Arranging the music of one song...

"Emerald Mist"

Primary Game: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (Konami , 2008, NDS), music by Konami Kukeiha Club, Masahiko Kimura, Michiru Yamane, Yasuhiro Ichihashi

Posted 2010-04-03, evaluated by djpretzel


What I love about Morse is that, as his overall prowess at jazz and funk has improved, he's also gotten more creative with sound design and instrumentation, blending a lot of non-traditional textures and keeping things fresh. Same goes for posu yan and ktriton - all three have gotten better at the core of their primary genres while also reaching outside them for expanded aesthetics. The staccato accordion riffage and intro percussive tweaks w/ exposed EP soloing are just two highlights on this mix from jm's one-man Castlevania EP, Sonata of the Damned. You've also got some great acoustic piano soloing, sweet & very quick percussion (love the segue into march-style snare patterns), subtle electric guitar trills, and a funky fretless bass. It's also our first arrangement from Order of Ecclesia; Joshua writes:

"I think I played Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia for an hour or so before heading into Ruvas Forest, at which point I paused the game and let the music play on repeat. The source tune is *amazing*--it captures the essence of Castlevania very well."

I was just mentioning, I think at PAX East, that when people think of Castlevania, they usually think dark, gothic metal or minor-key organ fugues. I like how Morse's album completely bucked that expectation by turning in some clean, classy jazz & funk arrangements that showed just how malleable the series' music is and how it completely & totally works as jazz/funk, in the right hands. Great stuff from an album that, while short, was consistently hot & on the money; check out the rest at http://sotd.ocremix.org.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Bejack
on 2013-08-15 23:55:22

This is a song that i didn't really care for when playing the game but i really enjoy your spin on it. The only thing that caught me off guard is the piano at 01:54, it was a bit too hard for my taste.

I personally never accorded that much value/attention to accordion when i was composing and I'm happy to see the great results possible with it.

All in all, this is excellent work.

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urdailywater
on 2013-02-25 19:01:18

I'm going to agree with the others that this is probably the best song off the album. One thing I really like about your music Joshua Morse is how professional the production usually is. You really know how to make jazz, and how to make it sound good, and this song right here is proof. Easily one of my favorites from you, and it really shines and sparkles when put up to your other pieces.

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Crulex
on 2012-08-16 09:56:57

Smooth and sexy, this is just what I've come to expect from Morse's work and he doesn't fail to deliver here. The piano and percussion are marvelous and the light feel to the whole ReMix is awesome. So cool, so chill, so good. Morse rocks it as always.

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Marmiduke
on 2011-06-05 07:46:46

More Morse-brand candy! So smooth, so mellow... and yet so filled with the chaos of pop-rocks. God, I love this.

It's the usual, just-below impossible level of quality you'd expect from Morse, but one thing I noticed with this piece is that the background and overall soundscape was much more developed and pronounced than in his other mixes. As good as they are, earlier mixes just assaulted the front end of the mix with as many instruments as possible. This seems a lot more refined to me and it still captures the crazy solos that we are used to as well.

I have absolutely no knowledge of the source music, but I sure did like hearing this version of it. I'll never get bored of this brand of music.

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Deathtank
on 2010-08-04 13:47:54

Joshua Morse funks my world!

I love this man! :blushes:

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Mtlbro
on 2010-05-02 14:39:54

percussion dropping near the start when the lead starts is brilliant

Love where this track goes, and piano sounds nice

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BlueEnvy
on 2010-04-29 22:46:02

Something I've noticed about your mixes Joshua is that the solos tend to compromise the otherwise tight organization in which the rest of the piece is held. They have good sections, but usually lose their energy and direction. For example, 1:54 is rather jolting since it comes after an abrupt pause, is an octave (of which there are none previously in the solo), is only one short note (as opposed to the fluid lines before it), is in a lower range, and breaks from all the syncopation, emphasizing the meter very strongly. Another moment is 2:03 where the energy from the rising line is lost due to sudden sustained notes whose rhythm is out of place. The guitar solo later has similar issues. So far your best solos have been in Samurai Discoteque and Higher than the Sun, which had really good rhythmic and melodic tension. Aside from that, this mix is still a pretty good translation of the original into a smooth jazz piece, and I include it along with other music of yours that I listen to while rollerblading.

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EC2151
on 2010-04-13 15:59:06

I thought, music-wise and gameplay wise, Order of Ecclesia trounced Portrait of Ruin in every conceivable way. Especially with the latter. So much that I've beaten Ecclesia at least 5+ times, most out of any Castlevania I've played (with Super CV IV coming in second place).

Of course, my older bro really likes Portrait, but I personally cannot stand it for some reason.

With the release of this track from the album, I have to ask: How is it that some tracks from an OCR album are put on the site, while others are not, while at the same time, the entire album is sponsored by OCR?

I've always been curious as to that.

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pitman
on 2010-04-13 12:11:09

Great to listen, I haven't touched the game in quite some time and was afraid I wouldn't recognized it, but after a couple a seconds I felt the urge to play the game again.

:smile:

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Polo
on 2010-04-11 23:59:23

Personally, the sections I'm feeling the most are the ones that go all out or are the most reserved. As I noted in the album review thread, some instruments here aren't my cup of tea because of how they color/distract from the vibe that I otherwise jive with. I guess another way of putting it is: it has its moments. So it's not bad.

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Mirby
on 2010-04-09 00:21:32

Well, I like Ecclesia because the records are the original tracks from the first Castlevania. Nothing like rockin' out out Wicked Child whilst annihilating foes with the Secare glyph.

The soundtrack is great, and Mr. Morse did a great job mixing it! Love this album!

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pachunka
on 2010-04-08 21:22:30

Great music. Nicely done. :)

The funny thing about this is that I wasn't into the music in this game... I found it to be a let-down after loving Portrait of Ruin's soundtrack. This is a great remix though. It made me go back and listen to the original more closely.

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DCT
on 2010-04-08 10:24:08

I think I've listened to this almost every day since SotD dropped. Love it love it love it.

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Liontamer
on 2010-04-08 09:45:23
this was my favorite track from SotD. it's just too good. :D

Less smiley faces, but I'll co-sign on that. And that's keeping in mind that everything on the album was solid.

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AthronFrost
on 2010-04-08 03:06:35

Did I hear an accordian in the background? I did not just hear an ACCORDIAN in this song. You sir, are a genius. I look forward to your next mix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (Konami , 2008, NDS)
Music by Konami Kukeiha Club,Masahiko Kimura,Michiru Yamane,Yasuhiro Ichihashi
Songs:
"Emerald Mist"

Tags (2)


Genre:
Jazz
Mood:
Funky
Instrumentation:
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Castlevania_Order_of_Ecclesia_Sparkle_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
10,094,454 bytes
MD5:
15827a848a2a95ada448a081aaf85d4e
Bitrate:
251Kbps
Duration:
5:19

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