ReMix:Mega Man X2 "Wires of Sponges" 2:52

Delicious MMX2 funk-rock fusion off of Mega Man X Tribute Collection: Mavericks of Destruction, from tibone (Juliano Flores) & a couple talented collaborators:

"Hello, here is my submission for OCR. This started as a remix of "Wire Sponge" for the Pixel Mixers MMX tribute album Mavericks of Destruction. I started arranging it as fusion-ish track, but the arrangement evolved into this more elaborate one after I invited Max Noël to play the bass and Sean did this great electric violin solo. Thanks!"

That is, indeed, a kickin' electric violin solo - at first glance it comes off like an even nastier (in a good way) electric guitar, but the timbre/character come through & differentiate after a bit; very nice. The electric guitar work that proceeds it is no slouch, either, and an active, funky bass is at the forefront. At the one-minute marker, I love the round, FM-ish tone on the synth lead - reminds me of Phantasy Star II/III OSTs. 1'27" sees the aforementioned violin slide in w/ some wicked harmonic distortion. Liontamer was digging both the mix itself & the fact that, through many, many years, this was his first "Wire Sponge" mix evaluation:

"Man, this source just ain't in the pantheon of renowned MMX tracks; all my time in this scene and I'd literally never heard this theme, let alone Wire Sponge as a boss. Color me surprised.

Solid cover here that altered the tempo and rhythms compared to the original to present a new feel to this. The arrangement isn't groundbreaking, but it isn't meant to be. Despite the abrupt (but perfectly valid) ending, it's a good listen the whole way through. Count it."

Roger that; it's a deserving source, and Juliano & co. have done it great justice. Arrangement doesn't stray too far, but as Larry says, it doesn't have to; Jivemaster concurs:

"Smooth. Enjoy the rendition here. Things initially felt a bit cover-ish, but there’s enough extra stuff tossed in as we go along to alleviate that. Solo at 1:30 is great. Arrangement introduces different instruments every now and then to play portions of the theme, which is a nice touch. Things are well mixed here, with not much in the way of clarity issues. The second half and outro felt like a bit of a retread but I didn’t mind how things cut short suddenly at the end. Overall a relatively good performance, with some interesting ideas thrown in. Nice job."

The violin solo's definitely a highlight & elevates the overall piece, giving it a bit more of a structural arc & memorability, but really everything's solid - great foundation, doesn't overstay its welcome, has some wonderful solos/performances, Sean & Max both inject additional musicianship, and the whole thing is a tight, three-minute package of hot MMX2 rock/funk. What's not to dig? Enjoy!