ReMix:Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master "Whirlwind (Gale Force Mix)" 4:32

By Rayza

Arranging the music of one song...

"Whirlwind (Round 4-1)"

Primary Game: Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (Sega , 1993, GEN), music by Hirofumi Murasaki, Masayuki Nagao, Morihiko Akiyama

Posted 2003-03-14, evaluated by djpretzel


As a fan of the original and a bigger fan of Revenge, I never quite got into Shinobi 3 or Shadow Dancer too much. Honestly, I think it was the difficulty level, because they still had many of the same qualities that made the others great - classic 2D ninja action, good tunes, and most importantly . . . Ninja Magic! This latest mix from Rayza is very hybridized work that transitions from spacey, electric-piano driven contemporary jazz to synth-driven trance, and manages to make such transitions sound fairly natural. Given the discrepancy between those two genres, that's an impressive feat. The melody is fairly simple and is not elaborated upon wildly, other than the sense that it's been skillfully adapted to not one but two alternate genres. Jazzy portions feature a mellow EP, half-tempo drums with a nice rim shot, and very new age pads and falling synth effects, whereas the upbeat dancish bits have pulsing synth chords, a synth arpeggio that hops around the stereo field, and a nice monoglide synth lead. The melody itself has some really tasteful intervals that exhibit some good range, and it's nice to hear it so emphasized and also covered by two different lead timbres. I initially thought the ending was gonna be a letdown, but things abruptly fade back in for a good "gotcha" that concludes things with quality punctuation. The main attraction here would seem to be the genre-alternation, which does work quite well and which in the end is enough to "sell" the arrangement; it's good enough, though, that Rayza could have elaborated more and taken a bit more poetic license, for my money, in cooking up some new harmony, lead, or counter-melody. Still a great mix of a good, memorable melody that deserved resurrection and works well with the style-hop transitions. Recommended.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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eggsngaming
on 2017-05-01 19:35:28

Tracks like this make me wish I'd discovered OCR much earlier than I did. Reminds me of the mid 90s when I went through a long La Bouche/Ace of Base phase. I could listen to this all day

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Liontamer
on 2011-07-05 10:49:50

Haha, that's Rank 1 alright.

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TheCorty
on 2010-11-14 23:35:53

A 2003 remix!? Not freakin' bad. Good, catchy stuff with seemless, exciting transitions indeed. Much better than stuff I hear on the radio nowadays, yet more than half of it's in the same genre XD

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esden9
on 2010-03-29 06:38:37

Dr. Luke damned near yanked this hook for Tik Tok. =P

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Marmiduke
on 2009-06-26 06:42:57

Every Rayza remix I listen to lately ends with me saying: "That's the most Rayza mix ever." And this was no exception.

The thing I like about Rayza is that he takes a genre of music that allows for repetition and lack of progression, but goes against that and offers incredible variation and hooks galore.

What is achieved is the signature high wall-of-sound that we all expect, but with surprisingly touching elements woven in. It all travels so fluently that the fast-slow, rollercoaster-like structure flies over you. It's probably the easiest Rayza mix to just sit back to, and forget you are listening to meticulously remixed videogame music. That's a pretty cool thing to be able to pull off.

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OA
on 2009-06-25 10:46:47

Starting with a chill epiano, I was thinking I had accidentally clicked the wrong remix- this doesn't sound like a gale force to me. Then it shifts to a catchy syncopated riff, and then has an extended cliffhanger.

Big opening, and the mix is really underway. This is well produced, but really what makes this mix great is the interplay between the sections. The builds are good, and though the beats are a little standard, but workable, and the synths are great.

Once it hits the end and all the themes mesh together is where the mix really shines. Fantastic stuff all around; this track made me download the .gym for Shinobi 3. Highly recommended. :-)

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Vertigo88
on 2006-04-23 13:10:57

Shinobi III was the best Sega Genesis game of all time, in my opinion. Thanks for a great memory revamped!

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Liontamer
on 2005-09-23 10:59:42

Can't think of why I didn't comment on this other than the fact that I don't frequent ReViews too often. But I remember back when this came out that Protricity felt this was Rayza's best work here so far, and I definitely agree with that, though it's a close call now with Sonik Electronik out there.

In any case, the thing I appreciated the most was how skillfully Hayden mixed in the source tune with his own original ideas. The new material was worked in so seamlessly that I was surprised to listen to the original later and realize that some of the stuff in there wasn't derived from the game soundtrack. Always a good listen after a couple of years.

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Prophet65
on 2005-09-23 10:23:44

Shinobi 3 has been my favourite game of all time on the Mega Drive (Genesis) but after reading the other threads and listening to the song a few times more I agree its a damn fine piece but I cant relate to it in any way like the original.

I have an emulator and I have the rom (Yes I own the actual cartridge and still have the Mega Drive (Genesis) lying around somewhere) and I started to listen to original again and the second you hear the original's beginning gives a totaly different feeling to the remix, just makes you want to jump up and dance.

I understand its just that... a remix but would have like to see a fast rock beat simliar to the original other than that, for all intents and purposes if I have never heard the original... awesome remix! :D

This is friendly criticism no offence intended.

Prophet65

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Pip is uh.....
on 2005-03-11 00:46:03

Nice. Its got a real groove to it. This is Rayza at his best. The peice just flows well together and is an excellent retooling of the original peice. Good stuff!

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NewTypeOne
on 2005-02-13 20:43:32

O_O...*drool*... omg, I love this remix. *bows to rayza*

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Txai
on 2005-01-13 12:13:25

Shinobi 3. Great game! I liked this stuff. Is a good trance for who likes Shinobi. Rayza has talent, "club del toro" is your best remix. Nice work!

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esden9
on 2003-12-12 02:56:28

This is still one of the best remixes ever.

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DarkWolf
on 2003-07-11 09:36:09

An excelent remix. At first I didn't like it too much, but after listening to it for a few times it grew on me.

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GrayLightning
on 2003-06-26 00:56:44

This is very smooth. I love the vibe of this mix, in part helped by the great instrument selection. Nice change of pace from Rayza's more agressive mixes. I think, this just may be my favorite of his. Great work.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (Sega , 1993, GEN)
Music by Hirofumi Murasaki,Masayuki Nagao,Morihiko Akiyama
Songs:
"Whirlwind (Round 4-1)"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Dance
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electric Piano,Electronic,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Shinobi_3_Whirlwind_(Gale_Force_Mix)_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,530,437 bytes
MD5:
74c06773d36ec6749d082382a8dcf9c8
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
4:32

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