ReMix:Chrono Trigger "Lost Fragments of the Past" 2:59

By Oceanfire

Arranging the music of 2 songs...

"Green Memories", "Schala's Theme"

Primary Game: Chrono Trigger (Square , 1995, SNES), music by Nobuo Uematsu, Noriko Matsueda, Yasunori Mitsuda

Posted 2002-11-05, evaluated by djpretzel


We sure have been getting some stellar first submissions lately. Oceanfire continues the trend with this cinematic arrangement that features themes from Chrono Trigger as well as Radical Dreamers. With almost no percussion, large portions of this arrangement exist as melodies over top a single sustained base 'drone', featuring dark strings, oboe, flute, bells, delayed pizzicato, piano, and a single deep bass drum 'thud'. The mood is very dark and introspective, taking time to develop and definitely leaning towards a spartan minimalism: when the base finally changes at 1'32", this makes it all the cooler and emotional. Samples used, especialy the flute, are top-notch, which greatly helps in such an exposed piece. For those with a bit of patience, this is a rewarding journey that's well-constructed and slow but intense and very direct. Cool.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
a_d
on 2009-11-18 02:02:46

I don't know if anyone has pointed this out already, but this sounds almost exactly like "Under the Moonlight" from the Radical Dreamers soundtrack. Not a bad thing, though

avatar
OA
on 2009-03-17 12:54:19

the soundscape is really good, and the samples are well used, with maybe the exception of the super delay pizzicato strings. There are some great effects, like the slow and subtle pitchdown of the initial bell hits, and the flute sounds good too.

I think the issue with this mix not being more popular is that it would be completely amazing in game, but without a visual of some sort, it's not going to jump out , except to people who love the ambient genre in the first place.

There is some good stuff here, especially the string bed changes around the halfway point. Subtle and beautiful.

Not really my style out and about, but i'd be freaking out over this track if I heard it in-game.

avatar
Prophet of Zeal
on 2008-01-06 09:17:33
Actually I found the song a nice change of pace for my Chrono remix collection, the slow dark melodic sound deffinatley set the mood. The only complaint I would really have with the song is how short it was. I can see something like it stretching out to be very notalgic.

True it's not a song you can have enqued in your play list and have it play through without noticing, but if you play the song on it's own it deffinatley can give you either a dark feeling that could inspire someone to write a story. I even like the heroic feeling it gives you when the flute sample plays around 1:16.

this was very well said. i agree with it all. this remix was such a nice change of pace for the CT collection... still is.

and again, yeah.. if you play it and think of it as its own, it holds its own. it really is inspiring in a sense that in takes you to a certain place... makes you think, if that makes sense.

avatar
DragonFireKai
on 2007-03-01 14:49:23

A very minimalist piece. Well done, though. It conveys the loneliness of that middle stretch of the game. Good Job.

avatar
FrozenHope
on 2007-01-03 16:40:13

I thought this track was quite good, actually. It didn't sound especially complex, but it was certainly evocative. The length was ideal; three minutes is long enough for the mood to fully sink in, but not too long to keep the interest of the listener. It's nice to see a more ambient take on that particular CT song; I respect the artist's effort and have enjoyed the result.

avatar
avaris
on 2006-12-20 14:55:32

This is pretty awesome. Oceanfire def excels at minimalist pieces. The is simple and highly emotive. The trade mark of his two OCR mixes. I really do like the and the flow of the piece. It really puts you another place.

avatar
Turkaholic
on 2006-03-29 08:02:56

There's one thing I like in an instrumental, and thats my strings! This remix has plenty of stringiness for me to enjoy. I was hooked after the first 5 seconds, and the chord changes made it a really relaxing piece to listen to - I can imagine myself doing yoga or something to this one xD But seriously I loved it.

avatar
Bummer
on 2005-09-26 09:31:32

It´s very depressive, like if someone just lost a battle or something, reminds me very much of "Death on the snowfield", same mood through the whole song, except that this song doesn´t bursts into beats and drums during 30 secs.

Anyway, it didn´t have alot to give, this is a song that you´re supposed to listen and relax to, not dig. I liked those depressive strings that stays on their only tune through the whole song that cooperates with a nice flute , a cute xylofone and a piano that´s also a little depressive. It is beautiful in some way, if it´s yours: download it.

avatar
skeez
on 2004-07-07 19:00:30

Amazing song, it's orchestral track with synth strings give it an excellent ambient feel. One of the best parts I feel is at 1:32 where the strings stop their drone and the piano plays the low octaves, great transition there. 1:16 where the flute came with the piano harmony had an excellent eerie feeling to it. This song, to me, portrays sadness and a touch of anxiety. It almost reminds me of something off a Myst soundtrack. GREAT JOB!!! I'm more of a medieval composer but in my experiments in ambient music, I realize how hard it is to get it to sound clear, to have a clear progression of theme, and to keep it non-cacophonous. I was never very good at ambient music :).

avatar
Dionyseus
on 2004-05-01 04:18:43

I gave this one a 5 out of 5 stars, and I very rarely give those out. I just love dark, peaceful themes you can sleep to. For those looking for such type of music in the normal music land, check out the works of Steve Roach.

Using a more accurate method of scoring, I'd give Chrono Trigger 'LostFragmentsofthePast' an 9.2/10, songs like these are designed to be over 6 minutes at least.

avatar
Reynard
on 2003-07-29 08:50:24

6.5 / 10

Dark, moody and quiet, this song was made for people (Like me! :D ) who try to invent stories to go along with the song. If you just want something to listen to, I'd say pass, but if you're willing to give this song a couple chances to spark your imagination, go for it.

avatar
lord-of-shadow
on 2003-06-12 23:21:50

One of my favorites. Now, I'm an ignorant fool when it comes to how the music works, what instruments are used, etc., etc... but I'd just like to say that this is easily one of the best on the site.

Very quiet, very slow, very amazing...

avatar
Ingonyama
on 2003-05-28 12:29:05

Neat segues between Schala and the CT theme...the slow, dreamlike quality of the mix kind of draws you in and pulls you along. The mix is actually of pretty average length, but it seems short because of the pace of the song. Problem is, because it seems so short, you're kind of left out of the loop when it ends.

avatar
Kamikaze Noodle
on 2003-05-28 00:06:12

Wow. I thought this was actually very good. Its minimalist and slow, but achieves such a level of mood it deserves a lot of praise. It almost pulls you in with its depth. I like how DJP put it, "a journey", cuz that's what this song really is. It isn't trying to blow you away with a wall of sound or anything, it's just a dark, foreboding, sad song. Best part: when the looong note finally drops at 1:32. Definitely a good listen if you don't mind the genre.

Note: I actually am not a fan of ambient stuff because I think its boring and overly simple. This song just, was good though.

avatar
DeleriumTrigger
on 2003-05-24 17:38:11

I don't usually review songs on this site because I don't think I'm the best man for the job. But I just had to stick up for this review....

I'm not always a fan of the ambient stuff, but I love the feel of this one. The subtle melody is played beautifully. This mix isn't for everyone, but if you like this kind of music I definately recommend it.

Like that other guy, my only complaint with this is it ends too quickly. Could have gone another 2 minutes or so.

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Chrono Trigger (Square , 1995, SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu,Noriko Matsueda,Yasunori Mitsuda
Songs:
"Green Memories"
"Schala's Theme"

Tags (9)


Genre:
Ambient
Mood:
Dark,Suspenseful
Instrumentation:
Flute,Oboe,Orchestral,Piano,Strings
Additional:
Time > 4/4 Time Signature

File Information


Name:
Chrono_Trigger_Lost_Fragments_of_the_Past_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
2,958,224 bytes
MD5:
8254974ac5b62d92579576d7f88b63e7
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
2:59

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes