ReMix:Mass Effect "Sol Searching" 4:21

The Good Ice rock out a modern classic Sam Hulick theme from the original Mass Effect! As with many things, behind a good man was a smarter woman, so the game-playing actions of Ridley Snipes' partner, as mentioned by Ridley, set the course for this ReMix to eventually sail to the stars:

"Greetings, travelers!

This one started back in summer 2021 when my girlfriend was playing through the Mass Effect trilogy remaster. We both love the series and I can remember the cumulative hours I spent scouring the map screen, investigating (a.k.a. probing) the different star clusters and visiting each planet. What I love about this theme is how it feels so subdued, yet grandiose; you are truly out at sea among the stars, charting your next destination.

Unable to resist the itch, I started working on an ambient sketch without any specific goal in mind. When talking to Nick about potential guitar parts, he suggested we infuse some Pink Floyd/Parsons sauce into the mix, and an epic space ballad was born. I'm really happy that, even with the new additions, we were actually able to keep ALL of the original ambient elements, just rearranged slightly.

Anyways, hope you enjoy! 10 points to whoever spots the "Aquatic Ambiance" Easter egg."

Did you spot the low-key "AA" reference in here? No, I didn't spot it, hmpf! Always good to hear the primary source tune, "Uncharted Worlds", get some love. Speaking of uncharted worlds, original composer Sam Hulick and his wife Sara Pocius started ReelCrafter back in 2016 to help composers more easily stage and customize their demo reels, and they've learned a ton about the wild west of entrepreneurship; lots of VGM, film, and TV composers are proud ReelCrafter customers, so it's well worth the look. It's only right to share such a cool resource by a game composer, especially when we have also Sam to thank for this ReMix's existence!

This is the fourth rendition of this theme on OCR, with Hy Bound going mellow, Psycho Crusher going hard rock, and Moiré Effect rocking it while adding vocals. The Good Ice do end up rocking this out as well, yet I particularly like how the opening has loads of enveloping, spacious sci-fi trappings before the beats and an ominous synth arrive at :47. Great dropff at 1:20 right after some uneasy and unsettling vocals were sprinkled in. Nice sound design with the Mass Effect theme vocal stutters at 2:24 before maxing things out at 2:40 with Later Vader's guitar, an amazing peak in the energy, sustained by the soloing and flourishes until the bros start to wind things down at 3:44 and gradually close up shop on a spacious, moody, and lively quest through the cosmos. The journey in the void of space is cold, but if you're game to ride with The Good Ice, the destination is hot! :-)