ReMix:Castlevania: Circle of the Moon "Technomancy" 3:25

By Shael Riley

Arranging the music of one song...

"awake"

Primary Game: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (Konami , 2001, GBA), music by Hiroshi Mitsuoka, Sotaro Tojima

Posted 2002-09-10, evaluated by djpretzel


Very different, and good. Shael Riley gives us our first Castlevania ReMix from the Gameboy Advance platform, with a high-pitched, distinctly electronic arrangement from Circle of the Moon. Characterizing the piece is minimal DSP (most parts being without reverb, chorus, etc.) and a smorgasbord of very high, aliasing electronic timbres and Atari LYNX-style blip percussion (portions reminded me of playing Chip's Challenge - now there was a puzzle game!) - this yields a sound that is simultaneously contemporary and retro. There are effects here, including some stutter programming and filtering, that wouldn't be possible with limited, ancient hardware, but there are also some very raw, antique FMish sounds that have a garage-electronic appeal to 'em. Doesn't sound like much else I've heard recently, and doesn't sound bad (though if you're sensitive to the upper-octave pitches, be careful), which means it gets some thumbs-up in my book for trying something new in a new way. Recommended, on that basis.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Marmiduke
on 2011-02-05 01:12:52

The pared-down sounds are a great idea in concept, but I don't know about whether a mix like this succeeds in establishing itself beyond an homage to its musical roots. I like chiptunes, especially the original Castlevania NES tracks, but there's something lost in the transition for this one.

The soundscape is dry and barren. The samples are quite fargone, and othertimes sound exactly like oldschool hardware. Which is nice for nostalgia-nuts, but that nostagia only gives a piece of music so much mileage. Production and arrangement are also methodical.

I don't know whether it's the age of this mix, or the confused simplification of the melody, but this hasn't stayed competitive at all. It's one of the first straight chip mixes, to be sure. But save for a few glimmers of creativity, it's a pretty empty version of a great piece of music.

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Verdegrand
on 2010-03-03 23:53:30

This one is INCREDIBLE! I love how you anticipated what this piece could have sounded like if it would have been composed and put into a game 25 years ago. It fits the melody very well! I don't miss any instrumention at all! Great Job!

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OA
on 2010-02-25 12:23:15

I think the style of this one is a little too old school for my tastes, but the tempo shift at 1:32 was really well done and worked out for me.

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Txai
on 2008-10-12 22:29:22

Some of the percussion sounds like Simon is whipping baddies, even if he wasn't the main character of this title. The FM synth at 1:23 may be annoying when played too close to ears, but I enjoy it a lot. Also the NES piano was very well used as part of the percussion. Very imaginative.

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Kulaman
on 2006-01-30 16:49:22

I'm listening to the track while writing this, so bear with me.

my only problem with this track is the FL riff sample that starts in at 0:14, while it works well enough for the place, it could have been filtered or something, anything so it wasn't so blatantly straight off the FL samples list.

other than that, i love the song, even if it DOES sound lower than midi quality :P j/k, it's good. 8/10

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Baruch - Vampire Lord
on 2006-01-29 01:18:19

This piece needs even more attention than it has been given. Excellent Piece. After a few relistenings, I give a 10/10.

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Darkmetamorphasis
on 2005-12-29 19:04:31
hmm not bad.. but I was hoping there'd exist more orchestral mixes of that particular song and many others from circle of the moon like the outer wall and the machine tower.. I really like all the themes but sadly it doesn't have an OST cause it's a GB advance game :/

This mix isn't bad but lacks the orchestral awe of the original.. could have been even better if over tthose synthetic instruments there was a chorus rise.. some church organ.. some piano here and there.. a Samba beat, and maybe some guitar too :P (maybe I'm goign too far lol) .. but it would be even cooler if so ^_^

Not bad though.. wish to hear more COTM Mixes :)

I originally had a chorus pad swell up at the crescendo of each motiff- not that my stripped-down, electronica version has anything resembling that sort of dynamics ;)- but I thought it conflicted with the retro, hollow, cold and mechanical sound I wanted so I ran it through some heavy duty aliasing and it became that "watery" effect you hear in the background.

As for the piano, church organ, guitar and samba beat, it sounds like a fucking awesome mix. Why don't you do it? :-P

Well if Michiru Yamane made a orchestrated OST of Aria of Sorrow, I'm pretty sure theres an Circle of the Moon out there somewhere, as for this song, its not that bad as I'd expect it, jsut wished that there were more remixes available

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Baruch - Vampire Lord
on 2005-12-29 18:02:40

Excellent mix. Love the old timey feel.

9/10.

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nomindo
on 2005-02-17 06:36:08

cool stuff, a fun lil oldskool mix sometimes i miss the days of tracked music, being able to put a whole soundtrack onto a floppy

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ghaleon
on 2005-01-16 13:11:44

I didn't like this song at first, but it's grown on me. It really keeps your attention and gets your feet moving, which is a problem I have with some of the softer remixes and even a few of the more laid-back techno songs. Plus I just love the name "Technomancy," for some reason.

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jordex
on 2004-11-07 17:30:04

Crazy, This is the oldskool style i'm looking for

I love the background noises

And I just effin love 1:23!

Go Listen now!

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Cheeszeman_
on 2004-10-01 12:39:36

yo. gotta tell ya, its a LITTLE more apropriate than Music of my Groin.... i agree, it does take some getting used to, but its a great piece! its quite addicting too! *doo doo do dodooodo dododododoo dood odood ododododododo* ahem.... yes

be smart

go to school.... wait no... oh yeah, get this mix

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schwagnah
on 2004-09-15 03:11:17

I thought is started out kind of odd, but after listening to it for a while, I realized that it is actually a good piece with a multiplicity of different sounds. It is different too, which is a good thing. Overall, the mix isn't something special, but it is different and it may take a few seconds to get used to, but after you get used to it, it is great!

7/10

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Hogulus
on 2004-06-07 17:02:51

I like it. A lot. My only complaint is that it gets a little too... simplistic toward the end. I like the part immediately after the intro, how it has that air-wrench-sounding thing, and I like the short little NES-esque part, but it could use a little more harmony or beats or something toward the end.

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kittyanya
on 2004-02-22 23:48:37

Ehhhh ..... it sounds a little too much like a MIDI file turned MP3 to me. I don't mind some sythesizer sounds but this feels ... a little over done with all the sounds. It won't stay on my regular playing list, I'm afraid. :(

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (Konami , 2001, GBA)
Music by Hiroshi Mitsuoka,Sotaro Tojima
Songs:
"awake"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Chiptune,Electronic,Synth
Additional:
Time > 4/4 Time Signature

File Information


Name:
Castlevania_Circle_of_the_Moon_Technomancy_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
3,371,610 bytes
MD5:
15833bf07e779de92f12bc0a76e9993c
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
3:25

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