Posted 2014-12-18, evaluated by the judges panel


DjjD (Jacob Diaz) brings us a delicious chiptune/electronic jam that's less about aggressive beats and more reflective & deep, with a veritable smorgasbord of synth textures on full display:

"This originally came together for the WCRG 2013 Competition. I had the original idea to put together a track that started out with a semi-organic jungle vibe. I really wanted something different than what was normally done with the Mega Man X3 Zero Theme. So I mashed it together with Stone Man and... that's what happened. Near the end of the week, I asked Ben Briggs and ectogemia for help with the last half of the song, for which they put together two fantastic solos... and made the song amazing. This is the result of our collaboration and I hope you guys enjoy. :)"

Good blending of themes, excellent production (chip/waveform aesthetic paired with some very nice processing & complementary textures), but what really ends up defining the track is the restraint; there's a lot of detail & energy, but it's always more of a jammin' variety than a straight-up club-oriented thing. The sheer variety of synth leads & textures also makes me smile, especially on the drums/perc. DarkeSword writes:

"Oh man, I remember this track! It was in my top three for that round. Love how this one turned out. X3 Zero theme is used amazingly in this track, as both the syncopated hook and also the backing track for the solo sections. Love the back and forth between aggressive and laid-back soundscapes too. Fantastic!!!"

I chimed in on this one:

"AHMIGAWD dem drums. REALLY nice drum work here; pushes the track over the top. Can't say enough good things - detailed, creative. The Blade Runner style trailing pitch slides are fun. Bottom line? This is what happens when you pair a great arrangement with STELLAR sound design & production."

Might be a tad much reverb for some folks, but to me this is a showcase of the myriad different sounds electronic oscillators can produce, almost like taking a tour through a synth museum, COMBINED with a smart arrangement of multiple themes, with two great synth solos on TOP of that, and then wonderfully syncopated & interesting drums. It's like one of those infomercials where they keep saying "But wait.... there's more!!" and adding more stuff on to sweeten the deal (but only if you call in the next half hour... which they have zero means of verifying), except unlike most (if not all) informercials, this is something you WANT, and it's FREE. Great work from DjjD, made greater by Ben & ectogemia. One of my favorite ReMixes to come out of the uber-awesome WCRG compo series - highly recommended!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 6 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Chernabogue
on 2015-12-21 03:09:21

Oh, this is interesting. Love the percussion work and the melodic percussion/vibraphone thing. The blend with chiptune is nicely done and executed. The production is excellent as well. The soundscape is filled with ear candy. Overall, this is a super nice remix, with a lot of surprises. Nice work! :)

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YoshiBlade
on 2015-12-02 02:54:21

So this came out back when I was in Florida and I was without internet, so I think I used the last of my phone data to download this...totally worth it. The Voltron style remix collaboration going on here is great, each remixer bringing their particular skill set in, compartmentalized and perfect, like a mini showcase of already well established talent. Seriously those opening chords still send chills down my back, so good.

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Crulex
on 2015-01-09 11:57:09

Jeez, man, the production in this is ace. I have to admit that it took me a couple of listens to get everything out of this mix when it comes to the sources beyond Zero's, but once I did, everything clicked like it should have and I loved it. But even without that, the chiptune-electronica used here was excellent and sounds wonderful. Amazing collab from all three of you.

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OverClocked PodCast
on 2015-01-08 23:56:45

This is one of those tunes that reveals itself to be more than one tune if you listen for the cornucopia of background elements dancing about. There's more than meets the ear here and I like it!

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MindWanderer
on 2014-12-19 15:36:11

Sometimes I need to listen to a remix a few times, mull over whether to add it to my collection. This was not one of those times. Straight into my daily playlist. I even use it for A/B comparisons for my own electronic mixes.

I still think the usage of Stone Man is too subtle for the context of the compo, but it's an awesome piece of music.

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Liontamer
on 2014-12-18 11:28:16

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

Sources Arranged (3 Songs, 3 Games)


Primary Game:
Mega Man X3 (Capcom , 1995, SNES)
Music by Kinuyo Yamashita
Songs:
"Zero"
Additional Game:
Mega Man 2 (Capcom , 1988, NES)
Music by Manami Matsumae,Takashi Tateishi
Songs:
"Metal Man Stage"
Additional Game:
Mega Man 5 (Capcom , 1992, NES)
Music by Mari Yamaguchi
Songs:
"Stone Man Stage"

Tags (8)


Genre:
EDM
Mood:
Chill
Instrumentation:
Chromatic Percussion,Electronic,Synth
Additional:
Arrangement > Medley
Origin > Collaboration
Origin > Competition

File Information


Name:
Mega_Man_X3_Crystal_Cipher_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,800,333 bytes
MD5:
8db648f866e763e90169905272f9a154
Bitrate:
250Kbps
Duration:
3:02

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