Posted 2003-07-16, evaluated by the judges panel


Syncopation is a good thing, especially when applied uniquely to songs that have already been ReMixed quite a bit; here, DarkeSword builds a great, innovative groove off a syncopated slap bass and rockin' acoustic drums, coupled with a nice swirly, delayed organ and some more synthetic synth leads and pads. There's a nice gated filter synth break down around 1'20", the prelude to an excellent interpretive flute solo after my own heart - adds a lot to the piece, is well-played, and the drums underneath follow it to boot. Judges unanimously cited a pretty sub-par slap bass sample as being the only salient detriment, and I'd have to agree - while there are instances where intentionally fake slap bass samples can work (They Might Be Giants come to mind, or "Sanctified" off Pretty Hate Machine), this part called for (and deserved, due to the nice rhythms and occassional pitch bend) a deeper, meatier, more realistic slap bass. Vigilante writes: "This song has some top notch coverage already, and so any new covers have a pretty high bar to reach. I'm continuously impressed by the number of unique interpretations i've heard of this song. This mix definitely has something new to offer. The groove is great, the sounds are great. Nice flute solo. My only complaint is that i dont really like the bassline; I find it a little cliched and cheap. This definitely gets a YES." - while I had less problems with the bassline itself and more with just the bass sample, I agree with Jesse's statement about the song already having top notch coverage and DarkeSword bringing something new + worthy to the table. Nice blending of different sounds into a cohesive whole, and an imaginative reworking of an already extensively reworked track. A must download for Sonic fans, and another great example of an original being flexibly and ably taken to new places.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Black_Doom
on 2015-12-06 09:16:55

Yes, I definitely think that this mix is both very cool and very hot too :D Yeah, it surely feels a bit dated sometimes, but the jazzy flute soloing is pretty top-notch and the funky keys are quite good as well. Nice!

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WesternZypher
on 2010-12-20 12:35:16

Garrooovy. Hot Ice. Perfect for chilling during these cold winter days.

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OA
on 2010-01-26 10:39:31

Some of the samples are a little dated, but overall this holds up pretty nicely, cool integration of the themes, and even though the bass sound is pretty gross, the actual writing of the part is really cool. Or is it hot? Ohhh, see what I did there? Nice jazzy flute and backing pads and keys, and things were clicking pretty well.

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42
on 2009-01-23 00:00:23

The themes here are not just intertwined and threated through each other, but like bonded with super glue, which produces a very delicious treat for the ears.

Nice Lava Reef reference at 1:38! The flute solo was great,

I had forgotten about that...

Indeed, it is great.

Awesome job and a great mix. :nicework:

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about:blank
on 2006-12-31 09:39:08

Nice Lava Reef reference at 1:38! The flute solo was great, as well as all everything else in the mix. I could understand how some people would complain about the bass synth, but I think it adds to the mood of the piece. Nice work!

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sonic_fan69
on 2006-12-03 20:05:59

I was thinking when I first heard this arrangement that there were parts of Lava Reef there and that was the case. I have S3K CD for my computer along with the original. The music is different for Carnival Night, IceCap and Launchbase, but the same for all the other zones. I'm surprised that there are no remixes of those songs. Back to this remix, it's right up there among my favorites. :D

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Senor Suave
on 2004-09-01 22:51:40

First time poster, long time listener. But I thought that I just had to finally register to say how crazy the flute is on this remix. Not my favorite song, but this is definitly my favorite part of any song. Great job man.

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DJ Riott
on 2004-08-30 01:47:34

So smoooth Darke.. but i guess I'll believe you.

This was one of the first songs i ever downloaded at this site. very nostalgic.

I remember people complaining about the slap bass. But its the key to the song. great flute work. YAY. classic, and lots of fun.

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DarkeSword
on 2004-08-25 23:33:48
did i hear some Lava Reef in there? i swear i did...

Yes, that was intentional. 8)

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blackbelt
on 2004-08-25 23:00:40

did i hear some Lava Reef in there? i swear i did...

very good song, just a little too light for my taste. very good and very well done. keep up the good work.

8/10

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Less Ashamed Of Self
on 2004-08-24 01:45:43

This is a very enchanting little piece... I really like it a lot. Nice.

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Julio Jose
on 2004-06-16 04:04:18

drums and synth at 1 25 are the only really special things in this track. The flute also sounds nice..

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Arc'engal
on 2003-09-19 11:44:54

This one was a bit strange to me. Until about 3/4 of the way through the piece, the background riff was louder than the main melody, which is very rarely a good thing. The overall feel was almost a metaphor for an avalanche, as the the melody got louder and louder until it was "in your face" as they say. Definitely quite nice, especially the end, which actually sounded like an ending rather than a wimp-out.

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..........
on 2003-08-10 18:21:18

Yes, and I do like your mix, Mr. DarkeSword! 8)

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..........
on 2003-08-09 19:30:08

I was hesitant to download it because it was another IceCap mix... but I'm glad I did. It's a welcome sound after 4 techno mixes of the same song.

Listen to the organ and the flute at 1:38. Sound familiar? The flute starts its solo off with a quote of Lava Reef's melody, while the organ is playing the continuo line from Lava Reef over Ice Cap Zone's chord progression.

I noticed that right away! I thought 'Gee, that sounds a lot like Lava Reef.' Then I realized it was probably intentional, hence the 'Hot Ice'.

One thing I've noticed is that many people don't seem to realize that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (including SK) has different (but similar) music for each act of a zone. Sonics 1 and 2, meanwhile, use the same music for every act of a zone.

Umm... yes, I've noticed that. Always have. I think it's so noticed that no one bothers to talk about it. They've also done that in the Advanced games too. It's pretty nifty. (Although Game Boy tunes aren't nearly as enjoyable to listen to)

Sources Arranged (2 Songs, 2 Games)


Primary Game:
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega , 1994, GEN)
Music by Bobby Brooks,Brad Buxer,C. Cirocco Jones,Darryl Ross,Doug Grigsby III,Geoff Grace,Jun Senoue,Michael Jackson,Tatsuyuki Maeda,Tomonori Sawada
Songs:
"Ice Cap Zone: Act 1"
Additional Game:
Sonic & Knuckles (Sega , 1994, GEN)
Music by Howard Drossin,Jun Senoue,Masaru Setsumaru,Masayuki Nagao,Sachio Ogawa,Tatsuyuki Maeda,Tokuhiko Uwabo,Tomonori Sawada,Yoshiaki Kashima
Songs:
"Lava Reef Zone: Act 1"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Jazz
Mood:
Funky
Instrumentation:
Synth,Woodwinds
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Sonic_the_Hedgehog_3_Hot_Ice_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
3,528,750 bytes
MD5:
35f9791789fc4928d3e7fe79c15255ad
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
2:52

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