Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest "Kremling Kraic"

All hands on deck! Hoist the sails and get ready to drop anchor as debutant M. Bulteau charts us a bold course through Donkey Kong Country 2's Crocodile Isle, accompanied by Tomás Costa (violin) and Miguel Jesus (mixing and mastering). Of the journey ahead, Bulteau comments:

"This is an orchestral suite written and mixed in 2016, consisting of 4 themes from Donkey Kong Country 2 laid out as such:

• 0:00 - "Jib Jig"
• 1:11 - "K. Rool Returns" + "Klubba's Reveille"
• 2:21 - "Boss Bossanova"
• 3:27 - "Jib Jig" (reprised)

When I noticed that "K. Rool Returns" directly quotes "Klubba's Reveille" with barely any transition material, it occurred to me that the same could be done with a couple of other themes sharing similar tempi in ternary time signatures.

I opened with "Jib Jig", establishing a theme on solo violin and introducing the full orchestra later on with "K. Rool Returns" in layers: the string ostinato first, the horns with the melody, and then the big brass and percussion drop with the thunder SFX. The "Boss Bossanova" ostinato functioned as a dip in intensity, sustaining the unresolved harmony of the tail end material that "K. Rool Returns" appends to "Klubba's Reveille", and also as a gradual crescendo towards the arrival of its own theme. The closing motif of "Boss Bossanova" just so happens to be "Jib Jig" in minor, which is exactly why I chose to open with the latter: changing the mode of the melody offered a direct return to the main theme, back on violin, before being joined by the entire orchestra."

What an inkredible bit of trivia! As a longtime DKC2 OST enjoyer myself, I was happily surprised - and perhaps a little embarrassed – to only just now learn that "Boss Bossanova" and "Jib Jig" share a motif. Seriously, how did I miss that all these years?!

Judge Emunator endorses, emphasizing the engaging personalization and successful dramatic intent:

"I walked away from this feeling like this comfortably passed the vibe check! [...] there is plenty of personalization in the more intimate ensemble sections from the live violin as well as the other programmed Irish instruments that really keep me engaged! It hews closely to the source material, for sure, but not to its detriment - you built off of a strong foundation and, without changing anything fundamentally about any of the pieces, wove them into something that ramps up the expressiveness and drama."

Great kraic indeed! The vibe check is 100% real here. The intricate use of recurring themes - and let's be honest, "Jib Jig" is such a great candidate - makes the entire track unfold like a symphonic adventure. I can totally imagine hearing a live band of Kremlings jam this out while queueing for the DKC coaster in Universal Studios. The fun, nostalgia-filled arrangement – while remaining faithful to the source – is instantly recognizable and perfectly carries the immersion for a theme park setting.

Even if the submission is nine years late (hey, better late than never!), it has matured like a rare vintage, sealed away in one of K. Rool's finest oak barrels. Glad to have ye on the krew!