Super Metroid "A God from the Machine" 4:57

Time for a super Super Metroid ReMix! Hemophiliac and I were JUST listening to this while chatting on OCR's Discord this afternoon and we both loved the switchup at 3:03 into pixelseph's guitar, the involvement of which was perfect both as a dynamic contrast, as well as a foil underneath the Brinstar theme later on at 4:11. I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself...

Though this one's only a big judge collab retroactively (pixelseph joined the panel after this passed), them big judge collabs be hittin' hard, don't they? Chimpazilla took one of Emunator's previous collabs with pixelseph on guitars and added some Samus-grade energy tanks to take things to the next level! Original arranger Emunator elaborates:

"This submission is a completely reimagined version of my contribution to VGM Essentials: Drum & Bass on Firaga Records - the original version of this arrangement is available for streaming now! When I finished that track, I sent it to Chimpazilla to share, and she loved the potential of it but wanted to see it done in a harder-hitting, modern drum & bass style. I sent the stems over, and, about a week later, she came out of nowhere with this absolutely killer VIP edit that is way too kickass to not share.

The original intent behind this concept was to remix "Lower Brinstar" in the style of Deus Ex. This inspiration still shows through in the atmospheric sound design throughout the song and the cyberpunk-style synth plucks (as well as the title, which is a literal translation of the phrase "Deus Ex Machina"), but along the way it doubled in tempo and got way heavier than I'd originally planned! This ended up being a perfect blend of influences - I was captivated by the more rock-oriented, traditional D&B stylings of artists like Pendulum, and Kris brought that modern flair and beefed up the production beyond what I could accomplish alone. pixelseph came in clutch with some really badass guitar chops that amp the arrangement all the way up to 11.

This now marks my 11th collaboration with Chimpazilla, and the 7th in the last year, and I don't think we're showing any signs of letting up. I'm so lucky to be able to have a true collaborative partner-in-crime that is down for literally any genre, any time - you saw potential in this track and ran with it, and I'm so grateful that this version of the remix is able to exist because of you."

We're grateful too... I think?? I mean... I'm not 100% sure, because speaking of themes we're tired of hearing... this -- now OCR's 10th-most arranged theme -- has gotta be one of them, right?? OK, not really, you know this. :-P Still, as a long-time evil judge, Chimpazilla's not immune from Popular Source Tune Fatigue™, but she felt ripples of hope once she heard Emu & Seph's version and identified even further arranging possibilities:

"When Wes first sent me this track in nearly-finished WIP form, I thought, "Oh gosh, yet another 'Brinstar' arrangement". (I'm not sure what planets aligned in the last couple of months, but around 50 "Brinstar" arrangements were submitted to OCR; was there a memo sent out that I was unaware of?) But I adore this theme, and the massive amount of "Brinstar" submissions had motivated me to think about doing one myself at some point. And then Wes sent me his fabulous WIP.

I loved his concept so much, and Seph had already added the aforementioned badass guitars when I heard it. Wes had some killer neurobass, great synths, and a lot of DnB drum detail, and the track had a lot of positives to it, but my big gripe was the arrangement. The way the song was structured, it seemed like there were builds but no big payoff. I felt super-strongly that it needed a proper build into a very heavy/badass DnB neurobass drop. I am guilty of harping on this to Wes until he said "FINE, here are the stems, do your thing!" I definitely had my way with these stems; I reworked the first two minutes quite heavily, extending the intro and adding the drumless buildup and then the big drop. I made many more changes and additions to the rest of the piece, mixed it for maximum badassery, and mastered it.

pixelseph's guitar work in this track is so tasty, and goes so well with the heavy DnB drums and basses. I really like this track, it turned out to be one of my favorites of our many collabs. (Wow, 11 so far, did you say?) Wes is right, we will not be slowing down on these. We have so much fun working together exploring new genres and production techniques. Our work always fits together so seamlessly, working with Wes is joyous and effortless, and I feel like the results just get better and better each time.

Wes, thanks so much for trusting me with this! I am grateful to you for your incredible friendship and for being the best collab partner ever!"

I'd bust on these folks for the mutual admiration society they're in, but I've witnessed how they both work as my colleagues on the judges panel and as collaborators. Surprisingly enough, they're probably both inadvertently underselling each other's impact. When one of them has even just the beginnings of an idea, the other is down to lend their insights; and when one of them's lost in the murk of musical apparitions, the other eagerly carries the torchlight, points the way forward, and they're about to turn it all around! I'm not sure we have two other ReMixers who click so cooperatively -- and have the genuine ability to markedly elevate any piece -- no matter what style or stage the work-in-progress is in OR how late they arrive to the party. It's not a god from the machine making these sweet tracks happen -- Chimpazilla and Emunator represent creativity, solidarity, and teamwork in the truest sense of those words. :-)