ReMix:Final Fantasy X "Lake in Ontario?" 3:37

By ilp0

Arranging the music of 2 songs from 2 games ( view all )...

"Silence Before the Storm", "Victory"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy X (Square , 2001, PS2), music by Junya Nakano, Masashi Hamauzu, Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2007-03-08, evaluated by the judges panel


Lake in Ontario? I suppose so... Is that a yes or no question, or is it really more philosophical? In some way, aren't we all... lakes in Ontario? When you boil it all down? Perhaps not. Regardless, this cryptic query is the namesake of Ilari Nieminen's latest ReMix, a satisfying jam from the halls of FFX. We've had some judge birthdays recently, with Jill turning a landmark 21 on Sunday and apparently throwing down a couple at a local pub ,and Larry bumpin' the big 25 today. Pretty soon he'll be old and curmudgeonly like myself, using a walker to perambulate around the neighborhood and complaining about young kids and their loud rock music. Sadly, he still likes professional wrestling, illustrating the profound truth that age is seldom a guarantor of wisdom or taste. Nevertheless, we'll cut him a break since it's the big B and give him some air time. Larry said:

"I just turned 25, and I like to watch sweaty men in costumes touch each other enthusiastically..."

Sorry, wrong quote. Here we go:

"ilp0, man. I like his style. The arrangement was conservative, but I loved the time signature change, and the instrumentation gave an upbeat and personalized take with a classic rock style."

Our other birthday girl, pixietricks, opines:

"Psychedelic... Kinda makes me wanna whip out a lighter and sway it in the air. This track would sound awesome with some live crowd SFX! But it sounds awesome anyway; I have no real complaints. Panning was a little wide, and the guitars were sorta dry as Vig pointed out, but I'm also listening under headphones right now due to external circumstances, so that probably enhances whatever flaws are there. I thought the transition into the Fanfare theme at 2:54 was really cool, actually. I guess it's just a matter of taste. Nice work! ^-^"

ilp0 has a style; he knows what he's doing, he's really the only one doing it right now, and it works, and man, that's a great trifecta to be rockin'. If you dug his previous stuff, you'll dig this, and since it's his first Squaresoft piece, perhaps he'll pick up some previously unacquainted but much-deserved fans. Good stuff from Ilari, and b-day props to Jill and Larry.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Pale Dim
on 2011-11-10 19:39:30

Does anyone actually know why it's called Lake in Ontario?

The very first thing I thought of when I heard this was the Foreigner songs Cold As Ice and Blue Morning. Kind of clever, if that's what he was going for.

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co298
on 2010-03-22 00:24:59

What a MONSTER remix! I really liked "Silence Before the Storm" on the OST and then to find a remix that I like even more? Fantastic. I really did not like the fanfare at the end at all... but who cares? Still love it.

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Marmiduke
on 2009-10-05 08:46:40

Nice way to brighten up the place. Lots of kinetic energy and lively jazz sounds going towards something that isn't as jazzy as one might expect. It's an interesting mix with its own identity and agenda, and I respect that.

The live sound has been captured brilliantly, and while the fairly large shift in tone from the original makes this sound a little quirky, it nonetheless works at holding interest and fitting the melody.

The late inclusion of a mellowed battle theme is just icing on a nicely made, cool sounding jazz-rock treatment, of which I think is an overly somber series of soundtracks. I always welcome a little illumination into the sounds of Final Fantasy.

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yosefu
on 2009-05-12 02:03:24

A very nice clean mix. Very jazzy.

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OA
on 2009-03-17 18:02:22

Mark down another victory for ilp0! Great production style that's clean but still powerful (and dare I say almost a bit too high on the rms?). The arrangement here is great, and the instruments and panning are perfect. Good changes, rhythmic shifts, and all that goodness. The flow is smooth, and the middle section is a nice breath of fresh air, complete with piano runs.

Extra points for the cute ending that switches up the victory theme. Classy. :-)

Good stuff, sir.

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richter
on 2008-10-08 20:12:14

This mix has a terrific style. Everything is really well put together and flows nicely. I love the transitions and guitar tone. I've got nothing but excellent things to say about this. So good!

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cloudkitt
on 2008-06-28 21:03:09

A fantastic mix, among my favorites, it's a ton of fun and I'm often whistling it. Which is further impressive because I never really took any notice of the original while playing FFX. Well done.

Does anyone actually know why it's called Lake in Ontario?

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chenjesu
on 2008-05-31 12:50:47

Everything Another Soundscape said. Love the whole feel to this piece, and it's also one of my favorites on the site.

Am I the only one that really likes the name "Lake in Ontario?" ("What? There's a lake in Ontario? Since when?")

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anosou
on 2008-01-14 07:20:54

..I didn't review this?

This is one of my favorites on OCR actually. Ilari is both an amazing instrumentalist and superb arranger. His style is quite unique, using elements from older progressive rock and coupling with a distinct live jazz setup. This arrangement is wonderful, the melody is kept pretty much intact but the general feel is completely altered. The different riffs complement eachother in a great way, playing with the polyrhythmic structure of the original song. Did I mention I love the choice of instruments? Great!

The mixing is, in my humble opinion, amazing. Everything sounds organic and "live". While it might not be the perfect mixing if you look at how the modern record sounds it's certainly very unique, enjoyable and almost vintage. Reminds me of a lot of old recordings with bands like Zeppelin where they used some unorthodox mixing with great success.

Everyone should listen to this. It's a great piece all around and brings some very unique style to OCR. ilp0 man, MAJOR props.

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twitch2021
on 2008-01-14 03:24:27

I don't really know what to say about this one. It's got a great feel. I just get happy listening to it. Feels like a cool sunny day in the city. I also totally agree with pixietricks (quoted on the main page of this track) about the outro. The fanfare really brings it back to Final Fantasy. Well done!

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Alexis
on 2007-03-31 23:59:27

This is awesome, and I decided that before I even finished listening to the whole song. Well done.:lol:

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siven7
on 2007-03-18 19:32:13

I love this remix - amazing work. it's got a new-jazz/pat methany/bela fleck/joe cocker (who isn't really a jazz musician) kind of feel. Of all of the instruments, I really love the way you've mixed the vibes and guitars; the vibes just give this awesome shimmer to your guitar sound.

Amazing groove, pulse, note placement - very delicious. Also, your patches are amazing... unless of course, this is all live, which would explain your awesome sounds, especially your drums.

(sorry for all the jazz talk, just got back from the Brandon Jazz Festival, which is only a 4 hour drive from the Ontario border... but like, 20 hours from Lake Ontario, lol)

Keep up the amazing work!

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Nobbynob Littlun
on 2007-03-18 17:28:40

Neato. This reminds me of the remixes Yasunori Matsuda did of the Chrono Trigger music, and is exactly the sort of thing OCR is made for.

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MrBogus
on 2007-03-17 15:14:10

I love this guy's work. More please.

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underthesun
on 2007-03-14 07:06:57

this is one pretty sweet song, I like it, it's creative. More mixes like this pls ocr :)

Sources Arranged (2 Songs, 2 Games)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy X (Square , 2001, PS2)
Music by Junya Nakano,Masashi Hamauzu,Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Silence Before the Storm"
Additional Game:
Final Fantasy (Nintendo , 1987, NES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Victory"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Pop,Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Piano
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_10_Lake_in_Ontario_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,292,699 bytes
MD5:
22a2fda93f687c22eabfc29e31ae9c32
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:37

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