Arranging the music of one song...

"Makoto Stage ~ Spunky"

Primary Game: Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future (Capcom , 1999, ARC), music by Hideki Okugawa, Infinite

Posted 2002-03-29, evaluated by djpretzel


This is actually one of McVaffe favorites of his own work, which gotta tell you something right there alone. Our first coverage of Street Fighter 3, this jazz-jungle-blues hybrid ReMix is, in a single, commonly-used conjunction, kick-ass. Almost sounds like some of the (very good) music you hear briefly in car commercials these days, only unlike those those snippets, this is a fully-blown, developed musical idea. Beginning with simply, laid-back jazz piano, you might think at first this is gonna be a strictly instrumental arrangement, and the scary thing is that the piano line here is good enough so that it could stand on its own and be as such, but McVaffe added a lot of other flavors to the stew. Didn't skimp on the drums, using an excellent brushed snare pattern along with a variation of the classic 'amen' breakbeat (that at 2'54" gets some excellent DSP thrown its hungry way and takes off into the stratosphere of cool). Great acoustic bass that jumps around nicely, and smooth-as-silk vibes, as well as some synth bits and string pad swells, round out the flavor, but it's the way these elements come together that spells some real magic: there's something here for Jazz fans, jungle fans, and everyone in between. Though all of McVaffe's mixes display a consistent level of quality and musicality, some of them show a level of craftsmanship that excels even above his own high benchmark, and this certainly qualifies as a member of that elite group. Slick, a classic, and as highly recommended as they come.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Txai
on 2016-02-02 09:52:43

@ProjectSpamThat's a vibraphone. The core difference is that a xylophone has no release at all. And it's often used in comedy cartoons (think Disney's The Skeleton Dance).

Back on topic, I've been looping this yesterday as I worked on stuff. Certainly not something you'd expect from McVaffe. Smooth on the leads, heavy on the percussion. Just the way I like it.

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TillyFun
on 2013-11-03 13:56:46

Oooh! ^_^ Has a Vince Guaraldi feel to it. Just lovely! :)

And it's pretty chill for a character with a crotch-punching temper ;)

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ProjectSpam
on 2011-12-16 23:59:42

So awesome. I forgot how great a lot of McVaffe's older stuff is. This is so chill. The combination of instruments really makes this memorable. Always loved that piano and the xylophone (?? don't know if that instrument's a xylophone, but it sounds good). This just sounds like it was a lot of fun to make and that's a lot of what draws me to music in the first place.

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Crulex
on 2010-10-12 10:33:37

Always, always, always loved McVaffe's stuff. This ReMix is no exception. The soothing piano for the first minute is really good, and then it picks up with junglish jazz indeed. I gotta say, I was never big on jazz, but drum-driven jungle type jazz, I can get into. Great ReMix.

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WesternZypher
on 2010-01-14 13:16:31

I consistently use McVaffe's excellent work to convince non-believers of the validity and awesomeness of video game music mixes. This track is no exception.

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Polo
on 2009-04-20 10:58:22

Soft piano chords enter my head. I open my eyes and realize I'm the only customer sitting in a pub. The piano seems unaware of my presence as it idly explores its thoughts on Makoto's electro-nightclub source tune. When it sees it has an audience, it breaks into a spunkier tempo, accompanied by a roll of cymbal taps and a light but firm bass. A quick burst and fade of drumwork from the source teases me with a taste of the energy to come. String swells freshen the atmosphere as gin and other tonics are served to new customers. Jungle-feverish percussion jumps into the fray going "Where's the party? Where's the party?" while a one-note organ, despite its position off to the right, faithfully plays its beats. There's enough listeners by now, so the jazzy piano plays the source more confidently while the percussion baits my taste buds. Wanting in on the fun, a bell-xylophone turns up the "class" factor while maintaining the jazzy, laid-back feel. Deciding that it's time, the drumwork from earlier makes a showstopping, boom-diggity appearance. In its wake comes a set of 8-bit boom-crunches to throw the hardcore boozehounds for a loop. By now everybody knows your name and my name and the name of everyone playing the music. Things are chill, convivial, and altruistic by the time the piano and co. belt out a second helping of the source.

Things fade out once I've had too much to drink. Aw well. 'Twas a lively performance. I'll pay the bartender when I awaken...

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OA
on 2009-03-26 13:21:37

Nice piano intro, leading me to expect something laid back, but then some detailed beats come in that change my expectations a bit. Interesting that once things get going full on, the track is almost halfway over. :/

Really classy stuff here though, with nice counterpoint and synths, epiano, mallets, and a lot of additional percussion.

Well done, I like it, regardless of length. :-)

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Marmiduke
on 2009-03-04 00:28:13

McVaffe piano is the fastest way to tip a mix over the edge from good to the shit.

I'm not sure if I would class this as jazz, personally, but I can hear the influence through the DnB. Everything sounds stellar (especially given its age). McVaffe is an expert at sustaining material for vast amounts of time without anything getting stale around the edges, and by this stage he seemed to be right in his element.

Well chosen and placed instrumentation (crunchy distorted percussion for the win!) and consistent arranging is something that was/is pretty much guaranteed by a McVaffe mix. This is a great addition to his playlist.

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42
on 2009-01-18 00:10:19

Hol-le cow. wow 8-O

Words fail me except for "Download this now".

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Goten X
on 2006-11-02 10:26:35

OK. I'm not going to sit here and go threw saying "I loved when the (blank) came in at (blank)", because there is NO need for it for this song.

Hands down, one of the most kick ass mixes here. That is all.

|GX

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Martin Penwald
on 2005-11-01 08:46:32

I love this ReMix! It reminds me of the very chilly and smooth tracks of Ridge Racer Type 4, one of my favorite Chill-Out games.

When the song starts, and you just hear the piano, you don't expect too much, but then at 1:03, the beats start to come. And when the melody of the Makoto stage kicks in at 1:56, the feeling is just perfect. And then the more chilly part from 2:19 on...and the faster one starting at 2:42...

Just great.

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CC Ricers
on 2005-08-12 01:12:49

(looks at date) 2002! Wow, it sounds too good to come from that time.

There aren't too many DnB remixes here, and I should probably look deeper. This is a very good example of the soulful, jazzy DnB style known as Liquid Funk, and now that I found it I can't stop putting it on repeat. I would seriously consider mixing this in a DJ set.

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Master Spram
on 2005-07-02 11:15:51

This is the best McVaffe remix in this site by far. Very good, one of the best here. DOwnload it.

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neoyaku
on 2005-06-16 14:13:20

Love it... to death... Good smooth and nicely paced.. and I'm a big fan of the Amen Break so.. you had me from the start..

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Shwenky
on 2005-03-20 23:20:54

Nice! Good job bringing elements of Drum and Bass into the song. That made the song a lot better for me.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future (Capcom , 1999, ARC)
Music by Hideki Okugawa,Infinite
Songs:
"Makoto Stage ~ Spunky"

Tags (3)


Genre:
Fusion,Jazz
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Piano
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Street_Fighter_3_3rd_Strike_Jungle_Jazz_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,678,885 bytes
MD5:
006ad6d23d29125b680afb4acfccf18f
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:35

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