ReMix: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest 'Mechanical Swamp'
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- Game: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (Nintendo, 1995, SNES)
- ReMixer(s): Protricity
- Composer(s): Dave Wise
- Song(s): Bayou Boogie
- Posted: 2002-04-15, evaluated by djpretzel
I love Protricity's stuff because he always places a heavy emphasis on melody - that sounds like a no-brainer, how could anyone not, right? Well, to me it's a question of which bits stand out, how the arrangement is mixed, what's been added, interaction between parts. His latest mix displays this beautifully and with some very gritty sonic textures at play as well. From DKC2, this mix adds distortion, both on the drums and the lead guitar (which is processed several times over by different effects, it sounds), over ambient, swirling synth pads and meandering piano patterns. Later on, the drums go synth-beatbox style in a highly funky fashion. The lead guitar here is amazing - tortured, wailing in the upper register with various amounts of reverb, and hitting a beautiful, screaming high at the very end of the track. Fantastic amount of variety - the beginning actually sounded a little like "In the air tonight" by Phil Collins overtop swamp sounds, until the melody came in (largely due to the CR78-ish drums in that particular segment). To me, the best music blends an understanding of melody and harmony with an understanding of audio, mixing, and has enough variety in both arenas to make things interesting. This soulful, bluesy, rock/techno hybrid achieves that duality with style. Probably my favorite Protricity mix yet, a technical knockout, and a must-download. Highly recommended - and then some.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the Hands down one of my favorite OC Remixes of all time. Now, the
original melody is no slouch, and it definitely stands proud in
this mix. I can't decide what I love the most here. The track has
some amazing ethereal quality in its meandering nature that I love
so much. Hearing the song come through distorted or piano... just
all around awesome. This track could go on forever and I always
find myself getting lost in it.
If there is a DKC2 album being made, I love you guys even more. Kong in Concert was effing awesome. (I loved Mine Cart Misadventure and Rare Reminiscene too, mad props)
- Lint on April 6, 2009
If there is a DKC2 album being made, I love you guys even more. Kong in Concert was effing awesome. (I loved Mine Cart Misadventure and Rare Reminiscene too, mad props)
- Lint on April 6, 2009
Nice melodic flow, the synth guitar is decent and well performed,
but the sample is starting to show it's age a little. Good velocity
and mod usage though, as well as delay, so it definitely holds up
better than it could have.
Nice and ambient flow, but still with forward momentum. The loop starts to get a little old after awhile, but there is enough harmonic content to carry things otherwise. Nice and relaxing. ^__________^
- OA on March 24, 2009
Nice and ambient flow, but still with forward momentum. The loop starts to get a little old after awhile, but there is enough harmonic content to carry things otherwise. Nice and relaxing. ^__________^
- OA on March 24, 2009
I have most of Protricity's mixes and I have to say, this is
definitely my favorite one. It seems to be perfectly balanced in
all aspects - not too long or too short, just chill enough, adds
just the right amount of creative ideas to the original tune
without going too far out into left field, and it oozes style. Was
my favorite DKC remix until Disco Dan's Riptide came along, but
once I get tired of Riptide this may very well unseat it
again.
Definitely in the topmost echelon of VG Remixes.
- Pineconeboy on February 5, 2008
Definitely in the topmost echelon of VG Remixes.
- Pineconeboy on February 5, 2008
the original is trash. this one's excelent. the electric guitar
somewhere at the beginning is great and the piano part is 2
- ds is trash on July 4, 2007
- ds is trash on July 4, 2007
I dont like the original song too much but I really like this remix
8-) It is much better than the original :grin:
The piano sounds are great! I cant forget the music in 3:21.... You should hear it on the phone instead of speakers :)
Protricity did a great job :mrgreen:
- Iridi on June 8, 2007
The piano sounds are great! I cant forget the music in 3:21.... You should hear it on the phone instead of speakers :)
Protricity did a great job :mrgreen:
- Iridi on June 8, 2007
Awesome mix. I'm stil listening to it right now. Heh funny thing
whenever I do homework assignments I turn on my SNES in DKC2, go to
soundtest and listen to the swamp music while i'm working. Now I
can listening to this sexilly modified version ;). 10/10
- metroixer on April 26, 2006
- metroixer on April 26, 2006
Very nice remix. The piano is perfect, and the
guitar puts a different atmosphere to it.
Feels like I´m in a dark swamp right now.
- Bummerdude on September 16, 2005
guitar puts a different atmosphere to it.
Feels like I´m in a dark swamp right now.
- Bummerdude on September 16, 2005
I've yet to find a bad remix of DK2 music. It remains one of my
favorite SNES games, and remixes such as this will forever remain
my favorites. This track is beautiful. Great job.
10/10.
- Scufo on June 20, 2005
10/10.
- Scufo on June 20, 2005
I actually dig a lot of Prot's DKC2 contributions, which were some
of the first mixes that I ended up downloading here being a big fan
of the Donkey Kong series during my youth. He's been able to take
the source material and transform them into works of musical art
that have adapted to the feel of the stage, so that can be of a
reflective interest.
Naturally, this mix is no different. I hope to drop in my opinions relating to this one :)
---
[i]Remix[/i]
There are a lot of links to the original in terms of tone, ambiance and melodic input, so that should do well to make the DKC gamer feel right at home. Its execution can be seen to be very fluent for something as laid back as this, so there's nothing too much wrong there. The theme's been played around a lot as well as involving a lot of innovative and creative melody aspects being sent down the line too. Generally the structuring of what he has integrated was very well done in terms of what has been held. Although if there's something that has ended up making me feel a little bit uneasy it would relate to the lack of a climax aside from the distorted guitars at the end, although for me that can be seen as more of a nitpick. But heck, given the strong amount of potential and structuring qualities through this I can say that its linking towards the feel of the stage and the intended atmosphere when shown have easily made this a track that has stood alone from the source material. Even today it's difficult to find a mix that can rival against it.
[i]Creativity[/i]
I managed to see he has helped to give in a lot of life to the song with broadening out on much of the original melodies showcased here; it may fit well if you're a fan of the genre but they may not grasp you with strong essences of nostalgia if you've been into more of this user's material. The sections generally link well; given the ambient and laid-back nature everything blends into one another that easily the casual listener will almost fail to notice. While not too repetitive in its own right some of the moods can become tiresome, and with some of the earlier chord progressions that could have been a hindrance here, but those that can be able to look beyond the quirk that lied here they should be in for a reflective basis to help ease in his creative approach here. Mind you, I appreciate a wide amount of what came around in this and I expect no less from what Prot has layered down; can't say it's his most expansive work to date but it's still very good stuff should you want to see into some of his material.
[i]Production[/i]
As is often expected from Protricity his sound font bank here is of a very powerful quality even for a mix of its time; I can't say I'm not really much of a fan of synth guitars, but the programming behind them have been able to link them very close towards the energy driven towards the real thing. The EQ and sound processing is what I think sells it more than anything - here it's well balanced with a good combination of ambience, strong EQ applications and mechanical distortion to easily showcase his visions throughout the track. The recorded swamp sounds are well thought out in terms of looking into it, although if you have the sound right up at the beginning you'd hear that some of the sound seems to fade out a bit too quickly instead of ringing on like ambience usually might. For me that should be nothing more than a nitpick, although it could be worth taking note of. I can say that the leveling out of those sounds as well as much of the dynamic work granted throughout - no matter how subtle - have been well realized in providing a professional quality towards his target audience. The panning is also generally thought out in terms of adding atmosphere; would have wanted to hear a bit more going on to the left hand side of the stereo field early on to balance both sides up, but this is still nothing much to panic about after prolonged listens. Therefore, for a piece of its age it came forth as a strong effort, and for that I feel rather satisfied over what has managed to come around here; well done.
---
For an elder track I actually feel it’s aged really well, and it’s more than the nature of the source material that has come around. I appreciate much of the mood-based tendencies as well as a lot of the creative garbs as shown upon the general arrangement. I feel they have helped in maintaining the feel of the mix while at the same time adding a more expansive quality to it. I can’t say that much of the compositional quantities and technical aspects aren’t quite as up there as some of his more epic materials that he has showcased across the web, but it was still a well thought out listen for what it was.
Prot may call me a fag for writing this, but I don’t care – the bottom line is that I enjoyed it and I hope he’ll come back with fresh mixes soon :)
- Rexy on June 20, 2005
Naturally, this mix is no different. I hope to drop in my opinions relating to this one :)
---
[i]Remix[/i]
There are a lot of links to the original in terms of tone, ambiance and melodic input, so that should do well to make the DKC gamer feel right at home. Its execution can be seen to be very fluent for something as laid back as this, so there's nothing too much wrong there. The theme's been played around a lot as well as involving a lot of innovative and creative melody aspects being sent down the line too. Generally the structuring of what he has integrated was very well done in terms of what has been held. Although if there's something that has ended up making me feel a little bit uneasy it would relate to the lack of a climax aside from the distorted guitars at the end, although for me that can be seen as more of a nitpick. But heck, given the strong amount of potential and structuring qualities through this I can say that its linking towards the feel of the stage and the intended atmosphere when shown have easily made this a track that has stood alone from the source material. Even today it's difficult to find a mix that can rival against it.
[i]Creativity[/i]
I managed to see he has helped to give in a lot of life to the song with broadening out on much of the original melodies showcased here; it may fit well if you're a fan of the genre but they may not grasp you with strong essences of nostalgia if you've been into more of this user's material. The sections generally link well; given the ambient and laid-back nature everything blends into one another that easily the casual listener will almost fail to notice. While not too repetitive in its own right some of the moods can become tiresome, and with some of the earlier chord progressions that could have been a hindrance here, but those that can be able to look beyond the quirk that lied here they should be in for a reflective basis to help ease in his creative approach here. Mind you, I appreciate a wide amount of what came around in this and I expect no less from what Prot has layered down; can't say it's his most expansive work to date but it's still very good stuff should you want to see into some of his material.
[i]Production[/i]
As is often expected from Protricity his sound font bank here is of a very powerful quality even for a mix of its time; I can't say I'm not really much of a fan of synth guitars, but the programming behind them have been able to link them very close towards the energy driven towards the real thing. The EQ and sound processing is what I think sells it more than anything - here it's well balanced with a good combination of ambience, strong EQ applications and mechanical distortion to easily showcase his visions throughout the track. The recorded swamp sounds are well thought out in terms of looking into it, although if you have the sound right up at the beginning you'd hear that some of the sound seems to fade out a bit too quickly instead of ringing on like ambience usually might. For me that should be nothing more than a nitpick, although it could be worth taking note of. I can say that the leveling out of those sounds as well as much of the dynamic work granted throughout - no matter how subtle - have been well realized in providing a professional quality towards his target audience. The panning is also generally thought out in terms of adding atmosphere; would have wanted to hear a bit more going on to the left hand side of the stereo field early on to balance both sides up, but this is still nothing much to panic about after prolonged listens. Therefore, for a piece of its age it came forth as a strong effort, and for that I feel rather satisfied over what has managed to come around here; well done.
---
For an elder track I actually feel it’s aged really well, and it’s more than the nature of the source material that has come around. I appreciate much of the mood-based tendencies as well as a lot of the creative garbs as shown upon the general arrangement. I feel they have helped in maintaining the feel of the mix while at the same time adding a more expansive quality to it. I can’t say that much of the compositional quantities and technical aspects aren’t quite as up there as some of his more epic materials that he has showcased across the web, but it was still a well thought out listen for what it was.
Prot may call me a fag for writing this, but I don’t care – the bottom line is that I enjoyed it and I hope he’ll come back with fresh mixes soon :)
- Rexy on June 20, 2005
How can Protricity create such freaking great music?
And on a consistant basis, no less!
MAKE MORE!!!
- DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff on February 18, 2005
And on a consistant basis, no less!
MAKE MORE!!!
- DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff on February 18, 2005
Protricity wrote: This song gave me the idea to remix the whole DKC2 soundtrack, so this will be song 3 of DKC2 Redux.
Yes, Prot made a great work with the DKC2 songs. I really enjoyed your works. The reasons are clear in the good production and high quality. You can consider the power of the materials too. The used resources in the sonorous process. And the beats, instruments, elaboration and ability in the creation of the melody, of course. Also to observe the music style, the transformations and what it modified in the song. That is very healthful for the auditory capacity. You can appreciate the guitar. You can appreciate the piano, the strings and the beats. Because you have capacity for it. If you enjoyed the mix, you have capacity. But if you really can´t appreciate the mix, have you capacity? Yes, of course. Because you have capacity to listen what's really good for you. Therefore I say "nice work, Prot", it´s really good for me and my ears. Wow, I did not forget the original sounds of the insects from Swamp Theme that you put in your song! ^ ^
- Txai on February 15, 2005
8O ... 8O , this......... 8O , I have found my end title song! I am
[b]SOOOOO[/b] writing lyrics to this...yes, I am *leaves abruplty*
Oh my, this is the best sounding remix b/c it just...it really IS a
remix (the original roots, only fed w/pure groove). The constant
violin in the main aspects of the song just make it soooo
emotional. Yes, good lyrics for this. :wink: DUDE. [b]Listen to
this mix[/b]...you'll want to cry...or...wait-no...maybe that's
just me... :oops:
oh yeah, this deserves:
~^~Mari_mari's [i]golden[/i] seal of approval~^~
and... 8O
- Mary_mari on November 2, 2004
oh yeah, this deserves:
~^~Mari_mari's [i]golden[/i] seal of approval~^~
and... 8O
- Mary_mari on November 2, 2004
Damn, there's only one page of reviews for this mix. I hope thats
not a reflection of how many people are downloading it.
Anyway, a very groovy sound here. Protricity captured all the great qualities of the original, and did a superb job of making this mix his own. The guitar work is very nicely done, it blends in perfectly, but definately stands out.
Like orky said, there is NO reason NOT to have this on your hard drive.
[b]Schweet. 10/10[/b]
- Krythan on July 28, 2004
Anyway, a very groovy sound here. Protricity captured all the great qualities of the original, and did a superb job of making this mix his own. The guitar work is very nicely done, it blends in perfectly, but definately stands out.
Like orky said, there is NO reason NOT to have this on your hard drive.
[b]Schweet. 10/10[/b]
- Krythan on July 28, 2004
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