ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time "It's Dangerous to Go Alone" 4:46

Argentinian newcomer dPoten (Damian Potenzoni) goes smooth & easy on "Zelda's Theme" with this 90's R&B ballad take featuring electric & acoustic piano, electric guitar, chiptune bits, and 100% mellow vibes:

"El R&B de los 90's es la que va! 90's R&B is what it's at!

Loved doing this one in that style."

Right from the sustained chord at 0'10" that defies expectations & hovers for an unresolved second or two, I'm digging this. Damian has the sound palette down - drums are straight outta Milli Vanilli land, EP has that FM tine/glass to it, and the electric guitar that eventually enters has a delicious steamy tube saturation that glues it in place. Chiptune elements are perhaps anachronistic relative to the era/aesthetic, but they work, and also help break things up & provide points of reference, and the aforementioned guitar helps sustain the duration and keep the second half more engaging. Judges were unanimous, but prophetik music did notice the same things I did re: critique:

"oh, what a great intro. the scoop on the lead is delicious.

this is a really fun vibe right away. i agree with emu that there's some r'n'b here. it's irritating to me that the dx7 and the piano is ahead of the beat almost the entire time, but that's a nitpick. feels like it got stamped in a touch earlier than it should have been. the variety of backgrounds by the two minute mark help keep it interesting. the pads at 2:15 is a nice transition too.

the guitar is fun when it comes in, albeit pretty out of tune. solo was nice and does a nice job mirroring some of the melody's shape while making its own way through it. the chiptune-esque synth at 4:11 is a really fun idea, and then the exploration it does is neat. it's a little loud though. the fadeout is fine, i didn't think it was too abrupt or too early.

my complaints on this track are primary in the details - the keys being ahead, the guitar being out of tune, some balance. overall though it's over the bar. nice work on a fun style."

I love this type of judge decision because I can track everything Brad's pointing out, I heard it myself before reading his analysis, and I also agree with his conclusion that neither timing nor tuning cross thresholds into true dealbreakers, even if they're noticeable. The only thing I would add is timestamps - the initial intro of the acoustic piano exposes timing/alignment at 1'06", and guitar tuning is probably most obvious at 3'36" - these concerns are present elsewhere, but not as disruptive. For a laid-back groove where relaxed timing is a big part of the vibe, just gotta make sure it never slips outside the pocket so far that it becomes ambiguous, and some (subtle!) spot autotuning on the guitar would have been sufficient. So yes, nits are present and the judges picked them, but everyone was generally loving the smooth throwback energy Damian layered into this arrangement, and I think the modified chord progression & chiptune/guitar additions were highlights for me, personally. Solid, extra-mellow retro debut from dPoten - looking forward to hearing more!