posted 2020-06-15, evaluated by the judges panel


Our first ReMix of Psycho Pinball (DOS) comes courtesy Eino Keskitalo, who puts a quirky, updated electronic/pop spin on the carnivalesque "Psycho" theme:

"This is originally from PRC round 276, way back from 2014! Love the game, played it back in the day with friends. To be honest, I wasn't terribly inspired by the circus style music, but there were a couple of parts I did find I could work with, and I wasn't going to pass on the chance to rearrange music from this game. Interesting circumstances and interesting results, I think.

It's kind of fun to listen and compare the initial compo version to the finished thing. It's basically the same, really, but I did spend hours and hours in total, chiseling away on the mix, coming back to it every few months. Or years. The usual.

Nice to finally have finished a DOS game music arrangement. As almost always, this was done in Renoise, and you might be able to hear the sample-based tracker... "techniques," I guess, such as using a single sample for an instrument and just playing it in different pitches without worrying too much. I like to think that this one really has that feel. Thanks to Eladar, Jorito, and Pirjo for constructive comments!"

  • Part of source used in the intro: 1:03-1:12
  • Part of source used in the rest of the tune: 0:54-1:12

PRC & other compos provide unique challenges/circumstances and tend to result in mixes we would never have seen, otherwise - this is a great example of that, and I dig how Eino has taken a sugary/bombastic source that sits squarely in the Barnum & Bailey/Sousa style and turned it into a poppier, extended electronic track. I will say that when I first heard the intro, I thought the drop at 0'30" would have been a fantastic transition into a downtempo/lo-fi track. With more or less the same textures & instruments, but slowed way down, with more verb & FX, I think that genre treatment - while diverging even further from the tone of the original - would have worked a treat. Something dusty, trip-hoppy, and not unlike some of the mixes we've seen from Nestor Estrada, for example. But enough about what *might have been* - Larry Oji talks about what *is*:

"Thanks a lot for the source usage breakdown, which made this super easy to evaluate for arrangement. Fun stuff the whole way through with fun production choices throughout. Nice, spacious soundscape, and a dynamic and fun arrangement!"

Emunator adds:

"This arrangement is brimming with personality! I agree with the others that the true strength here lies in how successfully you adapted the original source material to something tasteful and listenable without doing a full 180 on the peppy circus vibe of the original source. For as little material as you're working with, the arrangement never feels like it's treading water. Your sound design is no slouch either - the rich, bubbly bassline sits perfectly against the lo-fi synths that fill out the mid/high range, and the breakbeat drums keep the pace upbeat while contributing a warm, scratchy texture to the mix."

While I still think the 180 alluded to above might have been slick, I agree with Wes - the elements here all work well together, Eino's captured enough of the "tracker aesthetic" with certain components that it comes through as intended, and the overall experience is bouncy, brisk, & just as much fun as the source, if not moreso. Enjoy!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 2 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Trism
on 2020-06-16 18:49:28

I chose the source for that PRC round! I dearly love Psycho Pinball (though I had it on the Mega-Drive rather than DOS) and wanted to shine a light on the awesome soundtrack for others to hear. If I recall it even prompted Eino to play the game while he was crafting his remix, which pleased me greatly. I've considered it for a Paths Less Travelled volume at some point, though due to there only being about 6 tracks on the soundtrack it would be more of an EP than an album.

As for the track itself; I totally dig it. The source tune is your run-of-the-mill Big Top circus tune, and Eino's upbeat EDM take on it really gives it a new lease of life while retaining the circus feel of the original. Thanks for bringing some representation to this piece of my childhood, buddy!

avatar
Liontamer
on 2020-06-12 10:34:51

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Psycho Pinball (Codemasters , 1995, DOS)
Music by Tim Bartlett
Songs:
"Psycho"

Tags (8)


Genre:
EDM
Mood:
Energetic,Happy,Quirky
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth
Additional:
Effects > Lo-Fi
Origin > Competition

File Information


Name:
Psycho_Pinball_Kamomilla_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,157,661 bytes
MD5:
9ee074fdbcc8b3a1e7339ef394c7b9fa
Bitrate:
227Kbps
Duration:
2:59

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