ReMix: Doom II: Hell on Earth 'Red Waltz'
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- Game: Doom II: Hell on Earth (id, 1994, WIN)
- ReMixer(s): djpretzel
- Composer(s): Bobby Prince
- Song(s): Intermission
- Posted: 2008-08-08, evaluated by djpretzel
Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present to you our eleventh album - Doom II: Delta-Q-Delta! This is Lee's baby, having worked over two years to bring together this collection of 13 tracks from 11 artists, each arranging composer Bobby Prince's score in their own various dark and demonic ways. The director writes:
"Delta-Q-Delta took over 2 and a half years to complete, facing many bumps and struggles along the way. I felt it was important not to rush a release of the project in order to ensure quality above all else. Finally we've reached a point where the album satisfied our critical eyes and ears, and the artists involved that have been waiting for so long can breathe a huge sigh of relief as their tracks are finally heard by many Doom 2 and video game music fans.
I'd personally like to thank everyone involved in the project during its making. Even those whose efforts didn't end up making it to the final version, your input was appreciated and helped shaped the album as it is today.
I hope you, the fans, the artists, the public in general will enjoy this album. Set yourself aside an hour. Turn the lights off, turn the volume up, and lose yourself in the dark and evil atmosphere that we've set up to hopefully provide you some nostalgia of that wonderful sequel title, Doom 2: Hell on Earth."
Awesome. Lee asked if I could contribute a track to this project WELL in advance, knowing the craziness of my schedule. Nevertheless, I ended up being the last mix completed, and I just finished working on website tonight - though most of the creativity and artwork really came from Jouni Lahtinen, who also did Mazedude's American Album. Speaking of Mazedude, he's on here... along with analoq, BGC, Ailsean, Evil Horde, and a bunch of other familiar faces that should be familiar. Like its predecessor, The Dark Side of Phobos, the vibe here is definitely dark and brooding, but there's a wider variety of genres represented this go around. Ambient/industrial/metal are dominant, and actually I tried to go that route myself, initially, but after months of working on a WIP, I threw everything out and started a d'n'b version of the track instead. Then 6 hours later I threw that out and started a Cafe Del Mar-ish arrangement... Finally, three hours after that, I started the version I ended up finishing. Needless to say, it was a long night, and it's been a long several months working on an arrangement I could actually FINISH.
... and it's a waltz. As you probably surmised from the title. I know that when most people think Doom (or Doom 2), their mind probably doesn't scream "waltz!," but that's all the more reason I was convinced I should move forward with the idea. And, while this is a shorter piece that's relatively unassuming, I'm pretty proud of the arrangement... it hinges on a solo cello that I spent a LOT of time tweaking articulations, vibrato and note lengths on. But the overall structure is an amalgam of recent influences; specifically, I got the idea to do a waltz from watching So You Think You Can Dance. Seriously. I know that even admitting I watch this show might draw wisecracks from a lot of people, but honestly, Anna got me into it, and I think it's great. It's more talent-oriented than American Idol, more challenging (YOU try getting mainstream America to swallow contemporary dance... or Foxtrot, for that matter!), and they pick some pretty damn cool music once in awhile. Mirah's 'The Garden'? On FOX? Suffice to say that, in my book, any network television show that's both successful and exposes people to a variety of both dance and music is okay in my book. Specifically, 'Dark Waltz' by Hayley Westenra really caught my ear, and I had the piece fresh in my mind when I decided to throw away previous iterations and go with a waltz myself. We also recently interviewed one-time VGM composer Patrick Zimmerli, and I really dig his contemporary work. Though this piece is far from contemporary, the additional of whips, castanets, and Bartok pizzicato towards the end are all part of the influence of listening to his music.
So, really, this piece is a product of my life, what I've been listening to, and influences from people around me, all of whom (especially Anna!) I thank. It's not what I started out thinking I'd do with the source material, but pieces rarely turn out the way you'd expect, and one of the great things about ReMixing in general is just seeing where the process takes you. Those of you into shreddage/industrial material need not worry - my mix is an anomaly for the project, and if you're hoping for heavier stuff, that's really the majority of the album. I've always felt that whatever classical lacks in sheer amplitude it can make up for with diabolical nuance and menacing grace, and that's exactly what I've shot for with this mix. Whether I've succeeded or not, I had a lot of fun. I hadn't done anything orchestral in ages, and while OCR has a lot of epic pieces in the genre, the smaller, more intimate forms like waltzes tend to be less common.
At any rate, I'm thrilled to have another mix for 2008, I feel like it's a good one that's unique to the album it was created for and OCR in general, and I feel like Lee's done a great jobs sticking with this project and seeing it through to conclusion. All of the artists who've contributed tracks have come up with some very dark, aggressive takes on the source material, and Doom fans should be very, very happy. There'll be more mixes to come, but for now head on over to http://doom2.ocremix.org for the complete album, or just grab the torrent and get seeding!
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the When I think of DJP's mixes, I tend to think more of a funky sound, but it's pretty obvious he's gone into a ton of different musical directions over the years. However, I don't think any were as successful as this. I think the track gets better as it goes along, as the writing gets more sophisticated, and the melodies richer, and the little ding after the cadenza was awesome.
Recommended.
- OA on June 19, 2009
To me, the cello is painfully expressive even though there's this brooding sound all about it, and even though as a whole this piece, with those whips(!!) and odd castanets, alludes to one hell of a kinky, erotic and sadistic night in binding leather, nay, BECAUSE OF THIS KINKY ALLUSION, there is a desire to be freed and ultimately pleasured beyond recognition that makes me feel just great inside even though I'm crying on the outside from the physical trauma caused by the fact that your song delivers in so many fascinating and probably disturbing ways - so much so that I almost run-on-sentenced myself.
Btw. thanks.
edit: AND the solo makes for an excellent climax before that painful semi-non-percussion-solo before the song wraps up; the ending to me states something along the lines of, "Yes, this is how we do it. Whips and all. And you're gonna like it."
edit: that triangle (?) dinging after the solo = "Done." = "Next?"
edit: I'm not into BDSM. But if I were, I would probably use this music to really get "into" a "session."
- SoulinEther on February 9, 2009
I enjoy listening to this at work, it's very mellow and brooding which fit in well with the theme I was after in DQD. The violin work is great. The solo part towards the end of the mix was most impressive, especially since it was sequenced.
That said, I feel it wasn't close enough to the source to really be considered a remix of it. Like a few other people I had trouble hearing the source beyond the beginning of the mix. It's still a great mix, fitting well within the album, but could've been closer to pay more homage to the source.
- The Orichalcon on January 28, 2009
While its not "demons breathing down your neck" intense, it has that quiet, maddening, psychological edge of horror riddled though it, like some thing is right around the corner that wants to eat you.
Oddly enough, an image of Gomez and Morticia Addams waltzing to this popped into my mind just now. :<
- 42 on January 23, 2009
- scrabbleship on September 2, 2008
Audity;446332 wrote: Why are you so defensive of this site/community in a sarcastic manner all the time? Your opinions of late have been REDiculous. I love you.
The community's great with coming up with LOL-worthy criticisms or assumptions. I always respond accordingly.
- Liontamer on September 1, 2008
Liontamer;440575 wrote: Yeah, they're a dime a dozen. djp should just go get one, chop chop! :lol:
Why are you so defensive of this site/community in a sarcastic manner all the time? Your opinions of late have been REDiculous. I love you.
- Audity on September 1, 2008
djpretzel;444521 wrote: First: Thanks! Second:
http://everything2.com/e2node/Bart%25F3k%2520pizzicato
There's a description of the Bartók pizzicato that explains what's going on... pretty cool, too, and cites the more modern usage.
You learn something new each day. Awesome, thanks.
- MrBogus on August 28, 2008
MrBogus;444464 wrote: Excellent job, good sir. It took me at least a few listens before I realized that the cello was slightly too clean to have been played live. It must have taken you forever to shape those articulations. Those low string attacks from 2:16 to 2:33 are just perfect -- what is that clock-like percussive sound, is that the wooden part of the bow hitting the strings?
First: Thanks! Second:
http://everything2.com/e2node/Bart%25F3k%2520pizzicato
There's a description of the Bartók pizzicato that explains what's going on... pretty cool, too, and cites the more modern usage.
- djpretzel on August 28, 2008
Aside from the Hollywood caliber production values, the arrangement is wonderful all around. A very nice interpretation of the source material, which I didn't find that interesting to begin with.
- MrBogus on August 28, 2008
Mio;440524 wrote: I think it will make this remix stand out more if you had a professional cellist like one from a city orchestra.
Yeah, they're a dime a dozen. djp should just go get one, chop chop! :lol:
- Liontamer on August 17, 2008
Hey I listened to this a few times, and I think at some parts, the cello sounds too much like a woodwind instrument... which is a shame since the cello is usually the solo here and should give out a more rich, deep, mellow tone.. It messed up the piece at 02:35 for me because it sounded really "fake" (no tone or warmth in it at all). I think it will make this remix stand out more if you had a professional cellist like one from a city orchestra.
Don't get me wrong, I like this remix, but the cello just sounds way too artificial.
- Mio on August 17, 2008
Beautiful work.
- Blue Magic on August 16, 2008
Chalk one up on the win column!
- Hollidayrain on August 13, 2008
- Monobrow on August 10, 2008
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