ReMix:F-Zero "Mute Radiology" 3:21

By djpretzel

Arranging the music of one song...

"Mute City"

Primary Game: F-Zero (Nintendo , 1990, SNES), music by Naoto Ishida, Yumiko Kanki

Posted 2000-06-07, evaluated by djpretzel


Okay, okay . . . I was playing F-ZERO the other day, and realized how much I like the tunes from that game . . . so this is my take on the "Mute City" theme^^ . . . this remix is strange for a couple reasons . . one, it plays a lot of sonic tricks, like stereo phase swapping, channel switching, and at one point brief ring modulation . . second, the intro is half the song long almost . . . third, the whole thing is processed through a digital delay. I was half debating not releasing this, as I'm still a bit unsure about it . . but I gave it one last listen and decided I liked it in a very unique sort of way . . and hell, I'm never gonna remix the Mute City theme again . . . so here it is :)

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Tables
on 2015-08-08 12:50:11

Oh gosh I remember this from my younger years, when I only looked at ReMixes from songs that I already knew the source tune from! How weird is that?

I didn't really like it when I was a dumb kid, but I can definitely appreciate it now. I haven't tried the headphones experience yet, but as I'm listening to it now the crazy syncopation is really interesting, never gets old. The actual Mute City melody seems secondary in whatever weird experience this song is trying to make, but that's sort of okay. I think ReMixes should be 'allowed' to take the iconic parts of their source material and do what they want with them, even if it means making them a smaller part of the new song. Even though this song seems to deal primarily with messing with the first few chords of the original, it's still something that is inherently linked to Mute City.

Anyway I don't know what I'm talking about but I like this song. Except for that ending :o like okay thanks for stopping by bye?? you left your coat here!??

avatar
TillyFun
on 2012-08-16 12:36:16

hee this is so cool! :D Mute Radiology could totally be used as a remix for a new F-Zero game - and I'm not just blowing air up anyone's skirt. :P

Somehow it also sounds really complex... layered?... I'm not sure how to place the way the sounds seem to interact. I just like it. ^_^

avatar
Crulex
on 2012-04-04 12:09:40

Man, they were not kidding about the headphones thing. I actually kind of liked it though. It's a weird way to sort of add something to the mix without music itself. Sounds like you're going through a technical warp. A trick like that would be cool nowadays if cleaned up a bit more, but nice work all the same.

avatar
OA
on 2009-12-01 14:39:19

Crazy sounds on this one. I think a lot of the experimentation on this worked out, but having 1 or 2 dry elements would have been nice to ground it.

It's a sortof weird sonic stew, but there's some nutrition to be had here.

avatar
Polo
on 2009-04-22 07:13:19

This sounds like it came out of some warped, robotic, vertigo-dimensional future - which, considering this is F-Zero, is quite fitting. A couple of synths practice their vowel pronunciations, some vibrate as a way of life, others do sneak attacks through volume and panning... it's a patchwork of experimental production that turns out deli-sauce. I particularly dig the expressive breaks at 1:10 and 2:40, as well as how previous riffs/sections act as a countermelodic balance beneath the silvery leads.

The beef of the source, entering at 1:33, is played in a sort of off-octave manner (not distinctly higher or lower than normal), ditching the original's grandiose, prize-money-is-at-stake feel for something more along the lines of "Captain Falcon's joyride." He's groovin' to the electronica on his hovercar's stereo, leaping off a cliff/ramp when he gets a hilarious case of Radio Treble Syndrome at 2:08 and crashing back on track at 2:14. Then he crosses the finish line - alone - beating his previous time trial ghosts that come whizzing past a second or two later.

avatar
Lucentas
on 2008-12-06 17:09:42

If most of the ReMixes I like are the musical equivalent of tofu and potatoes with a side of veggies, with the occasional bowl of ice cream thrown in, this mix would probably be something akin to those crazy Japanese candies with the edible rice wrapper; not only is it good, but it's experimental, does things with the basic concept that you never would have thought of, and is just fun to listen to.

I'm not trying to play webmaster's pet here, but djpretzel is one of my favorite contributors to this site, not just based on the obvious facts that he created and is in charge of it, but the stuff he submits is so musically innovative, like he tries new and different approaches to everything every time he sits down to create. It's very artistic and refreshing.

avatar
Audity
on 2006-10-29 17:13:16

I give you a zero out of five!

I like the intro. I didn't like the main melody synth for awhile, but listening just now it felt fine. I even like the craziness of the discord section, except its exit seems kind of random (weird panning action), making it seem like he didn't finish that part all the way. Me of course finding out about this site quite early on, before the exodus. So I was used to this kind of music.

avatar
DrNeedlove
on 2006-09-21 16:27:39

F-Zero, Mute, DJP ol skool. A good mix, that race to on my 360 to bring back some memories. Good stuff.

avatar
Zipp
on 2006-05-06 15:06:54

I recognize the good points about this song that people have brought up, but I much prefer DJP's funk style that he transitioned into later on. I think the pinacle of his funk work was the Sonic remix Love Hurts, though I'm also a huge fan of his folkier stuff, like Twoson Hits the Road and Jethro and Vash at the Millenium Fair. And if I'm comparing this to those, well, this doesn't stand up so well. I see how people could like it, but it's really not up to par of the kind've stuff we hear today. In some ways, it wasn't even up to par with what we used to hear. Now, I'm not bashing DJP. He's done some brilliant remix work, and consistently releases good solid mixes. His composition here isn't bad at all. But I'm not such a big fan of midi synth that I could, say, get up a rock out to this. I don't think I could even stand to listen to it again. Maybe my ears have been spoiled, but hey, I'm the reviewer here, so I'm entitled to give this a 0/5

avatar
Calpoke
on 2006-05-06 06:55:45

Definately a great ReMix by djpretzel.

I love the whole thing, but a Headphone user, 2:05-2:16 could use a little "Normalization"

Other than that, love it.

9/10.

avatar
custompccases
on 2006-03-22 03:56:54

I have to say that this is my favorite mix from you, I like your other mixes but this one... I guess because it is so different. Whatever the reason, nice job!

I have headphones and it actually doesn’t bother me, sounds great either way.

avatar
hjalfi
on 2005-11-24 18:25:25

I've actually just listened to this again on speakers, and it's actually way cool. As, you say, the middle's a bit disappointing, but the beginning and end are imaginative and well done and the phase tricks add an amazing sense of space.

Alas, I mostly listen to remixes at work, through headphones, so this won't be going on my permanent playlist...

avatar
TX-419
on 2005-11-24 14:12:40

Wuh. To all headphone-bearers: Beware stereophonic phase switching! It didn't necessarily hurt my ears, but it does make you feel very unbalanced. Try not to listen to this while driving (Wearing headphones while driving is a ticketable offense anyways)!

That aside, this is definitely not your run-of-the mill techno. It starts out strong, droops a bit in the middle, but picks up the slack at the end. Though disorienting, the various sleight-of-ear tricks are quite enjoyable, and add the unique twist evey piece of OCR techno needs, what with all the existing techno on this site.

avatar
hjalfi
on 2005-08-25 10:46:48

Aaaaaahhhh.... what the hell is that? I was listening to this on headphones and my ears suddenly oscillating! Is that the phase switching effect? Because if so, it's really uncomfortable...

avatar
RimFrost the Tourianist
on 2005-06-20 18:59:18

I haven't heard a single Mute City remix before this ..DJP certainly hammers the nail down in this one :)

Good stuff !

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
F-Zero (Nintendo , 1990, SNES)
Music by Naoto Ishida,Yumiko Kanki
Songs:
"Mute City"

Tags (7)


Genre:
EDM,Happy Hardcore
Mood:
Happy
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth
Additional:
Effects > Glitching
Time > Tempo: Fast

File Information


Name:
F-Zero_Mute_Radiology_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
3,595,784 bytes
MD5:
306941171ab751ec1b2bcd47a1586b15
Bitrate:
139Kbps
Duration:
3:21

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes