Posted 2018-02-13, evaluated by the judges panel


Are you a Turrican, or a Turrican't??

Level 99 (Stevo Bortz) & OceansAndrew (Andrew Luers) definitely fall into the former, capable category with this dual-identity rock ballad that shifts into high gear & kicks out some jams later on, arranging Huelsbeck's classic ending theme from the third Turrican game; Andrew writes:

"A pretty nice track we worked on together, finishing it up when Stevo flew out to visit me in MN. I love the theme, and I think we added some nice new ideas to an already great song. This has been sitting on my hard drive for a few years and I think maybe it's time for people to be able to hear it. :-)"

Stevo: steel-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, drum programming
Andrew: nylon-string guitar, electric guitar, keyboards

Stevo's a fan of bad fan fiction, so we'll continue in that vein for a bit, present tense second-person:

"For most of the mix, you're slow dancing with Turrican, taking it easy, searching for something in each other's eyes & figuring out the moves while his robotic arms embrace you, but then the tempo picks up and you both decide to get a little crazy... and let your respective freak flags fly. You try not to laugh at the somewhat awkward sight of a bio-engineered mutant warrior getting his (Its? You're not entirely sure... which adds to the excitement!) groove on, and you know that if anyone can make this evening special... Turrican."

That one's just for you, Bortz. The initial warm, crisp, & resonant production really lets the steel-string sing out; this could have stayed a ballad & worked just fine, and the gentle sway and back & forth between guitars is mellow without being soporific. But, bonus, we get a pick-me-up injection of many more BPMs as a pop-rock jam takes over circa 3'34" - this type of transition is actually kinda common/iconic from the Turrican games' music, IIRC, and I dig the ascending guitar run that ushers it in. Liontamer nails it:

"Once you hear the original, you can see why anyone would want to arrange it. Huelsbeck crafted a beautiful ending theme that lends itself well to relaxing instrumentation like Andrew and Stevo employed for the first half. Ramping up the second half was a creative change of pace, even though the first half was so relaxing that I'd have had 0 problem with the entire track being paced that way. Source usage was nice and straightforward, and the arrangement was excellent. Stamp of rubber!"

It's Good Clean Fun With Andrew & Stevo™, as this mix gets it done & then some with a warm, intimate, & more substantive initial two-thirds and then a peppy, pumpy, cardio-friendly final third. This is our first mix from Turrican 3 and only our third Turrican mix overall, and it's a great one which channels the positive melodic energies of the source into a wholesome ballad/rock experience - enjoy!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 2 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Trism
on 2020-06-02 19:12:50

That there's not a single comment on this is a crying shame, so to remedy that here's my two pence:

This track is awesome. In fact; the song structure reminds me a little of a Meat Loaf song (not any song in particular, but generally anything written by Jim Steinman and performed by The Loaf). A slow build-up, likely with some crooning about a love lost, then kicking it up into high gear with energetic promises of what will be done to win the lost love back, then back to slow for the outro; possibly with words of acceptance that the love will always be lost, but that it's OK to move on.

Am I reading to much into it? Maybe! But what does it matter, it's all fun and music at the end of the day. And this track really is awesome.

avatar
Liontamer
on 2018-02-13 13:22:33

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Turrican 3 (Renegade Software , 1993, AMIGA)
Music by Chris Huelsbeck
Songs:
"Credits"

Tags (9)


Genre:
Ballad,Rock
Mood:
Energetic,Mellow
Instrumentation:
Acoustic Guitar,Bells,Electric Guitar
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration
Time > Tempo: Variable

File Information


Name:
Turrican_3_Homecoming_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
9,349,117 bytes
MD5:
1ae7b78776ed0faf8463843f7cb1a493
Bitrate:
218Kbps
Duration:
5:38

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes