ReMix:Sonic CD "Pyroclastic Tides" 3:36

By C7, SuperiorX

downtempo jazz piano synth trumpet collab compo

Arranging the music of 4 songs from 3 games ( view all )...

"Lava Reef Zone: Act 1", "Lava Reef Zone: Act 2", "Spring Yard Zone", "Tidal Tempest (JP)"

Primary Game: Sonic CD (Sega , 1993, SCD), music by David Young, Mark Crew, Masafumi Ogata, Naofumi Hataya, Spencer Nilsen

Posted 2013-11-12, evaluated by the judges panel

As we mentioned in the collective debut Sonic CD ReMix from the upcoming album he's directing, SuperiorX (Matt Keller) loves him some Sonic the Hedgehog. While Temporal Duality should be released SOON, and - from what I've heard - will blow your socks off in three different time periods & on two continents, this mix that's NOT from the album is nevertheless a smooth & mellow groove in its own right and should serve as (another) great appetizer:

"This is a remix I originally made for the Sonic Zone Remix Competition that I was hosting on the forums. The zone theme I chose was "Lava Reef" (Sonic 3&K), and this was for my Round 2 matchup which was supposed to be against AkumajoBelmont ("Tidal Tempest," Sonic CD JP). I know I needed to go all out if I wanted to have any chance to beat him, but he unfortunately had to drop out due to time constraints, but I think this mix was still well-received! I really liked the "Tidal Tempest" source and wanted to do a pretty chill, downtempo mix based around that source's structure and then find interesting ways to weave in the "Lava Reef" source. What I ended up with was still my most laid-back mix to date, but it does have quite a few jazzy bits that always tend to pop-up in my mixes (whether I intend them to or not) between the rhythmic synth and the piano. I think I did a good job creating a lush atmosphere with this song. What I was going for was a relaxed, yet somewhat dark & exotic tropical feel. Given my sources, that seemed appropriate. The waves & jungle noises in the intro were meant to set that "tropical island" setting and then the layering of the bass, heavy ethereal pads, and the smooth synth lead were meant to create a very full & powerful soundscape. The jazzy piano bits and the trumpet solo were meant to infuse the song with some additional life and character. I was really trying to create a song that would transport the listener to another place. I could go on forever on how I view the setting and various sections of this song, but I think you guys get the point!

Speaking of the trumpet solo, I recruited C7 (Adam Prack) to perform the part, and he absolutely nailed it! He took the solo I wrote and added a lot of his own personal touches, between the grace notes, run up, etc., and he completely blew me away with the performance. That last bit was well over an octave above the bar, but he was still able to sustain the notes. I just can't say enough about his performance, it's really solid stuff. It definitely made the piece, in my opinion! Not to mention, he was a lot of fun to collaborate with as well!

This version is slightly revised from my compo entry version. I got some great feedback from my buddies in the WIP forums, particularly Phonetic Hero, Sir Jordanius, Amphibious & Gario, that helped point out some areas that needed a little extra polish. Lots of thanks to them for their invaluable feedback. Also a big thanks to everyone that participated in the Sonic compo. It has been an absolute blast hosting the compo and seeing the support & excitement within the community. Overall, I got to say I'm really proud of this finished track and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it! Thanks!"

Matt's been doing awesome things for the music of Sonic CD, and really Sonic in general, and I'm psyched that a lot of it is finally seeing the light of day on our homepage, and is going to singlehandedly make for an awesome fourth quarter in 2013! The addition of live trumpet really helped this mix shine and compensated for the piano & synth parts being a bit dry, as judges pointed out. Palpable writes:

"This was totally firing on all cylinders until the piano came in. Why was it so dry? With a nice reverb trail, it would have totally fit into the lush soundscape you were building, but it instead stuck out like a sore thumb... I was also a little disappointed that you stuck so closely to Tidal Tempest once it came in, but you had very creative intersections with the other sources once they were brought in. Great ending too... The arrangement was very cool when it deviated, and you had some little touches that were ear candy. Awesome solo too, to go that extra mile. I'm gonna give you the nod on this one, nice work."

The panel definitely had reservations about those two specific aspects of instrumentation, and how conservative the arrangement leaned at times, but they were ultimately offset by the more creative, intertwined bits, the aforementioned very svelte & sexy trumpet, and the otherwise cohesive & chill nature of the groove. Honestly, the piano didn't bother me THAT much until it was pointed out to me & I started focusing on it, so I think with a little less analysis & a little more head-bopping, toe-tapping groove bias, listeners won't get as hung up on these details. Very classy groove that, while it may lack minor refinement in some places, makes up for it with panache, swagger, & "DAT TRUMPET"!

― djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 10 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Black_Doom
on 2013-11-18 07:47:42

This Remix makes me think about a seashore with a little volcano on it, and the trumpet solo is volcano eruption. Great job, guys!

avatar
SuperiorX
on 2013-11-16 11:10:35
I probably would have titled this "Cozy Bubble Bath" or "Hot Tub Aquatics". Cause it's all calming and bubbly. The word Pyroclastic made me expect some kind of loud instrument or squealing guitar, as it is generally associated with Explosions of a volcano. Hmm.

Well, my thinking with the mix title was aimed at making reference to the two zone themes I was remixing: "pyroclastic" makes reference to Lava Reef zone and "tides" to Tidal Tempest zone. The word Pyroclastic is most often associated with a pyroclastic flow, which is a mixture of hot gas and rock that flows down the side of a volcano after an eruption. They also have the ability to cross bodies of water. So yeah it was just my clever way of combining the two zone themes into my title, not so much trying to elicit a certain instrument or sound :)

avatar
Crono3of3time
on 2013-11-16 00:24:41

I probably would have titled this "Cozy Bubble Bath" or "Hot Tub Aquatics". Cause it's all calming and bubbly. The word Pyroclastic made me expect some kind of loud instrument or squealing guitar, as it is generally associated with Explosions of a volcano. Hmm.

avatar
Crulex
on 2013-11-13 11:18:16

Oh man, I love this. So smooth and chill, and it's actually the kind of chill that can let you wind down while tapping your toes. That trumpet was terrific and certainly makes up for anything that could be nitpicked at with this ReMix. Honestly, between the arrangement style being well executed and the way I loved how Lava Reef was used, A+ from me.

avatar
C7
on 2013-11-12 20:19:29

Oh, wow! This was a fun solo to do! It's been so long, I forgot this was in the queue! Great stuff, Matt!

avatar
SuperiorX
on 2013-11-12 20:07:54

Thanks for the kind words guys! Although this ended up technically not being my first mix-post collaboration on the site, this is my first solo-arrangement mixpost that passed the judges panel, so I'm pretty proud of that. It reminds me how much I've improved since then too, hehe :smile: And I still can't get over how Adam did such a good job on that trumpet solo!

Ah man, the Sonic Zone Remix Battle though.

We had some good times in that thing, huh? Such a long time ago now ...actually, now that i really think about it, it was that competition that got me speaking to some of you guys in the first place. You, Sir J, Halc, Phonetic Hero.

Lol, that competition not only brought out a magnitude of awesome music like this but connected me to some of you on a more personal level ....and then we all skipped merrily off down the road to go and mix up the Sonic CD soundtrack! What a legacy this turned in to, huh XD

Yeah that is crazy, that compo did pretty much spawn 'Temporal Duality', as well as bring about a lot of friendships! Rexy originally posted the 'generating interest thread' for a Sonic CD album just as the compo was winding down, and then I ended up picking it up and getting it running in October 2012. I ended up recruiting a bunch of you guys and gals from that compo for the album too. And here we are now just about a year later! Sooooooo excited!!!!

avatar
Phonetic Hero
on 2013-11-12 17:54:29

YES, FINALLY!! Congrats man, this is crazy smooth. I love it all, the vibe, the synth work, the solo... very cohesive, great stuff!

Ah man, the Sonic Zone Remix Battle though.

We had some good times in that thing, huh? Such a long time ago now ...actually, now that i really think about it, it was that competition that got me speaking to some of you guys in the first place. You, Sir J, Halc, Phonetic Hero ....and then we all skipped merrily off down the road to go and mix up the Sonic CD soundtrack! What a legacy this turned in to, huh XD

Nuts to think that all of that has happened just in the last year and a half or so. SO pumped for Temporal Duality :D

avatar
DiGi Valentine
on 2013-11-12 17:34:50

Smoother than melted butter ice on a silk limousine.

Love it, Matt. Just love it!

Ah man, the Sonic Zone Remix Battle though.

We had some good times in that thing, huh? Such a long time ago now ...actually, now that i really think about it, it was that competition that got me speaking to some of you guys in the first place. You, Sir J, Halc, Phonetic Hero.

Lol, that competition not only brought out a magnitude of awesome music like this but connected me to some of you on a more personal level ....and then we all skipped merrily off down the road to go and mix up the Sonic CD soundtrack! What a legacy this turned in to, huh XD

Anyways, again. Great great track, going to bump this from the playlist for the rest of the evening.

avatar
Damashii!!
on 2013-11-12 16:59:47

**CAUTION/WARNING: incoming serious over the top fangasm alert**

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH BOOOOiii!!

I've been waiting a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time for this baby to get posted. When I first heard it back in the SZRC I immediately fell in love (and it's a really good thing that I lost early on in the compo, because I probably would've been to discouraged or mesmerized to want to follow up with this ^_^).

Super sexy and silky smooth, and I don't even know where to begin with that gorgeous trumpet solo.

I could go on and on and on talking about good things for this mix but I'll just leave it at "congrats" to the both of you, and I hope to hear many more things from ya whether it's OCR-related or personal projects as well.

avatar
djpretzel
on 2013-11-12 16:24:44

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

Sources Arranged (4 Songs, 3 Games)


Primary Game:
Sonic CD (Sega , 1993, SCD)
Music by David Young,Mark Crew,Masafumi Ogata,Naofumi Hataya,Spencer Nilsen
Songs:
"Tidal Tempest (JP)"
Additional Game:
Sonic & Knuckles (Sega , 1994, GEN)
Music by Howard Drossin,Jun Senoue,Masaru Setsumaru,Masayuki Nagao,Sachio Ogawa,Tatsuyuki Maeda,Tokuhiko Uwabo,Tomonori Sawada,Yoshiaki Kashima
Songs:
"Lava Reef Zone: Act 1"
"Lava Reef Zone: Act 2"
Additional Game:
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega , 1991, GEN)
Music by Masato Nakamura
Songs:
"Spring Yard Zone"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Downtempo,Jazz
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Piano,Synth,Trumpet
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration
Origin > Competition

File Information


Name:
Sonic_CD_Pyroclastic_Tides_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,487,324 bytes
MD5:
47eb54939e5245ea916251a70069515d
Bitrate:
236Kbps
Duration:
3:36

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start

Follow us on Twitter

Join us on Facebook

View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes