Posted 2015-09-28, evaluated by djpretzel


Anti-Syne!! It's been too long!

We conclude our FIVE MIX FLOOD of arrangements from new and/or obscure games as Jack Lewis (huge fan, especially of his last three mixes) returns after a couple years of silence with our first ReMix from the Zone of the Enders franchise - a stunning, futuristic synth/vocal robotic space opera that channels E.L.O., "Hide and Seek," and actually reminds me thematically of AkumajoBelmont's classic DarXide (32X) jam from days of yore; Jack writes:

"It's been a long time since my last submission. I make it over two years since my last non-album track, so here's a ReMix I've actually been working on for a while now.

If you don't count my PaRappa track, this is my first ReMix to feature lead vocals. I've always been a fan of artificial sounds, so all of my own vocals here are heavily processed, plus the idea here was to make the female vocals sound like the A.I. in Z.O.E, "ADA," so these are synthesised and, again, heavily processed.

Originally, this track was a lot heavier and driven, but I couldn't get it to work how I wanted, so I scrapped most of it, stepped out of my comfort zone and went for a far more ambient piece then I've ever done before, taking my main inspiration from "Go" by Delilah."

Chimpazilla simply writes:

"Wow, this is so cool. Love the lyrics and the vocoding. Mesmerizing track!"

While very much its own piece of music, the vocoding & overall aesthetic do channel the above references for me, all of which I have very positive connotations. This is drifting, intergalatic pop, an interstellar radio transmission from an age defined by technology indistinguishable from magic; very cool, nails the mood. Liontamer writes:

"I've been a fan of "Kiss Me Sunlights" from the original Z.O.E since my college days, and hold it in high regard not only for the cool Engrish vocals, but for being one of the modern tracks that demonstrated what was emotionally possible on the day's CD-based systems (as compared to my N64). :-) I'm thankful for Jack sending this in, as I'm new to "Beyond the Bounds," which is a pretty odd theme. In my opinion, I really thought Anti-Syne did well focusing on BtB's chorus and smoothly connecting it with the verse from "Kiss Me Sunlights" with some of his vocals and piano. This one feels dystopian, robotic, and dark, yet (slightly) hopeful if you're paying attention to the lyrics.

No shade against Delilah's "Go," but I'd argue the warbling synth line here in "ADA" was used in a more lively and sophisticated way; credit to Jack for adapting a cool bit of sound design into something even more interesting. I've hoped for a Zone of the Enders series OC ReMix for quite some time, so it's great to have Anti-Syne make it happen with a brilliantly-produced piece referencing both the first and second games!"

While embracing the inarguable futurism of rising synth arpeggios (as ubiquitous in our coming years as grids full of blinking lights with no observable purpose, if you believe Star Trek TOS!) and of course employing vocoding both consciously AND contextually (relevant to the game world, as Jack explains), the actual underbelly of this ReMix is more of a 20th century ambient R+B jam, which is unobtrusive & minimalist enough to let all the spacey effects & mechanized vocal texture shine. Since this arranges material from the first AND second Z.O.E games, technically this five mix flood has delivered arrangements from SIX previously unmixed games. Bonus! Very stylized, very distinct, a complete departure for Jack in terms of overall tone, and an awesome tribute to some of the great vocal VGM on the Z.O.E soundtracks; highly recommended!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 6 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2018-02-18 23:46:24

Oooh, this is very cool sounding. Strong futuristic atmosphere with such a chill beat, and the vocals are amazing. Everything meshes together perfectly for a distinct cybernetic ReMix. I could easily picture myself listening to something like this while walking through an empty or less populated city at night. Very nice.

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nitrozsz
on 2015-12-28 12:20:43

Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed like the intro was building up to something more exciting, only for it to get way more mellow throughout? But that’s all right, because there is a very distinct sound throughout the entire mix. I imagine this is what chilling down-time lounge music would sound like in the distant future. What I like most about the vocal work is how atmospheric it sounds given the mood that this track creates. Very lovely.

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Black_Doom
on 2015-12-14 13:59:29

Man, I think this one of my favorites from Jack. The vocals are simply mesmerizing and the overall airy, floating atmosphere is great as well. Sounds so inspiring! Very well done :)

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Necrox
on 2015-12-02 16:51:05

Woah, SWEET vocoding. Atmosphere is awesome. Did I say the vocoding was great? This whole track makes me imagine a derelict space station that was once host to a futuristic, utopian society. Stuff is calmly floating around in the dark in zero g and bright images are flashing during the vocal sections. Great work.

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Melody of Light
on 2015-10-14 02:16:27

I loved both the first and second games (wish the series had been extended further...), and thought that the music was fantastic in each of them as well. This song did a great job of channeling the feeling of "Beyond the Bounds," and I liked the vocal work. I didn't really catch quite as much of the vibe of "Kiss Me Sunlight" with this song, though; if I hadn't read the description, I probably would have thought that it was just a mix on "Beyond the Bounds." Regardless, it was a nice mix and I'm glad to see this game's soundtrack receiving some love!

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Liontamer
on 2015-09-28 09:45:15

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

Sources Arranged (2 Songs, 2 Games)


Primary Game:
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (Konami , 2003, PS2)
Music by Akihiro Honda,Maki Kirioka,Norihiko Hibino,Toshiyuki Kakuta
Songs:
"Beyond the Bounds (Full Version)"
Additional Game:
Zone of the Enders (Konami , 2001, PS2)
Music by Akihiro Honda,Maki Kirioka,Masumi Ito,Norihiko Hibino,Shuichi Kobori,Toshiyuki Kakuta
Songs:
"KISS ME SUNLIGHTS --Opening Theme"

Tags (12)


Genre:
Ambient,R&B
Mood:
Dark,Solemn
Instrumentation:
Electric Piano,Electronic,Singing,Synth,Vocals: Male
Additional:
Effects > Vocoder
Lyrics > Lyrics: Existing
Time > 4/4 Time Signature

File Information


Name:
Zone_of_the_Enders_The_2nd_Runner_ADA_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,451,213 bytes
MD5:
28efb46111234f4fb97404643fdc9346
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:43

Message of the blowing wind, erasing memories
Stars are the witnesses of our existence
Change is what the world awaits, could there be peace or war?
The answer no one knows, trusting the break of dawn

Beautiful dream to la la
So easy, so easy
Streams of this night to la la
All misty, all misty

Travelling beyond the bounds, we have to take that step
What are we waiting for? It's now or never
Fear to see the world to be, it's why we hesitate
Repeat the same mistakes, hoping to break new ground

Beautiful dream
So easy, so easy
Streams of this night
All misty, all misty

Reaching out to catch the sun, to hold it in our hands
Longing for something strong to hide our weakness
Soon the light may disappear, nothing is meant to last
Yet we believe our world, searching for happiness

(Erasing memories of our existence
It's now or never
It's why we hesitate
Hold it in our hands
Hide our weakness
Nothing is meant to last)

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