Posted 2012-12-03, evaluated by djpretzel


SLEDGEHAMMER SHAKUHACHI! I wasn't really sure what to make of this arrangement from newcomer Ergosonic, aka Gilbert Orrantia, as it oscillates between straight world music, Latin jazz, and rock. It's kinda crazy, but after a few listens I'm really digging all the little touches, especially the fluent acoustic & electric guitars and the varied, detailed percussion. The artist writes:

"OK, so Wes recruited me to do this song, and I had never played DKC3 before, so I made him hang out with me and I finally got to play it! He wanted me to stylistically stay close to the source, and honestly, I think that's the best way I could have gone about doing this. I basically took the song and based my mix on how I felt a "modern" reinterpretation of the song might be, with my little spin on it, of course. I also have been listening to a lot of Latin music, hence it influencing my track. :)

The instrumentation is certainly multi-culti, and the arrangement makes it all work; excellent guitar performances certainly don't hurt, neither. Wes writes:

""Rockface Rumble" is the one track on the SNES soundtrack that everybody seemed to want to tackle when this project launched. Initially, the track was supposed to be a powerhouse collab between McVaffe and Sixto that, unfortunately, never panned out. I stumbled upon Dwelling of Duels artist Ergosonic in my search for a replacement. After a few emails, I learned that him, zylance, and I all had gone to the same high school and still lived in the same city. Small world!

After meeting up in person and playing DKC3 all the way through in one night, Ergosonic agreed to claim the track and seemed confident that he could meet the high expectations that had been set for the remix. It took a while, but he delivered in a BIG way. The remix shows a great deal of respect for the original composition and for the DKC series in general (the DKC1 cameo section in this mix is unreal!) while still demonstrating the artist's amazing instrumental talent with some extended solo sections and original writing. Of all the remixes on the album, I feel like this one does the best job of capturing the adventurous spirit found within the DKC trilogy, and would feel right at home in Donkey Kong Country Returns."

Wes may have been feeling this one a tad bit more than I, but it's definitely some excellent stuff - Gilbert's sense of rhythm & timing is amazing, with flute lines flying over syncopated chromatic percussion, segueing right into tom fills and a triumphant rock motif before pivoting to acoustic-guitar led Latin flava, with call-and-answer electric guitar stage left. It's deft transitioning that shouldn't really work, when it comes down to it, but somehow does... crazy, like I said. Impressive debut from Ergosonic that has a bit of everything, features some especially detailed percussive work, and shows off some amazing skills while having fun at the same time!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 6 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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nitrozsz
on 2015-12-28 12:30:30

I was worried during the first minute and a half that this would be more of a performance of the track than an arrangement of the track. Then the guitar kicked in, and I started to hear a sense of differentiating identity within this track. The percussion work here is outstanding. Everything else is good, but man does the percussion work stand out in a great way.

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Guifrog
on 2012-12-08 21:00:08

Mirages. Everywhere. I can't see the kongs (they're hiding somewhere?), but it feels like I'm in their game. Mad percussion, dayumn!

I caught that little bit of Temple Tempest

Yeah, and I caught some Northern Hemispheres through 2:15-2:33.

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Transmogrificational Tune
on 2012-12-07 18:01:58

The Bass, treble, volume, EVERYTHING then listen to this again. Well done!

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Crulex
on 2012-12-06 09:49:07

Really does capture the feel of the original and expand upon it, especially when the guitars hit. Rock and world music/mountain sound with a little Latin thrown in is a pretty unique idea. I caught that little bit of Temple Tempest you snuck in there midway through the second minute. Probably should have that listed in the songs used section. Very interesting ReMix indeed. Damn good work.

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Theophany
on 2012-12-05 19:05:33

Granted a 15 track mixflood is a bit overwhelming.... but this really is an awesome track with beautiful guitar work, percussion, and vintage new age influences all woven together seamlessly. The many breakdowns and changeups are the most unique features in this mix, and the resemblance to Enigma in some of the interludes is striking. This is a festive and diverse track with an impressive range of moods and colors. The way Ergosonic moves seamlessly between genres and styles isn't something I've seen before here on OCR. Definitely looking forward to hearing more from you.

Excellent work, my friend.

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Liontamer
on 2012-12-03 02:17:49

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (3 Songs, 2 Games)


Primary Game:
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (Nintendo , 1996, SNES)
Music by David Wise,Eveline Novakovic
Songs:
"Rockface Rumble"
Additional Game:
Donkey Kong Country (Nintendo , 1994, SNES)
Music by David Wise,Eveline Novakovic,Robin Beanland
Songs:
"Northern Hemispheres"
"Voices of the Temple"

Tags (3)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Acoustic Guitar,Electric Guitar,Woodwinds
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Donkey_Kong_Country_3_Cliffside_Clamber_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
10,827,165 bytes
MD5:
5b200e069cf08641245072d3f6c38373
Bitrate:
240Kbps
Duration:
5:57

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