ReMix:Mega Man 2 "The Locker Room" 3:57

By YamaYama

Arranging the music of one song...

"Bubble Man Stage"

Primary Game: Mega Man 2 (Capcom , 1988, NES), music by Manami Matsumae, Takashi Tateishi

Posted 2015-03-18, evaluated by the judges panel


CRAZYSAUCE. YamaYama debuted on OCR in April of last year with an insane-in-the-membrane sax-fueled exploration of Kirby's Dream Land, and now they're BACK with an equally compelling & similarly whimsical Mega Man 2 jam that again puts sax front-and-center & takes 'Bubble Man' for a jazz-chip ride. In its emphasis on the synergy between jazz & chiptune components, this kinda reminds me of what Sam did on his NES Jams album - there's a similar combination of instrumental mastery, hyper-creative arranging, and disregard for convention, all of which are big pluses in my book. Chimpazilla writes:

"This is a super fun little track. Plenty of source, tons of interesting details. I'm LOVING the 7/8 sections and the interplay with the regular 4/4 time signature parts. The sax playing is clean and competent. The synthy bits fit in very well with the organic instrumentation. It is clear how much fun went into creating this track. What's happening at 2:33, has a monster entered the room? Haha, cool!"

Some judges did note that this was mastered a little quiet, so you may want to crank the volume a bit. DarkeSword enthuses:

"WOOOOOOOOW what a wild blend of sounds. The interplay between live and synth elements is really amazing. That part at 1:25 where the sound just opens up is fantastic. I love how this piece keeps evolving and never tries to coast. Definitely digging the performances here too. Tight and clean. Fantastic."

I love how the intro to this mix sorta has you raising your eyebrows a bit like "hmm...not quite sure if this is gonna go where I want it to..." At 0'09" when a syncopated funk drum riff drops in & sax enters, things pick up a bit, the cut at 0'27" signals some playfulness, but it's at 0'33" with the driving melodic motif where I think it becomes apparent that you're in for a hell of a ride. The spontaneity, immediacy, and complexity here all combine for a potent aggregate that succeeds in large part due to musicianship. Love that ending, too; just flat out berserk. It feels lazy to make the same artistic comparison, but if Shnabubula had chosen sax instead of piano as his weapon of choice, I can see the result sounding something like this. We've heard 'Bubble Man' plenty of ways, but it's becoming apparent than whenever YamaYama arrange a source, the result is going to be singular. Not to be missed!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 5 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Chernabogue
on 2015-12-21 02:36:52

There's a big Super Mario 3D World influence here. This remix is super funky and very energic. It's sometimes a little messy, but overall this is a great arrangement. Not sure about the voice samples, but everything else was at the right place. Nice job! :)

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Crulex
on 2015-04-03 14:14:15

A mix of chippy bits and sax in a jazzy soundscape? I'm all for it. It never becomes stale or stays in one spot for too long, getting more wild as time goes on. Though I'm more of a fan of the sections in which the sax and percussion seem to be more in sync, I don't mind when things break loose and it gets crazier. Not bad at all.

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WesternZypher
on 2015-03-19 10:48:19

Definitely feelin' the Shnabubula-connection. Unforrtunately, what makes them so engaging does eventually turn me off from wanting to listen to them repeatedly. His CONTROLLER album is somewhat like this. I never fast-forward or skip a Bub song once it comes up tho'.

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DimeTower
on 2015-03-18 23:46:20

Good heavens. I dare anyone to listen to this and not be immediately taken in by the attention to detail, the unique feel, and the vibrancy that suffuses the entire piece. I feel like I wandered into a jazz club where everyone was wearing Mega Man outfits. Some of my favorite sections (like 2:45-3:02) and the offbeat bluffs (~3:23) are so fun with their purposefully staccato and in-between-breaths nature.

Really, really unique and refreshing. A major piece here.

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djpretzel
on 2015-03-18 15:31:38

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Mega Man 2 (Capcom , 1988, NES)
Music by Manami Matsumae,Takashi Tateishi
Songs:
"Bubble Man Stage"

Tags (10)


Genre:
Jazz
Mood:
Goofy,Quirky
Instrumentation:
Electric Piano,In-game FX,Saxophone
Additional:
Arrangement > Extended Soloing
Production > Live Instruments
Time > Time Signature: Irregular
Time > Time Signature: Variable

File Information


Name:
Mega_Man_2_The_Locker_Room_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,524,148 bytes
MD5:
f0afe5486dfc64985cf50d272fa6d836
Bitrate:
217Kbps
Duration:
3:57

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