ReMix:Streets of Rage "Four Years Since..." 4:09

By Fallen Seraph

hip-hop sound-fx strings chill mellow resubmission

Arranging the music of one song...

"The Street of Rage"

Primary Game: Streets of Rage (Sega , 1991, GEN), music by Yuzo Koshiro

Posted 2011-04-28, evaluated by the judges panel

Ah, Streets of Rage... this specific source tune is the first composition that comes to mind whenever I hear Yuzo Koshiro's name. Sure, there are plenty that follow - 'Filmore' and 'China Town' come to mind - but this is classic Yuzo, classic Sega, classic YM2612, and classic 16-bit, and belongs on any shortlist of VGM tunes that defined that generation of consoles. I'm actually surprised; this theme hasn't been arranged as much as I would have expected. Part of that is probably how damn perfect & listenable it is in its native form, but I think ReMixes, both conservative and liberal, can still work with impeccable sources and manage to say something new & worthwhile. Here to make my case for me is newcomer Fallen Seraph, aka Wina Kamlongera, who resubmitted this mix twice, incorporating panel feedback each time:

"Third time's the charm? (Though I do think it would be fitting,ironically, if I had to go through this process a fourth time =P). Just wanted to add in my thanks to the judges for the previous critiques - when does one get lucky enough to have seven judges weigh in their opinion on a track? Much appreciated! Hopefully this version stands better than the last.

...As I started the mix, I knew I wanted to do something a little 'gentle' and almost reminiscent in feel. So as the track fleshed itself out, the whole idea of getting an overview of the city four years after the first game came about (hence, 'Four Years Since...'). I started by expanding the two chords from the source into eight and ran with it from there. I really don't believe I have done much different to it than add a little more meat to the source material - the original track always felt it would be an actual RnB sort of track if mega drive music had that fancy glossy finish that games nowadays enjoy (some may disagree with me there...but I guess that's why we enjoy the benefit of hearing so many varied remixes).

The police sirens at the beginning are of course meant to represent the coprruption of the city, the trio (though they were ex-cops...hm...) or even cops patrolling the city if you like; and the waves at the end represent the final scene of the good ending, which I believe involves a shot of the beach, if memory serves. The helicopter effect was added for multiple reasons but mainly to add to the sense of the track being an overview/scan of the city...or now I think about it, it was to create the feeling of a helicopter flying overhead as the listener/player walked through the city after so long...cliché, I know. Anyway, enough ranting, I hope y'all enjoy."

Very cool, "Stevo-sized" submission letter with a lot of context & insight; I'm not sure if "coprruption" was an intentional pun or a typo, but I like it. The original RnB style of the source is definitely maintained, so the arrangement is a little on the conservative side to begin with, but I think all of the changes - FX, chord expansion, and production/instrumentation tweaks alike - made a LOT of sense. Not wild & crazy, just wise & smooth. Jesse seemed to think it leaned too much on the drums, but I'mma have to side with Vinnie on that:

"My vote is the same as last time. As a background/mood piece it works great, and I definitely like the varied percussion added this go-round. I'm not sure I understand Jesse's "imagine this song without drums" criticism. It's a simple song and without the drums it wouldn't be much, but you can level that criticism at any number of songs. The melodies are simple but the song holds my interest, and that's good enough for me."

Promising first mix from Wina that smartly updates & contextualizes a true classic!

― djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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WesternZypher
on 2012-11-03 12:14:44

Has a special poignancy in the aftermath of Sandy (I'm fr Brooklyn and thankfully currently in one of the areas of Queens not-so-hard hit by the Hurricane).

Great mix. It's got that perfect combination of mellow-chill beats that's reassuring and reflective.

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Crulex
on 2012-10-31 11:19:17

Cop siren and helicopter at the beginning with the piano was a fantastic intro. Too bad I was brought up with a SNES and not a genesis, because maybe I'd be more framilier with Streets of Rage music rather than Final Fight. I'll be fixing that problem some day. Still, this mellow track has a nice hip hop beat to it and this sounds like something I'd except from a concept album based on the OST. Yeah, I love the SFX, and the way you spaced them out so that it wasn't overdone.

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Martin Penwald
on 2011-07-12 15:29:28

Good use of sfx.

I really like the atmosphere this song creates; as someone pointed out at the beginning of this thread, this is the kind of music you'd want to listen to while talking a walk on a rainy night.

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morrigan666
on 2011-05-11 18:57:18

We have been able to catch all streets of rage essence. :)

This is a great remix and far of, my favorite of some of the remixes on this community.

I would love to see more streets of rage remxed by you. I was really fond of your description of everything you made on the song. It is really great.

5 5TAR5:grin::-D:razz::idea:

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Wina A. Kamlongera
on 2011-05-09 17:51:22

:-D ...I can't find words to describe what's going through my head!

Thank you all for the lovely feedback! Man, I'll probably just end up gushing and ranting on and on, so I'll just say, thank you!

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DrewGourley
on 2011-05-08 12:22:24

I never played streets of rage back in the day, but every time a remix comes out from it, I LOVE IT! Especially the streets of rage songs from Heroes vs. Villians! Anyways, great job on an awesome mix.

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WesternZypher
on 2011-05-07 13:54:15

Holy shizz the Man Yuzo K hisself complimented you. 8O

Nice. Work. Indeed. :grin:

Groove on!

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BlackPanther
on 2011-05-07 13:23:31

Wow, great mix. Goes to show that you don't need to be really flashy to make something that touches you. Great chill mood to it, with a nice beat. Lovin this man =D!

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Liontamer
on 2011-05-01 23:09:55

http://twitter.com/ocremix/status/63633225909682176

NEW ReMix! Streets of Rage 'Four Years Since...' by @twosevenmusic! http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02233/ @yuzokoshiro @sega

http://twitter.com/yuzokoshiro/status/64757812433129472

@ocremix thanks, i love this rnb style, especially with a nice deep kick sound.

WINA = WINNER! Nice work, man! Quite the debut! :nicework:

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avaris
on 2011-04-29 13:03:08

Loving it dude listened to it at least 5 times today. It's a simple mix that is incredibly catchy and is full of complete nostalgia!

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Transmogrificational Tune
on 2011-04-29 01:12:56

By far one of the best mellow key tracks this site has to offer. Make. More. Please.

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Speck
on 2011-04-28 20:25:06

Fun little low key mix. Won't make it on my ipod with sirens in it though. Radio and other music with horns, sirens etc. just freaks me out when I'm driving.

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Brandon Strader
on 2011-04-28 19:47:16

I love that a mix like this made it through. It's not flashy or high budget but it's true to the source and quite enjoyable to listen to; those SFX were a very nice touch. Good job, sir.

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Ian Schmidt
on 2011-04-28 19:13:52

One of my favorite Yuzo Koshiro sources of all time, done in a great downtempo style. But, dude, where's my bassline? The source has a delightfully filthy FM bassline, while this remix has pretty much no low end at all (kick aside) until around 3:15 or so.

Nitpicks out of the way, I do enjoy the mix and it's definitely going on my iPod. There's a cinematic Parasite Eve-ish flavor to it (the percussion usage in particular feels very much like e.g. "Out Of Phase") that I really enjoy.

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psychowolf
on 2011-04-28 15:22:27

I've been waiting for more remixes from this source.

I must admit i was blown away by the style, completely different feel to the original version yet still in a sense staying true to the source.

Personally loved the audio clips of the sirens and helicopter noise, adds to the feel of the corrupt city in needs of someone to protect them.

Whatever it is i'm enjoying it alot.

Keep up the good work mate.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Streets of Rage (Sega , 1991, GEN)
Music by Yuzo Koshiro
Songs:
"The Street of Rage"

Tags (6)


Genre:
Hip Hop
Mood:
Chill,Mellow
Instrumentation:
Sound FX,Strings
Additional:
Origin > Resubmission

File Information


Name:
Streets_of_Rage_Four_Years_Since_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,072,046 bytes
MD5:
753f7fb373ebf0cbdfde7c9f8bb494e3
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:09

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