ReMix: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 'Knuckleduster'
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- Game: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega, 1994, GEN)
- ReMixer(s): Daniel Baranowsky
- Composer(s): Bobby Brooks, Brad Buxer, Darryl Ross, Doug Grigsby III, Geoff Grace, Jun Senoue, Scirocco, Tatsuyuki Maeda, Tomonori Sawada
- Song(s): Marble Garden Zone
- Posted: 2006-11-19, evaluated by djpretzel
Alrighty then, lads and ladies. Without further adieu, and with a longer layover than perhaps anyone expected (but well worth the wait), I'm proud to announce the debut of OCR's latest site project, Project Chaos: A Sonic 3 and Knuckles Arrangement Album. This one's been developing for quite some time, initially under the leadership of kungfuchicken (Mike Penn), but transferred to the beveragemeister himself, herr SnappleMan (Andreas Kotsamanidis), halfway through. Regardless of delays and hierarchical musical chairs, I'm happy to inform you that the end result didn't suffer one bit, and is truly some solid stuff - Christmas (or the endyear wintry celebration of your choice) comes early for not only Sonic fans, which is a large enough demographic to begin with, but anyone looking for some kicking, rocking, jamming, slamming musical goodness. That's not hyperbole, either - as the following tracks will demonstrate, these guys and gals have pulled out all the stops and made some fine, fine hedgehogian and echidnian compositions. You can check out the whole enchilada over at http://s3k.ocremix.org/, or download the torrent directly.
Now, on to the first posted mix, to try to bring some order out of this Chaos. Laugh. The last time Mr. Baranowsky deigned to grace us with his magnificent presence was August of last year, interestingly enough, on the title track for the Dark Side of Phobos Doom project. Has he perchance become a project-only mixer, sweeping in during the hubbub of release days and striking like a ninja, then receding into the veiled darkness from whence he came? Maybe, or maybe he's just busier these days. Now he's taking on the same theme that Rayza got all old skool 808 on us with his SonikElektronik mix. This is quite a bit different from that piece, as Dan continues to show off his versatility as well as his vocals. What, pray tell, is a "knuckleduster"? I confess to having had very few occasions in life where I felt the need to dust my own knuckles, personally, but if this is the type of music that the occasion demands, it must be worthwhile maintenance. Dan REALLY plays with the syncopation of the core underlying groove, which intros in a lo-fi format and sticks around, joined by bongos, strings, heavy vibrato B3 organ, piano and a funky mixture of acoustic and electronic percussions. PLUS, Dan's vocals, and man, did he take it to the bank and then some on this one. Levels are a little low, but the vocal style is something that's brand spankin' new to OverClocked ReMix - a more growly, shouty, soulful, occasionally falsetto style that took some real cajones to even attempt in the first place... and it's awesome that he pulls it off as well as he does. This to me is risk-taking and innovation - it's the type of thing I really love to see, because it puts the ReMixer in a position of vulnerability but at the same time is the best way of expanding what's possible with the form and concept, and of opening doors for others to follow suit. I kinda felt like Taucer and I did some of that with Town Life, I feel like Dan's doing it here, and I'm really excited about the future, given some of these new directions I think game mixing can be taken in.
Production and performances are great, but it's the concept here that shines through; there's rock, reggae, classical, jazz, and other influences going on, but far from being an ugly chimera, Dan's created a funky, soulful, and at times beautiful amalgam. There's nothing like it on OCR, and it works, and that alone makes it special, but it also happens to be a great track from a great ReMixer who's got a long, sordid history of taking challenging concepts and giving them wings. It's also Sonic, which is all some people are gonna need to know, but hopefully everybody will recognize that, regardless of what game this came from and even the project affiliation, Dan's done something pretty different here, and it's just... cool. That being said, there's quite a bit more where this came from, so check out Project Chaos post-haste.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the Whenever I hear any variation of the Mable Garden Zone theme, I always hear your voice in the background, which ultimately is a sign of a great mix. :<
You did an awesome job, and keep up the good work. :nicework:
- 42 on January 17, 2009
Anyone who doesn't like it needs to diversify their tastes, haha! :<
- puff on October 18, 2007
- herograw on September 22, 2007
- TheWestWind on April 16, 2007
There I made it short.
- The Instrument of GAWD on February 20, 2007
cloudkitt;168941 wrote: This the first remix I've heard that I actualyl liked the vocals. They fit perfectly, and that NEVER happens, in my experience.
Yeah I totally agree, I rarely find remixes with vocals that I enjoy or fit well. With this one, it just seemed right. I know there are a lot of conflicting opinions, but I really liked it. That last verse tied it together (know you're a...), I find myself coming back to listen to it over and over again.
- Zethzen on February 2, 2007
Also, the piano is amazing.
- Martin Penwald on December 12, 2006
I'll state a simple fact. Usually remixes with vocals wind up layering on the cheese, and I mean extra-thick. This mix didn't. And not only that, I really liked it. This is probably one of my top 20 from the whole site, much less just the project.
Very tight and well done.
- Antipode on December 10, 2006
danny B wrote: Sorry this took so long.....
Knuckleduster lyrics -
I've gotta know
Who takes a life for free?
Some kind of man,
I know would tell her openly
I know your eyes expand
I won't lead you by the hand
I'll ask again,
Please, is there anybody free?
A foreign land
Why won't they speak to me?
I know your eyes expand
We can't lead you by the hand
Know you're a knuckleduster
And you're caught in a relapse now
With eyes half open and a trail of head crumbs,
Tell me again where you are from.
*scat*
Hope that helps people who have been mouthing nondescript sounds.
btw, i welcome criticism gladly, although some of it in this thread was blatantly ego-boosting trash talk. However, there's a reason they didn't like it, and I use that as additional perspective to analyze my own work and improve it. If people don't like my singing, hell - most of the time I'd agree with them. I finished this track about 6 months ago, and gained some perspective from not hearing it for so long. I know where they are coming from, but the goal of this song is the same goal I have with a lot of songs - to try something new. Some things worked out well, some things not so well. Just like Invertebrate Retreat - a song about a [b]worm[/b] - try to write lyrics at least partially pertaining to the subject of a 16-bit sidescroller. It's tough! But again, I wouldn't do it if it wasn't fun.
I showed an early version of this track to Jared Hudson, and he said it sounded like Milli Vanilli. That's EXACTLY the kind of response I was looking for. I laid the cheese on extra thick for this one. This is by no means the type of music I would listen to, but damn - it was fun to make! I'm glad there are some people out there who appreciate my efforts :D.
Thanks for the comments, guys - and expect some more tracks soon. Maybe this time it won't be from a site project ;)
-dB
Here's the lyrics.
- sonic_fan69 on December 10, 2006
- cloudkitt on December 9, 2006
- sonic_fan69 on December 8, 2006
I've always found the Marble Garden Zone music to be rather strange... and I respectively hated the stage in the game itself...
The intro to this remix is kinda dry... I didn't like it very much personally... but once the main feel of the remix came in at 0:34 with the lyrics things certainly picked up. Speaking of the lyrics... they get a serious WTF. I can't even understand what's being said half the time... but I will admit, I personally can't stand lyrics, but the singing in this piece was actually good. I can listen to this remix repeatedly without it getting on my nerves, which is a huge step for any lyrical piece put in front of me.
Sticking closely to the original melody did this remix plenty of good, it makes the song easy-listening and easy to get lost in the beat. Definitely enjoyable to listen to, and disturbingly catchy. :P
Production, as has been commented on, is solid. There's nothing negative to be said about it, heck the arrangements, even if somewhat minor, are still perfect for the piece.
Although I do enjoy the remix "Pure Black, or Marbles and Cream?" more than "Knuckleduster"... I'll admit that the latter is more fitting within Project Chaos. The remix keeps up with the solid quality present in Project Chaos and is certainly one of the better songs within it.
Anyone that liked the original Marble Garden Zone music will probably get a kick out of this. Even if I do enjoy a well-done MIDI version of the original more than this remix, that's a matter of personal taste, and quite frankly, I recommend everyone at least give this a listen or two. It can take a couple of loopings to get the feel for it, so don't toss this song away too lightly!
- Pink on December 8, 2006
- cloudkitt on December 7, 2006
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