ReMix:Xenogears "Skyline" 3:36

By Ziwtra

Arranging the music of one song...

"Wings"

Primary Game: Xenogears (Square , 1998, PS1), music by Yasunori Mitsuda

Posted 2003-09-11, evaluated by djpretzel


Well, damn. Ziwtra sent in an extensive, interesting write-up accompanying this Xeno ReMix, and I'd feel remiss if I didn't share at least part of it:

"William Hazlitt, an old time English journalist and essayist, once wrote of a characteristic in art that he called *gusto*. It has come to mean a variety of things, but originally it meant evoking feelings not immediately presentable by a certain medium. So a painting of autumn leaves may be done in such a way to remind the viewer of the feel of the breeze, the sound of dry crunchiness, and so on. That's gusto.

Hopefully this mix has gusto. At least for me, I can't help envisioning flying above the clouds. Not only that, but a kind of optimism accompanies it, one that has been released from a certain burden or weight. This is a pretty personal mix for some reason. I have always felt pretty close to the original melody of this song, and I didn't want to touch that. Only to have it convey a bit more than was in the game track.


So, gusto it is then :) There's a great blending of elements here, and it's almost overwhelming - just enough density and movement to, as the ReMixer suggests, conjure sweeping images of flight or similar transcendence of some ilk. Introing with looped, orchestral flavors, the gradual addition of sublte layered elements happens quickly, but is worth noticing - the hyperactive (but low in volume) resonant 303 synth augmenting the drums on the extreme of the stereo field, the cross-panned bells that also play off the percussion, electric guitar hits, and the various other attentions Ziwtra has become so adept at paying to mixes (and was already pretty dern good at to begin with) - drums that never get boring, several hooks for the listener to latch on to at any point in time, and watertight sequencing and programming. I especially liked the very "robust" marching-style snare rolls used in transition a couple times, and a bassline that doesn't sit on autopilot but pulls some unique - but always musical - tricks here and there. Ending pulls a nice ritard, backing down and away from the gusto towards a more sedate "landing". Transporting and quite detailed - recommended.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Geoffrey Taucer
on 2014-05-12 11:19:43

Easily one of my favorite remixes. Percussion is especially fantastic.

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Crulex
on 2014-05-12 09:54:27

Wow. The percussion of this ReMix marching along ahead the melody is crazy good. Very upbeat and adding that little bit of rock with the flute just lets the whole mix soar. An amazing ReMix of Wings and another great track from Ziwtra. Really enjoying this one.

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tweex
on 2010-08-27 22:23:41

Another moody intro from Ziwtra, and boy does it work like all of his others! I remember this mix from way back in the days of the dorm with Sephfire. Even though I'm not a fan of synth strings, they work well in this mix. The percolating drums are great and I love the militaristic snare patterns that are overlaid in there. This mix highlights Mr. Hahn's love for juxtaposing a very fast bass/drums section with a slower melody line. It creates an epic-ness that is hard to create another way! The ritard at the end was a nice touch. Not bad at all!

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Emunator
on 2009-10-15 22:30:57

This is a BRILLIANT piece of music, it's got the charm of the original but is way more emotive and airy. It really conveys a beautiful sense of flight and motion between the rapid drumbeat and the wonderful flute... gah, I'm in love with this. Have my babies :nicework:

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yosefu
on 2009-05-12 02:33:41

This mix just makes me feel happy, so i love it. great work.

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OA
on 2009-03-23 15:50:32

Possibly one of my favorite remixes ever, this is AAA material, even with the generally lo-fi samples. Percussion is incredible, the bass and backing synths are full of motion, and the transitions and flow are spot on.

Nothing less than the triple heart for this one.

333

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Marmiduke
on 2009-01-05 21:54:45

The sense of musical transportation is really apparent here. It's becoming rarer and rarer these days to find music that strives to be more than just be pleasing for the audience to listen to. The energy established by the drums is sort of an antithesis to the nature of the melody, however it works. While the melody is one of the most uplifting there is, it could easily be mired and grow stale. The rapid beats provided give it constant stimulation, which is why the sum of the parts can sustain vivid imagery. It's very consistent, and a great track overall.

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Zellfreid
on 2005-12-30 01:27:15

I'm basically just posting this because Zen's post was a day short of exactly a year since the post before his.

And I absolutely love this song in it's entirety.

Very cool.

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ZenDadaist
on 2005-12-29 18:12:29

The start of this track is a huge rush - it has depth, movement, complexity and excellent production quality. I had Ormgas running in the background and when this came on I stopped to listen. Superb!

...And then the main theme started. The theme track sounds completely out of place. It sounds like it was made with a child's Casio keyboard with a poor artificial echo. It sits awkwardly onto the fantastic track and IMO spoils it. Maybe it was the choice of instrument or something - I don't really know the details of how remixes are produced in anything other than Fruity Loops.

The intro is a 9/10 and the same layers stay at a 9/10 for the duration. Unfortunately the main theme layer drags it down to a less impressive 7/10 overall once it kiks in. if I'm listening to it on my jukebox I skip past the track once the main part kicks in :(

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Brim
on 2004-12-30 03:10:18

Whoa, a cool song. Its very energetic, and its very unique. I love all of Ziwtra's songs I've heard.

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big giant circles
on 2004-11-15 18:14:50

Hands down, one of the best remixes on the site. Excellent structure, mixing, notation, and especially energy.

This is the kind of music that makes me happy to be alive :)

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Aderyn
on 2004-05-26 11:37:10

very nice...it leaves me reminded of the track "Can you Fly Sister" from Seiken Densetsu 3....very happy, very good musical imagery...if such a thing exists. I like it.

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kirbenvost
on 2004-02-02 05:31:43

Wow, I'm impressed! :D The percussion and basslines here are especially good... definitely well-balanced, as a fellow producer (though I've yet to make an OCRemix), I can say that this is very well-arranged, and never, ever gets boring or repetitive. Very good! :D

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Isk
on 2003-10-02 01:48:57

First time I heard this, I was a little disappointed, was expecting something different. It grew on me the more I listened to it though, I like it a lot now. Kinda reminds me of Gregson-Williams but with a little rock guitar. The semi drum cadence midway through and at the end rule.

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TheGreatTetsuo
on 2003-09-29 07:21:36

Great job Ziwtra, best damn remix I've heard of "Flight" yet, keep up the good work and do another Xeno remix! You've got talent my friend.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Xenogears (Square , 1998, PS1)
Music by Yasunori Mitsuda
Songs:
"Wings"

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File Information


Name:
Xenogears_Skyline_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,521,065 bytes
MD5:
0c461bb7653e53e852583d3302539633
Bitrate:
163Kbps
Duration:
3:36

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