Posted 2010-03-14, evaluated by djpretzel


Hell, I'm just gonna open this writeup with the background notes Larry provided to me on IRC:

[22:58] <Liontamer> should be Level 99, Moonlapse & OA
[22:58] <Liontamer> first time a sitting OCR judge has won DoD
[22:58] <Liontamer> so of course, it means we kick ass
[23:00] <Liontamer> Andrew also tied for 24th out of 36 entries last year at MAGFest 7, so he had shit to prove
[23:01] <Liontamer> so while it was a team effort, it also shows how far he's come with his own growth as an artist

I always secretly KNEW we kicked ass! Actually OA, Stevo, and newcomer Moonlapse get all the credit. Also, this is the same source material that Sadorf ReMixed - twice! - so I think he gets a karmic "finder's fee" of sorts: it's a great piece, certainly some of the very best VGM to ever grace Sega's ill-fated Game Gear, and I'm really digging the different direction Luers & Bortz (sounds like a law firm) took it in. Andrew writes:

"The approach that sort of naturally happened was a huge anthem, and I think even though the tempo of the ReMix is nearly double of the original, it really works. Some melodies are just that resilient. Once I got the general structure outlined with bass, drums, and synths, Stevo came in and recorded the rhythm guitars to help flesh it out. While I recorded lead guitars, he started on additional structure using the sections we had already started, and some additional clean parts, including some leads. Once that was all set, I carved up his new sections slightly, recorded Steve's (Moonlapse) vocals to really kick up the metal-horns-in-the-air feel, and then added what Scaredsim would call a "classic OA ending", kicked up with a double-fakeout modulation. BAM!

Overall a super fun experience, and a great collaborative environment. Several nights of 4am mixing to get it done in time, but it was worth it! :-)"

Stevo adds:

"This mix is a very even division of credit for the arrangement, since Andrew would come up with ideas and bounce them off me and vice-versa through the entire process. I ended up pulling out my old Pod 2.0 for all my guitars (all the clean ones, besides a backing acoustic, the distorted rhythms, and the response distorted lead). This song just feels right with the pacing, and I'm especially happy with how the calm part of the bridge section before the ending key-changes ended up. Also, it has tambourine, and Andrew and I share a common love for tambourine."

These Mr. Tambourine Men played a song for us, and it's pretty darn hot - collaboration is seamless, arrangement feels very natural, and there's something for everyone, from the opening "Don't Fear the Reaper"-esque guitar line to the epic shreddage that ensues, with numerous synth solos, well-placed vocalizing, and tons of variation & creativity. The mix definitely has that epic, anthemic feel to it, and when the whole thing's done you feel like you've been on a long, rocking, badass journey. With a dolphin. A dolphin that rocks.

Truly awesome, inspired mixage from Andrew, Stevo, and Steve - obviously, it's great that it won DoD and can stand as further ammunition to rebut uninformed assertions that OCR is made up of 99% boom-tiss and only 1% actual juice. But beyond the accolades, the acclaim, the men, the legend, their dolphin, and the sordid nights of tambourines and inter-species relations, there's a fantastic piece of music here that will stand the test of the tides of time. Yeah, I went there, kill me. Great mix!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Mirby
on 2011-12-26 02:22:37

So the same time I had Sixto's "Burn, Baby, Burn!" on the custom soundtrack in Vice City, I also had this.

Which also fit into the 80's vibe perfectly.

Aside from that, it's a great collab, and I love this song. So much awesome rock! :3

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Crulex
on 2011-12-20 13:53:50

That "Reaper" sounding intro leading into a full blown fast-paced hard rock anthem is excellent! The solos were absolutely fantastic and I enjoyed the vocals in this. The entire arrangement rocked and the production sounded top-notch. The breakdown around 2:25 was one of the highlights of this ReMix to me. Insanely good ending as well. Amazing work, fellas.

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Kenogu Labz
on 2011-12-15 20:21:45

Wow! This one came as a bit of a surprise to me, actually. I haven't really tried to look into the Ecco OSTs, but looks like I'll need to after hearing this!

This is certainly DoD material, and the playing is solid on all sides: crisp drums and well-articulated guitar make this a pleasure to listen to. The fast-paced, anthemic nature of the song certainly makes me wonder what kind of heat that dolphin's packing...

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Emunator
on 2010-12-11 02:54:07

This song is the definition of polish. It's a very DoD-friendly style (with a bit of extra quantize, so you know OA had his hands in it ;-) ) and perhaps not the most ambitious synth-rock song ever, but it's damn well-executed and absolutely a joy to listen to. Soloing is solid on both parts, the melodies are catchy and fun to play along to... really, what's not to love here? Congrats on the DoD victory you two :-)

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Bahamut
on 2010-12-10 20:16:57

This is an awesome mix - that is all!

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OA
on 2010-04-22 14:17:05

I don't think I've ever been more proud of a ReMix. I love this one so much, it could have placed last and I'd still be happy.

Super props to Stevo and Steve, they made this one happen. :)

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Martin Penwald
on 2010-03-31 16:56:46

Definitely hearing the "Don't fear the reaper" connection djp made in his write-up. Overall a very enjoyable remix with nice guitars and synths, particularly 2:10 onwards. The following breakdown is pretty sweet, too.

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Geoffrey Taucer
on 2010-03-16 22:11:23

Nice work! Excellent mix and congrats on winning DoD

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jintoreedwine
on 2010-03-16 19:55:10

Great work guys :) . Given the great line-up of remixers I expected nothing less than raw awesome -- I was not let down!

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taelusramza
on 2010-03-15 20:11:00

This mix is insanely good. Great work to you all-- I love Ecco, and I love this mix. It's got a really solid sound, and is just overall awesome!

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halc
on 2010-03-15 15:19:43

this is a great collab. awesome work, guys :nicework:

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avaris
on 2010-03-15 15:16:52

Nice song you crazy kids ;)

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LostChronos
on 2010-03-15 11:22:21

Damn good job on this one.

I played Ecco a very little bit when it released. But never the less, this mix is the ISH.

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Level 99
on 2010-03-15 10:43:02

This is one of the songs that I'm not only extremely proud of, but was a pleasure to work on through the entire creation process. Just some small stories about the song if anyone's interested.

This was not the song we first decided to work on for DoD. There was another one that we worked on for about a week and then decided to ditch for the time-being. We really had to haul our asses to get this done in time for the deadline. Andrew isn't kidding when he says there were multiple nights that he worked on this until 3 AM. Definitely a near-constant back and forth with updates, feedback, and revisions. Andrew was the one who worked with Moonlapse, and he did a perfect job with the vocals. Hopefully, he does a whole lot more in the future (he's got this and numerous FF4 choir stuff already under his belt).

Andrew and I, along with our cohorts at MAGFest, were quite trashed through the DoD listening party. I didn't think we stood a chance against that 10 minute long video entry. So much competition, so many good entries. On the night of the DoD results announcement, Andrew and I were watching the costume contest. We were waiting for our friend, dressed like Mia Fey, to go up when Brad storms through the room and yell/whispers "DUDE, YOU FUCKING WON!" We missed our own win. The crowd was chanting "Holy shit!" and we were nowhere to be found. I ninja'd my way into a few shizzies photos, though. That was worth it.

TL;DR: We're still n00bs.

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prophetik music
on 2010-03-15 09:27:52

i remember running down the halls in M8 to tell oa and stevo that they'd won...and then running back yelling the same thing and getting my badge number taken down by the 'security forces' (ten hours before the end of the con...whoo hoo). good times.

what an awesome mix!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Ecco: The Tides of Time (Sega , 1995, GG)
Music by Csaba Gigor,Gábor Foltán,László Fazekas
Songs:
"Vents of Medusa"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Metal,Rock
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Singing,Synth
Additional:
Origin > Competition

File Information


Name:
Ecco_The_Tides_of_Time_Waves_of_Stone_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,368,303 bytes
MD5:
5264018f5feed8e16663812e4dd16a7a
Bitrate:
178Kbps
Duration:
3:57

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