ReMix:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 "The Brinstar Chemical" 4:19

What's with all these ReMixers combining Super Metroid tracks with stuff?? We had a Metroid series medley, then Super Metroid with Secret of Mana, now Samus with ya boi, SANIC???? [sic] OK... we can handle that -- never let a good theme go to waste, I say! Time to chillax with yet another Super Metroid song (the third different one in a row), as newcomer Kyaku (Richard Westbrook) meshes the Brinstar plant theme with Sonic 2's Chemical Plant theme to give us a case of the vapors! Kyaku's got that youthful exuberance and enthusiasm about him:

"This is my first foray into making music like this. I am sure I have a lot to learn. I am having fun doing it though!

I attempted a little bit of a mash-up, and, though I started out with a vapor-wavy 80's theme in mind, kind of like that VHS sound, it probably isn't too true to that genre in total. This is my first submission after being a listener many years past, so here goes nothing! No matter the outcome, not planning on this being my last. Thanks for your time!"

Just like with SynthSage recently, it'll never not be gratifying to witness the creative arrangements of OCR's past inspiring others to try their hand at arranging and set their sights on mixpost glory! It's a very worthy goal, and, maybe one day down the line, someone'll share with us how Kyaku's work inspired them. :-) Judge Chimpazilla, a sound design maven in her own right, described this as "dreamy" twice, and no lies are detected:

"Mix opens with a huge amount of reverb, and I love it! It sounds great against the more crisp perc groove. Love the laid-back, dreamy synthwave feel of this. Arrangement is a nice mix of both sources; they go together well. Lots of writing variation throughout even while keeping the soundscape the same. Arrangement is pretty repetitive, but it works in this context and there are enough details added along the way to keep it fresh. Love the subtle wubs happening at 2:32-2:33, kinda wishing there were more like that[...] This arrangement would fit perfectly in any 80s movie. Mixing and mastering are working well. Simple and effective, luscious and dreamy."

Wonderful soundscape, no doubt. The instrumentation reminded me a bit of Ben Prunty's "Hot Machine, Cold Surface" (speaking of other musicians inspired by OCR). :-) One could argue more variation needed to be going on, but Kyaku's arrangement was so interpretive with its treatment (including the theme interplay) that it could bear the repetition; it establishes quite the mood. Never would have expected a slowed-down version of "Chemical Plant Zone" (known for its upbeat feel) to work so effectively, yet here we are, and Super Metroid perfectly melded together with it to boot, wow. :-) Fellow judge (and Metroid masher-upper) Emunator's on the money that while Kyaku's mellow approach isn't a kick-you-in-the-face play, it rewards those willing to slow down and go with the flow:

"There's a great deal of subtlety and restraint at work here, this is not the kind of remix that jumps out and immediately demands attention. That said, the fusion of source material here is really seamless and yields some downright beautiful results. The melody treatment is the star of the show, but your sound design is also very immersive, and the production is clean as a whistle. Cheers to many more from here!"

We're absolutely looking forward to more cool arrangement ideas from Kyaku, who's already successfully submitted more VGM mashups that'll make their way to the frontpage. Excellent debut from a newcomer that -- we're telling you right here, right now -- is an artist to watch!