Posted 2009-03-14, evaluated by the judges panel


We'll definitely be seeing more of Summoning of Spirits in these parts - with four discs of music plus bonus tracks, there's a lot of great stuff - but it's time to deviate with a little MM3 action from JJT, his brother, and zyko, on a monster 'Magnet Man' collab that brings down the house. Disco Dan's mix of same has definitely stood the test of time, but this takes the original in a whole new direction. Mr. T wrote a tome, but it's good stuff so here's all of it:

"One of my vivid memories from childhood is watching my older brother and his friends play through Mega Man 3 (an experience I'm sure many in this community can relate to). Before I had even started contributing to OC ReMix, I wanted to arrange the Magnet Man stage music. It's my favorite song off what I believe is one of the strongest soundtracks in the history of the medium.

Another thing I had really wanted to do with an OC ReMix submission was collaborate with my older brother, Pete. Yes, this is the same older brother mentioned earlier. If any of you have enjoyed my pseudo-jazz arrangements over the years, then you should know that he was the one who sat me down at a piano when I was a kid, and showed me the basics of pop, rock, and jazz. Like me, he also plays a brass instrument. Unlike me, however, he can actually utilize the full range of said instrument, and bend it to his will. He is a fantastic trombone player.

As for the ReMix itself, a sad little demo was recorded in the fall 2003, featuring myself on guitar and trumpet. On a whim, I got in touch with a dude who called himself zyko. All I knew about him at the time was that he had done guitar for Relics of the Chozo, and that we once had a pleasant conversation about the Beatles in #ocremix. I asked him to take a shot at recording some guitar tracks. He quickly emailed me a mixdown of roughly 7 guitar parts that left me amazed and somewhat baffled . The final product still remains my favorite zyko performance to date, though I'll admit I'm a little (see: heavily) biased.

I've written too much already, so I'll try to move this along. I sucked at recording and mixing in 2003*. Once everything was tracked, there was too much going on for me to create a good mixdown. I gave up on it sometime around 2005. I approached four different people about mixing it for me, but none were able to follow through. History became legend. Legend became myth. In 2009, Danimal Cannon offered to master an old mix of the project, after seeing me gab about in #ocremix. 10 minutes later I had a finished product. Go figure.

Anyway, this is a ReMix that should have been submitted 5 years ago. If nothing else, I hope you enjoy the lost JJT/zyko collab, and a chance to hear my big bro shred. In case you're curious: JigginJonT - producer/arranger, drum/bass sequencing, keyboard, trumpet; ptitteri - trombone; zyko - guitars.

*I still suck at recording and mixing."

Ah, Jon, you self-deprecating multi-instrumentalist, you! Mad props to Danimal for helping rescue this bad boy out of what may have been infinite undiscovery. Saying someone's a "fantastic trombone player" almost sounds like a euphemism, but in this case it's literally & thankfully true - this mix features some of the hottest solo brass performances you'll find on OCR, and as an ex-euphonium player (which actually is a euphemism for "high school band geek"), I'm lovin' it. For the first few seconds, you're thinking it sounds pretty metal, then organ comes in so you're thinking more rock/jazz, but at 0'15" the brass enters and the awesomeness factor is multiplied by pi. I don't know why, but real brass always has an awesome multiplier of pi; it's a well-known fact.

At this tempo, with brass, you can't avoid sounding a little ska, but the offbeat chords seal the deal on the verses, channeling (for me, at least) Bosstones, Less Than Jake, and others... in the best of ways. I'll be completely forthcoming and reveal that, back in its glory days, the frat-friendly uber-popularity and often empty lyrics of "ska-core" DID start to grate on my nerves, but the bands could always PLAY, more brass in mainstream music is always a good thing, and there were more than a few songs I legitimately loved. THIS... is downright epic. zyko's sleazy, wicked guitar solos punctuate brother-to-brother ensemble brass passages as well as brilliant solos like 1'01" perfectly. You also get some mad organ @ ~2 min. in, and the processing, separation, and in-your-faceness of all the elements gives them both definition and style; not sure what Danimal did in 10 minutes that couldn't be done in the preceding years this mix gestated in musical purgatory, but it worked. At 3'35", it seems short on paper, but the faster tempo means the actual amount of music & variety vacuum-packed in (for freshness) is formidable. Killer growl ending, too. So let's just lay it all out: This is an absolutely fantastic Mega Man 3 mix, we need more like it, and everyone involved should be proud as hell. Classic.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Black_Doom
on 2014-11-25 13:17:49

Right from the opening chords I knew this would kick my ass million times. The first seconds are brutal as hell. But when agressive guitar vanished, and brass broke into, I actually had eargasm. It put a smile on my face. I couldn't imagine ska as style for Magnet Man's ReMix, but it works here. You made my day, guys.

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Polo
on 2010-09-01 19:00:44

Ha ha ha, what a surprise. This is totally recognizable as Magnet Man's stage, and yet the tone is given such a wild spin that it's turned inside out. I can't decide whether I walked into a cheeky LOLapalooza concert or if I'm listening to what could pass for one of the freshest Saturday morning cartoon theme songs ever concocted. My favorite arrangement touches have gotta be the sun-bright high-key-to-low-key rendition of the tail end of the source (0:52-1:00 and 3:19-3:27) and the organ-led activity run at 1:58+.

My only gripe is that Missiles should have a second I in it. But never mind that; my spirit soars with this.

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tweex
on 2010-08-04 22:40:26

Wow, a very different sound from Jon! I never thought I'd hear Smash Mouth's "Disconnect the Dots" on OCR ;-). I love the ska sound. The arrangement is very quirky, but I love it. The rockin' keys solo is classic Jon. Excellent trombone playing from his brother. The intonation is fantastic, which let's face it, can be a rare thing! The drums are excellent as well. It's almost unbelievable how much Jon's drums have improved over the years! His full band production quality has also changed for the better! It was a very interesting choice for the mix, but Jon pulled it off!

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Desert Guru
on 2009-10-06 09:35:20

This is definitely my all time favorite track on this site. I never get tired of listening to this one.

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metaphist
on 2009-05-23 16:30:40

It has a very Jun Senoue vibe to it. Very fun mix, I love it!

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Mtlbro
on 2009-04-11 16:46:13

Sounds. . . very. . .original

;-)

But honestly love many parts my fave is :50 great comb of rock/ska

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metalsnakejuice
on 2009-04-08 05:39:11

The trombone in the mix is what l love about this mix.

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Gio5py
on 2009-04-08 02:11:31

Just listened to it... Awesome!

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jintoreedwine
on 2009-03-29 11:04:12

This mix is awesome. My need more remixes with awesome brass sections!

:razz:

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KyleJCrb
on 2009-03-28 15:08:49
trumpets

oh no you di'nt

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Darth Lime
on 2009-03-28 13:53:36

A huge smile grew on my face when I heard the trumpets start up. It's a perfect blend of ska and cheesy 90's guitar from the Sonic Adventure games.

Beautifully executed, great job.

:nicework:

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Martin Penwald
on 2009-03-28 12:54:57

Finally some ska on OCRemix, and it's good ska. The arrangement is good, the organ is an absolutely wonderful addition, and the whole thing is just so much fun to listen to.

Nice work.

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DragonAvenger
on 2009-03-21 00:04:26

That is some awesome trombone playing. He really has a great tone!

Great mix, and a really good style adaption for this peice. Not something I would have expected, but welcome none-the-less.

There were a few times I wasn't feeling the guitar as much as the brass, but since I was trumpet player for 10 years, I might be a little biased.

Great job

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WillRock
on 2009-03-19 16:25:11

Wow nice original take on this theme.

Guitar at the beginning with the raw and dirty tone (Which actually may be to much so for my liking) fools you into thinking that its going to be another metal mix, and then there is a transition into ska (which to be honest really threw me off, I wasn't expecting it at all, not sure it was smooth enough)

However, the trombone playing is awesome, and I like the way it goes from ska to metal when it pleases :P

I like the looseness of the guitar playing here as well, unlike some other people it seems.

The trombone solo = awesome, it actually made me laugh the first time I heard it :P

The Organ really seals the deal tho, I love the sound of it :P

This is one of those mixes that has a knack of getting better just when you think it can't do, and for that, and all the reasons I stated above, I highly recommend this track.

Nice work guys :P

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Mazedude
on 2009-03-19 15:10:09

As one of the few others who also has rockin' trombone solos inside an OC Remix, I must say, I strongly approve this arrangement. :)

Very fun, nostalgic, and in a genre that's done far too sporadically on here. Excellent work guys. I listed to this one like, 4 times in a row after my first listen.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Mega Man 3 (Capcom , 1990, NES)
Music by Harumi Fujita,Yasuaki Fujita
Songs:
"Magnet Man Stage"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Brass,Electric Guitar
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration

File Information


Name:
Mega_Man_3_Magnet_Missiles_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,249,274 bytes
MD5:
858579fbdcde516c4e269cee18fc4b5c
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:35

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