ReMix:Donkey Kong Country "A Different Kind of Peace" 2:34

By Kadmium

Arranging the music of one song...

"Aquatic Ambiance"

Primary Game: Donkey Kong Country (Nintendo , 1994, SNES), music by David Wise, Eveline Novakovic, Robin Beanland

Posted 2014-07-17, evaluated by the judges panel


A Wise man once said: You can never have too much "Aquatic Ambiance" ;) Kadmium (Jesse Higginson) follows up an impressively demonic Doom vocal debut ReMix from wayyyy back in 2009 with his own take on this watery 16-bit classic, opting this time for a cinematic, pulsing orchestral/electronic hybrid with a nice Darth Vader/scuba mask (take your pick) effect:

"This is my remix of "Aquatic Ambiance," nominally in the style of Hans Zimmer/Remote Control Productions. I've been going a bit mad composing for something else and needed a break. I've been listening to the Man of Steel soundtrack a lot recently and have always been fond of Zimmer's style. An OC ReMix email reminded me of "Aquatic Ambiance," so I thought I'd try my hand at a remix of that, in this style. This is what came out of it. I hope that you enjoy it."

Palpable also referenced the Darth:

"This is a pretty short track, but has a great build for its 2:34 duration, and offers something new for this done-to-death VGM song. Both the quiet Darth Vader sections and the booming Hans Zimmer choruses are well-executed, though the segues between the two were abrupt and could have been foreshadowed a little more. I also think there's a slight rigidity issue with the lead instruments in the choruses, but it's a nitpick. Great stuff from Jesse!"

Larry adds:

"That was unexpected. It's short and sweet, but Jesse definitely came through with something cool; never thought I'd hear "Aquatic Ambiance" as a tense, potentially heroic cinematic cue. Nice work."

I liked Man of Steel a little more than most seemed to, but I tend to prefer soundtracks with a stronger & more memorable melody. This mix is like having your cake and eating it too, from that perspective - a kinetic, Zimmer-style treatment of a dominant, unforgettable melody. This is certainly quite a shift from Jesse's debut piece; not sure if he's changed gears in the last five years or if he just works in a lot of styles/forms, but both mixes are WELL worth your time. Dramatic stuff that executes a concept/vision very effectively and, at less than three minutes, rather efficiently as well!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 11 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Black_Doom
on 2014-12-28 12:28:43

So, you see "Aquatic Ambience" and think "Duh... Another mix of this tune..." But you don't expect to hear this - a dynamic, cinematic arrangement that (despite its length) is pure mind-blowing goodness. It's just so awesome, so amazing, so beautiful, so great - I can't describe how much I love this. The combination of pulsing bass, quiet piano-assisted sections and more powerful ones works greatly. My favorite section is 1:42-2:22 3 Though, it doesn't remind me any heroic theme, it sounds more like a tune for a storm: both dark and light, intensive and so dramatic.

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Ranch Doritos
on 2014-11-22 02:34:18

I really, truly, deeply could not stand an speck of Man of Steel...besides the music! This was really unexpected and epic. Too short though, man what an tease. :)!!

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isturbo1984
on 2014-07-29 16:04:35

surprised nobody picked up on the obvious Metal Gear influence. getting flashbacks of the first MGS shadow Moses underwater infiltration.

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Perigryn
on 2014-07-20 16:22:53

Beautiful piece, for sure. So different from the direction many mixes have taken with the source material. It's a shame it's so short, but other than that, I've no other complaints about this mix. Great work!

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DetectiveTuesday
on 2014-07-18 08:43:37

Short and epic

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OverClocked PodCast
on 2014-07-17 21:09:27

Well-named! This different kind of peace is certainly what a modern cinematic Donkey Kong trailer would sound like, abbreviated length and all.

Wait a second. Let me check on something.

Yep, I can confirm that this song works very well when played over the

.

- Stephen

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MindWanderer
on 2014-07-17 17:55:09

When I heard this previewed (from Patreon), I thought maybe whoever uploaded it somehow failed to upload the rest of the song, and they'd catch it when the post went live. Great stuff, but way too short, I would have loved another 3-4 minutes of this.

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Crulex
on 2014-07-17 17:01:16

This is a pretty cool ReMix just for the dramatic and slightly tense Zimmer style of arrangement being applied to Aquatic Ambiance. The Scuba/Vader-like effects were a nice touch. My only complaint is that at around 2:30 in length, it kinda leaves me wanting more because it had such a great run while it was going and I was thoroughly enjoying it. But, I supposed that is where the replay button comes in. Over and over again. Awesome mix, man.

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Stigzilla
on 2014-07-17 16:22:11

I always love seeing remixes of one of my absolute favourite DKC songs, and this one does not disappoint!

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timaeus222
on 2014-07-17 16:03:14

Pretty cool transformation of the source. I would've liked the mixing to be a bit more in-your-face, as it felt a bit weak in comparison to some of the stuff I heard from ISW Juggernaut demos, but otherwise this is quite enjoyable. :)

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djpretzel
on 2014-07-17 14:58:26

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


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

Tags (6)


Genre:
Ambient,Cinematic
Mood:
Epic
Instrumentation:
Orchestral,Strings,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Donkey_Kong_Country_A_Different_Kind_of_Peace_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,296,365 bytes
MD5:
d2d830d59b274b942b75581412288942
Bitrate:
219Kbps
Duration:
2:34

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