ReMix:Animal Crossing: New Horizons "Together Again" 3:30

It's time for a taste of the 80s, that bygone era so many of us 8-bit nerds call home sweet home. It's time to tap into that nostalgia as Just Coffee sweeps you in a retrowave rendition of K.K. Slider's "K.K. Love Song" from Animal Crossing: New Horizons! Just Coffee actually had us hold off on this to develop it a little more, but we hadn't heard back for a long while and were peachy keen on this as is, so -- NO MOAR WAITING, CHIEF -- it's time for us to be "Together Again"!

"Hello OCR, here's my 80's-style take on Animal Crossing's "K.K. Love Song" by K.K. Slider. For this track, I try to carry those feelings of fondness, remembrance, longing, and reunion that I feel are present in the original.

I had a particular story in mind involving the time travel mechanic in Animal Crossing games wherein you could potentially lose a villager if you used it too much to advance in the game outside of its normal time-based progression. The original itself is very minimal in structure and I've decided to maintain it but give it a bigger retrowave energy. From the intro, there are two leads that might not sound quite 80s, but I used them to represent the player character and the villager and to add a little narrative in the song.

It's been a while since my last submission and I hope I haven't rusted too hard. Still, I present this work as it is to the panel for criticism and feedback, to which I always look forward to receiving."

How could someone so caffeinated drip-drop something so chill on us? Judge prophetik music fully co-signed with Coffee's sound palette and the excellent development arc of the arrangement:

"intro is quite simple, but not in a bad way. there's some P H A T bass synths coming in at 0:30, and then we get the first real run-through of the melodic content. i don't think this earlier section sounds too thin at all - the space in this realization is great, and allows the very slow, patient melody to have some room to breath. i really liked this section actually.

at 1:41, we get some iconic sixteenth-note bass stuff sidechained nicely, and a good driving beat that continues to explore countermelodic material. this plays through and then goes through a key change, and that key change brings in a more heroic, uplifting set of arps alongside it. the ending actually comes a bit soon - i wouldn't have minded a four-bar outro, as there's a ton of energy there at the end - but it's handled in a fine way.

this is a slam dunk in my opinion. there's a natural shape to the song, the synths sound great, i love all the space in the first half and the countermelodic content in the second half. nice work."

Yep, great gradual build in complexity and intensity, all while maintaining its steady 80s-inspired tempo; as a child of the 80s, this is giving the right vibes! Judge DarkSim also praised this, saying "It's the kind of track that makes me want to hit repeat to experience the journey again, coming from the delicate e-piano to the triumphant chords and warm, fuzzy feeling that bass gives me. Lovely stuff!" DarkeSword, Hemophiliac, and I were chatting on OCR's Discord last night about DarkeSword's desire to pull together a synthwave album, and there are a nice handful of ReMixers who could stand and deliver, like WillRock, Jorito, and Astral Tales. I hope JC returns for another cup o' coffee with OCR so he can take part in whatever synthwave/retrowave effort ends up forming; we need his brand of mellow! As Coffee noted & quoted in his submission comments, "Always take care when time travelling." Whether your heart belongs to your sig O, the one that got away, or your K.K. Slider plushie, you can undoubtably take care and kick back as the warm tones and loving energy of this arrangement transport you back to the 80s and give you a comfy, synthy hug of nostalgia! :-)