ReMix: Gran Turismo 'Stupid Damn Vehicle'

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So, I went ice skating for the first time in my life yesterday, and managed to survive without the ignominy of falling on my bum even once... though five year-olds were routinely whizzing past me and I think I was cut off by an octagenarian. I also recently got the chance to drive an entire day with the top down on my convertible, thanks to unseasonably warm winter weather last week, which segues nicely into our latest mix, an extremely impressive initial submission from Ilari Nieminen which represents our first ReMix from the GT franchise. Obviously, due to extensive usage of licensed music in the later iterations, there's not as much material there, but ilp0 takes us back to the revolutionary roots of Sony's flagship racing series with some excellent instrumental jazz/rock work on Moon Over The Castle. Now there are some minor production issues with this, as there's a few clicks/pops/hiss/hum, but none of them are glaring enough to get in the way, and unless you're on phones, you might not even detect them at all. But wow... what an arrangement! This really sounds like Steely Dan to me at numerous points, specifically their song "My Old School" (one of my favorites) - similar strong downbeat, staccato piano chords, kit, and crunchy lead guitar. Towards the end it deviates from that a bit and adds a tango/latin element that I don't think Donald Fagen would have coined, but it's still reminiscent of that track in my mind. JJT saw a different influence:

"I dig. Creative, inventive transferring of the theme to a new setting. It sounds like you're one of those guys who follows Phish around the country in a van; the kind of guy who would trade a kidney for a chance to jam with Trey Anastasio."

Kidney, or perhaps his... Golgi Apparatus? Who can say... this mix DOES have a certain sound to it that's quite unique on OCR; it's polished but still a little rough, has an old-school rock vibe to it but also clear jazz and latin elements, and the playful ending is just something that, well, not too many people would have done, let's put it that way. It's a fantastic first mix, distinguishing itself stylistically and taking on previously uncovered territory, in addition to having an amusing title (as a fan of Ridge Racer, arcade-style controls, this is my sentiment exactly when playing any GT game)... regardless of whether you're a Steely Dan fan, Phish fan, GT fan, or just looking for some good music, ilp0's got you covered.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.

Stylin'
There are a few issues with this one, especially the ending, but it's exceptionally charming, and the vision for it sounds very precise. I think that it being recorded so dry sounding really makes it feel like it has everything meticulously planned. Changes are super tight, and that Steely Dan rock tango sound is totally present.
A great introduction to ilp0, and his other stuff is great too, check it out!

- OA on March 16, 2009

This is a great track that I keep on coming back to. Everybody's talking about tango rhythms and a tango sound, though I really can't hear much of either, just an old-school rock sound with some unusual instrumentation and rythmic motifs. The arrangement goes a lot of places while retaining an original sound, and I think the inclusion of the pitched percussion is an important component in this. I like ilp0's newer arrangements too (the production in partcular is much better), but having been listening to this for over a year now I don't think it's been topped.

- Pietro on September 12, 2007

I decided to inspect whether or not you have any more remixes on the site after loving "Lake in Ontario" so much, and I'm incredibly happy to find that you do! And they don't suck, either! Quite the opposite, really... this one's got that same old-school progressive album-rock-junkie sound, which I absolutely LOVE, and the injection of latin textures just makes the whole thing even more fun.

- chthonic on March 11, 2007

This is remix is good, if not great. It isnt an instant favourite of mine, but it is one I like to listen to every now and then. Funny thing is whenever I do I always picture Jeremy Clarkson having a psycho-fit with some Ferrari Enzo or the likes.
Very funny, very nice. A dichotomy to all GT games in existance =3

- camelchild on May 26, 2006

I love the original, and you've put an unexpected twist on it that I also love. The mastering isn't absolutely top-notch, but who says it has to be? Great stuff here.
Note for djp: Actually, this song didn't appear in any of the US or EU versions of the GT series until Gran Turismo 4. Both the American and European releases of all games in the series have used licensed mainstream tunes. The Japanese versions have music composed specifically for them, however, which is where the source for this remix comes from. Just thought I'd clear that up.

- KyleJCrb on May 13, 2006

DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff wrote: That being said, I'm definitely going to check out more from this ilp0 character whenever VGMix is up and running again. Unless anybody knows of another site I can find his stuff?

He's got two other remixes on his website. Check 'em out. I hadn't visited VGMix in a while before it went down, so I'm not sure if these are the same posted there or if there are more.
And I'm going to take this opportunity to reaffirm my love for this track. Seriously, there is nothing I dislike about it. If I might say, this is a 10/10. [b]So. Damn. Catchy.[/b]

- MrBogus on February 28, 2006

This mix is a prime example of something I think we sometimes lose track of. This song has its fair share of problems (weird mastering, pops, hissing) but it still passed submission standards. Why? Because it's fun and it's catchy. A song doesn't need to be overly produced or a drastically different approach from the norm; as long as it is aurally pleasing, the people will enjoy it.
That being said, I'm definitely going to check out more from this ilp0 character whenever VGMix is up and running again. Unless anybody knows of another site I can find his stuff?

- DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff on February 26, 2006

Very Very Nice! [i] Fun and interesting[/i] :D

- Sam Ascher-Weiss on February 23, 2006

I love it! To me, whatever imperfections exist are completely overshadowed by the arrangement and overall style of this mix. If anything, it only adds to the charm. Catchy!

- pixietricks on February 23, 2006

This is pretty awesome, except in what I presume was the vibraphone part you went way out of vibraphone range.
O NOS

- DrumUltimA on February 23, 2006

Rexy wrote:
Personally, if it was me voting on it I would have said no, but it's still alright.

I'm totally gonna hack your OCR account.

- JJT on February 20, 2006

Yup, some great stuff right here.
9.8/10
-0.2 for Title. I just edited by ID3 Tag so it would say Stupid Darn Vehicle. No big deal though...

- A-RoN on February 20, 2006

I listened to this back at VGMix too; I didn't like it much the first few listens but it grew on me. I still think some instruments are "off" at times, but it's not too bad.

- Corporal Eschebone on February 20, 2006

This track is simply astounding. The Phish flavor is definitely there. Damn this is catchy. I'll be having this on loop for the next few hours.

- MrBogus on February 20, 2006

I must admit I was fairly sceptical of this mix at first but the more I listen to it the more I like it. It is certainly a great change to hear a tango version of the guitar-heavy GT4 intro. As said above, fantastic mix of genre!
It is also nice to finally see a GT mix on this site!

- Taural on February 20, 2006

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