ReMix:Sonic CD "A World in Motion (Super Peel Out Edit)" 3:45

One of the more controversial tracks from our Sonic CD album, and an arrangement that stood out with its brazen punk/rock aesthetic as compared to a stronger vein of hip-hop & funk, DusK's take on "Sonic Boom" is a fun vocal romp through one of the first redbook vocal VGM jams that I can remember. If you approach this mix as a traditional rock vocal arrangement, you're going to be disappointed, I'll just put that out there to begin with - this is rough & tumble, spontaneous, electrifying PUNK with a capital P, and can only be properly enjoyed as a punk rock track, in my opinion. If you dig The Clash, The Sex Pistols, or Rancid (which this reminds me of perhaps the most), and you have that sort of mindset/expectation going in, I think you'll appreciate what Dustin's done:

"I did this track for Temporal Duality. My primary inspiration behind the remix was Sonic Adventure. The Adventure games had a punk rock sound that I really dig, and I really wanted to set out on a remix that would reflect what I think "Sonic Boom" would sound like if it were in one of those games.

When I first heard the "Opening Theme" version, I was like, "I could totally punk this out." And then I heard the "Closing Theme" version and that sealed the deal, and I made my claim. I really tied to capture a lot of elements from both versions and bring them in; the pace, guitar riffs, and chorus vocal timings from the "Opening Theme" version, and the vocal harmonies and overall feel of the bass from the "Closing Theme" version. Slapped it into a gritty punk track with slightly distorted, gainy vocals, prominent bass, and crunchy guitars reminiscent of 90s punk bands, and called it a day. Week. Several months, actually. Enjoy. :)"

If you're not familiar with punk or you're not into it, well yeah... this might not be your jam. I've always found it to be a pretty refreshing genre in terms of spontaneity and nonchalance w/ regard to technique & subtlety, although The Clash arguably deviated from that with a lot of their higher-concept stuff and mixed instrumentation, and they're my favorite punk band. At any rate, Dustin's own comments really explain what you're hearing and lay it all out, and in the context of doing a 90's punk rock take on this theme, I think he did a great job - the energy & attitude are what's most important, and both come through in spades. Jivemaster provided the other vocal ReMix of this theme on Temporal Duality, and I really agree with what he had to say:

"I remember this one back during the Temporal Duality remix project, although I can see you made some improvements since then. Some great guitar work as always from Dustin, with many licks and original solos throughout. Arrangement wise you're solid, and the source is here in droves.

Your vocals here are well done and decent enough. I have no major problems with them, considering the mix sits in punk territory. I would say that there is the occasional flat note here and there, but it is quite a hard song to sing and I think being in the punk genre it's certainly passable.

Production wise I like your use of panning for backup vocals and your leads. It's this kind of creative movement around the stereo spectrum that brings that extra level of quality. Everything is audible and well recorded."

To be 110% clear, a pitch-perfect, uber-polished vocal would be completely out of place in a punk track and would arguably confuse the genre past the point of recognition - in other words, it's a staple. There's certainly a range within that space where things can get too rough/flat/sharp/atonal, and there might be a moment here or there where some refinement wouldn't have ruined the vibe, but all in all I think DusK did a great job & punk rocked it out, adding something very different to the album and working in a genre we just don't see a lot of on OCR.