Hollow Knight "A Choice" 3:56

We just had Hemo fighting with Flowstone Saga and Gaspode sweeping up Crypt Custodian, so let's stay in that vein with MOAR indie representation! Our second Hollow Knight feature from DaMonz' new EP, A Knight (for a Knight), once again brings the groove to the Knight's fantastical quest through Hallownest:

"Here's my second submission from my Hollow Knight EP, A Knight (for a Knight)!

This one was quite challenging to make, as the original material is quite short and simple. My first thought when tackling this track was that I should make something with a lot of energy out of it, to make it easier to distance myself from the original while still easily keeping it recognizable. This remix is intended to be a sort of surprise for the listeners, as the second track on the album. This track basically says "You thought you'd just sleep through this album, right? Think again!" (although please feel free to remove this track from your playlist if you do want to sleep through the album, I won't take it personally).

The end of the track references Dirtmouth's theme for a short time, and you might think it was because I was looking for more material to add to the track, but I thought it was just a really great fit with "Crossroads'" chord progression.

Who am I kidding, I absolutely was looking for more material. I think it turned out quite well though! ^^"

Much like Hollow Knight's other music, Christopher Larkin's original "Crossroads" is hauntingly beautiful, and I love DaMonz' beat-driven approach to fleshing it out, forgoing some of the creepier composition later on in the track to stick with the more melodious sections. Judge Hemophiliac listed a litany of tactics and techniques that successfully shaped DaMonz' distinct differentiation:

"What an interesting texture and soundscape has been created here! It's like a blend of new age, synthwave, and breakbeat together, very unique.

I appreciate that there are plenty of breaks and variation in the breakbeat and not relying on in a manner that gets old. It's changing and evolving as the piece goes with elements being added and subtracted to the beat often.

It's interesting to see the ebb and flow of the crescendo/decrescendo carry over into the pads here from the source. Very much the same energy being retained from the original. The major difference is the synth textures both being semi-lofi and semi-saturated, as well as the addition of the breakbeats. [...]

The arrangement is great and the textures are so interesting and unique."

The shimmering splendidness of this ReMix had some sonic similarities to Tim Follin's Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future OST, which always make me happy. :-) Just like I felt a stylistic connection to another soundtrack, DaMonz' fellow indie game arrangement enthusiast Emunator couldn't help but liken his treatment to another celebrated indie score:

"Brilliant arrangement as expected. The piano and more aggressive drum beat makes this almost feel like a Celeste remix of Hollow Knight. This contains all the hallmarks of a good DaMonz arrangement - interesting drum programming, powerful lead sequencing, and a really dynamic arrangement that makes great use of its runtime. I love the chromatic mallets past the 3 minute mark, it reminds me of your Barrel Volcano track but the execution here feels even stronger! [...]

Nice work overall, this set of Hollow Knight tracks should be a welcome addition to the site!"

Hooray! Two down, two to go, and all four of DaMonz' works from A Knight (for a Knight) will indeed make great additions to OCR. :-) With Silksong now out to critical acclaim, the Hollow Knight fandom's eating good, so be sure to share DaMonz' delicious EP to any and all fans of the series, a choice bite that'll make 'em feel full of enjoyment!