ReMix: Space Harrier 'Limitless Skies'

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The ReMixer writes on his website:

"At 10, I used to record my NES game soundtracks on tape by sticking a recorder against the speaker of the tv set!"

...which is funny, because at 8 I used to do the same thing, albeit with a Sega Master System. Christophe, alias CarboHydroM, gave us an excellent FF7 ReMix back in October of last year, and returns covering source material that's a bit nearer and dearer to my own heart, if (almost certainly) not most gamers': Space Harrier. Specifically, the oft-arranged main theme. One of the reasons this theme has been covered so much is because the C64 version of the game had basically the same soundtrack as the original arcade and SMS port, but several mixers primarily from the Commodore scene nevertheless paid it some attention due to the port. Christophe's take is different from the electronica, disco, and rap that has come before it, and sets Hiro's soaring, hyperfantasy melody to the same crunchy rock guitars that graced his previous submission, with considerably higher, adrenaline-infused pacing this time. Speedy rhythm guitar varies things up between sustained chords, offbeats, and fast chugs, a deep bass takes the time to pull some transitions here and there, drums whizz by quite quickly but especially towards the end mix it up with tasty breaks and fills, and over it all sings a sweet lead electric on the melody, adding some bends and subtle intonation over the original as befits the instrument. Binnie's essentially correct in noting that the main melody isn't altered too awful much, but the rhythm guitars constitute the buffer between the lead and the drums/bass, make up a large part of the song, and are decidedly different from the original, as is the drumming, plus there's the whole final minute of the mix, which manages to throw in some different ideas and reprise the intro without sounding pasted-on, so I think Carbo's got the arrangement factor down. The thing I absolutely love about the original, which comes through well here, is how the melody gains so much from simply being transposed an octave higher on its second iteration - see 1'04" for reference. For some reason that jump, one of the most basic, melodic reuse tricks you can pull, works better for this melody than many others which employ it. Love some of the guitar decisions the ReMixer made, specificaly with the ska change-up at 1'36" that triggers some tremolo on the left. Also, the mix does a better job than Carbo's previous effort of discrete panning, separating each guitar out very clearly, which is important in a mix consisting mostly of layered electric guits. zyko lower-casedly offers:

"this one is a winner. i love the tightness of the arrangement and the playing. the tone of the guitar is so perfect, it's ridiculous. the drumwork and basslines are intelligent and a good backbone to the mix. the lead guitar is his best work yet, i think, and very impressive. smart and flawless and at times, awfully creative arrangement. i love it."

Well-deserved enthusiasm. The only thing I'd nitpick on, although I'm a huge fan of the original and can't be expected to be absolved completely of bias, would be that as with his last submission (perhaps a little less), it seems like the EQ could have been opened up in the upper register to make the lead and drums a bit crisper and the sound just a tad cleaner and more open. Nothing major, in other words, and I'm overall thrilled that someone's taken the time to do a speed rock arrangement of this classic theme and to do it right. Great stuff from CarboHydroM, well worth deviating from Atkins to enjoy.

― djpretzel