ReMix:Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome "Realms of Africa" 5:20

By Protricity

Arranging the music of one song...

"Tango Alpha Bravo"

Primary Game: Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome (Microsoft , 1998, WIN), music by David Rippy, Stephen Rippy

Posted 2003-01-19, evaluated by djpretzel


Protricity expands his sound significantly with this Age of Empires ReMix, our first from the popular series. The sheer definition of the instruments - their presence & power - in the intro alone bodes well for the rest of the piece. Loads of ethnic percussion, a variety of plucked, bowed, picked, and wind instruments can't help but lend an otherwordly, global mystique to this very transitive arrangement. The title suggests passing through various lands, perhaps sharing one or two instruments in common but having a different overall musical culture / vibe. Not to be too retentive, but most of this doesn't strike me as all that "African" - I'd say our world-weary traveler unwittingly wanders off the continent into the far east for a quick snack a couple times - but there's chock full o' pitched and unpitched percussion to give Mr. Asulin's title some weight, amongst other elements. I particularly liked the intro here - it's very broad and expansive, hinting at possibilities and creating the right atmosphere for pre-safari thoughts of potential wonders lying ahead. Or maybe I've just stopped on the Discovery Channel one too many times whilst channel-surfing :) Another kudos would be the intonation and articulation - this isn't the type of "world music" that just uses exotic instruments in an otherwise Western compositional context - Prot has some legit shtuffs going on, which results in a culturally flavored ReMix the likes of which is pretty unique to OCR and a well-appreciated deviation. Recommended.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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WesternZypher
on 2010-12-29 10:51:46

I love Stephen Rippy's music from the AoE series - they're evocative, jammy, and great for laying waste to your enemy's cities to. Protricity has made a fine mix, but it does sound more Asian than African.

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Marmiduke
on 2010-08-05 06:56:14

Well, I can say it really nails the Age of Empires vibe perfectly, from its ethnicity to its conceptual arrangement.

What I think is remarkable about this mix, besides the usual soaringly high level of production quality from Protricity, is that it has a great narrative approach to its design. It's full of space and distance, which is probably not the most musically enticing thing to hear, but from a conceptual perspective, it really helps let the mix sink deeper into you.

It starts with a drawn out intro and the establishment of melody, but then crosses into a transitory bridge that stretches across the entire centre of the mix, like a massive African grassland. This section is slow, drawn back and full of stopping and starting, until finally we reach the last section; a nice driving reflection of the journey.

While not technically or superficially superior to Protricity's more celebrated tracks, I think this one is one of the more interesting. It's designed very nicely, and while not the most listenable style of arrangement out there, that hasn't stopped me from giving it many dozens of listens over the years.

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OA
on 2009-12-03 11:52:25

a little slow start, but some cool additions and a uniquely Asian feel to this one, which is weird due to the title. I'm not hearing what i'd expect from Africa at all in this. Production was pretty good, if at times somewhat empty, but there was always something happening. A lot of different feeling sections, and a pretty relaxed arrangement make this decent.

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metalsnakejuice
on 2009-09-25 03:03:26

Listened to this today for the first time. The melody is great too.

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duskvstweak
on 2009-09-23 23:53:55

I have loved this mix since I first heard it. Man, I keep wishing we'd get more AOE mixes, but this keeps me happy!

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HoboKa
on 2007-04-28 00:56:10
You really have to listen to the whole thing to appreciate it. It's one of those songs that takes you on a journey. Opens up with nice atmosphere to show what's going to go down. No distinct melody or pattern is present until 1:15. It continues in it's growth from there to 1:48 where something loud is noticable and you can get "into it".

About half way through things stop.

Another melody seems to be growing. I am reminded of various places from the game Terranigma. Things keep growing in this second half until it hits 3:35 where my favorite part comes in. A slow string guides you through the rhythm with the melody at the same time. Something very dramatic and eerie about this part. I like it a lot, same goes for any other song that successfully pulls that feeling off.

The drums vary, mostly being either absent or blended perfectly in the background, nothing techno about this at all. 5 minutes? Seems like 2.

Yeah, it does have a Terranigma feel to it. Speaking of which, we need more remixes of that game AND Age of Empires :D

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Kapyrna
on 2007-04-27 01:31:28

As one who has the Redbook audio from every AoE disk made, I like this mix. It's not 5-star, but i'll give it a four because it was done /right/, not just 'done'.

Thanks, Protricity.

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Navi
on 2006-05-19 13:21:11

Still one of the best mixes on this site.

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Txai
on 2005-11-04 13:26:28
I have been mixing for ten years and have created 200+ songs.

OMG.

And I also love this mix. It sounds like a sad music in some transitions. The effects created by Protricity are very nice. Cool placement of percussion. Everything here is well placed. But personally the effects are my favourite thing in this work.

Excellent job.

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watkinzez
on 2005-10-19 19:38:04

Even though it really isn't, I usually associate this song with Ari's earlier works. That is, before he really started kicking ass with his DKC2 songs. Not to say this one is poor, but actually quite good. Was the source in Age of Empires II? I've certainly heard it before.

Very well done transitions, and the choir specifically was interesting to me.

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DiamondBerg
on 2005-05-06 16:30:42

Nice remix, protricity I luv ya!..nvm... Make a StarCraft Remix!!!! This game rock, someone please!!

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Zipp
on 2005-03-04 15:39:17

It's rare that I download a mix that is from a game I haven't played. I just don't have the connection to it the same way that I would otherwise. Occasionally I like it. This time, I liked it. A lot. Makes me really wish someone would do a Star Craft remix (please? anyone?)

What drew me in was defenitely the begining. It transported me to the Jungles and Deserts of unexplored terrain. Having never heard the original, the piece loses interest for me after somewhere in the middle, but it's still very listenable and gets points for simply going to so many different places, quite like the Morrowind mix, "Isle of Edges." Great work.

Zipp

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remline
on 2004-12-11 19:20:06

Awesome work! Now we need MORE AOE remixes! :D

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Vash the Stampede
on 2004-05-08 15:35:32

Great stuff man!! AoE had some kickass tunes, but I never would have expected to hear an OC_ReMix of one of them!! I love it man, BRAVO!! 8)

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Taisuru
on 2004-03-01 19:06:54

I wish there were some more remixes of RTS games, especially the Age of Empire series. Good job!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome (Microsoft , 1998, WIN)
Music by David Rippy,Stephen Rippy
Songs:
"Tango Alpha Bravo"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Cinematic
Mood:
Suspenseful
Instrumentation:
Choir,Dulcimer,Strings,Woodwinds
Additional:
Regional > African
Regional > World

File Information


Name:
Age_of_Empires_The_Rise_of_Rome_Realms_of_Africa_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,335,893 bytes
MD5:
d6aff350e207fcb9d397cd6c82219027
Bitrate:
156Kbps
Duration:
5:20

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