ReMix:Final Fantasy VI "Lost Forever" 4:21

By Elation

Arranging the music of one song...

"Searching for Friends"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy VI (Square , 1994, SNES), music by Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2010-08-08, evaluated by the judges panel


Newcomer Dj Bjra, aka Brett Jones, gives us a nice FF6 jam with a hip-hop/breakbeat groove and some silky lead synths:

"I wanted to retain the sad yet spaced out feel to the song, so I used a crisp oldschool hiphop break, and spacey saws arranged in guitar-solo like melodies, with soothing pads flooding the mix. I also fleshed out some of the more epic parts of the song, as evidenced in the breaks, and reinstrumented it, adding several new harmonies and counter melodies to add to the diversity of the track. Overall I went for a crisp and bassy mix with a recessed, yet lush mid range. Enjoy it!"

Pretty much; there's nothing too outlandish here, and the style actually reminds me a lot of what we saw back in the early years of OCR, but it still works, and is well-executed. Vinnie had similar impressions:

"This isn't the most unique mix, but all the parts were clicking for me. The drums and bass provide an insistent backbeat for the piano and leads. Great sounds chosen, sort of an old-school OCR sound, and the synths have a lot of natural expression. The additions to the songs added a lot while not overpowering the original melody. My only criticism was in the reuse of sections, but I didn't think that was enough to say NO to this. Excellent work, I'd like to hear more."

Mr. Butterfield adds:

"Not bad, not bad. The additions to the first half of the melody and different modifications to the second half are pretty good. Arrangement could have been more adventurous, but this is interpretive enough. Production is clean, and I like the synth choices. More drum variation would definitely have been nice, but the mix switches between sections enough that I didn't think it was a major problem."

I too was a bit worried the drum loop would be overplayed & wear out its welcome, but I think Brett did a pretty good job avoiding that, and the overall style works really well with the source he chose. From a production perspective, I'd like to hear some less orthodox additions in the future, but what's here is solid, and he's clearly taken time in thoughtfully modifying & adding to Uematsu's original. Straightforward and enjoyable debut mix from Dj Bjra, establishing a foundation I'd love to see him build on with future mixes.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Necrox
on 2015-12-20 01:02:30

I did not expect hip-hop to fit the source this well (nice drums). The 0:53 lead sounds especially great. Gotta agree with Timaeus on the repetition though. The originality that is here is sweet; it would be great to hear a revamped version.

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timaeus222
on 2013-07-18 02:35:29

I've had this for 3 years now, and I still like it. I definitely agree with the repetitiveness, but the sound design kept me hooked regardless of the lazy repeats.

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metaphist
on 2012-03-15 11:46:47

This one slipped under the radar for me. While listening to the OST again, I immediately searched OCR when I came across the source to see if anyone covered it.

I was not disappointed, especially being partial to hip hop and breaks. This one's definitely going in the whip. Great justice was done here, thank you.

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Villainelle
on 2010-09-11 19:13:54

I'm with Vigilante's opinion in the judging forum. The riffage and instrumentation is great, smooth and evocative. Unfortunately, the monotonous drum loop gets on my nerves. Just a little more variation could've brought this mix way up.

Anyway, expecting even better mixes from this guy in the future. Keep at it, man.

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Flare4War
on 2010-08-31 02:41:43

As was mentioned in the write up, this has an old school OCR sound. I love that. I really enjoyed this and I hope we don't come to a point where simple yet fun and soothing stuff like this is rejected just because it isn't as complex as a lot of the new arrangements that come out.

Great job. I'll be listening to it more.

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Platonist
on 2010-08-23 05:10:12

I love this remix. thank you for this wonderful peace of music ^^

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Martin Penwald
on 2010-08-22 14:59:45

This kind of music is right up my alley, so I enjoyed this a great deal. The synth and piano in particular are really good.

I do wish the final stretch of the song would've changed things up a little bit more, but it isn't that much of an issue here.

Nice debut remix; hoping to hear more from you soon.

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AkumajoBelmont
on 2010-08-11 13:10:18

I hear people saying simple, but effective... I hear gorgeous and nuanced. The section that comes in at 56/57 seconds is absolutely my thing and I'm all about that section. Truly a thing of beauty, I'm absolutely taken by this remix. There's many melodic layers here that are understated, but make it very interesting to listen to. I love it. Definitely in my top 3 for the year. Stunning.

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A-RoN
on 2010-08-10 16:08:09

Note: I couldn't review this to the best of my ability because of crappy speakers. I'll edit it once I get a full listen.

This is actually very soothing with a very reflective feel to it. The first person that comes to mind when listening to this is DJ Shadow. The drums have got an Organ Donor kind of feel. The synthetic work reminds me of Protricity's stuff mixed with old skool Shael Riley drumwork. A little more variety would be nice on the drum loop, but the groove is held very well. As for repetition, the source after the second repeat could have been replaced with something else, but I'm very happy you played around with the harmonies on the piano and whiney synths.

The fade in and fade out only adds to future ideas for usage for this track. I had it on repeat and when the track replayed from the beginning again, I discovered that if Final Fantasy 6 was made into a movie, this track would be great for a teaser trailer or for the title menu music of the DVD.

Bottom line: If you love grimey Golden Age drums with a soulful fun recognizable arrangement of the original, this one should be a keeper on the hard drive. Who knows? With DJ Bjra and Nobou's permission, you can use the track on your next video project.

8/10

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Jaredin
on 2010-08-10 07:04:42

Good song, and, although I noticed the drums, they didnt actually, as mentioned, get too bad!

A great effort!

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OA
on 2010-08-09 16:42:47

this mix could have just been the soloed synth lead with nothing else, and i'd have strongly considered yessing this. :P

The only thing that brings this down in any way is the reuse of sections and the canned beat. The breakdowns are transcendent though, and strongly compelling.

Excellent work for a debut! :-)

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Master_Yoshi
on 2010-08-09 11:03:04

The drums in this were no where near as repetitive as the drums found in the source. Oh the agony of listening to that track on endless repeat. I loved it and all, but trying to find the sky esper (x something?) and hearing that drum loop was madness.

I agree the mix could have been fleshed out some more though, it does feel a bit underdeveloped but then again, that's fine in some cases. There's a strong enough idea here to carry the mix forward, and while more could have been done it didn't really have to be done. Take that as you will.

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RDX
on 2010-08-09 00:43:53

Oh man, I totally remember this from the wip forum. I loved it then, and I love it now, but I definitely remember it being more loud and booming at certain parts (Namely the intro when the piano comes in). If that means anything.

Either way it's still awesome, and if my opinion means anything to anyone (Which I doubt it does :), go download it now. It's nothing fancy, but at the same time it's sexy musical goodness.

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Chris ~ Amaterasu
on 2010-08-08 23:53:45

Really like the simple but effective style, really brings back memories =)

Also really liked the synth lead

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Neblix
on 2010-08-08 23:20:36

I really dig this style. I like the use of drum loops, synth leads, piano, and the groovy bass.

Everything worked together to just click my head to "maximum enjoyment" mode.

I don't normally feel inclined to comment on remixes either. :D

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy VI (Square , 1994, SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Searching for Friends"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Hip Hop
Mood:
Mellow
Instrumentation:
Breakbeats,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_6_Lost_Forever_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,352,382 bytes
MD5:
a5e38c31a1ce8147259316bbcda61ae5
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:21

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