ReMix:Sonic & Knuckles "Ghost Touch" 2:39

Are we seeing a ghost??? And after a decade away, CJthemusicdude says "BOO!" and is back once again with a featured ReMix of a Sega title! After past ReMixes tackling Puggsy and Gunstar Heroes, CJthemusicdude turns his attention to Sanic & Knux, peppering the music with some apparitional allusions:

"Did a ghost-themed remix of the "Sandopolis Zone" tune from Sonic & Knuckles. See if you can spot the ghost references! :D

I really like that crunchy Genesis FM bass. I also like panning."

I gotta be real, I don't believe in ghosts, so while I might recognize a sample here and there (e.g. :47), I'm not gonna catch anything! Ghost enthusiasts, help a brother out and annotate some of these references! :-) Judge prophetik music clearly caught a reference I didn't:

"there's a nice variety of synths being used (and sfx...never would have mashed up SC2 and S&K!), and the fm bass is indeed fun. [...] this isn't anything super groundbreaking, but it's a quick and easy take on a good original track. i liked the gliding synths a lot."

The Sandopolis melody at :27 is ear candy to me, so I'm on board with proph calling that out, and we come to find strong ornamentation throughout. Right afterward though, CJ employed some clever dynamic contrast at :42, dropping elements out for a spookier texture and gradually rebuilding back to the chorus at 1:24, creative writing that led to DarkSim praising the production:

"That melody from 0:07-0:12 has an Arabian feel, a little nod to Oil Ocean I guess, from the source. It's a tidy package with very cohesive sound design which I like [...]. The SFX were unexpected, but they work for the style (putting a Boo cackle from Mario in a Sonic mix - how dare you!)."

Sacrilege, baby, it's what we do! Seriously though, the overarching ghost influences did lead to what I think we can all agree is an unconventional theme transformation choice; after all, who out there was expecting anything in the realm of "spooky Sandopolis"? Yet there's a back and forth between the ghostly vibes and the straightforward adaptation of Sandopolis that, while unexpected, clicks and connects comfortably, leading to a solid endorsement from Emunator:

"Banger alert! This track comes in hot and stays there. The synth design is really expressive, even if it doesn't venture too far outside the realm of Genesis FM sounds. [...] The ideas that are presented are executed well. Mixing and mastering is solid, let's ship it."

It's been awesome having CJ back in the fold, not only with ReMixes like this and more in the pipeline, but he's shown huge love to the community by eagerly firing off more than 300 ReMix Reviews, with plans to eventually go through the entire OCR catalog. Several have dared, but it's rare to have a musician be the one sharing thoughts; even just as a listener, going through OCR's deep library has been an insanely rewarding experience, so I have no doubt CJ's gonna not just find a lot to like, but he'll unlock fresh ideas and source tune choices to then apply to his own work, which benefits all of us. With CJthemusicdude's level of activity lately, boy, everything's coming up Milhouse today, for CJ, for you the listeners, AND for the team running the OCR ship. Enjoy CJthemusicdude's tasty bit of Sonic & Knuckles ear candy that's surprisingly both trick and treat!