ReMix: Shining Force III 'Force of Light'

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I enjoyed the first two Shining Force games, and though I never played the third (the first "scenario" of which was the only one of its three installments to be released domestically), that doesn't stop me from enjoying this polished, glistening trance ReMix collaboration from FFmusic Dj and SuperGreenX. Though the staple foods of any balanced trance diet are all present, there's definitely some freshness going with the faux builds and substantial wait in the first two minutes for the beat to drop, the non-standard (i.e. not four-on-the-floor) beat that does come in initially (later at 4'46" it does make a gratuitous cameo), and some of the creative drum work at 3'09" and bit-crushed percussion at 4'17". Things get pretty over-the-top at times, but that's sort of the point of hard trance, and it's never distastefully chaotic nor does the application of reverb reach "murky sea of cascading trails" status, both good things. The level of melodic complexity isn't inspiring - we basically get the main refrain, nested between more groove-based portions, so don't expect an ace counter-melody or particularly ingenious harmony or solo, but effort was clearly diverted from these areas into making the mix itself a living, breathing entity, with a lot of variety of the timbral/sonic ilk, and kinetic energy to spare. I think SGX and FFMusic Dj work well together, with the former adding some subtlety to the trance genre sound, making it change-up a bit more often, without losing the positive aspects in the process. Some of the breakdown sections are a bit indulgent perhaps, but the percussive flourish and flow that've been worked on pay off for the mix in the end. Interesting collaboration, source material we haven't heard before, and some movin' beats - good stuff.

― djpretzel