ReMix: Castlevania 'garlic'
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- Game: Castlevania (Konami, 1986, NES)
- ReMixer(s): po!
- Composer(s): Club Kukeiha, Shinya Sakamoto
- Song(s): Sagat Stage, Vampire Killer
- Posted: 2008-11-13, evaluated by djpretzel
Three in a row! We wrap the Bad Dudes mini-flood with, appropriately, a cut from their latest album Resurrection, arranging the music of Symphony of the Night - which in turn had tunage from the original Castlevania, hence this mix's attribution. I'd like to start this writeup with a hypothetical - if I got an email from Yoko Kanno saying she'd ReMixed CV, and this mix was attached, I'd believe it. No shit. Which is not to say po's cribbing her style, but rather that this is the type of fresh, inventive composition I'm used to hearing on her OSTs. This is jumpier, more challenging work than po's usual groove, but equally as well-produced, introing right out of the gate with a classic motif transformed into a syncopated riff played by kick/chord hits, resulting in a mixture of jazz and d'n'b elements as hats and hi-pitched, diminutive snare enter. At 0'14" a ridiculously funky bass starts in, then po comes in on nylon guitar, the lead element here and played masterfully.
What follows is some fantastic jazz soloing that says quite a bit without leaving the source too far behind. I love how, at 1'42", things get almost Middle Eastern for the bridge, then at 2'00" (after a brilliant shuffling drum transition) flirt with a more Latin influence/sound - this is how to incorporate diverse influences in a solo part without sounding like you're taking a long walk around Epcot's World Showcase, and it's executed with extreme polish. The synth/brass chords stage left circa 2'38" further lock down a Latin vibe, then - just for fun - near the three minute marker, things go funkier with wah guitar, and the original organ hit riff from the intro is resurrected in a new, busier context. Then.... OH SHIT IT'S SAGAT!!! Mr. Yan chooses to close things out with a little SF2 cameo action, as the Thai flava invades the Transylvanian vibe and Tiger Uppercuts the Belmonts into kingdom come. You got your Capcom in MY Konami! Makes you wonder what a Capcom vs. Konami fighter would look like... I dunno, anyone familiar with both themes, which is hopefully all of us, is gonna get the ref, and it feels a little... tacked on? Certainly made me laugh, but the CV arrangement here is so epic that I would have preferred purity at the expense of comedy. It works well enough to not seem too musically non-sequitir, though, so the overall piece isn't compromised. And the overall piece kicks serious ass, breathing all sorts of life into a song that you've heard a zillion times - the album title 'Resurrection' is especially relevant for this mix - and extending po's already formidable musical reach even further. I just ate a metric ton of garlic naan at an Indian place last night, but you can never get enough garlic - classic joint, one of po's finest.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the - Dhsu on April 7, 2009
- Palpable on April 7, 2009
The mix of odd synth sounds and fantastic guitar doesn't mesh well for me but what's good is so good that it's totally forgiving. Really enjoyable song.
- richter on February 14, 2009
- Harmony on January 15, 2009
- nicholai_maelstrom on January 13, 2009
THe old direction was good too, but this is a refreshing up tempo.
Is most of it live recordings? Whether or not they are the quality is solid I llsten long time
- Mtlbro on December 10, 2008
Love the nylon guitar, as it adds a certain latin element to the mix.
Now that I think of it, this remix would fit into a Ridge Racer game, especially RR Type 4, perfectly. Considering that RRT4's soundtrack is one of my all-time favourites, this should say a lot about how good I think this is.
Now take the Sagat part and make it into its own mix. Go, po!
- Martin Penwald on November 23, 2008
- Platonist on November 21, 2008
- CrackMasterK on November 21, 2008
Mustin;475307 wrote: YOU GOT YOUR CAPCOM IN MY KONAMI!
haha! :<
yeah, good remix. enjoyed it. 7/10.
- goombapatrol on November 18, 2008
Really loving the guitar work you've been doing, very tight stuff. Do an album already, yo!
- Dhsu on November 18, 2008
Real instruments always add a bit of awesomeness to the music :D
Good work
(and if the guitar isnt real.. then , dude you have the best guitar plugin ever)
- John Revoredo on November 18, 2008
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