ReMix: Final Fantasy VII 'Speed Limit'

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Mr. Floyd returns after about a year with his first mix of 2007, some FF7 coverage of the Crazy Motorcycle theme. This was actually resubbed after the panel rejected a previous incarnation. sephfire describes the changes made the second time around:

"- The "popcorn synth" borrowed from the source material has been replaced.
- The intro has been reworked.
- The Advent Children reference in the string stabs has been replaced with a reference to FF7's battle theme.
- Other subtle changes have been made in areas I felt should be improved."

Source material in this case is almost anti-melodic; like good portions of the FF7 score, it's straight cinematic BGM, which jives well with Dan's ability to conjure orchestral-electronic cauldrons of sound. You've got a strong string presence, industrial drums, omnipresent edgy filtered synthitude, shredding guitars, and solid sensibilities when it comes to chopping things up and recombining them. That being said, even though the ReMixer does an admirable job of keeping the pace frenetic and the momentum palpable, this still isn't the type of arrangement you could mistake for being a "melodic journey" - it's groove-oriented, through and through. Nevertheless, that's clearly the intention, and trying to transmogrify the original into something less like BGM and more like a linear, narrative song would potentially have required too much extrapolation - the type of "extrapolation" I used to fill essays with the day before they were due, if you get my drift. Shariq writes:

"Jammin' good time. Nice beats, nice gating, full soundscapes without overwhelming the listener. Top-notch, imo."

This is a good time to mention that Shariq's taking a leave of absence from both forum moderation and judging. It's probably permanent, but there's always a slim chance things could change for the better. As I understand it he's been working some crazy hours, and some of the dramarama surrounding forum changes awhile back added too much unnecessary stress. I wanted to wait until something was more definite, and am secretly (still) hoping his free time and motivation rise from the ashes like a phoenix and allow him to resume the immensely important role(s) he's performed for OCR, but it's been long enough that I needed to say something. Darkesword's one of the most level-headed guys I know, has contributed some of our best and most popular ReMixes, has served for years as a consistent presence on the judges panel, and has provided the backbone of our forum moderation. He was also a catalyst in constantly reminding me to upgrade from phpBB to vBulletin on our forums, which I believe has been a significant improvement. His contributions to the site lack neither depth nor breadth; we would not be where we are without him. He's still active on our forums and chat, however, and indicated he'll still be mixing, so all is not lost. Either way, all should recognize the huge role he's played for OverClocked ReMix over the years.

But this is of course a ReMix writeup, and in conclusion I'd say that while this isn't necessarily Daniel's most memorable work to date, it's very solid and does a lot with a piece that never really resonated much for me in its original incarnation, but which takes on a kinetic ferocity in his capable hands.

― djpretzel

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

Killer stuff, some of the samples seem a little weak, mainly the strings, but otherwise this is top shelf stuff. Lots of excellent percussion that sounds huge, gated synths everywhere, and excellent transitions. Really all you could ever want in a good FF7 mix, and there is even more with a lot of string stabs and some synth counterpoint stuff.
Not as crazy or crisp as Intense Color, but in the same catagory, and definitely something that's going to be heavily played by me.

- OA on March 19, 2009

all i have to say is wow. This song puts a great spin on the original. This guy is definitely a man after my own heart and i can tell he uses reason. (if not id be really suprised) anyway, kudos on a great song i hope to hear more of this stuff

- davidicus on October 1, 2007

Another quality remix by sephfire. Although it's five and a half minutes, it seems to be too short and makes me listen to it over and over again, and that should tell you how good it is. It simply keeps the listener's interest for the whole time, which is something rather rare for a song that's basically soundscape. The drums, the speed, everything about this song makes it awesome.
Again, good work.

- Martin Penwald on March 15, 2007

awesome sephire, glad to see this finally was accepted... took a long time!

- Monobrow on March 10, 2007

I did indeed find this a little bit repetitave. The background sound is supposed to help bring out the melody in most cases and this one seemed to me to be a little more focused on the background. I think I can see where you are going though, because it is a wonderful background nonetheless, so you wanted to bring it out. I love your work sephfire, but this one just isn't quite awesome. 8.2 out of 10 for me.

- Thin Crust on March 2, 2007

This takes me to a place that I do not wish to leave. Well done.

- The Primoris on March 2, 2007

Man, I just can't get enough of this one. Totally awesome, dude.

- Citan on March 2, 2007

Violin kicks ass. Drums also good. I like what's happening in the song when the drums phase in and out between 1:30 and 2 or so. This thing sorta pumps me up, not sure what for, but it gets me seriously noddin' my head. Great overall.

- MisterBiggler on March 2, 2007

This is truly a brilliant arrangment because it took an original track that is quite repetitive and just makes a guy want to listen on.
I will compliment you by saying it almost has a Black Wind Rising feel to it at times. (an arrangment so good it makes your heart skip at times) The intro reminded me of one of the scores from the motion picture soundtrack of Broken Arrow. (music by Hans Zimmer)
My only complaint is the always-there rasp in the background. I think there was parts of the song where it added to the theme and yet at other parts I wished it would go away so I could hear the main track more vividly. Less would have been more concerning that in my opinion.
All in all, excellent track. Keep'em coming mate.

- Flare4War on March 1, 2007

this is one awesome mix! the arrangement and production value are awesome, and it sounds great! its sounds like a boss theme from a video game(i've never played FF 7 so wouldnt know if it was). it became choatic in some parts though. spectacular job!:wink:

- The Instrumental Light on February 28, 2007

Whoa, your remix finally got in. Congrats, Sephire! I realized the issues brought up with some of the content, but glad to see they have been resolved nicely and now a lot of people get to enjoy your mix.

- JustChris on February 28, 2007

Love it, such a driving force behind it. Very sweet.

- DragonAvenger on February 28, 2007

It was an unfortunate conflict with OCR policy. Combined with the fact that the string stabs originally played a melody from Advent Children, the original remix just didn't meet OCR specifications.

- sephfire on February 28, 2007

It's better quality than the original, but I'm sad that it lost the little electronic "popcorn clocks" in the background. For me, those epitomize the motorcycle game, and the song isn't the same without them.
Why'd you decide to take those out.

- Zipp on February 28, 2007

Great job, man. I originally played through FFVII mainly so I could have a deeper appreciation for the remixes, and this remix makes me glad I did again. Can't wait for your next remix.

- Penfold on February 28, 2007

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