Posted 2007-09-14, evaluated by djpretzel


If Leifo's mix title back in 2002 didn't give it away, he's good buds and now collaborator with Jordan Aguirre, aka bLiNd. They paired up for this blockbuster staple trance FFVII action, giving Voices of the Lifestream some extra four-on-the-floor danceable mojo action. Jordan had this to say:

"This track was side by side with Leifo almost for the whole creation of it. All the ideas we had were fed off of each other. It was a really rewarding experience. We came up with something unique and Leifos guitar playing was icing on the cake. The new chord progression really makes it dance/trance genre friendly and changing time signature from 3/4 to 4/4 was a small hurdle but worked out well. A little on the moody side, but thats thanks to the source tune. Hope you guys enjoy it!"

The downbeat here is deadly; if you feel like OCR's been lacking trance of late, this has gotta make you all sorts of happy. The addition of guitar adds texture that brings out Jordan's electronica in new ways. Granted, there's plenty of repetition here and a lot of traditional trance arrangement norms are employed, but it's done so well you forget that it may not be breaking the innovation bank, the groove is infectious, and it never really lets up. These guys collabed on the most excellent Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo: Blood on the Asphalt album, and they work quite well together. Listen to the Cries of the Planet is itself repetitious, so a trance treatment that actually capitalizes on this and makes the best of it seems very appropriate. There's not too much else to say - this is great music for surfin' the net, even if it is as Jordan points out a little moody, and I think lovers of FF7 and trance will be thrilled to see veteran bLiNd applying his mad skills, along with Leifo, to the one of the game's darker tracks.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Gario
on 2024-09-13 16:33:47

Nearly 20 years later and I still can't wrap my head around how this subdivides a 6/8 texture into a four-to-the-floor beat by just... cutting the texture in half with the beat. It's so goddamn good - it's genius in it's simplicity, in fact. It helps that the beat is really good (as expected of bLiNd, even back then), and the textures sounding so close to the source material helps sell just how much that rhythm change up the feel of the song.

And then the guitar comes in.

Yeah, needless to say this remains one of my absolute favorites on this site all these years later - a must listen if you like, um, music.

avatar
Felicia Syl'Vanniah Lux
on 2020-08-03 03:46:44

I know im super late to this but this is some delicious ear candy and i want more! This is so good im raving in my chair!

avatar
Palpable
on 2011-12-15 12:24:48

I'm playing through FF7 for the first time (having largely skipped the PS1 era of gaming) and Listen to the Cries of the Planet has stood out as a favorite. This is an amazing take on that theme. The two main parts of the source are intact, and what's added is not all that overt (at least until the guitar comes in), but the overall package is highly enjoyable and I admire the restraint in adding only what needed to be added to make this interpretive.

avatar
Esperado
on 2011-06-02 05:56:04

I just cannot get enough of this mix! excellent work.

avatar
yosefu
on 2010-02-07 04:40:34

Just awesome bLiNd. The quality of your production work is just very well done.

avatar
Rozovian
on 2009-12-22 04:47:44

One of my recent favorites on VotL. The intro used to bother me, could never really get out of that 4-2 rhythm I thought I heard until the bass drum came in, now I can easily hear the 3-3 rhythm, or a 4-2 if I'm so inclined. :D

The breakdown half way through is extreme, even to the point where it bothers me. Me, as in mr. predictable breakdown half way through the song -me. Of course, the solo guitar and build-up from there is great.

Fav part would still have to around 2:00 when the e-piano like synth comes in. That melody is just so evocative. Overall great track, but that one part... awesome.

avatar
Jewbei
on 2008-11-03 15:06:49

see this is the reason why i keep pushing myself everytime i hear bLiNd's music my jaw drops. I expect nothing less form the guy who has influenced me. Great job on the track guys!

avatar
Platonist
on 2008-09-29 19:13:32

OCR Top 3...

nuf said

avatar
hsram
on 2008-09-21 14:41:58

Fantastic piece, however something about the guitar part (in which I can't place my finger on it) just doesn't set properly with me.

The transitions and background noise fading along with the bass counter-part is absolutely breath-taking.

Personally, I would say 6/10 as far as trance goes.

avatar
LightWarriorK
on 2008-05-20 14:14:17

Yeah. Been a while since I logged in.

LOVE this, say thankya. My favorite VotL mix, and whenever I listen to any of them, if this one doesn't come up, I have to manually pull it just to get a fix.

All points previously stated are valid: Beat, guitar, rhythm, etc. But what REALLY brings it all together for me is the "cry" in the background. It sounds like the echo of someone falling down a bottomless pit. The song gets the heart going, but that "cry" provides the goosebumps, and really increases the impact, IMHO.

avatar
zircon
on 2008-03-23 13:30:00

This one is really so awesome. I get chills up my spine at the guitar breakdown with the massive pitchbends.

avatar
OA
on 2008-03-22 18:23:21

It's completely awe-inspiring the power this track has. The source tune is great, but this is just so much more so. Changing the 3/4 to triplets works wonderfully, and the production throughout is relentlessly strong. The bass is beyond massive, and the highend is super crisp.

Asspat +1, guys, bLiNd and Leifo are the bomb.

avatar
Shauk
on 2008-02-02 14:45:52

I am impressed by the quality of this track.

*fires up reason*

avatar
anosou
on 2008-02-02 10:08:39

Side-chaining pads is the way to go.

This track is a great way to prove, once and for all, that trance ReMixes also can be great arrangement with amazing production qualities.

You're good people.

avatar
Radiowar
on 2007-11-12 20:49:00

God I love the bass. This is awesome.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy VII (Sony , 1997, PS1)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Listen to the Cries of the Planet"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Trance
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Electronic,Synth
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_7_Fading_Entity_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
10,062,833 bytes
MD5:
29686d9767bfa44cb5651b9734f70970
Bitrate:
221Kbps
Duration:
5:59

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes