Posted 2012-05-15, evaluated by the judges panel


Yes, D3 dropped today, but so did Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, and just in time for the release, we've got our FIRST arrangement of the music from the first Sonic 4 episode, courtesy Meteo Xavier & bLiNd!!

...and that CERTAINLY is one humdinger of a mix title. Buttfink indeed; what matters, of course, is the music - Meteo writes:

"Howdy. I am Meteo Xavier delivering yet another remix attempt that was mastered by bLiNd. Jordan was extremely generous in doing this for me so I would like to list him as a collaborator.

As usual, I had strict possibly idiosyncratic artistic ideas and goals for how I wanted to do it. This time, I wanted to use this track, which I claimed I would remix someday anyway when it was first leaked, as a means to pay tribute to the earliest music I can remember moving me - which is super robotic sequenced 80's late 90's super happy and super cheesy electronic music. This time my goal was not to shy away from my remix weaknesses: mechanized sequencing, repetitive drums, overproduction, etc. but dive right into it and build on them into a unique track. All the repetitiveness, and cheesy guitar samples and all that is intentional. I wanted a track that sounded more conventional and played with the main melodies (see below) much more than my previous mixes and really really interpret and work with them. I cite Erasure, "Waiting for a Star to Fall" by Boy Meets Girl, "Vivid" by Hiroki Kikuta, Pretty Hate Machine by NIN, and "Blue Monday" by New Order as my main sources for this track, among others.

And, also as usual, this remix eventually developed major problems that I could not fix... The synth drop out at 1:44 is one example and if it didn't do it there, it would do it elsewhere. Thankfully, bLiNd was willing to work on it some more and help me get a better balance out of it, and he did it for free because he's the awesomest guy in the world."

Man, I think I used the SAME EXACT cheesy rhythm guitar sample in my M.U.S.H.A. ReMix back in 2001! Deja vu!

Speaking of Jordan, he JUST released his first ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK to a game, it's some really outstanding music, and you should check it out & support an artist who's contributed tons of amazing free mixes to OCR over the years!

Now back to the mix... Meteo has definitely embraced the 80's, and specifically the synth-pop, over-the-top, just-can't-stop 80's where it was okay to use fakey guitar samples and bust the white man boogie to an octave-jumping bassline. Well, okay in CERTAIN circles, at least. Not quite sure where the Pretty Hate Machine influence is in this track - that's a pretty angry, angsty album, and this is some pretty happy, carefree music. The New Order influence is abundantly obvious, though, and sorta crystallizes for me what this mix is primarily channeling; halc writes:

"nice blend of source and original material. the arrangement is a strong point here for me - I really loved everything after the texture drop at 2:35; a welcome change of pace. fadeout ending was a copout, but oh well. this suffers from some minor, basic issues that Meteo even addressed in his sub-letter, but ultimately I think it's a pretty solid track with a great arrangement and passable production."

OA adds:

"There are a few issues for me, like those drums, but they are authentic. Overall I really liked the arrangement. Production seems fine enough."

Even within the intentional trappings of the target genre, there was a little room for improvement on production, but I think Meteo was coloring outside the box on this one a bit, and was also wise to get Jordan's gracious assistance to polish things up. The end result is a fun synth-pop throwback with some pretty authentic 80's staple ingredients that's energetic & does a great job of paying retro-homage to a modern soundtrack which ITSELF pays retro-homage to a classic 16-bit soundtrack. Meta!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Meteo Xavier
on 2018-04-19 23:33:35

4 and a quarter minutes is brief? :P

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WesternZypher
on 2017-08-30 13:35:56

Normally anything 80s enough is enough to get a pass from me, but this felt brief and unmemorable. Eh!

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Black_Doom
on 2015-12-06 11:15:34

God, this is an unbelievably cheesy mix. Definitely feeling the 80's atmosphere of it - thanks to guitar samples and drums. This track is just very funny to listen to :) Very upbeat and cheerful. But it's shame that this is still the only S4 mix on the site. And... Yeah... The title is just pretty hilarious.

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Meteo Xavier
on 2013-08-12 15:34:29

Man, I was just listening to it at the same time you posted about it.

That was the whole point with the title. I can't stand lazy, uninteresting song titles. I want people to listen to it, so I chose one that would help it stand out. :D

Thanks for the review, man. Good to see some people still listen and enjoy this.

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Crulex
on 2013-08-12 11:07:44

Loving the cheesy, happy 80's feel of this ReMix. Second half of the ReMix really had me feeling it. Still seems like I'm that one guy who actually likes the fade-out type ending, but that's just me. Break down sounded great, and aside from the minor issues that others have already pointed out, I can't really hear anything that I'd nitpick at. But dude, what the hell is up with that title? Haha, not hating on it, but man, that's got to be one of the stranger titles I've seen on this site.

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Meteo Xavier
on 2012-09-06 16:10:10

I haven't been getting much in the way of hate, just fair marks on the parts where the mix was weak, because it really was problematic.

Thanks for the compliment dude - it's good to see people are still enjoying it. It was a much bigger hit on Youtube than it was here. :)

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rainmanbk
on 2012-09-06 09:32:12

Wow, don't listen to all these haters! I totally get the sound you were looking to create, and you nailed it. Absolutely love it! Great work. Diggin those 80s vibes :)

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Bahamut
on 2012-07-15 22:07:26

That's a rhythm guitar sample? Man, just another reminder that some samples aren't what you think they are when you hear them.

The song has a happy/cheesy sound to it, but it does the job. Not a fan of the ending here, but it's not a huge deal. The song works for the most part, although I would've liked to see it longer.

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Meteo Xavier
on 2012-05-19 16:13:48

I'll be probably be a random chick-lit author before this decade's over with...

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Archangel
on 2012-05-19 15:13:14

I like the soundscape! It sounds like summer for some reason or other. =D The lead synth was a little overwhelming at times, but I'm pretty sensitive as far as synths go. The breakdown at 2:35 was really cool. I almost wished it were longer.

The title of the track has to be the best on the site, though! It sounds like a title of a novel that's a cross between Lovecraft, Dickens and some random chick-lit author. XD

Great mix, guys. =D More titles like these, please!

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pw2374
on 2012-05-18 17:46:56

I really like this one, I love the variation between different sections of it, and it's something different. Good work guys! You've made the first remix for Sonic 4 Episode I a really good one.

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WillRock
on 2012-05-17 19:13:04

I have to say, I enjoyed this one. Guitars were a bit iffy, and the mixing was a tad messy overall, plus the drums were as basic as basic can be, but its 80's SO I FORGIVE ALL.

Yes it has its little issues but the feel is there and the source works better here than it ever did in its original context. You also have an epic moment during that breakdown, I love the attention to detail, and the use of reverb really sort of gives this a spacious feel at that point. Typical 80's butt-rock, could have been better with tweaking and a real guitar, and fadeout was a slight copout, but its pretty good as it is, cause 80's is good. Consider me a happy chappy!

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Meteo Xavier
on 2012-05-17 11:08:56

It's pretty likely you have. I've had it up on my Youtube and website and such for a while.

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Kasperakuma
on 2012-05-17 03:51:32

is it me or has this been out for a while i swear ive heard this tune already

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Meteo Xavier
on 2012-05-15 17:50:30

At the time, that guitar sample was half-intentionally awful, because I remember so many 80's electronic tracks that used them were also pretty cheesy and bad and it just didn't sound right without them (hell, I even wanted to use Phil Collins style gated toms in there too, but I couldn't get them to work).

It wasn't until I went back to start reworking things that I had some major problems with the mix though. For some reason, nothing seemed to work right - even going back to mix it again from scratch just wouldn't do it. Then some of the synth leads were having issues - one of which made it keep dropping out at weird times (like you heard in there). I still don't know what was causing that, but at the time I couldn't abandon the track either, I had already put a bunch of time into it and had to justify the effort.

Then bLiNd came in and worked his wonders on it, and the rest is history. That man is literally supernal and I intend to show my appreciation of his help by purchasing his soundtrack when my security deposit comes back from my previous apartment. You should too!

Thanks again for everyone supporting this remix. This is the last one I intend to submit with known problems in there, and all my submissions from here on out will be proper high quality with compromise. Thanks again!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (Sega , 2010, WII)
Music by Jun Senoue
Songs:
"Splash Hill Zone 1"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Pop
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration
Time > Tempo: Fast

File Information


Name:
Sonic_the_Hedgehog_4_Episode_1_The_Obsequious_Heterophobia_of_Dr_Melefam_Buttfink_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,156,145 bytes
MD5:
388752caa050bddf02a2d00ae6a0bfcf
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:13

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