ReMix:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim "Dovahkiin in Jamaica" 3:17

It's the 11th anniversary of Skyrim's 11/11/11 release date, and we've got some (more!) sweet reggae from M Benson (Mike Benson), who takes the dovahkiin on an upbeat vacation to Kingston:

"Here is my now yearly submission - more reggae, but from Skyrim this time. This might fall more into the "rocksteady" vein of reggae. I got a real drummer on this one from the King Django band, Ben Cureton (NYC ska/reggae master I've worked with for many years now). I recorded the rest of the instruments myself and had fun doing so! Hope you dig."

Like many of you, I've bought this game for multiple systems and completed multiple playthroughs. I've lost track of how many times it's been re-released, but let that not detract from its status as an absolute classic. Once VR finally gets to a certain level of ergonomic & technical capacity, I can definitely see myself playing it yet again, but in the meantime: I had actually considered doing a reggae take on this very theme, to give my FF7 mix some company, but now I don't have to, because someone with a better grasp on the genre (& some live chops, plus Ben on drums!) has done it FOR me :) Procrastination pays off, in the end... or something like that. Good thing, too, because my own take would have had a more basic chord progression; I love what Mike's done, in this regard, as the deep dub bass & muted rhythm guitars have some very nice changes. Saxes and what sounds like a melodica take on lead duties, and there's some satisfying noodling & interpretation on both as they trade off. I think almost any melody CAN be adapted to a reggae groove, but some make more sense than others, and this theme had already struck me as a great candidate. Clearly Mike felt the same way, and I've said it before: I love seeing more reggae VGM mixes! Live drums from Ben give the whole thing more life, and I love all the fills & flourishes. Really fun, intuitive, and absolutely mellow stuff from Mike & Ben; highly recommended!