ReMix: F-Zero 'The Flood Plain'

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JigginJonT writes:

"In case you couldn't tell by now, I love the original F-Zero soundtrack. This is a Big Blue arrangement I did awhile ago, and it was written in the same manner as "Silent Progression." I learned the melody, came up with a loose outline in my head for the arrangement, practiced a few sections, then recorded some takes. This was the best one."

I spent a hell of a lot of time with this game, and love the soundtrack as well. GX does a great job of covering tunes from the original, but it's all very polished - JJT's mix is definitely more organic, as the live piano creates an intimate atmosphere, complete with some prepared piano material at 0'31", building up to the instantly recognizable main theme introduction at 0'54" that reaches stride at 1'18". I wouldn't have envisioned the original working particularly well as a solo piano piece, but in this case I clearly just couldn't see it - this feels amazingly natural, and JJT's performance is striking. Andy writes:

"I like the arrangement of this one. It's got a lot of interesting left hand stuff, some nice embellishments to keep the melody from being too plodding. Very nice dynamics and expression. Transitions like 2:37 are well done, and I particularly liked the improv around 3:03. The performance has some minor errors at worst but they're not even really noticeable - it's quite good. That aspect is totally fine with me. The recording quality is more than adequate. This is an excellent ReMix overall, and a good example of what a solo piano mix should be."

Right on - there's absolutely nothing auto-pilot about this arrangement whatsoever, which is the worst trap a solo piano arrangement can really fall into. Technique and expression are vital, but when the arrangement itself feels like it's playing out a preset scenario of arpeggios, I think a crucial focus is lost, and hard to regain. That never happens here for even a second; you can hear that Jon's invested himself in the material in every note, and his investment certainly paid off.

― djpretzel