ReMix:Chrono Trigger "Corridors of TimeShift" 7:03

Happy silver anniversary to a golden concept djpretzel had long, long ago in a basement far, far away. ;-) I've been working on this writeup while also hanging out in our Discord in a live 25th anniversary hangout, and the trip down memory lane from loads of people in the community is heart-warming and gratifying. I even went to get a McRib in the middle of the event, but I digress!

Dyluck and the community have got TimeShift: The OverClocked ReMix 25th Anniversary Album in development, but since it's still not fully baked according to the evil judges panel, let's sneak a bite of a tasty morsel while we await the full cake! When it came time to spotlight something for OCR's official birthday today, Dyluck immediately nominated JSABlixer's inspired take on a barely-ReMixed theme from a barely-ReMixed game (!):

"Good morning. Please be up standing for the national anthem-source of OverClocked ReMix. [...]

A multi-layered chiptune rendition of the most iconic tune from the most iconic time-travel game: "Zeal Kingdom". What might seem sedate at first is interrupted by... no, that would spoil the fun. ;) Prepare to have your mind blown. For someone who didn't grow up when Chrono Trigger was new and who hasn't lived through the soundtrack's well-worn trail through the OCR community, I feel like Blixer understands the nostalgia and impact of its soundtrack better than maybe any of us do. They take the absolute peak-OCR stereotype source and reimagine it, making it brand new again with no mea culpa needed. If anyone doubts their genius, doubt no longer."

Even for a VGM fan like me who didn't play RPGs as a kid, Chris J. Hampton's "The New Zeal" was the first OC ReMix outside of my nostalgia games that made me go "Hey, what's that?" all the way back in 2002 when I'd first heard of this place. With the album format being that arrangers younger than OCR's 1999 founding could arrange games older than OCR, welp, we just have JSA as the resident youngin'! They punched above their weight for the album, but this'll have to do to whet the appetite:

"This was the first mix I started for TimeShift, and it's far and away the most fitting for the album. I took direct inspiration from the name of the album, particularly with treatment of the source's main arpeggio. There's multiple portions devoted to layers and layers of the arpeggio offset from each other, as if they're each shifting through time. Initially, there were sections of complete silence, but, after getting some feedback, I decided to add some effects there and boost my nostalgia points. :3 Shoutouts to gravitygauntlet for mixing this track, he really brought the track to the next level. Enjoy!"

Judge Gario had EXACTLY the right kind of background and credibility to weigh in this one:

"Not sure how I feel about having my thunder stolen for "The most chiptuniest Corridor of Time ReMix" title taken away from me, but on the other hand I do like the different approach that this one holds. The production of the chips are very clean - dry, but they fill the space well enough regardless with their density. I might have a certain affinity toward chips that have more modern post production done on them to make them fill the space better (with reverb, delay, etc.), but there's certainly an appeal that you get by handling the chips more naturally. I like it.

Concerning the arrangement, it's different. It definitely takes its time to get to the meat of its ideas. [...] 4:08 - very nice contrast in density and a great interpretation of the source. I can see some folk not appreciating the sudden ending, but to be honest the arrangement preps the listeners well enough for it with other sudden cuts so I think it works well enough as an ending.

Nah, couldn't in good consciousness leave this one off the front page. Great work, and I relinquish my Corridors of Time chiptune crown to you happily. If this quality is what we can expect for the rest of the album I look forward to it!"

Based on what's already passed the judge panel, y'all are gonna be eating good, so be patient as the rest of the TimeShift album continues to develop. Fellow judge prophetik music is also a Zeal theme enthusiast (keep an eye out in 2025), so now I'm feeling like the scales were tipped right in Blixer's favor (for good reason though, c'mon):

"there's a lot here to like. CoT is such an overdone track (i should know, i have one on the panel right now too!) that this is kind of surprising how far afield it's able to travel. i appreciate the breadth of the arrangement and how much you do to reinforce the natural beauty of the arpeggio that ties it all together. great work."

We'll be going down memory lane in other ways on OCR this coming year, but short and sweet, we're very privileged to post something from a contributor younger than OCR itself -- 25 years is a looooong time indeed, so we're chompin' at the bit to cultivate the next generation of video game musicians! Stay tuned for the eventual TimeShift, and here's to another 25 more years in action! :-D