Posted 2005-09-10, evaluated by djpretzel


Dhsu confides:

"A small confession: I've never watched the Kubrick film (or played the Saturn game, if that's what you were thinking). Still, I thought it was a fitting title, so I went with it.

If just to hear the amazing electronic Beethoven arrangements by Wendy Carlos (and originals as well) and witness one of the better adapted screenplays (highly interpretive and additive, and also by Kubrick from the Burgess novel) in existence, the film is worth seeing. The ReMixer continues:

"As usual, I didn't take a whole lot of liberties melody-wise (I like to mess with chords progressions and tempo/rhythm instead), although there's a little nod to the Circle of the Moon rendition at around the 0:45 mark. The production was 100% GrayLightning's work. He rendered my recording to MP3 and did all the mastering and post-production work. A very big thanks to him, as this submission wouldn't have been possible without him."

Sometimes people hear a verbatim melody and they mistakenly conclude that the arrangement is minimal, or even a cover, but much can be done under the melodic hood to change the context and feel entirely, without altering a single note of the theme itself. From the beginning, Dhsu's work displays the dynamics and fluctuating tempo a good solo pianist can and should bring to the table, as a strong, moving left hand underpins the very classical, often chromatic melody line. At under three minutes, this is a rather short piece, but from the more flowing, impressionistic intro to the frantic, impressario passages beginning at 1'35", and then to the forte Vampire Killer cameo towards the end, there's a good variety, esp. in terms of tone and pacing. The latter reference to Killer has some minor nits which you may or may not notice. Dhsu explains:

"Also, the arrangement was originally just Clockwork, so I used the extra time to extend the arrangement to include the obligatory Vampire Killer (I forgot about Bloody Tears) and re-recorded it. 90% from memory, 100% by ear. 0% sped up or edited in any way (that's why there are mistakes near the end)."

I especially like the pick-up at 2'15" into a softer, quicker, brighter rendition of what I suppose could be considered the "verse" of that particular source track. Fun and fast, Dhsu's latest (since June of last year!) shows that he can still play like the business, and that he can arrange almost anything to seem like it was virtually born for solo piano performance.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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42
on 2009-12-23 11:45:15

Oh wow. I feel like I got a "two for the price of one" remix. This is a really interesting because of the mood and tempo changes; it's like the entire mix is a whirlwind crescendo. First half is melancholy and well paced, then the chaos seeps in giving it a panicky, hurried feel, which as an immediate prelude to Vampire Killer seems so deliciously appropriate. Needless to say, this is an awesome mix.

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Polo
on 2009-12-05 21:01:22

The unhurried pace of the first source playthrough hints at the delicate thoughts and emotions it covets. Then, as if to throw them out the window, the second iteration morphs into a perilous yet poetic simulation of the Clock Tower falling apart (or maybe it's just Trevor quickening his footsteps on the stairs). The intensity pulls back at just the right moment in Vampire Killer (2:14) before ramping back up with an extra helping of tense bass notes (2:29) and closing with a final tease of Clockwork.

Bag or no bag over head, this is a cheeky little romp.

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OA
on 2009-12-04 12:22:55

A classic OCR track, IMO. It has a grea tfeel throughout, and the ending half is totally rocking stuff.

Not much to say but this is (vampire) killer work, and you should check it out immediately.

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Scaredsim
on 2009-09-13 13:16:20

w00t! That's great : D

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Dhsu
on 2009-09-13 12:23:00

Wow, someone just sent me a message on YouTube telling me they transcribed the entire thing into Mario Paint Composer by ear. Impressive! Most impressive!

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Lucentas
on 2008-12-06 16:49:13

Dhsu is a piano master, no doubt about it. This piece starts out somewhat slow and ponderous, but it's the frantic, frenetic, and downright amazing stuff in the second half that really makes this arrangement shine.

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mathesar
on 2008-06-21 22:54:27

This song really grows on you after repeated listenings. I mean it was great from the get go but over the last few weeks ive been listening to it and all I can say is Amazing :-o

The youtube video is nice but the echo's and lower quality dont do it justice, Listen to the MP3.

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atox
on 2007-11-25 15:30:20

Outstanding. Performances like this make me want to learn to play the piano.

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Dhsu
on 2007-11-12 21:41:38
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Dhsu
on 2005-12-28 17:46:55

Sheet music now available (.MUS format). Thanks to Andrew Owen for the much-needed assistance!

PDF will be coming later.

Edit: PDF is now up.

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Darkmetamorphasis
on 2005-12-01 18:36:07

I've practically already praised you in the topic concerning of you playing most of this song with that bag over your head (which was the shite by the way) But being a long time Castlvania fan, (since numero 1) This does justice to Clockwork, so including I like me some piano solos often, so again, Dshu, great job!

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CE
on 2005-10-30 10:47:45

I bow for myself and two piano learning friends i have that are going ape-crazy trying to play clockwork vampire. One can play up to where it gets real fast!

*bows*

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Crazyonr1
on 2005-10-29 01:29:52
*bows down to the mighty DHSU*

sheesh... I played piano for years and was never that good.

seconded, AND I suck at arranging, one sort of builds on the other, I guess

Excellent work *bows*

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meccaneer
on 2005-10-28 19:43:36

Amazing. The piano skill in this number is phenomenal. So good, in fact, that no accompaniment is neccessary. And, after watching that vid (which brought tears to my eyes), I'm just stunned. You make the world a better place.

My only (minor) complaint is, of course, the combination of songs. Most disagree with me on this, but this is OC Remixed not OC Recombined. Please, don't take me wrong: I love this tune and the skill.

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Turboman
on 2005-09-30 01:59:56

DHSU, you're the piano master 8O

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (Konami , 1990, NES)
Music by Jun Funahashi,Yoshinori Sasaki,Yukie Morimoto
Songs:
"Clockwork (Clock Tower Stage)"
"Dejavu -Vampire Killer- (Dracula's Castle Main Building)"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Piano,Solo Piano
Additional:
Arrangement > Solo
Origin > Competition > Dwelling of Duels
Usage > Halloween

File Information


Name:
Castlevania_3_A_Clockwork_Vampire_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
3,512,414 bytes
MD5:
63de1768f48510ae301184a319b41eb8
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
2:51

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