ReMix:Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Houseki "Thrash's Snakebone Pit" 4:21

By OceansAndrew

Arranging the music of one song...

"Snakebone Mansion"

Primary Game: Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Houseki (Square , 1996, SNES), music by Yasunori Mitsuda

Posted 2009-12-18, evaluated by the judges panel


The original version of this track was released as part of Radical Dreamers: Thieves of Fate back in January of 2008; regarding this updated version, Mr. Luers writes:

"One of several tracks from my early days at OCR, this was an arrangement I really liked, but I didn't have the production skills to pull off. It turned out ok enough for the RD project, but I had sort of forgotten about it until The_Mighty_KELP left me a message asking if i'd spruce this up. I had a little bit of time, and thought maybe by now I could do it justice. Hopefully it's the case. It's sort of a super spy themed version of the track, and there's a lot of texture goin on."

Always nice when you've got an occasion to go back and improve something you weren't 100% on, and in this instance Andrew really bumped the track up a notch. Things intro with a solid rock groove, thick bass, and staccato string stabs, but flesh out at 0'51" with a mean electric guitar riff, descending string counter-melody, AND a crazy ass synth soloing underneath all that, to the right. It's controlled chaos, and it really conjures a wicked, menacing cloud of evil... stuff. At 1'21" there's a half-tempo groove that kicks in to chill things down a bit, then guitar lead into a bass break. Main guit solo's at 2'43", with punctuating string stabs in the background - great stuff. Cain writes:

"Don't remember the original mix, but the breakdown makes it pretty obvious that this is fine in terms of arrangement. Picked up on the source use fairly easily. The production is pretty capable, bit of a strange guitar lead tone though. Everything is very audible, nice separation between parts. All round pretty coo job."

Ditto that; not the most well-known source, but who cares? OA ran with it and created a track that really spits out some attitude, delivering on the serpentine metal promise of its title.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2011-12-20 13:31:12

Oh, a tense dark ReMix! I love those strings you added in the intro and the drums back them up nicely right before the metal opens up at the end of the first minute. Sounds really evil until the break, but still maintains a slightly menacing feel with the guitar. Wonderful work with the guitar solos and the overall arrangement. It's got a monstrous attitude and this is going' right in my playlist.

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Martin Penwald
on 2010-01-14 15:58:04

Definitely hearing the spy-theme; I guess it's the strings. The best guitar parts are the powerful ones, e.g. 0:47/2:10 onwards. However, I don't care much for the sound of the guitar coming in at 1:34.

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yosefu
on 2010-01-05 05:55:45

Fantastic mix from my most favourite project. Great stuff O.A.

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The_Mighty_KELP
on 2010-01-03 15:55:46

I realized that what I said may have been taken the wrong way - that I dislike this song. That's far from the truth. This remaster is easily one of my favorites of OA's remixes, and that's saying a lot. I've listened to it several more times, and my original comparison critiques still hold true - I especially dislike the weaksauce ending - but it's an awesome song. It's just compared to the original, I like many aspects of the original better. But does this remaster score big on its own merits? Heck yeah. You can bet it's gonna be in my Awesome Playlist along with the original.

I think I figured out what I didn't like with the opening - it sounds too... organic. The synths. I much prefer the original's opening; it sounds darker, more mechanical, with its straight strings and throbbing bass.

Job very well done, OA, thanks a ton. =D

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jintoreedwine
on 2009-12-28 16:51:22

I can't say I remember the original to compare, but who cares, this mix is great :) .

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Bahamut
on 2009-12-24 00:58:58

You know, the Radical Dreamers project didn't grab my attention much on one listen, I should go back and listen to it.

So this is a pretty nice rocking mix - it really has some grit and roughness to it that flows pretty well in giving it a ton of tension when combined with the background strings.

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Level 99
on 2009-12-23 13:24:55

When I heard the original on the project after its release, I didn't think that production could be that much improved.

I was very wrong. So very wrong. The improvements seem huge when I listen to them side-by-side.

It's not the easiest thing to go back to a song that one's "closed the book on" and attempt to clean it up, but I'm glad you did here. I'll join Avaris in giving some ASS PATS here. :nicework:

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The_Mighty_KELP
on 2009-12-21 17:55:33

So I'm totally psyched that not only this remix got posted, but that OA actually took my advice and even remastered it, and of course that I actually got credited for the former two actions. ^_^

I actually like the original better in some ways. The opening bass notes sound darker and straighter, and it's louder as well, making the piece seem more... evil, I guess. The remastered version's bass seems to be a bit understated. The bass is really what makes this piece for me, and it just seems too bright (in comparison, anyway) in the remaster.

Remastered has much nicer drums, and I like the synth beats going in the background. The strings are more powerful, too; I love the new strings throughout and how they're much more of a presence. The lead guitar sounds even more chaotic than it used to which is nice at some points, but the ending is just disappointing; you can barely hear its cool riff, and the octave higher note is almost nonexistent, which in the original makes the ending for me.

I haven't listened to the remaster enough yet to decide which I like better, but I'll probably be sticking with the original. The remaster has some tempting new strings and synths, but the original's bass and atmosphere are just, well, better, in my opinion. I dunno. I could still swing the other way.

On a positive note, it's easy to tell how much OA has improved since then. His production skills have definitely skyrocketed.

Now why hasn't "Thieves of Fate" been submitted? It's one of the catchiest vocal tracks in the site for crying out loud...I still listen to it from time to time and sing along.

P.S. It's not just one of the catchiest, it's quite possibly the greatest vocal remix from a video game of all time. But that's just me.

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OA
on 2009-12-21 15:27:13

This was a totally fun arrangement to do, and even though i don't think my production is perfect (due to some elements being frozen from the original), i am still pleased with how it turned out. Hope you guys like it. :-)

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avaris
on 2009-12-20 01:12:13

HAHAHAHA this song and source. I said it over 2 years ago and I'll say it again. ASS PATS!

Way to take a shite source and turn it into something listenable Andrew. ;)

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Nutritious
on 2009-12-19 23:42:06

Sweet mix man, it's come a long way since you first showed it to me. Drums are rockin as usual everything sounds cohesive. In case you didn't already know OA can deliver, look no further.

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SwordBreaker
on 2009-12-19 22:16:59

This track is one of my favorites from the Radical Dreamers project...I think I also listened to the updated mix in one of those game music podcasts (the name escapes me right now). Either way, have nothing constructive to say because I love everything about this mix even before the update. Love the orchestral breakdown in the beginning followed by the seamless transition to the guitar riffs. You know something's epic is about to happen each time to listen to this track.

Now why hasn't "Thieves of Fate" been submitted? It's one of the catchiest vocal tracks in the site for crying out loud...I still listen to it from time to time and sing along.

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DragonAvenger
on 2009-12-19 20:40:22

I'm very glad OA went back to this mix, and I'm glad that it made the frontpage where a lot of people will get to listen to it. Radical Dreamers had a pretty awesome soundtrack that influenced the (admittedly more awesome) Chrono Cross soundtrack. Being able to take a mix to it's roots and really give it treatment like this is way cool.

This also gives a good comparison to how much OA has improved since the RD project when I first started talking to him. Very sneaky, very kick ass, and very awesome. I think the strings really bring out the tension with the lead guitar.

Nice work.

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Emunator
on 2009-12-19 20:08:37

Maybe I'm just crazy, but I think I've grown so used to the mixing on the Thieves of Fate version that I can't really stand hearing a version mastered differently, even if it is objectively better. I'm just weird like that, I guess :tomatoface:

The arrangement is probably my least favorite of your Radical Dreamers songs, but there's still a lot to like about the spy movie-esque bass and the variety of different guitar patterns you've got going on. Very cohesive and well-written, the song doesn't show any age whatsoever, though it's clear that you've only improved since this was created, OA :-)

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42
on 2009-12-19 16:29:23

An updated track from Thieves of Fate? :shock: Cool! I'm down. :

I like how this was described as a super spy version; it really feels like a Guitar Hero meets Bond influence is going on here. Plus the textures throughout this mix are amazing, almost physically tangible. This was a pretty fun to listen to, and I'm really glad OA was able to go back and spruce this one up. Truly an astounding mix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Houseki (Square , 1996, SNES)
Music by Yasunori Mitsuda
Songs:
"Snakebone Mansion"

Tags (6)


Genre:
Metal,Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Strings,Synth
Additional:
Origin > Resubmission

File Information


Name:
Radical_Dreamers_Thrash's_Snakebone_Pit_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,829,265 bytes
MD5:
109ccbf00b357d1a226852a5f9f11610
Bitrate:
176Kbps
Duration:
4:21

 

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