ReMix: Castlevania II: Simon's Quest 'DownTown'

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This is Tom Strickland aka Vic Viper's first submission, it's Castlevania 2, and it has upsides and downsides. I'm thinking the pros outweigh the cons, though, and overall I enjoyed the piece - it's quite funky at times, and it doesn't hurt that the source material is some of Club Kukeiha's best. Tom sticks with a fairly straightforward interpretation, though he does great things with the bassline - one of the better synth bass parts I've heard. The reverb struck me as odd; sounds almost like a gated reverb, which is rarely applied to an entire piece and usually reserved for a snare (see half the songs on Paul Simon's Graceland). Less a gated verb and probably just a plate or small room with a short tail, it creates sort of a gym hall ambience that struck me a little funny given the otherwise cool ambient storm effects in the intro. But foregoing that aspect, let's talk about the positives. In addition to the afforementioned funky synth bass, there are some nice acoustic drums that even go hip-hop at 1'51" in a nice little change. Though a chorused piano joins in later on, most elements are straight synth, and blend together well. Synths used for moving parts / ornamentation are especially nice, and I also dug the drum solo ending - quirky, and doesn't offer closure, but it's something different and it didn't strike me as off either (song basically enters this way, after the intro, anyway). As a first mix - heck, even a second or third - this shows a lot of promise. The bassline is definitely key, and forms a foundation that all other aspects build off. Would have liked to hear some different ideas on the reverb, and perhaps some toms on the drums for breaks / fills. Misgivings aside, this still comes recommended as it's a solid take on an amazing piece of music. VV's off to a good start.

― djpretzel