ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons "Forgotten Ruins" 3:57

More Zelda, as Gaspode (Peter Köller) takes us on a chill ambient/cinematic hip-hop instrumental tour of Oracle of Seasons' "Tarm Ruins" & "Temple Remains":

"The »Tarm Ruins« theme is a song I always wanted to remix. But after I wrote the first two minutes of it, it didn't evolve further. And so it stayed for quite some time on my hard drive. Some weeks ago, I discovered that it fits quite well to another theme from »Oracle of Seasons« and so I could finish it, finally."

Sometimes you just gotta wait until that serendipitous moment where everything clicks and you've got what you need to finish a track; historically, I think a LOT of artists have found that incorporating a second source can unlock new pathways, and is often a good cure for "arranger's block" - this mix being no exception. I love the chillness, the oscillation between drumless, more cinematic passages and the low-key hip-hop beat Peter has going on, and the delicate, crystalline bells & keys employed. Judges were unanimous; DarkSim had some good insights:

"I like this a lot. There's great sound design throughout, and chunky beats with a decent groove to back up the instrumentation. The beats aren't chopped too heavily, and when they are, it's very tastefully done.

I like how the melody is presented softly at 0:39 with the synth flute, and the piece circles back to it at the end for a final run-through with that gorgeous saw lead. In the middle of the arrangement, we have the temple ruins theme, which sounds very Zelda. The source definitely has a nod to Link's Awakening there, and the Game Boy Zeldas have always had harmonically-challenging source tunes, so those odd-sounding scales are in keeping with that.

I like the more ethnic percussion and Japanese-sounding timbre of the instrumentation in the break at 1:56. When the beat comes back in at 2:16, it's got even more of a groove to it, and the piece builds to its climax, before a nice ending section to resolve things.

Not a lot to criticise here for me, although if I'm being picky I think some of the transitions could have been telegraphed better, particularly moving between unusual scales and harmonies, and perhaps it would have been nice to vary up the beats/fills a tiny bit more. But I'm really reaching for suggestions there! Top stuff, and I enjoyed listening over and over again picking out extra details."

What he said; GB Zeldas have some peculiar stuff going on, musically, and Gaspode proves they're well worth exploring with this approachable, chill, & classy jam!