ReMix:Marble Madness "Marble Dancefloor" 4:00

By Palpable

Arranging the music of one song...

"Beginner Race (Level 2)"

Primary Game: Marble Madness (Milton Bradley , 1988, NES), music by Brad Fuller, David Wise, Hal Canon

Posted 2004-01-14, evaluated by the judges panel


Our second Marble Madness ReMix is the first submission from Palpable, who gives us a techno/disco arrangement of the innovative classic's intermediate stage music. Digital Coma sorta summed things up well:

"Ok, I'm up to 1:10 and everything is rocking; good layer-ups, introduction to beat, sexy rhythm. Gotta love the rowdy drums and bassline. A little original section comes next and is quickly replaced again by source melody. I keep listening for these little alterations (harmony, counterpoint) snuck in here and there like complimentary vanilla wafers, and I say to myself, "hey, the NES tune is like six measures long and this guy's managed to expand upon it to make beautifully simple electro pop within four minutes."

There's a slight Daft Punk feel, though anything disco/house could probably said to have such a likeness due to that act's common association with the sound. The octave bassline and heavy kick / snare downbeat are the tell-tale ingredients, but there's also some good percussive accoutrements (with nice panning) and an overall attention to keeping things both funky and interesting. Interesting volume gating on the lead towards the middle and drum dropout/break towards the end - there's still some inevitable repetition, but it's totally appropriate both for the genre and considering the relative size of the original. Good stuff from Palpable, very accessible and a distinct style of electronica that's not so common as well.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Bejack
on 2013-08-27 13:12:12

Hmm yes. I too feel this Daft Punk thing going on a little here in this ReMix. My friend used to have this game. There weren't enough obstacles in this game so they had to put good music like this to have me lose focus just enough to get killed :)

Nice work on this ReMix. Although the original song is short, you kept it interesting so that it didn't feel to repetitve. Brings back some good memories of this game.

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Polo
on 2009-12-07 19:02:26

Swaying. Circling. Punching the air. Finger tapping. Irregular head bobbing. These are some of the many colorful ways I dance to this indulgence called Marble Dancefloor. It all starts with a playfully note-descending lead that makes me picture a marble bouncing down a flight of stairs (nifty little hook), and then it slips right into a pimpin' rendition of Level 2. Quite simply, the electronica's a feast, coming in chewy, crunchy, and meaty flavors. And it does a body good.

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OA
on 2009-11-27 10:55:10

Nice synth treatment, and though it's heavily subdivided into straight sections, it's still pretty interesting. I think a little bit of additional syncopation in the rhythm section would have been welcome, but the leads do enough to keep it interesting. It's fun and peppy, and good upbeat synthy BG music.

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Marmiduke
on 2009-07-07 04:29:43

Nifty synthpop that most definately does not reinvent any wheels but has a good time regardless. There is some musical fatigue that sets in after the main melody line continues to repeat with gradual variations, but as far as repetition goes, the problem is minimal.

I think the best thing about this is that you can feel the game in it. As others have mentioned, you don't just think of Marble Madness when you hear this. You think of a whole slew of puzzle-based retro games with soundtracks that channel this sort of vibe. I appreciate it a whole lot and geniunely think think that puzzle games with determined, yet repetitive soundtracks are some of the best the industry has ever produced.

This mix is a love letter to those immortal tunes, for me. Cool stuff indeed.

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Kizyr
on 2009-02-18 15:09:23

Thought I'd give this another closer listen, after playing the arcade version of Marble Madness last weekend at Katsucon ('til my hands were red--slight aside, the NES version is much easier, though not as much fun sans the trackball).

Anyway... Honestly, it's a bit repetitive, especially the 10-20 seconds before it gets into the main theme. The bassline is pretty good, though, and it's at least as catchy (if not more so) than the original theme. Overall, it's an okay piece.

I should say, though, that Palpable has a really great and unique style that I enjoy. You can hear early elements of it in this remix, and everything hereafter by him has just been getting better and better. KF

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evktalo
on 2009-02-14 17:19:12

The comparison to Daft Punk isn't off at all to me - this is both stiff and groovy which definitely reminds me of them! The track doesn't need a comparison to Daft Punk, it's great anyway. =) Dancing!

--Eino

btw, I remember Supaplex too!

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Dhsu
on 2008-10-02 18:13:35

I feel like I've been transported into a Freezepop song. I can hear the vocoder already...

That's a good thing, by the way.

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Bozlifyme
on 2008-02-09 01:33:20

Contrary to KogeJoe, I thought this was a very fun and challenging game. I remember playing it when I was little and never being able to beat the 4th? level, i think it was. I'm not sure, but it's the one that you think is impossible. If you've ever beaten that game, you know there's no better feeling. I've always liked the music, but I figured no one would ever even THINK of remixing it. I constantly listen to this mix when i need a little pick-me-up.

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KogeJoe
on 2007-01-24 09:12:33

I've got to say, this was the WORST buy. A waste of my money. However, I've got to say, the music was pretty cool for a game in which you maneuver marbles in a physically impossible way...

GREAT elaboration on good music to a BAD game...

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Nineko
on 2006-12-19 12:20:03

This song would be perfect for a DDR stage.

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Katmaï
on 2005-04-28 14:20:15

When i heard this remix for the first time it made me think of a commercial of Rimmel London :P.

Maybe that's wat inspired Palpable?

Nice remix, though.

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Corporal Eschebone
on 2005-02-19 10:43:50

Basically a combination of disco/electro/funk. While some people will love this, others won't care for it.

As for myself, when this was posted a looong way back, I didn't like it initially. But when I listened to it more, it grew on me a lot, and I'm just now writing a review of it. I see the judges were also split on it. Good stuff though.

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Txai
on 2005-02-16 05:13:33

HA! I go to be honest with you, djpretzel. When I listened this mix in my headphone, in 02:44, I thought that my home phone ringed: Trrim-trrim. But was this mix! This mix deceived me! :P

Okay, I think that this is the second Stage from Marble Madness. Nostalgic game! I liked the electronic/exotic style of this mix. This deserves a compliment...good work!

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Poison_Quill
on 2005-02-13 22:17:21

Been humming this all day. :)

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The Orichalcon
on 2004-10-31 00:50:52

I love it. Brings back that oldschool feel with the standard 4/4 beat. Nice work.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Marble Madness (Milton Bradley , 1988, NES)
Music by Brad Fuller,David Wise,Hal Canon
Songs:
"Beginner Race (Level 2)"

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File Information


Name:
Marble_Madness_Marble_Dancefloor_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
3,928,424 bytes
MD5:
5bab86692c8e77c77ea69cfd4b7120a4
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
4:00

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