ReMix:Anodyne "Dreamscapes" 5:03

Well, we'd planned our forum migration/conversion for this past weekend, but it didn't go so well - we're working through some of the server issues we experienced with our hosting provider, but meanwhile it's ON WITH THE SHOW as Drakken (Josh Freund) follows up his Ufouria debut from back in 2012 with a decidedly inde-sounding chillout/ambient mix of indie adventure game Anodyne:

"Long time no see! Been fairly busy since my first post 2+ years ago and haven't spent much time on remixes since then. However, last July I did find time to remix the title track from Sean Hogan's Anodyne soundtrack. It was done for a remix album he was putting together for the game - I had no intention of ever submitting it to OCR - but I just relistened to it after including it on my original album and thought, "Hey, I actually enjoy this. It probably won't get accepted, but why not give it a shot?" So... here you go.

I love the original track - it's short (under a minute long), with not much going on, but it has this wonderfully dreamy and nostalgic sound that instantly transports me to the game world (like most of the rest of the soundtrack). I wanted to keep the dreamy feel, and ended up turning it into a chillout remix, my first attempt at that genre. Hope you enjoy!"

Cool to see newer & indier games represented on OCR, and in spite of Josh's trepidations, the judges were on board - Emunator writes:

"Wow dude, nice to see you around these parts again! I was a fan of your previously posted mix, and this one is speaking to me even more. I really love how you built the majority of your remix around some very simple piano/bass loops, but everything else around it is constantly evolving. You do a great job keeping things interesting without losing sight of the source tune, which really doesn't give you much to work with from the outset. Excellent sound pallet overall."

Palpable adds:

"I'm surprised this is the first chillout song you've made, because this was very well done. Not perfect, to be sure, but well thought-out and a very expansive take on the simple source tune. You did a lot with the material. The sound palette you use is pretty unique, even for this genre, but I was especially transfixed by the sections that were just piano and live drums. It takes a lot of confidence and skill to transition to a long, more stripped down section and have it work. The 808 percussion could probably have been a little stronger and there is some EQ cleanup you could do to improve things, but what's here deserves to be heard."

There's an almost Twin Peaks, Angelo Badalamenti vibe to the simple, deliberate melody, I like how the 808 sits in a small dead center pocket, enveloped by broad pads and cross-panned bells, and the introduction of live drums was an unexpected & refreshing changeup. Relaxing without being soporific, this is a transporting arrangement that does a great job capitalizing on the pleasant purity of the source melody - a mellow & chill indie mixpost to go with your 4/20!