Pikmin "A Man from Outer Space" 6:28

Happy 4/20 Day! Time to blaze forth and cheekily celebrate with 4 suitably appropriate tracks, depending on your state of mind. :-D (If you're a stick in the mud, just call them quirky and leave the rest of us alone.) Our fourth and final feature, the dynamically deviant debut of mo.oorgan, finally brings Nintendo's Pikmin to OCR! Our space-faring traveler took a long while to land here, so they've got a ton to say about the overall journey AND this specific trip:

"This song marks my first non-OCR project entry and my debut in Dwelling of Duels (DoD)! Participating in DoD was a super nerve-wracking experience, right up until the month's long-play, where I was utterly flattered by the community's response. While most of the track came together quickly, I spent a significant amount of time fine-tuning, with the final drop and cinematic/foley aspects coming together only in the last few weeks. I was unsure how the crowd would respond to a more trap-based drop, especially since I rarely venture out of my typical EDM styles. Needless to say, I was blown away, not only by how well it was received, but also by the fact that it placed 5th for the month. It was truly an honor to participate, and the light-competition framework kept me glued to the process, in a way that made me feel like I really leveled up my production quality... that said, let's ignore the fact that the live MIDI recordings were performed using my typing keyboard (special thanks to extra-clicky green switches). I wish I could point to a direct set of song references for most of the track, but most everything was pretty much from my gut instincts, except for the final drop, which was strongly guided by RL Grime's "Formula".

Making a full-length submission entirely on my own and having it so well-regarded was incredible, but it's amazing what a solid mastering from Chimpazilla can do to your track. Her work took it to another level, and she was super-insightful with coaching on actionable feedback on the track; I am so grateful it gets to exist the way it does via their efforts on it. That, and they're just a super-cool human being, it has been great to get to know them recently!

The track wasn't written with a specific theme in mind, but, looking back, it feels like it tells a story similar to Pikmin's - one of loss, rediscovery, and rebuilding. Over the past few years, I've experienced significant losses and challenges, which resonate with Olimar's crash-landing into the unknown and starting over with only the bare essentials. The intro reflects that sentiment. If you've played Pikmin, you know the game can be unforgiving - you can lose a lot very quickly if you're not careful. The track mirrors this at the midway point with the shift to Indian percussion, stripping away the chill-hop vibe. It also captures the feeling of regaining strength and confidence, like when your Pikmin army grows, and you feel ready to tackle any challenge. These dualities - loss and recovery - reflect my own experiences with jobs, relationships, and stability, often swinging between extremes.

The overarching note of this song is the idea of landing somewhere completely unexpected, making the best of where you're at, and then launching forward to continue where you intended to go. This is both the main purpose of the game itself and a very real experience in my own life in multiple ways. Coming to OC ReMix after years of feeling like I didn't fit in, only to have my first submission finally accepted. Moving into a house full of strangers I thought I wanted to be around, only to realize there are better people to surround myself with. Leaving a comfortable job riddled with toxicity and non-stop lies, enduring a streak of work-related low points, only for it to lead me to finding the greatest position I've ever held. Losing the sanctity of proper health insurance due to an undefined medical concern, facing extreme ambiguity as new coverage claimed they couldn't help, and then receiving a last-second approval and a benign mass diagnosis. Clinging to the stress of maintaining a half-friendship with someone who only mimed the acts of caring, only to finally let go and bask in the freedom and self-respect that followed. And so forth. Life has felt like a swinging metronome of deep losses followed by tremendously fulfilling wins. Being a part of multiple OCR projects, receiving a heavily-fought-for promotion, ranking high in DoD, and navigating health coverage for various specialists have all paralleled the sentiment behind making and submitting this song, as well as the emotions imbued within it.

The source track, "Forest of Hope", unintentionally complements this narrative. The game is set up as a series of trials to rebuild your ship, and sometimes that's exactly what tackling music projects feels like: gathering the tools, knowledge, and confidence to succeed. If OC ReMix and Dwelling of Duels are the "Forest", then their communities are the "Hope".

This song is dedicated to everyone who encouraged me to settle into the OC ReMix space and the DoD community, who have been so supportive and shared amazing feedback on my tracks! I'd love to list everyone, but it would be 30+ people long, so I'll say this:

Special thanks to Wes, Chimpazilla, the (~*Super*~) Pixel Bros. + all the Workshop regulars (*especially* JSABlixer and Mel Decision, but really everyone there), Liontamer, Hemo, Dyluck, Darkflamewolf, Xaleph, colorado weeks, and prophetik, as well as so many DoD folks I still have yet to get to know better (TheManPF, Tuck, and more). Also, some more indirect inspirations who probably have no idea who I am but are nonetheless inspirational forces: omega-thanks to bLiNd, PrototypeRaptor, zircon, and Flexstyle."

Well, look at all the nice stuff Morgan said, it warms a middle-aged man's heart! We're glad to have you too. :-) As WWE United States Champion Jacob Fatu often says (really, yells, yadadamean), "You gotta get in where you fit in!", and that means unashamedly embracing what makes you... you! I just had a wonderful time myself at VGM CON last weekend, with part of that including showing love to Dwelling of Duels, and it's affirming seeing both our communities serving as fertile ground for the most creative music in the VGM arrangement scene; mo.oorgan's piece is a prime example of the scene's value right here! Masterering mistress Chimpazilla pulled double duty by also judging this, and while she's refined a metric ton of tracks by mo.oorgan's older brother Emunator, she was, in turn, nothing short of majorly impressed by Emu's sibling:

"I love this arrangement so much. Mo has such skill at creating an extremely varied soundscape, in every regard: energetically, instrumentally, emotionally, and with ear candy for days and days. No one element ever gets repetitive or outstays its welcome. Mo is a talented musical storyteller. The feel of this arrangement is slow and purposeful, and... HECTIC as all heck... at the same time, what a cool ride.

*And the sidechaining in this mix is so good that it brings tears to my eyes*

And hey, the master sounds really great too!"

This was definitely a trip on the USS Weirdshit, and I'm here for it. Boy, this gets pretty grimey, and props to Chimpa for her post-production efforts as well; everything sounds awesome on my car stereo, which can't be taken for granted. (I've heard pro tracks that don't come out sounding full and clean on car stereo, to be sure.) I just voted on mooooooooo.ooorgan's upcoming Super Mario 64 ReMix before this, and the dude's officially got me trained now: expect a journey and expect to be impressed. For something made with the imagery of weightlessness in mind, mo.oorgan sure has a lot of gravity attached to it; props for summoning something so epic for their first impression in both major VGM arrangement communities! Have a happy, healthy, trippy 4/20, y'all; we certainly had the soundtrack covered for you! :-D