ReMix: Super Mario Bros. 2 'Lizardiño Slayer Quartet'

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I've compared ilp0's stuff to Steely Dan (who I'm going to see again this summer at Wolftrap), and I still think it's a legit comparison... though this latest arrangement of the most famous theme from SMB2 features some fx, specifically backwards processing, that Donald Fagen might not employ, I can still hear an influence, conscious or otherwise. Which is great, by the way; despite apparently being dissed in Knocked Up, SD are great stuff. And so's ilp0 - his talent in particular for combining crunchy electric guitar with cleaner textures lends itself to the genre/material time after time. Jill writes:

"Ooh, fun! Despite the brevity of this arrangement, I actually felt like it went in some interesting directions. The mixing is rather dry, but that in combination with the classic rock beat and quirky bassline makes it sound very Beatles. I like the way electric guitar's sound sort of evolves throughout the mix. Good use of FX, and there was some decent original material from 1:05-1:15. Because the structure is basically identical to the original and you only did it once through, I'm a little concerned about the conservativeness of the arrangement. Still, the soundscape is so unique and varied internally that it would be a shame not to pass this."

Estradasphere covered this theme with a wonderful big band jazz style, Adrian Holovaty with a lovely gypsy jazz approach, and now Ilari Nieminen joins his jazz peers with a rock variation that works just as well. Jimmy adds:

"This is packed with Nintendo fun for the entire family. I'll say again, there's no plausible excuse for anyone to not smile, and maybe tap a toe or two to this. If a real Nintendo theme park ever does actually come into existence, I hope this will be looped all over the place there."

Pretty much; this one's a bit closer to the source than the artist's previous mixes, but still features the same distinct style and compelling instrumental work. I for one think it'd be interesting to see if Nintendo could get the SMB2 throwing gameplay mechanic & overall aesthetic to work in a 3D environment as successfully as they did the traditional mechanic with SM64; maybe after Galaxy? Who knows, but this would fit in a theme park just as well as it would a sequel, and makes for some great listening in any context.

― djpretzel