ReMix: Gran Turismo 3 A-spec 'Cruise Control'

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It's been awhile since we've seen Joshua Morse, aka jm, in these parts. He's been busy, though: he recently released Ragnarok Online: Hybridism, an arrangement album of music from the popular Korean MMORPG, that he put together with Anthony Lofton, who he's also collabing with on this GT3 submission. Definitely check that action out; it's a well-known game, but we haven't seen a lot of arrangements of its soundtrack on this side of the ocean. Morse is excellent when it comes to collaborating with talented instrumentalists; his arrangements lend themselves to the addition of one or more acoustic elements, which po! and now Mr. Lofton have provided. For those unaware, Anthony is also the saxophonist for The OneUps, who'll be debuting some of their new material at Ikkicon in February - if you're in Austin, check 'em out.

Joshua and Anthony join the previously lonely ilp0 as the only folk with ReMixes of music from the Gran Turismo series; Ilari covered the original whereas JM and AL send us our first arrangement from the series' first outing on the PS2. This track brings the funk with mean slap bass (love that solo), plenty of lovin' on the keys, lovely sax, and funky wah stuffs and synths. Morse provides credits info:

"Joshua Morse: Lead EP, EP solo(2:24), Backing EP, Bass, Percussion, synth work
Anthony Lofton: Alto Sax, Organ solo (1:33), Backing EP."

The original has more of a straight 70's vibe, whereas this take is a bit more modern, more comfortable with blending synthetic and organic components, and also a bit slower. EP solos are delicious, as usual, and while Lofton's sax might be mixed a little above everything else, it's also impeccable, and adds black-suit-and-tie class to jm's funk for a potent concoction. I like the addition of the scratchin' and claps; they're "cheesy" elements, perhaps, but when everything else is polished, they have a different affect, and make the overall presentation more... playful? Can't think of the perfect adjective, but I think they work, and also serve to distance this arrangement from the original, since the two are in similar veins. Usually Morse takes less funky material and adds his funk/lounge/jazz feel to it - this was a little different, since the source material sounded more like his style to begin with. However, there're significant changes, removals, and additions, and with the tempo modification thrown in as well, you're definitely dealing with a distinct rendition of the theme; it just happens to be one that retains most of the best elements from the source, while changing the context. Funky, sweet stuff from Morse and Lofton.

― djpretzel