ReMix:Final Fantasy Adventure "Notes on a Revelation in a Public Place" 4:25

By Ziwtra

Arranging the music of one song...

"In Search of the Sacred Sword"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy Adventure (Square , 1991, GB), music by Kenji Ito

Posted 2007-04-23, evaluated by djpretzel


Once more unto the FFA goes Youngjin, who writes:

"this is a fairly radical interpretation of the original--if you're interested it's worth checking out the source. someone ought to do a kickass breakbeat/techno mix of this one anyway--that's what jimmy seemed to expect, but instead i went into contemplative/shimmering mode. the sounds circa ~1:30 are from a subway recording in korea--the ringing sound is actually an electronic bell they use to tell you a train is coming (not a phone). i didn't make the recording, but i have been to korea and the sample definitely hit home for me. sorry for the long and obscure title, it's not a reference to anything other than the mood i wanted to convey, esp. at the end. if anyone complains that i left the end unresolved, well... sorry! that's the point!"

Same thing goes for Lost in Translation. The feel here is definitely new agey, but with enough edge so that you don't wander off and start expecting Carl Sagan to start doing a voiceover about billions and billions of... whatever (as a side note, Cosmos rocks and had a great soundtrack, too). This is, for lack of a better term, "stargazing" music. The type that brims with the power of imagination. Not in a fruity, Levar-Burton-Does-Reading-Rainbow sorta way, but rather a cool Spring night, sitting on a grassy hill, staring up at clear sky kinda vibe. It's got some of the same delicate sensibility and polish as Wingless' stuff, and I for one think the ending adds maturity and structural dissent in what otherwise might have been too straightforward (if still solidly built) a composition. Not quite as deviant from ziwtra's preeminent style as his last mix, but when you've got something that works, persisting ain't such a bad notion. The Korean train sound is a personalized touch as well, and makes for a nice anecdote. More excellent Final Fantasy Adventure material from Youngjin; you can't go wrong.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Marscaleb
on 2021-05-25 00:05:36

This is a beautiful piece, but that sound effect of an old office phone ringing really took me out of it. The muted walla works for the tone, but those "public place" sounds open with a very distracting phone ring that just takes me out of the groove.

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BLAHMASTER
on 2017-10-25 10:47:46

This evokes a lot of interesting feelings...

I will invoke assistance from this song in the future.

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tweex
on 2010-09-13 20:35:52

Sweet mother of mercy, I LOVE these intros. Ziwtra continues to bring them to the table and this one is NO exception. Mr. Hahn creates tone and mood better than most anyone I've ever heard. The SFX of the subway station was an interesting and daring choice. If the SFX was a little better quality, I would have enjoyed it a bit more I think. I can certainly see the point in having it, but the execution of it was a little weak for my tastes. Afterward though, he brings it back with glitched out drums, glittery synths, and a great vibe. Excellent vibe, to be honest. I love the gated low synth/bass. Even though the guitar is sequenced, the addition of it was wonderful. Awesome AWESOME job here.

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Catullus
on 2008-02-01 21:59:20

Ive listened to OCR for years and one of the first remixers I found on the site about 5 years ago was Ziwtra's Downwind piece. He might just be my favorite remixer on the site. I really have enjoyed all of his songs for years and between listening to them in my car, or in my mp3 player while jogging or at home while doing various things; I would be willing to say he is someone that I would pay money to listen to his music.

I am very glad he came back because for awhile I was unsure if he had just disappeared on everyone. I hope he does continue to make music because he is so good at it.

As for this piece its very relaxing its almost something you should fall asleep to at night. The relatively uptempo part of this song starts at 2:46 and is definitely the best part. But really this song is one of his more mellow pieces in general. Its definitely easy listening and considering I haven't played FFA since I was a kid so I am not to familiar with the source off hand but I do recall Square making some memorable tunes on this limited hardware for both this game and FFLII for example.

The subway part of the song is a decent interlude and certainly sets it apart from most other remixes. Well thats enough of a novel from me, I hope ziwtra finds desire and opportunity to create more music for us.

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Martin Penwald
on 2007-05-10 15:18:24

Somehow, this one is, at least for me, easier to listen to than ziwtra's release from a few months ago, A dream is not a mission. The chill-out atmosphere is here throughout the whole song, and even the subway noises don't disturb it. Everything just works together very smoothly, and that's what makes a good song. Nice work.

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Flare4War
on 2007-05-02 11:15:14

I agree, it does have a very new age feel.

Very chill, very cool.

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Icct Hedrix
on 2007-05-01 18:59:56

I think DJP hit the nail on the head when he refered to this as "good stargazing music". Its remenicient of Aphex Twin's Alberto Balsalm. Its just really relaxing.

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Black Soul
on 2007-04-30 22:25:45

I perceived a lot of buildup without a release; a lot of pressure but no sonic boom. 3:27 would have been perfect for it, but there was none at all. I was left hanging. That kinda ruined it for me. :(

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Genoism
on 2007-04-26 18:57:26

i liked the beginning a lot, i like stuff that starts out with only an instrument or two and slowly builds from there. Good job!

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Arek the Absolute
on 2007-04-26 00:57:15
i expect "i knew about ziwtra even though he isnt a judge" badges to flourish now, you mongrel

he is the reason i came to ocr homie

baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack in the day

well i have been here before, but he made me want to stay

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DJ Magotrox Brazil
on 2007-04-25 00:25:22

I never heard the original gb music, but I liked the mix. Delay and reverb effects makes my taste so much. That´s really very cool!

The second part sounds like some kind of "new age" music. Surely. it´s a good thing to hear... at least to me.

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Tepid
on 2007-04-24 15:32:18

Welcome back Ziwtra,

Your Rain In Chicago (Blue Fields) mix is still one of my favorites here. This is no exception, the atmosphere and ambiance is relaxing and the production is bright and very tight. There's a lot of thought and creativity in the mix whilst maintaining a pseudo-minimalism. This actually sounds a lot like something outta the Square Enix Bootlegs they've been releasing, most of it being melodic electronic pieces.

Verdict: SEXCELLENT

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Villainelle
on 2007-04-24 12:27:21

This is one of the most liberal arrangements I've ever heard on this site. I didn't recognize the source in the first few minutes either, though it does seem like there are sketchy allusions to it. Agreed with CHz, trying to pick out the source isn't very fruitful; this mix seems better enjoyed as a mood/atmospheric piece. The last minute slapped a huge grin on my face. :D It does seem more "inspired by" than "remix of," though.

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OA
on 2007-04-24 11:15:19

This took me several listens to completely grasp, since the structure seemed a bit strange to me, but there are plenty of immediate, smaller hooks that keep it interesting. The larger hooks begin to emerge after a few more listens, and I can start to get a feel for it as a whole, rather than several connected sections.

At first it seemed that the transitions aren't very strong, but once I had gotten a grasp of the mix as a single unit, their subtlety became less of a detriment. I still think that the fills could be a bit stronger between sections, but they are by no means weak transitions.

I think the best part of this mix is the evocative imagery that it (and most of Zwitra's work) brings up. I don't normally associate colors and music, but somehow when I listen to this, I get a really strong feeling of subtle blues and greens. Cool stuff, but it's kindof distracting, especially here at work. :P

Regardless of how crazy I am this morning, this is one you have to work for a little, but it really pays off.

Phenomenal work, and highly recommended.

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Dhsu
on 2007-04-24 09:40:41

This has a nice vibe, but it might a be a little far out for even me...I had a hard time even hearing a connection to the game at first, and I still can't identify any source material at all between 0:47 and 2:10. The partwriting for the accompaniment is also kind of weird and distracting at a few places.

But yeah, it's still pretty chill. Just not really for me, I guess.

And Reading Rainbow was awesome. :(

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy Adventure (Square , 1991, GB)
Music by Kenji Ito
Songs:
"In Search of the Sacred Sword"

Tags (3)


Genre:
Mood:
Chill
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Piano
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_Adventure_Notes_on_a_Revelation_in_a_Public_Place_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,390,066 bytes
MD5:
9d5649bcf3f3e268f754103cb2bb6ce9
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
4:25

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