ReMix: Crack Down '4:20 A.M.'
Well, I thought Israfel's Shivers mix would be the last truly obscure mix to be posted in 2004, but I think zyko has that title beat in terms of esotericity. Furthermore, the ReMixer works in some unrelated but nonetheless fun movie quotes from the likes of Dune and Predator (see the very end for Governor Ahnud's cameo), in a funky, groove-centric mix from an old Sega Genesis title from the same publisher who released the slightly better-known Insector-X. GuitarMix critiquer extraordinaire Vigilante enthuses (with some reservations):
"funkified.
the guitar's clearly bringing the thing alive. It's definitely a jam track, but it never becomes dull; it keeps moving.
I like the vocal clips, although i think they could have been integrated a bit better with a fadeout, because the fuzz from the samples sticks out when the clip ends.
great stereo work, although i think some of the guitars sound a bit dry. i would have thrown on some intense stereo delay on the guitar around (:35)
this track definately keeps you moving."
Pretty much - I mean, let's face it, you NEVER have to be familiar with the source material when the power of wah guitar is involved. The magic of the wah is generally accepted to transcend race, sex, age, religion, and nationality, and speak directly to the inner mojo each of us have within us. Well, except Ralph Reed. I had fewer issues with the production, which Jesse can always be counted on to emphasize, than I did the repetitiveness of some of the percussion, as Larry points out:
"Nice how many of the subtler support elements under the lead guitar were being played differently each time from 1:22-2:53, though the basic patterns (strings/percussion/sythn playing the source melody pattern) definitely went long, staying around until 2:53. The percussion pattern in particular definitely could have used something to keep it fresh around the 2:20 mark, which was when I noticed the repetiveness."
... in general, you might get the feel at points that the mix is something of an excuse for zyko to just play some badass wah guitar. And - at times - you'd probably be right. But I ain't complaining, especially when there's enough arrangement in other segments to offset any... solo indulgences... that may or may not have occurred. The end result for some reason to me has a Streets of Rage feel to it; love the bit at 3'04" with the alternate processing, and the little organ riff that's present for a large portion of the mix does a good job of fleshing things out. Great attention to panning, with mucho cross-panning going on, and the saw synth bassline is phat. That may be the last time this year I deign to use the word 'phat' in a write-up, so savor it. Bottom line: good arrangement, great guitar work, and an amazing amount of wah are all vacuum-packed for freshness - chock full o' funk.
Content Policy
(Submission
Agreement and Terms of Use)
Page generated Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:57:21 -0500 in 0.0141 seconds
All compositions, arrangements, images, and trademarks are copyright their respective owners. Original content is
copyright OverClocked ReMix, LLC. For information on RSS and JavaScript news feeds, linking to us, etc. please refer to resources for webmasters. Please refer to the Info section of
the site and the FAQ available there for information about the site's
history, features, and policies. Contact David W. Lloyd (djpretzel), webmaster, with
feedback or questions not answered there.
