Posted 2012-08-31, evaluated by djpretzel


The label "instant classic" is sometimes tossed around carelessly, without full consideration of all the myriad criteria that can & should be considered when making such a claim. For me, this 'Aquatic Ambience' ReMix from newcomer Martin Lande (Mordi), with a sweet electric guitar assist from Michael Gibs, qualifies. From the silky-smooth Blade Runner brass leads to the brief vocal attack FX and subtle, swimming pads, every aspect of the texture here is perfect. What starts off as a pretty conservative arrangement grows wings and incorporates original melodic and harmonic elements that work perfectly; definitely one of the strongest OCR debuts I've had the pleasure of listening to, and something I'm going to come back to often.

So yeah, in case you couldn't be bothered to read all that: CHILL. Very, very chill. Mordi writes:

"I have been wanting to submit a track to OC for quite some time, having been rejected for a submission a few years ago (rightfully so, I guess - it was terrible). I've made many C64 and Amiga-related remixes in the past, but those that are from games just happen to be longer than the 8-minute limit. Hopefully this SNES-remix will be accepted and posted. French guitarist (and remixer) 'gibs' provided with guitar, which is the highlight of this track in my opinion. The rest was handled by myself."

If you're reading this, Martin, you should know that we changed our standards to allow longer mixes & higher-quality encodings, a decision made in February of this year that I think has turned out really well. We also LOVE getting C64 & Amiga stuff, for what it's worth - even though there are dedicated sites/communities focused specifically on those platforms, our doors are always open to amazing VGM arrangements from any platform. If you've been wanting to submit for some time, all I can say is that you waited for the RIGHT time - and the right track - to do so. This is definitely a source that's been covered brilliantly by other notable artists, such that no one mix to me can be definitive simply because there've been so many excellent & worthy visions. Having said that, to me this mix can stand among Jesse & Jordan & Dan & others with its head held high. The running, descending, cross-panned line that comes in at 1'36" is sexy as all hell, I like the pulse synth that gets exposed towards the end (reminded me of Yoko Kanno's 'Pulse' from the Macross Plus OST), and the general cohesion and blend of every last component is sublime - this mix feels completely natural to me, but also far from obvious. Memorable, classy, completely enveloping debut from Mordi, and Gibs' guitar adds a crucial, more organic & aggressive element. Highly recommended.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Mordi
on 2019-11-21 16:27:13
On 10/18/2013 at 5:48 PM, Crulex said:

Ah, man, so slick and smooth like a nice shiny stone. And that electric guitar fits in so well as a driver to the main watery melody, helping things move along. For a downbeat, chill ReMix, this manages to keep a lot of the musical arrangement in the forefront and keep things interesting, which is cool and what I like to see from more easy-going ReMixes. Good job, you two.

Thanks a lot, Crulex!

On 1/29/2015 at 2:28 PM, Black_Doom said:

There are a lot of Aquatic Ambience mixes, sure, but this one stands out for me, because it manages to keep the feeling of ambience from the original. The intro is very long, almost quarter of the whole thing, but it's perfect for the mellow, relaxing mood of this mix. And once this track picks up, it becomes even better. Even the guitar doesn't spoil the idle atmosphere here. Also, gotta love that tides + ivories break ot 5:08. This work is sooo sweeeet ans sooo dreamy. Love it.

Thanks a lot, Black_Doom! I studied original quite a lot, and I believe I also extracted the individual channels of it to get as close as I could with some elements. I think that goes a long way to keep the original feel.

On 2/28/2015 at 9:41 PM, Loning said:

Great mix! I dont get tired of Aquatic Ambiance as a track that gets remixed. This is definitely in my top two for this particular song so far. Very well done and excellent job putting it together.

Thanks Loning!

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Loning
on 2015-02-28 15:41:47

Great mix! I dont get tired of Aquatic Ambiance as a track that gets remixed. This is definitely in my top two for this particular song so far. Very well done and excellent job putting it together.

avatar
Black_Doom
on 2015-01-29 08:28:02

There are a lot of Aquatic Ambience mixes, sure, but this one stands out for me, because it manages to keep the feeling of ambience from the original. The intro is very long, almost quarter of the whole thing, but it's perfect for the mellow, relaxing mood of this mix. And once this track picks up, it becomes even better. Even the guitar doesn't spoil the idle atmosphere here. Also, gotta love that tides + ivories break ot 5:08. This work is sooo sweeeet ans sooo dreamy. Love it.

avatar
Crulex
on 2013-10-18 11:48:49

Ah, man, so slick and smooth like a nice shiny stone. And that electric guitar fits in so well as a driver to the main watery melody, helping things move along. For a downbeat, chill ReMix, this manages to keep a lot of the musical arrangement in the forefront and keep things interesting, which is cool and what I like to see from more easy-going ReMixes. Good job, you two.

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timaeus222
on 2013-04-05 14:51:53

Looks like Gibs lended Mordi some free energy.

...Get it? xD

Fantastic, sounds like something I would do. :)

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Mordi
on 2012-11-04 09:42:07

Thanks for all the great feedback, duders. Much appreciated! :)

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DaMonz
on 2012-10-26 02:23:30

This.... this....

This is incredible

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GTAHater836
on 2012-09-06 01:59:52

Though this is O-Clocked's 8th ReMix of Aquatic Ambience, I knew somehow this would stand out amonst the other seven. I wish I would've given this a listen on day one.

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-Dan
on 2012-09-04 10:53:45

Another Aquatic Ambience??

Yeeah!:-D

One of my favorite tracks and very well done!

Love the mood at 1:40. From there is the differential.

Hope to listen more of your mixes soon!

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Emunator
on 2012-09-03 00:55:39

This is superlative. I don't think I properly appreciated just how timeless and classic this mix was until I read DJP's glowing writeup, and I must have listened to this at least a dozen times before that. However, after listening with a fresh perspective, I realized just how seamlessly Mordi has blended the source tune with his own original writing, and how absolutely flawless the production is... I'm really glad I've come around to love this as much as I do now :-) Excellent job guys.

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Benjamin Briggs
on 2012-09-02 18:22:20

this song is incredible!

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Mikeaudio
on 2012-09-02 14:57:45

What I love so much about this mix is that it is fresh; and thats not to take credit away from any other remix of this source on the site. Especially with this mix being the source material that it is, and there being countless mixes of this song all across the internet. Yet with the selection and usage of samples, the mixing, it all ushers in a new approach to this specific source. I am definitely looking foward to more of your mixes! Now to the download page.

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pu_freak
on 2012-09-02 11:16:55

Wow... just wow. My favorite two mixes on the site are now both from the same source (Beneath the Surface being the other one). VERY chill this, you can just close your eyes and let yourself be taken away by the sea and song

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Krakozhia
on 2012-09-01 13:49:01

So Mordi is on OC Remix now, nice! :) I love your Resolution mix, while we're at it.

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metaphist
on 2012-09-01 10:09:28

Did I just listen to the quintessential Aquatic mix?

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Donkey Kong Country (Nintendo , 1994, SNES)
Music by David Wise,Eveline Novakovic,Robin Beanland
Songs:
"Aquatic Ambiance"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Ambient,Downtempo
Mood:
Chill
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Electronic,Synth
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration
Time > Duration: Long

File Information


Name:
Donkey_Kong_Country_A_Hint_of_Blue_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
9,318,734 bytes
MD5:
47bcd749e43aa8c8e8602a8d23f0949f
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
6:25

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