ReMix:Final Fantasy Legend II "Gift of the MAGI" 3:12

By Argle

Arranging the music of one song...

"The Legend Begins"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy Legend II (Square , 1990, GB), music by Kenji Ito, Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2014-07-31, evaluated by djpretzel


Part ReMix and part Mellotron advertisement, this FFL2 arrangement from Argle blends lower-fi samples against a pleasant, more modern backdrop, for a mellow, lyrical groove that speaks of adventure, challenge, teamwork, triumph, and, well.... Mellotrons. Legacy director Brandon Strader writes:

"I love Argle's music because he always puts in awesome Mellotron sounds, and you really need to use a lot of Mellotron sounds if you want to make really distinct memorable remixes. I wasn't so familiar with FF Legend II, but it has a familiar melody in a weird way, and Argle did a fantastic job remixing the source into such an adventurous, laid back theme full of juicy, juicy Mellotrons. Yep yep, I endorse this product and/or service. 5 out of 5 stars."

Argle (Adam Kirby) continues the gratuitous product placement:

"I am Argle, and Mellotrons are essential for a good OC ReMix. I support this product and/or service. I used the title theme from the 2nd game, but the first game title theme is almost the same. As usual, I have a difficult time describing the genre of this track."

Needless to say, if we were back in the late 1960's, both of these gentlemen would be getting handsome endorsement royalties for such effective (and subtle) marketing. Introing with some cross-panned and reverse-ish tones, "Strawberry Fields" flutes come in with forwardly strings, with a regular-fi drum loop & harp entering @ 0'32". It's actually a fun mental activity just tracking which pieces of the instrumentation are throwback-quality samples and which aren't; Adam gets a lot of mileage out of everything employed, both retro and otherwise. The sequencing is a little more spartan, but this actually reminds me somewhat of Ziwtra's work, independent of the fact that Youngjin has paid a lot of attention to the FF GB games along with partner-in-crime BGC - a similar use of mixed-fidelity samples for contrast & depth, coupled with strong arrangement. In this case, the Mellotron is really its own "thing" and can be seen as either low-fidelity or simply nostalgic, and the patches used are all classics that any connoisseur of the instrument could spot a mile away, but the end result is texturally the same when stripped of historical context, as it will be for many listeners. At any rate, this is an inoffensively mellow & laid-back piece that still musters some gusto & evokes the spirit of adventuring quite well, while also being unapologetically Mellotronic in all things. Great stuff from Argle!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 11 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Black_Doom
on 2015-01-18 13:31:54

Oh, wait, what are these mellotrons? Maybe someone can explain a little bit more?... :lol: But no matter, what it is - you, Adam, created an excellent remix, using those... mellotrons, you know. While the title of the original track is "The Legend Begins", to my mind it sounds more like a credits theme - those mellotrons (We need to say more "mellotrons" for the Mellotron god :tomatoface:), flute, hip-hoppish drumwork and cheerful piano licks create a very relaxing atmosphere. Nice

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Gario
on 2014-08-05 20:03:51

This remix needed to happen - I'm very glad that it finally has happened. Also glad that it's pretty much as perfect a remix for this track as it can be - very sexy stuff from Argle, here!

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Argle
on 2014-08-04 09:04:17
Geez, this hit the right spot between inspirationally modern and warmly nostalgic. I apologize if not knowing what a Mellotron is makes me a heathen, but my unlearned opinion gives this mix a thumbs up. :D

Mellotrons are kinda the granddaddy of modern keyboards. They used physical tapes, recordings of a certain instrument, that are triggered by playing the keyboard. They have been commonly used in genres like prog rock but I think they work nice in most styles if you need a nostalgic sound.

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OverClocked PodCast
on 2014-08-03 19:54:27

Geez, this hit the right spot between inspirationally modern and warmly nostalgic. I apologize if not knowing what a Mellotron is makes me a heathen, but my unlearned opinion gives this mix a thumbs up. :D

avatar
Crulex
on 2014-08-02 11:01:17

Mellotrons......mellotrons everywhere! But it's cool, because it fits together with classic Final Fantasy sound so well. This sounds like the perfect journey starting music and if you need a theme for adventure, this is a good place to find it. Not bad.

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bluelighter
on 2014-08-01 12:37:00

Awesome! I love this mix ultra relaxing. And the sample for saxophone is bluffing :)

Great Job !

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Melbu Frahma
on 2014-07-31 18:47:18

I will maintain to my dying day that the FF Legend games - particularly FFL 3 - have some of the best music on the system. This Remix is a gorgeous, relaxing example of that fact; I'm a big fan of Argle's music because I never quite know what I'm going to get when I click play on his tracks, and I've yet to be disappointed by anything I've listened to of his. This is a definite listen-to.

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timaeus222
on 2014-07-31 13:47:47

Such subtle advertisement. I never even noticed. :lmassoff:

Yeah, I dig this. Easy to relax to downtempo music. :)

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Argle
on 2014-07-31 12:13:21
Completely awesome mix dude! Great idea for the mellotron samples. They translate to old school VGM so well.

You can't ever go wrong with mellotron. It is figuratively impossible.

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avaris
on 2014-07-31 11:25:46

Completely awesome mix dude! Great idea for the mellotron samples. They translate to old school VGM so well.

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Liontamer
on 2014-07-31 00:51:16

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy Legend II (Square , 1990, GB)
Music by Kenji Ito,Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"The Legend Begins"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Mood:
Mellow
Instrumentation:
Harp,Strings
Additional:
Effects > Lo-Fi

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_Legend_2_Gift_of_the_MAGI_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,037,940 bytes
MD5:
336295ab8ab9ab6d48f03bfe1e4eb96b
Bitrate:
205Kbps
Duration:
3:12

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