ReMix: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest 'Set Sail'

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From the easily-mispronounced/misread newcomer Blizihizake, more fool-proofly known as Blake Perdue, comes this ReMix, also orchestral, from the DKC2 OST. It's great that this mix follows Shnabubula's, because I think it clearly illustrates that there's a place for more sedate, introspective orchestral mixes as well as Hollywood-style Williamsesque compositions. 'Orchestral' may be loosely thought of as a genre, but never a tone, as there's room for a wide palette of colors under its umbrella. Blake has actually submitted a few pieces in the past which weren't quite up to spec, and admits to starting numerous WIP mixes he never finishes, but expained that this particular mix was one he poured a little more time and energy into. He writes of his earlier experiences:

"Then I later finished a crappy Bubbleman mix, which got a few YES's. I then realized, I HAD to get on OC ReMix. I was young and stupid, and even sent an email to change my mixerid to that of "DjBlizihizake", thinking I would get accepted. Oh, those were the days when I thought the tag "DJ" was cool. I realize how dumb I was, and I apologize to any ACTUAL dj's I offended."

Now.... heh... well, I COULD consider that a sort of implicit insult to my own pseudonym, as I'm not an ACTUAL DJ either. Perhaps I should similarly be apologizing to the legions of true "disc jockeys" whom my usurpation of honorific acronym has potentially offended. But hey, it's different with me, because... like, I make it all one word, and lowercase... and stuff. Yes. Moving on, the point is that this mix comes from an individual who's paid his dues, taken a lot of constructive criticism, applied it, and via that application and effort, has produced a pretty damn respectable orchestral mix. Larry gives the motivational, tear-jerking speech of the century in his decision:

"You kept up the work on this one for quite a few months, really applied the feedback and criticism you got via the WIP forums, and produced these solid results. Every up-and-coming mixer should have that level of commitment and follow-through on at least one project. Yours is a great example of using all of OCR's resources to get the job done. The production is intelligent, the project illustrates what an aspiring mixer is capable of via free samples, and the arrangement intelligently realizes the potential of the source material. All things considered, this is a first mix you can be proud of. Respect."

To paraphrase James Cromwell in Babe: "That'll do, Blizihizake". Introing with a cymbal roll and a tense progression underneath oboe arpeggio, right from the start there's some interesting fluctuations in tone, from tense to warmer. Things get more sailor-themed at 0'43" - having just seen Master and Commander again, this was well-timed for me, and does manage to capture some of that same seafaring, adventurous spirit. The core melody is then given some more lyrical, flowing iterations, with a solo oboe rendition atop enveloping, lush strings. Timpani and cymbal rolls introduce a string countermelody and additional accompaniment effectively, and more brass and percussion is added in for the finale, with the piece ending on a simple, sustained ensemble string chord. The variation in tempo and tone is impressive to have achieved in a single mix of just over four minutes, regardless of being a first submission. While the panel was uniformly positive on the mix overall, Binnie did feel there was still room for improvement, with perhaps a touch of 'medleyitis' in the way original material was melded with source material. Of course, to many if not all mixers, there's always room for improvement; what's important is that Blake's come up with a piece that's strong overall, has a good deal of variety, is interpretive, and takes his emerging skills to the next level. Good, very approachable stuff.

― djpretzel