ReMix: Grim Fandango 'The Enlightened Alaskan'

Download MP3
2,982,941 bytes, 3:06, 128kbps

• Trade-in your Games or Anime DVDs!
• OC ReMix Shirts & Merch
• Games:
  • DS | GBA | GC | PS2 | WII | XBOX | 360
  • Imports & Pre-owned
• Anime:
  • DVDs & Merchandise

While you may have already heard VotL in its entirety, chances are you haven't heard this Mazedude mix, our very first arrangement from the legendary Grim Fandango. Yeah, that LucasArts game with all the dead skeleton people in it. I actually never played it, which is a damn shame, because the combination of LucasArts humor/presentation with a somewhat Tim Burtonesque, noir setting seems like it would be right up my alley. Mr. Getman also provided our first (and only, to date) coverage of Day of the Tentacle, also by Peter McConnell but that time with Clint Bajakian and Michael Land. Mazedude's doing wonders for American game composers on OCR, and this recent trend of LucasArts classics in particular is doubtless making many fans of the games happy. As well they should be; Chris got the skills, and proves it yet again. At just over three minutes, this is a little short, but... it's really cool. It blends Chris' love of quirkier, mangled fx with a lot of choral elements, Middle Eastern intonations, and ethnic percussion. I think you'll find that while it's identifiable as a Mazedude mix (for all the right reasons) it's a bit different from his other stuff because of these two motifs. The solo choral entry and minimalist fx intro is perfect, the chopped, unprocessed effect outro (with fading pad underneath) is perfect, and the overall sonic aesthetic is just immensely transporting, well constructed, and effective. Chris writes:

"I'm rather proud of this one, it's been finished for a long time, and yet very few people have heard it. I'm also excited to be the first Grim Fandango remix on the site. :)"

He should be "rather proud" of ALL his mixes, really. I've personally got a few older tracks I'm less than proud of, truth be told, but everything on OCR from MD is hot business, in my humble opinion. This, however, is one of his best, most unique and visionary pieces. It's the ReMix equivalent of opium (comparison not based on empirical evidence), being downright hypnotic, and from start to finish feels like an idea that crystallized in his brain and made the transition from gray matter to WAV matter fully intact. Awesome.

― djpretzel