Posted 2008-04-16, evaluated by djpretzel


Techno-surf-rock-orchestral-chiptronica! FTW! In what's sure to be a crowd-pleasin', rump-shakin' ReMix in the tradition of "Dirt Devil", Andy and Juan (alias zircon and Sixto) follow their previous collab up with a balls-to-the-wall Mega Man 2 "Flashman" piece. And all is right with the world. Seriously, the 1700 series of mixes is getting off to a fantastic start, as already we've got some killer tracks. "Flashman" has certainly been covered up one side and down the other; he's just a boss who can't say no, it would seem, and mixers have taken advantage of his loose morals time and again, with myriad rock and electronica mixes. So, what's a ReMixer, or in this case pair of ReMixers, to do? The approach here seems to have been to pile everything PLUS the kitchen sink in, schizophrenically straddling multiple genres while retaining enough cohesion to not come off scatterbrain. Mr. Aversa writes:

"First off, credit where credit is due. This is something of an emulation of the DNB/rock group Pendulum, one of my favorite new artists. In fact, it was heavily inspired by a live performance of their song "Intro" from their LP "Hold Your Colour". In the live performance version, they used a progression that's identical to one from the Flashman theme, and had a sick guitar riff on top (quoted in this remix at 1:11 and onwards.) This striking similarity inspired me to do a whole remix in the Pendulum style, though since I can't emulate things very well I added a good amount of my own personal style. The end result is probably the heaviest remix I've ever done, with basically maxed out volume, massive drums and bass, brutal guitars (courtesy of Sixto) and some insane synth action. However, it doesn't take itself TOO seriously... there are a bunch of 1950s-style "surf" riffs plus a melodic quote from the old Megaman cartoon theme song. Anyway, Juan and I are really happy with how it came out; hope you enjoy it!"

How could one not? This is a mix that, as Andy says, doesn't take itself too seriously, has a shitload of fun, but also represents the formidable smorgasbord of arrangement and production skills he's been picking up over the years. You've got enough ideas here to spawn off several awesome mixes, but since awesome mixes in those styles have already been made, having everything enjambed into an almost stream-of-consciousness single arrangement is rather fun. ONE FLASHMAN MIX TO RULE THEM ALL!!? Or not... you may prefer mixes that are more stylistically consistent/conservative, which is cool, but one thing there should be no doubting is that this piece pulls no punches, kicks, or even off-color remarks. Subtle? Hell no. It's almost Tarantinoish, not because of the obvious surf-guitar cameo (though it helps), but rather for its sheer over-the-topness and flagrant adaptation, homage to and mutation of form. Nuclear Flash, indeed; awesome stuff from zircon and SS, who pair up quite well for these types of juggernaut arrangements.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
SirHobbesOfCaltous
on 2019-07-15 02:20:59

this one's been a personal favorite of mine for yeeeears. the way it gets going is just stellar.

avatar
Black_Doom
on 2014-06-01 15:37:29

This is too awesome. I liked it at the very beginning when it was orchestral. But sudden kick made it only better. And he tranition at 1:32 is really badass. :nicework:

avatar
Quintesson
on 2011-03-09 21:50:19

I'm blown away here.

Let's see, among the many vibes I get, the surf rock piece , something that sounds like part of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers theme (around 0:50), something Batman-ish (0:17-0:30) and of course, "Super Fighting Robot, MEGA MAN!" The whole piece takes me back, forth, and everywhere in between.

Great job! Keep up the good work.

(Personally, I hope y'all eventually get to Quick Man or Gravity Man's themes. Or for a change of pace, tackle some work from Game Boy's Mega Man 5.)

-- Quintesson.

avatar
MechaFone
on 2010-12-20 23:28:04

Funky butt loving! Well, more like electronic, but...Wow. Awesome way to interpret Mega Man music, a game seriously needs to be made with this as the final level music.

avatar
Holy Land
on 2010-11-29 11:02:57

ohhhh...surf rock!?

me likey.

avatar
Wina A. Kamlongera
on 2010-10-21 01:14:37

Outside of the VotL tracks, I believe this was the first Zircon mix I listened to. And needless to say, I was blown away!

I always get friends to listen to this as it's something that always manages to get people's head bopping! I can definitely hear the Pendulum influence in this, and was drawn to find more of their music (and yours) through this track!

Your production and arrangement levels are something to aspire to! The transitions feel natural and maintain the interest level throughout the piece. I love the pattern you have going when the drums kicks in and the flow into (what I feel are, quirky) surf riffs you have going is golden!

Sixto's guitar work is...just as was said, brutal! They never take the attention away from what's happening around them, yet they are just as awesome! Great work!!

Thinking about it now, this arrangement does feel like a cohesive whole on one level, and as though I'm gifted with 2/3 pieces all in the space of one. Anyway, too much ranting from me, this was a great introduction into your non-VotL tracks!

avatar
DrewGourley
on 2010-08-08 12:54:40

Just noticed this, and it makes this song 100x more awesome.

1:58:

SUPER FIGHTING ROBOTS! MEGA MAAAAANNNNNNNNN!

Great!

When it comes to this sort of thing, these two have a vision that goes beyond most music.

avatar
OA
on 2010-05-06 12:10:13

For being as technically awesome as these 2 guys are, i'm not really feeling this one. The elements are all there, and everything is clicking, but something seems off. Super lame review, I know. I can't figure this one out. Sorry guys. :-(

avatar
sxywalrus
on 2010-03-09 12:35:00

I created an account just to post this.

This song is rich, lively, full. The variations are so different yet you make the transitions smooth and amazing. I have to say one night playing some WoW PVP, this song came on in my OCremix playlist. I was so pumped up and demolished that game while this was on.

Favorite part was the throw back to the old television show. "He's the fighting robot, Mega Man!" at 1:59 - 2:05. I watched that show anytime it was on.

Great work, definitely going into my Truck so I can play it while working.

avatar
The_Mighty_KELP
on 2010-03-06 22:09:52

zircon is probably the best electronica artist on the site. And Sixto Sounds is probably the best rock guitar artist on the site. Collabs between these two amazing artists were inevitable, but this is by far the best - it's just so many kinds of awesome. I love the variety of styles all crammed into one song, without losing the musical thread and still being a coherent listen.

Very, very good.

avatar
Ruka
on 2010-02-24 07:24:28

Nice, but I only love the badass synth from 0:42 to 0:56 in combination with the orchestral hits, reminds me of bossbattles in Contra, Metal Slug etc.

Anyone knows the name of that synth?

Unfortunately I'm pretty bad at sounddesign :(

avatar
Sir_Downunder
on 2009-12-04 01:03:33

Needs moar surf rocks plz

This is a bitchin' track, no way around it.

Another awesome co-lab between Zircon and Sixto.

avatar
LnGrrrR
on 2009-04-01 23:55:25

I enjoyed the first part of the song... after the surf tune, kinda reminded me of a strange B-52s bit.

I think my favorite part was actually the slowdown at around 2:10. The whistle with the strong ... violin? stabs was fun.

I did think it ran a bit long at the end, maybe by 20 seconds or so, but overall, I enjoyed it.

avatar
Marmiduke
on 2009-01-28 09:15:47

Hold Your Colour has been a much loved album for me for quite a while, so I definately dug this. I haven't checked out In Silico yet (I know, I'm idiotically slow at getting around to it). Anyway, it's really awesome to see the really strong Australian music scene having some sort of cultural impact somewhere. We're all just lucky the influence has fallen into the hands of a community of such capable and talented people.

As for the mix, do I really need to gush more? It bottles the raw power of Pendulum without feeling to imitative (even though, let's face it, there's a striking similarity). Partly due to the genre hopping, the mix feels more of a carousel of different moods, contexts and interpretations connected by a running melody, completely avoiding what could have been a "What if Pendulum covered Mega Man 2?" scenario. We have enough of those, and we won't have a short supply of them from future submissions.

Freaky good mix and proof that OCR is still as rich with ideas as it ever was, perhaps even moreso. Peace.

avatar
42
on 2008-12-18 21:08:32

This mix, the intro especially, reminds me of how in action movies during the climactic explosion time slows down and leaves the heroes running in slow motion in front of a giant fireball that's about to consume everything.

One can almost feel the heat while listening to this mix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Mega Man 2 (Capcom , 1988, NES)
Music by Manami Matsumae,Takashi Tateishi
Songs:
"Flash Man Stage"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Chiptune,Electric Guitar,Electronic,Orchestral,Synth
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration

File Information


Name:
Mega_Man_2_Nuclear_Flash_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,529,829 bytes
MD5:
68e81b98d59e42d4c26d3e0fcab6fbad
Bitrate:
154Kbps
Duration:
3:50

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes