ReMix:Super Castlevania IV "Curse Curse Revolution" 4:31

By NoppZ

Posted 2007-02-18, evaluated by the judges panel


While "Curse Curse Revolution" may sound like an uprising of disgruntled Tourette's patients, it's actually the latest ReMix from rejuvenated fixture Filip Thimren, alias NoppZ. The obscenely clever amongst you may have pieced together the title's true meaning - Filip's taken CV4 and DDR'd it up one side and down the other, complete with high-pitched female "Don't hold back... the music" samples. I hosted some extended family for Christmas this year, and the two eight- and twelve-year-old girls that were included in this cadre insisted on playing DDR pretty much every day. I also deigned to play the "Kimpossible" GBA game with them which, I'm ashamed to say, was actually rather fun. I can admit this and still be a man. I think. But back on topic, I've heard my fair share of DDR tracks, recently, and in my humble and non-expert opinion, NoppZ nailed the vibe. Whether you LIKE said vibe, or find it rather too "scene", is of course your prerogative; some people I know can't stand DDR music, others love it. I do think you need to be in the right mood - it's not a particularly long-day-at-work or headache-friendly genre, but if you're part of the Dances with Arrows crowd, it's the perfect adrenaline catalyst. Jill writes:

"Wow, this is cheesy to the max! Everything from the vocal samples, to the 80's synths, to the four on the floor dance beat... Definitely DDR worthy. You really took this concept and went with it, which is admirable; lots of bold stylistic choices! A few sections seemed a little empty to me, in terms of source material, but you made up for that pretty well with the Vampire Killer quotes."

The visual image of Simon Belmont trading in his multi-directional whip for glowsticks and getting his groove on in a gothic Thriller-meets-Bemani stompfest certainly has lasting comedic appeal, but Filip makes it work. This is the type of concept that, done wrong, would spell certain doom and make baby Jesus cry, but thankfully this Curse Curse is more blessing than otherwise. If Konami, Capcom, Sega, Nintendo, and perhaps a few others could get together and make a DDR game full of nothing but game music mixes, this'd be an absolutely impervious inclusion. NoppZ steps up the voltage and clearly meets his goal of fusing Transylvania with Akihabara; remember to stay cool.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
OA
on 2009-12-01 10:59:48

zomg this track is looouuudddd. The beats are pretty basic, and the synths match, but there's a certain thrill from hearing this normally serious set of themes rendered so cheesily. The production is way mid-heavy, which might be why it's so crazy loud.

Fun stuff, but it could use a little refinement production-wise.

avatar
HoboKa
on 2007-04-20 01:48:56

Let it move you!! Mm ch mm ch mm ch, mmm 1 sexy mix

avatar
Steben
on 2007-04-16 10:29:46

I just remembered that there already kind of is an official DDR song with a medley of Dracula themes. Here's a copy I found on some simfile site.

http://www.auburn.edu/~clontsc/akum.mp3

However, the similarities are scarce. In fact, NoppZ's is much better.

avatar
Alimah Kali
on 2007-04-08 02:58:46

I've never played DDR (yeah, I know... I'm a freak of nature. lol), but I simply CANNOT stop listening to this song. It is catchy, catchy, catchy! I've been relooping it since it finished downloading. When I hear it, I just have to hop around the room. I love Castlevania and I imagine that normally I'd be cringing in a corner. This just isn't happening with this song. Great stuff and damn fun! I love it! :)!!

avatar
Nightmare_104
on 2007-03-13 16:51:09

this is a neat remix of castlevania. I love how you put "Bloody Tears" and "Vampire Killer" together. plus its also fun to listen to when you play those 2 stages that the songs come from. its like you just want to spam the hell out of the attack button so fast and just destory everything in your path. and if you are playing DDR, its a damn good song to dance to in my point of view

avatar
Martin Penwald
on 2007-03-09 15:35:09

NoppZ second song since he came back, and at least for me, the second winner. It is cheesy, it is upbeat, it goes right into your ear and stays there for the rest of the day (thanks to the "Don't hold back the music" sample); it just fits the DDR mood perfectly.

As other people have mentioned, it is nice to see remixers take songs into directions no-one would expect. Great job on this one, and I really do hope that you'll submit more songs to OCR.

avatar
Triad Orion
on 2007-02-23 01:06:27

...This song weirds me out. It's so damn cheesy I have a hard time hating it. The DDR pace struck me initially as almost blasphemous to Castlevania music, but yet the result is enteraining overall. I'm quite pleased with it; part of it is the refreshing new take on two of my very favorite Castlevania tunes.

This song is just so... out there. I can't help but like it.

avatar
Villainelle
on 2007-02-22 05:39:14
I think the way it was mastered is holding it back a lot - the frequency balance and mixing feels off to me, but more imporantly, the stereo image seems weirdly distorted. One way or another, I feel like this could really, really benefit from some more effort to nail that smartly-produced, pumping bright DDR sound - then it would truly be a fantastic track (I find the ending, for example, especially ingenious).

Agreed, and I love the track despite this. I'm just pretending it's coming through my crappy TV speakers. But yeah, something seems a little strange. There's a grating telephonic quality to it which maybe comes from oversaturation/muddiness in the mids?

I'd also love to hear a remaster if possible!

avatar
Steben
on 2007-02-20 17:48:24

I cannot express the pure joy this song's existence gives me. I've just recently played this game for the first time, thanks to the Wii Virtual Console, and have been digging the music. But I'm a long-time DDR fan. All this to say, this is what I'd consider a perfect aural chocolate-and-peanut-butter combination.

avatar
Rellik
on 2007-02-20 02:02:41

In concept, I think it's pretty cool - and I'm not going to say it's not catchy. It is catchy! I think the way it was mastered is holding it back a lot - the frequency balance and mixing feels off to me, but more imporantly, the stereo image seems weirdly distorted. One way or another, I feel like this could really, really benefit from some more effort to nail that smartly-produced, pumping bright DDR sound - then it would truly be a fantastic track (I find the ending, for example, especially ingenious).

Obviously it was good enough to be posted to OCR as it was (since, of course, it was), but I'd still love to hear an upgraded version sometime - maybe on VGMix3? Even just a version that turned down the resonance on the filter-sweep at ~0:40 would make this mix quite a bit more listenable.

avatar
The Instrumental Light
on 2007-02-19 21:36:27
go play dance dance revolution

i have,(probably longer than you have) ive been playing it since it first came out. -The Lone Ranger

avatar
SlashEdgewind
on 2007-02-19 21:07:40

well done, but it feels like it's missing something. for lack of a technical term prowess, I'd say it's missing a bass line, or whatever you wanna call it, for most the song, something for the rest of the tune to be built on. It just feels like the sound doesn't carry.

avatar
The Instrumental Light
on 2007-02-19 19:43:35
It's not how good the tune is. A mix can be a midi-rip and have a great tune. What matters is how well the artist reinterperets an existing song. So even if the source tune is shit, the mix can get onto the site with clever arrangement and good production.

I have to agree. i worded it in a weird way i think,thx. -The Lone Ranger

avatar
Karrde
on 2007-02-19 19:14:34

Oh god, somehow I feel dirty... Ok, so I'm both a castlevania fan and a DDR fan. I feel like Simon is now playing "Boy Meets Girl" :P A lot of the DDR music annoys the crap out of me, but I'll be damned if this isn't spot on in just about every way. Sounds wise, nothing spectacular, very generic....just like most DDR songs. Gotta say, you really nailed this :P

avatar
quoda
on 2007-02-19 18:17:43

This is such a fun remix. I think I've listened to it 5 times in a row since I downloaded it. It nails the DDR style dead on. Now all I need are some steps for it.

Now I can defeat vampires using the power of dance!

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Super Castlevania IV (Konami , 1991, SNES)
Music by Masanori Adachi,Taro Kudo
Songs:
"Bloody Tears (Stage 10 Clock Tower BGM)"
"Vampire Killer (Stage 10 Dracula's Tower 1 BGM)"

Tags (2)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Super_Castlevania_4_Curse_Curse_Revolution_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,515,158 bytes
MD5:
78c087ab74558595838d9bbe53b96078
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
4:31

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes