Posted 2008-12-16, evaluated by the judges panel


n00b fl00d? More like n00b trickle... which sounds like the unfortunate side effect of an STD, but is in actuality what just happened the last week, with no mixes being posted. I don't know what to say: I'm a bad, disappointing person. I did spend many, many hours working on other aspects of OC ReMix - thanks to Dafydd we finally fixed our forums so you can rename your own thread (duh) - but somehow none of that manifested itself as new music going up. I was READY to post a mix Sunday afternoon, but then I got infected with the first malware I've had in at least three years, and spent the next four hours running all sorts of diagnostics and clean-up tools... fun. But man oh man, the things that can happen in a single week. Let's recap, shall we?

  • Super Metroid: Reserve Tank ~ VARIAtions ~ was released. This is a tribute/get-well album for bLiNd that Shariq started back when Jordan wasn't doing so well, and while it's not an official OC ReMix album, you'll wanna check that action out regardless, as there's some great stuff that will hopefully be showing up here at some point.
  • Speaking of bLiNd, he's doing so much better that.... he got hitched! OC ReMix officially congratulations Jordan & Jade on tying the knot - nice work!
  • On the subject of nice work, OA is now a dad! Over the years Andrew has contributed more and more of his talents & energy to OCR, making it a better place, and this is awesome news.
  • We sat down with Street Fighter Devotion (okay not really, but we were at least all sitting down separately when we were writing, and that counts for something) for an HD Remix soundtrack interview.
  • Last but certainly not least (nothing's ever least, everything's always fantastic), Skrypnyk released Suburbia, a free album of originals. Awesomeness.

Whew. And that's the short version. The last bit about Andrew's album release segues nicely into this ReMix by newcomer Samuel Day, aka The Vagrance, as the style is in a similar-but-not-identical downbeat/chill approach with beat mangling and gobs of sonic atmosphere. There's a maudlin, somewhat melancholic vibe ala 'Mallow', which is one of my favorites in the style, but Mr. Day's got his own bag going, and there are some major modulations later and even a rap. The ReMixer says:

"I suppose this is the place where I talk about inspiration and all of that. This remix was started immediately after I heard the song while I played through the game (very late to the field, I must admit), and when I say immediately I mean I hit the pause button and looked up the MIDI file for it. I hadn't done a Trip-Hop style in a long time and I felt like it was the right choice, and changing everything from 3/4 to 4/4 wasn't very hard considering how much space was generated from slowing down the tempo."

zyko ReMixed the same theme, so let's see what he said:

"oh this certainly kicks a lot of ass. this is my favorite theme from the game (surprise, Of Twilight and Redemption is of the same theme) and i wish i had heard this in my head when i decided to remix it because i would have probably tried something like this. vinnie is dead on... very djshadow-esque ... the groove is great and full of texture... the breakbeats are all very yummy to the backdrop of that freaky sinister piano. surprisingly enough, this takes on a whole new approach to demonstrating the wierdness of the twilight/midna dynamic with an urban feel.. just as dark, just as awkward."

He did however then proceed to crit the vocals on the rapping on the initial version Sam sent us, which other judges echoed. We got a new version where the rap was brought out a bit more that represents a definite improvement, but it's still likely in my mind that the rap'll hit some folk the wrong way. You take risks, that's what happens, but the arrangement here leaves absolutely no doubts about Day's creativity and ingenuity, and the beat mangling is sick, as the kids say, and glues the whole thing together. Deep, hypnotic drones, dusty attic piano, and subtle textural accents fill the rest out, and you've got a winner. So while my slow ass took a week to post a mix, at least it's a hot one that fans of downbeat and the Twilight Princess OST in particular should devour; excellent.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Pachi Risu
on 2009-11-12 20:48:42

Usually not a fan of hip-hop, but you made this work just fine. Kudos. Sick drums by the way.

avatar
The Vagrance
on 2009-10-20 04:59:19

Eh, potentially, I plan on doing a mostly instrumental mixtape sometime in the near-future so I could revisit this remix and possibly extend the rapping part, hopefully all of the files still exist that I used to make this though :x

There is also this original rap track I did that is significantly grimier in the mean time though: http://tindeck.com/listen/ieex

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Emunator
on 2009-09-12 21:43:45
Bah, can I have a version with rapping all the way through?

--Eino

Dude, this would be so much better than a vocal-less mix! :-D I may be in the minority but I thought the rapping was awesome, fit the mood of the song, and had pretty great lyrics to boot.

Pretty please? :3

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evktalo
on 2009-09-10 15:51:16

Bah, can I have a version with rapping all the way through?

--Eino

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Riquisimo
on 2009-08-24 11:32:09
Ask and you shall recieve:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ztegrol2mzz

Now with 100% less rap.

Thanks from me as well!

avatar
MechaFone
on 2009-02-15 12:00:53

I love this remix. The percussion when it starts at 00:30 reminds me of mixes long past. Those percussions I miss. I like the mostly relaxed feeling of this mix, while at the same time it jams and keeps my interest.

avatar
Lovely Peach
on 2009-01-20 08:20:59
Ask and you shall recieve:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ztegrol2mzz

Now with 100% less rap.

Thank you so much!

avatar
The Vagrance
on 2009-01-19 01:06:08
I really liked this mix until I heard the vocals rapping about Alan Greenspan. It really breaks the mood of the Zelda piece and jerks this out of the game atmosphere into present-day real life - if there have to be lyrics, why wouldn't they (neutrally) reflect the game's story or mood? It seems out of place and tacked-on, and it's such a short amount of the piece that I wonder why it was added.

I liked where you had been going with the remix on Midna's theme. The instrumental work was great. The rap just kills it for me, and I don't think I'll add this one to future playlists. It's a shame, I really liked it up to that point. I wish there was a version sans rap - that would be a keeper for sure.

Ask and you shall recieve:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ztegrol2mzz

Now with 100% less rap.

avatar
Lovely Peach
on 2009-01-13 15:13:23

I really liked this mix until I heard the vocals rapping about Alan Greenspan. It really breaks the mood of the Zelda piece and jerks this out of the game atmosphere into present-day real life - if there have to be lyrics, why wouldn't they (neutrally) reflect the game's story or mood? It seems out of place and tacked-on, and it's such a short amount of the piece that I wonder why it was added.

I liked where you had been going with the remix on Midna's theme. The instrumental work was great. The rap just kills it for me, and I don't think I'll add this one to future playlists. It's a shame, I really liked it up to that point. I wish there was a version sans rap - that would be a keeper for sure.

avatar
Martin Penwald
on 2008-12-28 16:20:42

Very nice drumwork (the breakdown at 2:40 is wicked).

Not much of a fan of the vocals, though. They come in too late and feel tacked on. Furthermore, I like to understand what I'm listening to (if it is in a language I speak, that is), and in some places, the vocals are too distorted for my taste. Lastly, I don't need Alan Greenspan's name dropped in a Zelda remix. Really.

However, considering that the vocals are there for only a few seconds, they aren't exactly a deal breaker, so I can live with it.

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Zombie
on 2008-12-25 15:33:42

great remix! i dig the rapping. sounds great. :nicework:

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The Vagrance
on 2008-12-21 17:15:03
The drum loops and samples, especially the high-pitched hissing piano, are very weak and tinny. I don't know if that's intentional, but it sounds horrible to my ears. The lows are very muddy, as are the vocals. The overall production is very sloppy, and everything sounds slapped together. There's no adherence here. The rapping definitely doesn't work. Unlike the ability to sing, I believe ANYONE has the ability to rap if they have a sense of beat. The quality is all in the production (EQ, Compression, Overlays etc) and the attitude. The main thing that bothers me about the vocals is the mix. The vocals should have been brought up in the mix, emphasizing the mid-highs, rolling off the lows (to decrease muddiness), and adding heavy compression (to beef them up).

Thats cool. I disagree with you on the rapping part though, because if anything this mix proves that not everyone can rap (because I mos def cannot). This was the best of like, 15 takes and I still dislike hearing it. I still practice (privately I must add) fairly often because I love rap music as a whole and making rap beats (I have 20 that I'm shopping around). Still though, everything you said is as valid as everything else and I respect your kahunas to speak your mind.

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BlackPanther
on 2008-12-21 03:15:18

Whoa someone definitely pissed in your Cheerios! I definitely did not hear what you heard everything sounded fine to me or they really wouldn't have accepted it according to what you've just said but I guess everyones ears is different I suppose =/. Any not everyone can rap even if you do have a sense of beat. You gotta be able to deliver, there's got to be a voice, noone is gonna listen to a girly sounding man rap about what he did at the mall and you still gotta have the lyrics so all in all you're definitely wrong. But that is as far as I go before this turns into some huge debate, so my apologies to djpretzel and The Vagrance but I had to say it lol xD.

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Nigel Simmons
on 2008-12-21 01:09:30

The drum loops and samples, especially the high-pitched hissing piano, are very weak and tinny. I don't know if that's intentional, but it sounds horrible to my ears. The lows are very muddy, as are the vocals. The overall production is very sloppy, and everything sounds slapped together. There's no adherence here. The rapping definitely doesn't work. Unlike the ability to sing, I believe ANYONE has the ability to rap if they have a sense of beat. The quality is all in the production (EQ, Compression, Overlays etc) and the attitude. The main thing that bothers me about the vocals is the mix. The vocals should have been brought up in the mix, emphasizing the mid-highs, rolling off the lows (to decrease muddiness), and adding heavy compression (to beef them up).

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OA
on 2008-12-18 11:59:09

Way slow build, and some very sophisticated beats. Nice sound choices and very judicious use of space.

I think the rap was decent, the effects were cool but a bit loud in the mix, and i think the suggesting of peppering snippets around would have improved things, but I really love the chill feel on this overall.

Great beatcrushing at the end, super cool way to finish it off. Nice work, Pretty awesome debut track. :-)

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo , 2006, WII)
Music by Asuka Hayazaki,Koji Kondo,Toru Minegishi
Songs:
"Midna's Lament"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Hip Hop
Mood:
Dark
Instrumentation:
Piano,Synth,Vocals: Male,Vocals: Rapping
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original

File Information


Name:
Legend_of_Zelda_Twilight_Princess_No_Hope_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,975,432 bytes
MD5:
ce7528146da4072320644b84b97d630c
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
4:54

Get smacked with the invisible hand like Alan Greenspan
Don't try to mess with the new-age iron man
Sorry, fellow men, sunshine will now be replaced
So please enjoy this twilight, because there is no escape
The system provided has no concerns
So please be prepared to lose life and limb, or at least form
Don't bother the chief, I'm too great to scorn
Don't bother with her, (she's) too late to mourn

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