Posted 2002-06-18, evaluated by djpretzel


This is Tom Strickland aka Vic Viper's first submission, it's Castlevania 2, and it has upsides and downsides. I'm thinking the pros outweigh the cons, though, and overall I enjoyed the piece - it's quite funky at times, and it doesn't hurt that the source material is some of Club Kukeiha's best. Tom sticks with a fairly straightforward interpretation, though he does great things with the bassline - one of the better synth bass parts I've heard. The reverb struck me as odd; sounds almost like a gated reverb, which is rarely applied to an entire piece and usually reserved for a snare (see half the songs on Paul Simon's Graceland). Less a gated verb and probably just a plate or small room with a short tail, it creates sort of a gym hall ambience that struck me a little funny given the otherwise cool ambient storm effects in the intro. But foregoing that aspect, let's talk about the positives. In addition to the afforementioned funky synth bass, there are some nice acoustic drums that even go hip-hop at 1'51" in a nice little change. Though a chorused piano joins in later on, most elements are straight synth, and blend together well. Synths used for moving parts / ornamentation are especially nice, and I also dug the drum solo ending - quirky, and doesn't offer closure, but it's something different and it didn't strike me as off either (song basically enters this way, after the intro, anyway). As a first mix - heck, even a second or third - this shows a lot of promise. The bassline is definitely key, and forms a foundation that all other aspects build off. Would have liked to hear some different ideas on the reverb, and perhaps some toms on the drums for breaks / fills. Misgivings aside, this still comes recommended as it's a solid take on an amazing piece of music. VV's off to a good start.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Liontamer
on 2024-04-27 13:16:29

The potential was there to further develop in some different directions, but the genre interpretation was fun. Beats were meaty, the production was spacious for its time, it’s a good rendition. Loved the sampled NES music intro; sounded extra ominous and VRC6-like!

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Marmiduke
on 2009-09-07 10:10:25

The source tune makes this otherwise boring mix tolerable and actually pretty enjoyable to listen to. I think it's a terrible waste that there isn't much elaboration to stimulate me besides the source melody, but eh, what can you do?

The brief shift to piano (although a weak sample) was really welcome and adds probably the mix's only memorable moment for me. And that's not exactly a bold creative move either.

As a remake of a super-strong game tune, this is a guilty pleasure. It's an unapologetic run-through of the theme four or five times in succession with varied samples and a drum beat. Am I in love with this mix? No, I am not. Do I listen to it anyway? Yes, I certainly do.

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Polo
on 2009-06-13 07:58:58

When I consider this mix's title and its 4-iteration structure, my thoughts irrevocably turn to the Hoedown from Whose Line is it Anyway. Each actor sings some funny-cuz-it's-true observation about CV2 (Dracula's parts, the blocky day/night transitions, whatever), and the "all together now" chorus from the source functions like the one from the Irish Drinking Song. Colin gets the mellow-starting third iteration at 2:00 and Ryan wraps it up at 2:26 with a show-stopping ROFL rhyme.

What a fun night to have a Hoedown.

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OA
on 2008-05-23 14:37:11

Very midi sounding, but the arrangement is creative and pretty jammin. The source is fantastic and that helps this a lot.

The intro is kind of strange with the in-game music and the high-fi storm music, and then the pretty upbeat sounding synth throwdown. I don't really follow I don't think. It sets up a darker atmosphere, and then goes into dance funk mode for the rest of the song.

Samples are weak, but it's a fun track and worth a listen.

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Taffin
on 2005-08-30 08:02:27

I thought the idea behind using the "unfitting" password music at the beginning was to immediately put the listener into Castlevania mode by drawing on that piece's ability to really evoke memories of the first time you loaded up CV2, and then sort of shock you out of it with the beat, eventually bringing you back with a fairly unchanged rendition of a beloved theme.

I'm not really a fan at all of mixes that deviate extremely from the original, ones that if you heard them on the radio you wouldn't even know they came from one of your favorite games, so this is right up my alley. In fact, I only registered so I could let Vic Viper know that I've literally been listening to this mp3 for years and consider it to be one of the finest versions of one of the best songs from my favorite game series. It seems sorely underappreciated here. Thanks man, and move your ass on making some more music! :D

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Ramenking
on 2005-07-07 17:09:10

I haven't listened to the song yet but i know it is awesome. Shit Yeah Motherfucker!!!! Also I just wanted to know how many post i had. Thanks have a good day.

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VicViper
on 2005-07-07 13:51:16

Hey all, just want to say thanks to those of you who provided feedback on my first (and only) OC Remix! Its great to be able to share my work with people who can appreciate it. :)

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Demko
on 2005-02-03 12:21:11

I usually write "inside" in my comments, but all I have to say about this is "High caliber." Way to go.

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NecroscopeX
on 2003-12-21 21:53:57

Vic...... hell yeah! This was one kick ass song. This remix is so sweet that I am suprised and a little pissed that it didn't get more credit. The only complaint that I have for Vic is that there isn't more of his stuff on the site.

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whiteknight
on 2003-08-08 10:22:20

I like the funk.

Overall, this was a great arrangement that could have stood to be in a better voice with better samples, but he was working with what he had. I would love to see this song get upgraded oneday, because it is a rockin beat with a great melody. I think it might be near the line of sounding too MIDIish, but i'm glad it got posted anyway.

Awesome attention to the drumline though, many a remixer could learn from the example.

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Sunshine
on 2003-08-08 09:39:56

Good mix with good sound. Nothing more, nothing less.

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zircon
on 2003-08-06 12:59:32

The opening clip is directly from the game, I thought.

Anyway, this is well-arranged, but has very little variation. The choice of instruments could be better (I mean the lead was a simple midi square wave it sounds like). The general introduction was a bit long, but the drums sort of made up for it. Overall, as several other people said, this is more or less average. It has a few good points (like said drums), but those are negated by the bad points (little variation), bringing it to average.

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ella guro
on 2002-07-29 22:26:37

I honestly can say that I don't enjoy this - mainly because I love this theme so much that I think it deserves the best remix ever...and that's a little bit too much to expect from a newcomer.

Anyway, as said before, the dark password music doesn't really fit with the happy techno that dominates the rest of the piece. I also don't like the bassline...something sounded a little off, and everything sounded a bit bleepy bloopy techno-y for me. Finally, as DJP says, the reverb is kind of weird, and imo the samples aren't great and there's not a whole lot of elaboration anywhere.

Still, despite all my gripes, I think it's good enough to warrant a listen to see if you like it. Some people do, but I don't get into this sort of thing...

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Boolean
on 2002-07-01 12:42:35

I agree; this was a great interpretation. Straightforward does not a bad remix make.

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ZergSpice
on 2002-06-30 22:59:28

I enjoyed this remix for exactly what it was. I loved the original song, and it was great to hear a rendition with real sound, rather than the clunky 8 bit Nintendo samples. If a remixer chooses to translate rather than remix that's fine by me, as long as he does justice to the original. I feel that Vic Viper did a great job glorifying an excellent song.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (Konami , 1988, NES)
Music by Kenichi Matsubara,Satoe Terashima
Songs:
"The Silence of the Daylight (Town Stage BGM)"

Tags (10)


Genre:
Funk
Mood:
Funky,Happy
Instrumentation:
Chiptune,Electric Piano,Harp,Piano,Sound FX,Synth
Additional:
Time > 4/4 Time Signature

File Information


Name:
Castlevania_2_DownTown_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
3,170,866 bytes
MD5:
b6321900e29a37c5ae500c28c42a7b35
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
3:13

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