Banjo-Kazooie "Witchcraft" 3:21

Lets keeps our Halloween-adjacent hot streak going with B-laze's big, bountiful EDM take on Grant Kirkhope's classic "Gruntilda's Lair" from Banjo-Kazooie!

"Here is my new remix. This is my latest addition to my "huge" video game music collection. And of course, again, it's one of Kirkhope's soundtrack masterpieces.

I'm sure this is a nostalgia thing... This melody, "Gruntilda's Lair", stuck with me since the day Banjo-Kazooie was released on N64, and I mean that is a very long time ago.

I think I first remixed this track in 2007 in a "dance/hands up" style. Now redone here, in a very unique dubstep/electro style that ends up as happy hardcore at the end.

I wanted some power/loudness in this track and, with all the samples used, I had to do some "cheating" with the mix, but hope it turned alright."

Ha! Yeah, we'd say this turned out so-so. ;-D This is pretty chipper to start, with maxed out volume per B-laze's usual, yet it was all in the service of presenting a litany of light-hearted moments with zest, pep & pop, according to judge prophetik music:

"BK's soundtrack is so charismatic. this track has that vibe right off the bat between the sfx and the goofy wobble lead. having the track be in a triple meter initially helps a ton to keep it swinging forward. there's a great build vibe right at 0:32 that drives it forward well into the first big beat drop at 0:46. bass and beat sound super tight in this section, i loved it (especially the triplet combo of the laugh, bass, and lead at 1:02). also, did i hear kazooie lead synths!?

this just keeps getting better as it goes along. there's a bit of a break at 1:16 in feel that builds into a much more heroic fanfare-type feel at 1:30 for a bit, before we get more kazooie lead, and a choir, and all sorts of other fun interim stuff for a true break. i like the transition at 2:15 as it speeds up and goes nuts just in time for a banger of an ending chorus at 2:26. this is a straight sausage waveform and it sounds awesome, especially with the fanfare section to end it. [...]

i love this! what a fun track. it's hard to listen to it without smiling the entire way through. there's a ton of character in this remix - just like the game, very fitting - and yet simultaneously it's not just leaning on novelty and sfx to make it through, there's a dope arrangement under it. excellent work."

I'll sound repetitive offering my own stream of consciousness after proph's, but the way this piece develops also had me reacting at just how often it took showy yet seamless twists & turns in such a relatively short time. Things got pretty heavy at :45 with another iteration of the melody. This is a cool approach, and I love the warbling, chippy sounds in the foreground from 1:14-1:25. The stutters from 1:28-1:42 were another good variation on the chorus, then the soundscape opened WAY up, which was refreshing. Loads of great sound effects to keep things silly that B-K fans'll love and appreciate. Alright, the rhythm and tempo changed at 2:11, then went more intense at 2:25 with for the full pivot to happy hardcore, hard-hitting musical horsepower that hit the spot for judge Hemophiliac:

"Silly fun are two words that seemingly describe this perfectly.

Jaunty and wacky, the sound palette fit Banjo-Kazooie and a big dancy and almost happy hardcore with a 4-on-the-floor feel.

The changes happen at the perfect moments to prevent things from feeling repetitive or dull, such as at 1:15.

It easily could've fell into the trap of overreliance on the sound effects to make things interesting, but I'm glad this doesn't rely on the sound effects to make transitions. They are for flavor instead!

After ~2:20 things really pick up the energy and the ending brings everything together nicely. Great production, solid arrangement, nice work!"

Hemo's totally right that B-laze's copious SFX usage doesn't merely come off as a gimmick meant to paper over a minimally developed track, it's meant to be as maximalist and synergetic a supplement to his vision as the genre transformations at the heart of his ReMix. Just tons of creative arrangement ideas by B-laze to never stop evolving, even towards the very end. It's like Banjo-Kazooie meets DDR in many ways, so step to it, get a hold of this, and watch out when the sparks of magic start flying! :-)