ReMix:Super Mario 64 "Spinlock" 3:41

By aluminum

Arranging the music of one song...

"File Select"

Primary Game: Super Mario 64 (Nintendo , 1996, N64), music by Koji Kondo

Posted 2007-06-03, evaluated by the judges panel


Different, and very cool. Like NoppZ, aluminum proves his return from hiatus wasn't just about a single mix, as he follows his January release up with this slick and rather ballsy Super Mario 64 arrangement. He of heat-resistant yet surprisingly lightweight metal writes:

"Here's my take on the brief (but catchy) "File Select" tune from Mario 64. It started out as a slow, relaxed groove in the original key, but I wasn't making much progress on the arrangement. After flipping it to the minor key and adding the transition to the double-time percussion, the rest fit pretty well (I think). The bass is mixed fairly loud, and the cymbals are intentionally over-compressed for extra crunchiness."

Never before has file selection been this fun, or this... interesting. What could easily have been a more contiguous electronica mix (which would still have passed) is tempered somewhat with solo piano infusion and some very blatant, in-your-face processing trickery. Jesse writes:

"Talk about making the track your own. I didn't recognize it at first. Having an entirely different feel from the original and being in a minor key, this is the sort of complete re-envisioning that I haven't heard 'round here since Intense Color. I love the degree of creativity on display here."

You know what else was a pretty complete re-envisioning? The Sveldt!!111!... I'm just sayin'... seriously, aluminum takes a molehill and makes a mountain in terms of expanding a looped, peppy BGM skeleton into a full-fledged corpus, complete with key change, tempo change, and obvious production alterations. It's on the extreme side of arrangement, but you can still hear the guts of the source in there. small inconsequential squares writes:

"wow, now this is cool. i wasn't crazy about the execution of the transition at 2:20, but all in all, in my own opinion, this is an excellent example of reinterpreting a track in your own style."

I'll say. SM64 had a great soundtrack and is actually rather underrepresented. While in addressing this issue I wouldn't necessarily have thought to start by transmogrifying the file select music in particular, it really does work. Hopefully some of you are discovering or rediscovering this game now via the Wii's Virtual Console (or other means) - it's truly one of the classics of the medium - but even if 3D platforming greatness ain't your thing, this inventive and enjoyable arrangement from aluminum is well worth a spin.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2014-05-13 10:28:18

Intro reminds me of someone putting a ball in a silver bowl and letting it roll around the edge. Not a bad thing at all, just funny to me. Interesting take on the file select theme and I liked the style switch to the more piano-centric arrangement at 2:20. Have to agree with OA that I would have loved to hear it swing back to the previous style before ending to get that nice "sandwich of arrangements" technique, but I can't really complain about what you have here. Cool stuff, man.

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Liontamer
on 2013-10-17 16:55:53

Like a fine wine, this is one I appreciate more with age. Excellent, creative arrangement! :-)

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OA
on 2009-10-05 16:35:54

Very very different take on the theme, and though it shifts in mood halfway through, I was kind of hoping it would return to the intro style a bit.

Still, it has a nice clear soundscape, and some very awesome ideas. Good stuff. :-)

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Marmiduke
on 2009-04-10 21:43:43

I have to say, after being a huge fan and player of Super Mario 64, and a great admirer of the OST, it took me a very long time to place this theme. I got the Virtual console version a couple of months ago, and it's clear to me now, but this is such a radical departure to one of the game's most unsung melodies. I was very thrown.

What was apparent though was how much I enjoyed this even though I couldn't recognise the link to SM64. As a standalone, it was impressive. So now that I can understand where things are originating from, it adds a whole new level of impressive.

The electronic stuff is to die for. The piano is very fitting, I think, although people seem to be divided over that. I see it as a necessary breather and conclusion to such a wall of sound approach.

It's disconcerting how little this resembles the original. Not just in mood, but the melody has been mutated into something its own mother wouldn't recognise. But hey, it's lawful, it's a remix and it sounds very awesome. I doubt a faithful interpretation would sound nearly as original, creative and full of energy. Much praise.

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Psythik
on 2009-02-17 00:29:51

Personally, I find that it deviates way too far from the original. It's a great song in itself, but it just doesn't capture the mood of the original for me. And I can't feel the soul of the original song in a remix, I just don't enjoy it. Criticize me if you like; that's just the way I feel.

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audio fidelity
on 2008-12-04 16:34:03

dang - clean production

beats are nice - nice interpretation and expressive leads - lots of ear candy - great versatility and change-ups

this is quite a gem that i never realized was on here - going in standard rotation now

A+++++

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ShoopdaWhoop
on 2008-07-18 02:08:45

wow... this... this piece is so good. sooooooooooo soooo good.

this remix is blowing my mind. i've had it on repeat for the last 90 minutes or so. i'm not even stoned or drunk or anything...

the snap/clap rhythm with the hi-hat is a great background to the organ-type melody. the pseudo-tempo drop at 1:14 is insane. The sister phrases with the halfstep digress in pitch on the high pitch synth starting at 1:50 sends chills up my spine everytime i hear it. every. time. still. after 90 minutes lol.

of course a bit of a smoother transition into the 2nd section would be great. the bells underneath a 2:20 kinda mess that part up for me, but it's not enough for me to dislike the piece... Honestly I wish this was longer though... i really want this song to be like 8 minutes long with more of that synth, ya know?? maybe just use that slow section for a bridge and perhaps down to a complete silence with only the bells from the beginning... then build up again into a completely new section... my mind is running wild with ideas... god this piece is amazing.

Seriously, aluminum... if you're there think about re-remixing this into something gigantic... it's got so much more potential and it would make a LOT of people on here very happy.

- Shoop

like... that sister phrase i mentioned... that needs to happen a good 2-3 more times.

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Oni-91
on 2007-12-19 15:57:51

A VERY, VERY good interpretation of a quite major, happy song. Started off well, got great around 1'20, then just went amazing at about 2'20. I actually got shivers during the piano section...

Thank you.

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Harmony
on 2007-09-03 10:59:55

Wow, I love the ambient build through the intro that gives way to some really trick percussion at 1:08. Although I like the stutter at 1:14 because…well, I like stutters…I’m not sure it fit perfectly with the rest of the mix. A little too dry and staccato, to borrow Jill’s description.

Awesome interpretation of the source. Awesome.

It really sounds like you put some thought into synth automation and FX (lots of cool stuff going on at 1:50-2:18) so props for that. All in all, props for a really cool mix.

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avaris
on 2007-07-27 17:18:31

Ok so the first couple it was pretty good. Then the more I listened to it the more I friggin loved it. It's been getting better everyday. The melody kicks complete ass and is insanely catchy. The song def has 'it.' Great song dude I've been enjoying this for ahwile now.

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herograw
on 2007-07-27 09:23:56

This mix has "that something."

I'm not sure what "that something" is, but whatever it is, mixes containing "that something" cause me to become infatuated with them and play them WAY too much, eventually becoming intensely burnt out. But hey, it's fun while it lasts!

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Martin Penwald
on 2007-06-20 15:28:05

As Vig says, since Intense Color, there hasn't been any remix featuring this kind of out-there interpretation of the source tune. Very interesting take on it, and certainly nothing you would expect when thinking about a Mario 64 remix.

The slow section up to 1:22 didn't really catch my attention, but once the song picks up afterwards, it becomes better. The piano part from 2:19 took me by surprise (when I first listened to it, I assumed that this was already the next remix in my playlist), but it's a pretty cool part.

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Vidilian
on 2007-06-16 18:57:02

I've got aluminum's "Climmhazard Rush" mix and I was impressed what he managed to do with that short, looping source material. A lot of imagination went into it.

The same could be said for this. Great stuff. I even got used to the last third, which seemed out of place at first.

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SosusOCR
on 2007-06-16 09:53:59

Great stuff, I havent really enjoyed a remix like that in a while, loved it from strat to finish.

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watkinzez
on 2007-06-16 00:01:37

I was originally just going to post 'oshit aluminum awesome' without even listening to the song.

..yep, could have done that without anyone being suspicious. Insane genius.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Super Mario 64 (Nintendo , 1996, N64)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"File Select"

Tags (3)


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

File Information


Name:
Super_Mario_64_Spinlock_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,393,274 bytes
MD5:
ae89026aacb5b636d2bce48b780e1a89
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:41

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