ReMix: Breath of Fire 'HisFirstGoodDeed'

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Well, another Christmas has come and gone. I have to say, you know you're getting old when you start getting clothing items (in my case this year, a pair of docs) and actually liking it. At least now I have an alternative to not wearing Birkenstocks 24/7, 365 days a year outside of work... At any rate, there'll be at least one more update before New Year's where we'll do the annual review and "State of the ReMix address" fun, but for now check out this very flamboyant, conspicuous Breath of Fire arrangement from newcomer Trenthian. Mixing rock and orchestral and then going into zanyville with some sound effects, and also mixing up the tone and arrangement quite a bit as well, this isn't a cookie-cutter ReMix and it certainly has a unique vibe. Whether you prefer a little more aesthetic coherence in your mixage is up to you; the schizophrenic, indulgent approach to instrumentation here does at least keep things interesting. Can't criticize this mix for sonic or compositional monotony, that's for damn sure. Judge Israfel expressed a common reluctance about the fx, but overall appreciation for the mix:

"Very nice. Lots of ideas here, and for the most part they're well pulled off. Composition is much more sophisticated than the average mix- and that's a big plus. Sound effects do come off as a bit cheesy I suppose- they remind me of the sort of thing you might hear during a symphonic "epic" piece by a power metal band. But hey, they don't kill the mix or anything. Cool stuff."

I think the arrangement itself, regardless of the sound fx, really stands on its own and adeptly transitions into different tones with grace and smooth, varied dynamics. In this case, I didn't mind the fx too much; I'm not sure they necessarily add much to the mix, but they didn't detract either. I would say that I don't think such an approach would work well as a hallmark of the ReMixer's work on a regular basis. However, for a first ReMix, the amount of arranging going on, the overall quality of the instrumentation, the knack for mixing tones and themes ranging from arabic to epic orchestral, and solid production are all impressive. Very good stuff, hope to see more as this is a mix that indicates flexibility and innovation both.

― djpretzel