ReMix:The Adventures of Bayou Billy "Trippin' on Alligators" 3:59

By Mazedude

Arranging the music of one song...

"BGM A"

Primary Game: The Adventures of Bayou Billy (Konami , 1989, NES), music by Hidenori Maezawa, Kyouhei Sada, Tsutomu Ogura

Posted 2002-10-13, evaluated by djpretzel


Personally, I didn't feel like the soundtrack to Bayou Billy, known in Japan as "Mad City", sounded very Cajun at all. It certainly didn't resemble Zydeco in any fashion that I could discern, which is largely what I think of when I hear someone refer to music as being "Cajun". Maybe I missed it . . . regardless, it has long been suggested by requesting fans that Konami's NES classic be given some ReMixing love, and Mazedude has stepped up to the plate with an interesting interpretation. I'll be very frank and say that this is not Mazedude's best work, not very accessible, and will probably take me a few more listens to appreciate. Technically, it's on the level, and Mazedude cannot help but arrange in a fashion that's always provocative and unique, but I don't think this will have the appeal to most of his River City Ransom ReMix, for example. Chris himself writes: "Alright, take care, enjoy. I doubt this will be a remarkably popular one, but hey - it's weird, it's fun, it's Bayou Billy, and no one else has done Bayou Billy, so here ya go folks!". At worst, portions border on cacophony (which *can* be fun, yaknow), and at best there are moments of brilliance that are truly funkdafied. At times, one can envision Billy and his enemies stopping mid-swamp and doing a Michael Jackson-style breakdown, with perhaps some animatronic alligators joining into the boogie. But I digress - as long as you walk into this one expecting some weirdness and bits and pieces that won't sound "normal" per se, you can appreciate the idea. One of the things that's kept me from covering this title myself is my mixed opinion of the source material - it's got some funk, but is a little light in the "direction" department. Mazedude's version features gurgling bass synth FX, used (and sometimes abused) brass, NES-style synth, funky electric bass, and flamboyant drums, along with some nice funk rhythm guitar. Towards the end, after the delicious "make it funky" sample, things slow down, there's some good soloing happening, and things build with some momentum - favorite part of the song, hands down. In fact, I would have kept the whole piece reminiscent of the end section in tempo and execution and found a way to draw that out with some augmentation on the original melody and perhaps an extended sax solo. We know Mazedude can do some mean trombone, and this is a common sidestreet jazz instrument in New Orleans, so that would have been perfect. Still, let me not linger on what could have been - what we've got is a very different ReMix that won't be everyone's cup of tea, but has some truly amazing details buried in it (some of the brass falls and soloing = yummy). Worth the trip, esp. for those who enjoyed Mazedude's previous Trippin' on Rainbows - similarly meandering and somewhat "experimental" feel to it.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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TillyFun
on 2016-02-06 18:13:53

Tripping is right. XD That's some good funk. :)

It comes around in my playlist regularly. c: Goes well with Mazedude's other funk tracks like Slick Ripping Keen.

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Sir_Downunder
on 2009-12-17 09:11:54

The mix is definitely funky as it is weird, but hey, I like it.

Some parts of this are definitely off-kilter (but then, that's deliberate on Mazedude's part) and the track as a whole is pretty solid. The little musical strut at the end was pretty good to.

Definitely worth a listen.

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OA
on 2009-03-19 14:05:36

some of the transitions were a bit wonky, but this is some classy stuff. The quirkyness is obviously turning a few o fyou off, but at least you can recognize the quality.

Personally I think this track is the bomb, and even though some sections sound a bit spastic with the samples used (second theme melody specifically), it's solid and cohesive. Nice slowdown and then the super strut groove for the closer. I always dig the craziness mazedude can kick out, and though some tracks grab me more than others, this is some distinctly classy stuff.

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42
on 2009-01-17 19:28:08

Experimental is probably the best way to put it.

At 1:23, it becomes a little more in sync with convention.

Definitely not my cup of tea, but still worth listening to for the experience of listening to such a piece.

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Mike OShay
on 2008-10-02 00:46:41

Not necessarily the best start, but gets more awesome as it progresses. Quite catchy, getting awesomer after it slows down. Good walkin' music.

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-09-25 16:23:28

Not something that I could listen to twice, but for what it is it's very well done. Definately interesting.

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MangoMan
on 2008-01-19 15:06:22

anyone notice this track sounds a LOT like a song from WarioWare on the Wii? i don't know what the original track from Bayou Billy sounds like though so i can't compare it with that.

EDIT: sorry i guess this is a review thread not a discussion thread now that i think of it

yeah this song is definitly good, but hard to call great, because the main thing i noticed was that it sounds almost exactly like a song i really liked from warioware on the wii.

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Liontamer
on 2007-10-05 17:00:41

Trippin'! Excellent, and glad to find this thread close to Trippin' on Snails so I could comment on this one as well. Love the off-kilter groove here. It's totally different than anything I'd expect with the source tune. That's Mazedude's specialty and he's never done wrong with that style. Bueno!

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Fridge
on 2005-11-17 22:03:53

There's just something that hits me right about Mazedude's tracks. Trippin' On Rainbows is quite possibly my favorite OC track period, and this one hits me in the exact same place... Love the leads, love the bass, love all the weird shit happening everywhere else, I just love the song. Good stuff.

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Txai
on 2005-09-30 16:33:15

Mazedude´s mixes are always defined with weird things. Between his works, the most interesting point is the crazy percussion. He´s able to abuse of that with high and low notes, proper creation of sounds and some panning. The instrumentation is equally very unique and creative. As far, this mix is only an example of how he is so good. Excellent.

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watkinzez
on 2005-09-20 00:04:47
]This is very Mazedude sounding, but not very Mazedude feeling. It has the Mazedude beat and synths going, but it's missing the vibe and power that other Mazedude songs are popular for. It needs a more pumped up bass, I think.

Damn, you took the words right out of my mouth. Not exactly one of my favourite Mazedudes. The ending I'd say needed something more. The muted trumpet (probably wrong about that) in the latter half was cool though.

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blunai
on 2005-06-20 17:00:30

This is very Mazedude sounding, but not very Mazedude feeling. It has the Mazedude beat and synths going, but it's missing the vibe and power that other Mazedude songs are popular for. It needs a more pumped up bass, I think.

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anosou
on 2005-05-27 12:02:01

One of my favorite remixes on OCR.

Mazedude utilizes some very different sounds and still manages to hold quite the groove. I love the almost atonal guitar and the synth brass.

Wonderful use of processing and pitching.

A keeper, a funky keeper too.

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RimFrost the Tourianist
on 2004-07-28 15:26:20

Very funky and funny ..i adore Mazedude's crazy remixing attempts 8O

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BlueEnvy
on 2004-07-07 18:54:03

Definately very different. Could be used to define strange :P but strange in a good way. It has a lot of unexpected surprises. Good job making something out of the ordinary.

Blue

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
The Adventures of Bayou Billy (Konami , 1989, NES)
Music by Hidenori Maezawa,Kyouhei Sada,Tsutomu Ogura
Songs:
"BGM A"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Mood:
Funky,Quirky,Trippy
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth,Vocals: Male
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original
Time > 4/4 Time Signature

File Information


Name:
Adventures_of_Bayou_Billy_Trippin'_on_Alligators_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,875,956 bytes
MD5:
423c5cf95e52acbfa78e38dbed385e0b
Bitrate:
227Kbps
Duration:
3:59
Make it funky now

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