ReMix:Mega Man 4 "Shades of Blue" 1:59

By CrimsonZeal

Arranging the music of one song...

"Dive Man Stage"

Primary Game: Mega Man 4 (Capcom , 1991, NES), music by Minae Fujii

Posted 2002-09-24, evaluated by the judges panel


Psychophryte's initial Perfect Dark ReMix had a lot going for it - a relatively sparse, exposed style that really let you hear each of the constituent elements of the mix, for better or worse. This brand of arranging does require above-average patches, so it's a good thing Zac's latest mix, from Mega Man 4, has a very fat, warm electric bass, jazzy low-octave flute, cross-panned acoustic guitar, some wispy analog pads, and decent drums (the one area where things coulda been stronger). The bass is panned a little too far left of center for my taste, but the bassline is groovy and the warmth and feel is dead-on. The title's very apt, as this is essentially downbeat, rockish jazz, with the flute being the clear giveaway (and also the standout element of the track - very attitudinal, mellow, and slinky). Judges did have some issues with the processing, and I'd have to agree that, while a stripped-down sound can work, a little more body & tail to the verb (but not excessive) coulda enhanced things a bit. I personally think a single good ambient synth pad - something moving and dynamic - would have formed a good soundbed and filled in the sonic gaps during transitions. Regardless, it was commented of Zac's PD mix that it grows on you with each listen, and I think that'll hold true for most listeners here as well.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 13 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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SwordBreaker
on 2011-04-11 22:18:19

Short, sweet, and smooth. Love how emotional this is despite its minimalistic approach. While it doesn't deviate from the source much, it's still a really good interpretation of Dive Man's fast-paced track. As everyone else mentioned, the bass is totally awesome!!!

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42
on 2009-12-16 20:29:22

Oh wow. This actually reminds me of the old Pink Panther cartoons in more ways than one, lol. Especially that cool, slick, debonair attitude of PP himself. Very Henry Mancini but with a slightly darker [that is bluer] and more experimental edge to it. Even though this is probably dated, it's still an interesting listen. Just why is it so short though!? .

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Bahamut
on 2009-10-01 17:47:41

I'm not familiar with the original, so I don't know how closely it sounds to the original song or how it compares. This is a curious track though, but plagued by its shortness and somewhat from the samples.

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Dafydd
on 2008-12-23 16:14:12

The flute is just soooo right. I love it. Unfortunately everything in this song sounds very midi-ish, especially the drums, and the guitar isn't very convincing either... Interesting take on the theme though.

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-10-21 22:11:18

Sounds aren't great, but that doesn't bother me too much. Bass works nicely, like the drive of it. Flute is a good choice for lead, though I wish a little more had happened with it. Overall, the mix is a little short for me, I would have liked a little more development.

Cute little mix worth a listen here and there.

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evktalo
on 2008-07-19 17:40:09

Good arrangement. Mostly the sounds aren't up to par. The good ones are the synth flute, and those lovely understated strings and pads at the beginning. I especially don't like the bass guitar.. But it's a charming track none the less, and I'll be keeping it.

--Eino

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BardicKnowledge
on 2007-12-09 18:51:54

I hadn't heard this tune before, and I highly approve of it -- it's a very good Diveman mix. The production isn't the quality that the panel started demanding after the first thousand, but it sits very well with me anyway.

And it does sound underwater at times, reminding me of Super Mario Galaxy (of course the game's effect is obviously better) swimming underwater listening to the music on the surface.

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OA
on 2007-04-17 11:09:03

Short and to the point. The sustained strings have a very chilling effect, and really do make you feel submerged. The bass and drums are pretty good, but the piano and flute are a little too mechanical and exposed for my tastes. The guitar is similarly mechanical, but it's used sparingly and thus it's a little easier to handle. Overall pretty cool, but pretty obvious that it is an earlier OCR work.

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Bummer
on 2006-01-07 05:11:15

When I heard the beginning, I knew this was going to be good. It turned out that I was right. Very cool bass to open this up, I can't really describe the music style, I just mostly knows genres like Jazz or Blues, but this sounds more different. The strings and the guitar gives me the impression that I'm 30 feet under the sea, a very nice effect considering this is an arrangment of Diveman's theme.

I like the flute and the piano that later shows up from the depths of this remix. Gives it a smooth touch to it, but the bass and drums are still left playing behind them. The remix is only 1:59 long, but since the end contains the instruments that opened this piece, you doesn´t realy realize that the track has looped. It runs on very smoothly, and can be listened on several times. Groovy stuff from Psychrophyte, why don't ya give it a listen?

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Twobitmage
on 2004-01-26 20:11:21

ahh a remixed song from one of my favorite mm games from one of my favorite stages

what more can I ask for? me likes it

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MB
on 2002-09-30 11:22:59

i love that bass! 8)

bass! dig it!

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Wanzer
on 2002-09-26 15:17:17

Well, I've had this song a while, wow, since May or June or something like that I think (Zac put it on VGMix, and I got it from there), and it's still one that I'll hunt down in my playlist. I really like the smooth easy feeling it gives. Somewhat like Lounge Lemmings by Mazedude. I like it, and look forward to more.

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orkybash
on 2002-09-24 21:22:22

Mega Man 4 'Shades of Blue'

This probably isn't one I'll be listening to constantly, but it's groovy, it's fun, and I'll definitely come back to it. djpretzel pretty much summed up my gripes with it nicely.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Mega Man 4 (Capcom , 1991, NES)
Music by Minae Fujii
Songs:
"Dive Man Stage"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Mood:
Mellow
Instrumentation:
Flute,Piano
Additional:
Time > 4/4 Time Signature
Time > Duration: Short

File Information


Name:
Mega_Man_4_Shades_of_Blue_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
2,470,154 bytes
MD5:
708fb0f8f4e9704fd4163b0fb7bcfc72
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
1:59

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