ReMix: The Adventures of Bayou Billy 'Trippin' on Alligators'

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Personally, I didn't feel like the soundtrack to Bayou Billy, known in Japan as "Mad City", sounded very Cajun at all. It certainly didn't resemble Zydeco in any fashion that I could discern, which is largely what I think of when I hear someone refer to music as being "Cajun". Maybe I missed it . . . regardless, it has long been suggested by requesting fans that Konami's NES classic be given some ReMixing love, and Mazedude has stepped up to the plate with an interesting interpretation. I'll be very frank and say that this is not Mazedude's best work, not very accessible, and will probably take me a few more listens to appreciate. Technically, it's on the level, and Mazedude cannot help but arrange in a fashion that's always provocative and unique, but I don't think this will have the appeal to most of his River City Ransom ReMix, for example. Chris himself writes: "Alright, take care, enjoy. I doubt this will be a remarkably popular one, but hey - it's weird, it's fun, it's Bayou Billy, and no one else has done Bayou Billy, so here ya go folks!". At worst, portions border on cacophony (which *can* be fun, yaknow), and at best there are moments of brilliance that are truly funkdafied. At times, one can envision Billy and his enemies stopping mid-swamp and doing a Michael Jackson-style breakdown, with perhaps some animatronic alligators joining into the boogie. But I digress - as long as you walk into this one expecting some weirdness and bits and pieces that won't sound "normal" per se, you can appreciate the idea. One of the things that's kept me from covering this title myself is my mixed opinion of the source material - it's got some funk, but is a little light in the "direction" department. Mazedude's version features gurgling bass synth FX, used (and sometimes abused) brass, NES-style synth, funky electric bass, and flamboyant drums, along with some nice funk rhythm guitar. Towards the end, after the delicious "make it funky" sample, things slow down, there's some good soloing happening, and things build with some momentum - favorite part of the song, hands down. In fact, I would have kept the whole piece reminiscent of the end section in tempo and execution and found a way to draw that out with some augmentation on the original melody and perhaps an extended sax solo. We know Mazedude can do some mean trombone, and this is a common sidestreet jazz instrument in New Orleans, so that would have been perfect. Still, let me not linger on what could have been - what we've got is a very different ReMix that won't be everyone's cup of tea, but has some truly amazing details buried in it (some of the brass falls and soloing = yummy). Worth the trip, esp. for those who enjoyed Mazedude's previous Trippin' on Rainbows - similarly meandering and somewhat "experimental" feel to it.

― djpretzel