ReMix:Xenogears "Transient Sands ~ Dazil" 2:26

By mp

Arranging the music of one song...

"Dazil, City of Burning Sand"

Primary Game: Xenogears (Square , 1998, PS1), music by Yasunori Mitsuda

Posted 2002-01-07, evaluated by djpretzel


This actually came in around when The Pancake Chef submitted his own Xenogears / Dajil ReMix, and was thus delayed a lil bit. But everything works out in the end, and both ReMixers / ReMixes are unique enough to make both tracks worth grabbing. Pollard's mix is heavier on the sitar (great panning) and tabla (wooo!), but has excellent guitar bits as well, from lighter (solo bit at 1'14" with a nice rim shot on the drums) to heavier (flesh chords sprinkled throughout). Mixed with the table shtuffz is a traditional acoustic rock kit, which melds nicely. I always like to point out the individual details that I feel make a mix stand out, and for me on this one it's the whispering / low speech (see 1'38" and afterwards), though the level guitar hum ending is also nice. The bass - when used - is a little too low and doesn't eat up enough of the sonic spectrum as I'd like it to, but you'll hardly notice :) Solid piece that successfully intertwines rock / ethnic flavors.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 14 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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42
on 2009-12-03 20:09:32

I like this, sort of an Arabian Rock.

It reminds me of the desert from Paper Mario on the N64 except kicked up a notch or two.

Its intensity reminds me of the austere will of desert travelers, but unlike the Sahara, it changes the soundscape pretty often. It has a nice, comfortable, camel-like, plodding pace, short and sweet, and is fun to listen to.

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Lint
on 2009-07-30 21:06:34

The music vaguely reminds me of a spaghetti western in parts. It also makes me think of steel strings, for whatever reason. It has an eerie transition at the very beginning. I enjoy the percussion throughout the track.

Overall, I think it's alright. Somewhat enjoyable, somewhat eerie. Transient could apply.

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Marmiduke
on 2009-07-21 03:44:53

I love the ethnicity that is infused into what is essentially a slow rock track. The guitar is fooling noone, sadly, and I'm usually not really bothered by it. But it seems like a missed opportunity. I get this is an old mix, and that it's ridiculous to suggest things that probably weren't accessable or doable at that time, but the music does suffer from it, and that's a shame.

That being said, the rest of the instruments sound awesome and serve the arrangement very well. The melody isn't distinctly strong in this, but I still think things stay fresh when the familiar disappears. A more distinguishable theme running through this would have resulted in a better finished product, but as it is, I'm still more than happy to listen to it.

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Rozovian
on 2009-02-09 10:14:38

This is one of those tracks that can play in the background and then suddenly be noticed. The percussion is cool, the sitar sets the scene, and the combination of rock and world music works well. Considering the age, it's an impressive track. Gotta agree that the distorted guitars aren't great, tho. The overall mood is a little too heavy, but that's countered by the track not being too long. Doesn't outstay its welcome.

What's with the whispers around 1:40?

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justinj212
on 2009-01-10 15:24:22

I like how the mix just starts abruptly and builds as the drums, guitar, etc. are introduced. The guitar break around 1:15 or so is very nice as well. Also like the whispering in the background towards the end. Very nice work!

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Evil_Cronos
on 2008-12-07 06:31:46

The beginning of the mix sounds like a remix of one of the prehistoric themes from Chrono Trigger. Then the source shows up slowly and repetitively until the rock style takes the stage. Overall the rock rendition doesn't really suit the town in the game but the song itself is well done and enjoyable.

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-09-01 20:10:22

Definately nice work on the drums. Sitar really works for this piece, setting the style and mood. The guitar is fakey, but alright. It would definately be better with a liver performance.

I was left wondering and wanting more at the end, could have stood to be a bit longer, perhaps a recap of the beginning, or something. Overall, nicely done.

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The Legendary Zoltan
on 2007-12-09 06:19:55

A very recognizable slow version of the melody at the beginning. I like the sitar sound way in the back with the drums on top of it afterwards. The electric guitar addition was nice. It gets real guitar heavy with a somewhat dark sounding solo at 1:40 which is cool, but man, I'm having a hard time finding the melodies of the originals in this song during all the parts besides the ones that start from 0:17 and 0:57. Am I missing them or are that clean part and the dark solo at the both original additions? I really like the overall feeling and the whole "divided into easily understandable parts" arrangement system used in this mix. I think this is one of those mixes that is hard to label with a genre name, which works in it's favor. ^_^ I would like to have heard some arranging of the "less than main" melodies of this song (assuming I haven't just missed them.) Pretty good job in my unprofessional opinion.

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Chickenwarlord
on 2007-12-03 22:29:29

Decent level of arrangement, but it doesn't really surpass the original in any aspect. The drums drive just enough to get the job done, so it's definitely one that I can listen to from start to finish without getting bored, but it is a little on the slow side for the choice of instruments in the latter half.

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OA
on 2007-01-23 12:22:10

All of the percussion is fantastic and really pops. The sitar is nice, though im not completely sold on the fake electric guitar. The clean sound was good, but the distortion really wasn't.

The arrangement was nice, and overall the song is good,but the fake guitar brings it down.

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Sirocco
on 2005-08-10 17:27:10

Woooo, tablas sound FRESH man! The sitar drone is and strums are extremely sick! I didn't think accoustic drums would come in but they did, with success. Some nice fills there and the likes. The drums are mixed in extremely well, sounds good on the overall! Nice job!

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kirbenvost
on 2004-02-02 05:43:38

I love sitars. I love tablas. I love rock. I love this ReMix. :D

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mDuo13
on 2002-07-28 15:15:36

Awesome mix! I love the way it has a rockin' sitar, It's like an electric on a killer amp, but it's a SITAR! Cool ethnic percussion, and really cool whispering. One of my favorite mp tunes, and he has some cool ones (also check out Lufia II - Of Sinistrals and Men). Very, very cool mix of ethnic rock sounds. YEHAW!

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orkybash
on 2002-06-05 22:20:17

Xenogears 'Transient Sands ~ Dazil'

What can I say? I love the original, and I love Matt Pollard's version. Great blend of rock and Indian instruments. And the whispering at the end really gives the song a new dimension (what's he SAYING, anyway? ;) ) Another worthy download from mp!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Xenogears (Square , 1998, PS1)
Music by Yasunori Mitsuda
Songs:
"Dazil, City of Burning Sand"

Tags (10)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Dark
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Hand Drums,Sitar,Vocals: Voice Acting
Additional:
Effects > Distortion
Regional > Indian
Time > 4/4 Time Signature
Time > Duration: Short

File Information


Name:
Xenogears_Transient_Sands_Dazil_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
3,581,733 bytes
MD5:
c56cff1a74591a8d64379fd91f31c6e3
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
2:26

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