ReMix:Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 "Great Success" 2:20

OCR turns 21 today, which means (in the US) that we can finally down a pint. Responsibly. To celebrate, we've got this short-but-sweet EDM/funk Persona 4 groove from Jamphibious (Jordan Michael Reed):

"Persona 4 and 5 were some of the more compelling RPGs I've played in recent memory. I always loved the battle victory/results theme from Persona 4. It is a simple little track, but I wanted to do something with it. It's been a long time since I personally submitted anything to OCR, but 2020 has been a bit of a turning point for me and my music despite the state of the world. I've been trying not to overthink things, put myself out there more and share more music with the world.

I've included a bit of the melody from "Specialist" in the verse here, as well as a bit of the melody from "I'll Face Myself" which has one of the main melodic motifs from the game itself. It was difficult to have just the results screen stand by itself, so I felt like some additional melodic references give the track a bit more substance. But the majority of the mix is based on "Period" (the results screen).

This isn't a very serious remix. In fact, I was deliberately cheesy with the instrumentation, but I had a ton of fun putting this together. I hope you all enjoy it!"

We last featured Jordan's music back on the SMRPG album, and it's fantastic to be doing so again; this is also technically our first mix of the original P4, and while it clocks in under 2.5 minutes, there's still plenty of zip, pep, & spunk. Rexy evaluates:

"Jordan got a solid grasp on knowing how to interpret a source with very little melodic content - one that's based more on keeping the chord structure and letting the textures evolve. Like other works I had heard from him in the past, the clean sound palette and dynamic work feel sublime and full of life, which I consider essential when working with funk. Referencing "Specialist" at 0:48 and the B section of "I'll Face Myself" from 1:02 have also helped give it some substantial melodic variation during that middle development. However, I was concerned about some auto-pilot with the recapitulation at 1:28 sounding identical to the first initial source use. But the additional countermelody and larger brass flares starting at 1:56 gave it the lift it needed to get to that quick-punching ending.

Despite the brief duration, it all adds up to a concise package that demonstrates both Jordan's continued prowess with synthetic funk, as well as showing that he's still got the magic despite his brief hiatus. I'm confident that with whatever projects he releases next, he'll have plenty of folks that have got his back."

If you're gonna go by "Jamphibious," you're morally & socially obliged to jam... and he does. On land and in water as well, I can only assume. This arrangement maintains the clean, precise lines, uplifting/positive vibe, & generally active, funky soundscape that I associate with large swaths of modern Persona soundtracks. You've got a jumpin' FM bass, smooth keys, buttery/slippery synth, & funky brass hits to keep you company, and the integratrion of the various themes works well. If you haven't played P4, play P4, but either way enjoy this brief but very welcome dose of synthfunk from Jamphibious!