ReMix:Command & Conquer: Red Alert "Transistor" 3:57

By Beatdrop

Arranging the music of one song...

"Radio"

Primary Game: Command & Conquer: Red Alert (Virgin , 1996, WIN), music by Frank Klepacki

Posted 2014-04-18, evaluated by djpretzel


BEATDROP!!!

It's been 4+ years since Dain's last mix, our only arrangement of Vectorman, graced our homepage. Now he's BACK with a C&C: Red Alert EDM arrangement that's lean, mean, and comes armed to the teeth with synths that cut, synths that drill, synths that puncture... it's like Batman's Utility Belt, only instead of utilities, it's filled with synths. While possessing some dubsteppish bass textures and briefly employing some mashed up breakbeats, the overall vibe favors a militant electro downbeat. Things get literally militant with the introduction of crowd chants and marching, fully placing the environment in a war-torn state of chaos and unrest. Dain writes:

"This is another one of those songs that was on my to-do list for years and years. Previously, I'd wanted to do "Hell March," but that's just one of those songs that you really can't do justice without some shredding guitar, so I decided to address the more synth-heavy "Radio." One of my main goals with this remix was to try to replicate some of the signature sounds from the song as well as I could, namely the female vocal stabs, the choir section, the orchestral hits, and the chanting sound from later in the track. The chanting was probably the trickiest, since it required a little YouTube-digging to find a good crowd chant to sample, but the end result was worth the effort. I also threw in some marching a la "Hell March" to accent the build. As far as the rest of the song goes, I thought the whole "complextro" style of bass-swapping was befitting of a "changing-radio-stations-and-every-station-is-playing electro" concept."

Relentless, aggressive, and transporting into a dark corner of the world that you wouldn't want to live in OR visit, this is one C&C music factory that is a little less about everyone dancing (now) and a little more about getting lost in the menace & malice. Larry writes:

"Good stuff from Dain, as always. He took Frank Klepacki's "Radio" and really fleshed out the textures to introduce a much stronger sense of movement and energy. I loved BD's unique adaptation of the vocal part into the piece at :30, which was a nice touch. For me though, the coolest ear candy was after the drop midway through; the rebuild with the marching (2:02) and chanting (2:49) SFX was such an awesome and authentic throwback to Frank's militaristic style with the C&C soundtracks.

"Transistor" would actually fit really well in a C&C game, no doubt in my mind. This works so well as a dirty club piece while retaining the militaristic ear candy that Command & Conquer fans know and love. Nothing but smart, thoughtful arrangement from a legendary vet around these parts."

You can support Beatdrop by checking out & buying some of his original music on OverClocked Records - satisfaction guaranteed if you like aggressive, complex EDM with attitude!! This mix shows off some new tricks & techniques Dain's added to his already-impressive repertoire in the years since Vectorman, and also conveys a deep respect & understanding for Klepacki's score. Highly recommended!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Txai
on 2015-10-28 15:46:47

I bet it would be cool listening to this one while playing the game itself.

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A-RoN
on 2014-09-02 22:02:03

Wow. Simply one of the most amazing remixes from Beatdrop. The legion chanting to a hard beat after fading in before the drop is the absolute highlight!

10/10

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BorgMan
on 2014-07-13 11:25:23
Thanks! Thanks, everyone. Put a lot of work into this; my heart and soul, you might say. Seemed important, being one of my favorite tracks off the first videogame OST I ever owned. Might do some more Red Alert in the future.

That would be awesome. CC isn't getting a lot of remix love, but I'm not sure if that's because people think Frank Klepacki already did a god damn awesome job or they just feel it's not really remixable. I'm all for a CC album, though I'm afraid that's going to take a loooooong time :(

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timaeus222
on 2014-07-12 23:50:44
Thanks! Thanks, everyone. Put a lot of work into this; my heart and soul, you might say. Seemed important, being one of my favorite tracks off the first videogame OST I ever owned. Might do some more Red Alert in the future.

Hehe, save me some Vectorman, dude; it's gonna drop hard for the BadAss Vol. 3 album! :grin:

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Beatdrop
on 2014-07-12 23:24:57

Thanks! Thanks, everyone. Put a lot of work into this; my heart and soul, you might say. Seemed important, being one of my favorite tracks off the first videogame OST I ever owned. Might do some more Red Alert in the future.

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Black_Doom
on 2014-04-27 11:56:06

Constant eargasm! This is super badass and super energetic. Every little thing here is done right. Want more!

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ambient
on 2014-04-27 06:21:53

Man, SuperiorX mentioned playing Red Alert over LAN, I remember playing it over dial-up... Really takes me back.

Excellent remix, good to see beatdrop back! Hopefully more remixes are on the way!

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zykO
on 2014-04-22 03:49:47

hotdamn. transistoring all over the face

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FlashX
on 2014-04-22 02:35:50

I just became a man listening to this... *struts down hallway*

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Crulex
on 2014-04-20 11:11:04

This is one badass, fierce, "don't give it a dirty look or you're going to the floor" ReMix! Beatdrop really delivers again, and I love the middle section where it all seems to stop, only to come climbing back up and push forward with the chants. This goes so hard. Cool stuff indeed.

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Beatdrop
on 2014-04-20 00:07:28
Glad to see you're still doing remixes. =D

But of course! Remixing video game music is how I learned most of what I know. I owe a lot to this community, and I can think of no better way to pay it forward than to just keep at it.

Plus, there are still so many game tracks I want to reinterpret.

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timaeus222
on 2014-04-19 18:58:12

Really cool stereo field, man. Glad to see you're still doing remixes. =D

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TillyFun
on 2014-04-19 11:01:16

Yeah... yeah, this fits an RTS really well. ^_^ It's got those little lulls and bursts of action to create a great sense of tension and keep you always on your guard.

From 2:20 to 3:15 sounds like a riot! :D Chanting and marching in the streets.

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Palpable
on 2014-04-18 22:14:47

As I told Dain via email when we first got it in the inbox:

Damn dude, this is fantastic! Really makes my night.

Made my night again.

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SuperiorX
on 2014-04-18 19:23:50

Ooooh yeeeeeeeeah. I was a huuuuge CC and CC Red Alert fan growing up. My friends and I used to play the game over LAN for hours on end, so the game and the soundtracks really hold a special place in my heart. This remix gives 'Radio' a more modernized feel, but I think it still captures the atmosphere of the original and the vibe of CC quite well. The attention to detail throughout the mix is really nice; and I agree with Larry, I really dig that buildup section after the drop circa 2:00. I've always been a fan of Klepacki's work and I think this mix does it justice. Well done!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Command & Conquer: Red Alert (Virgin , 1996, WIN)
Music by Frank Klepacki
Songs:
"Radio"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Electro
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Sound FX,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Command_&_Conquer_Red_Alert_Transistor_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,770,332 bytes
MD5:
42d189a2447526ecd0364c5d7075d4cd
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:57

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