ReMix:Terranigma "Home" 4:16

Purdy...... DANG purdy!! We don't get a lot of folk/country arrangements 'round these parts, so this beautiful, sweet, & winter holiday-appropriate ballad arrangement of Terranigma from RoeTaKa (Alex Roe) is that much more appreciated. There's also some serious history & memories behind this mix; Alex writes:

"Terranigma was released in Japan 20 years ago (20/10/1995) by developer Quintet and published by Enix. It was a spiritual sequel to Illusion of Gaia (Illusion of Time for us Europeans) and was never released in the US. It's one of my favourite games of all time and, as a kid, this game blew me away and I loved everything about it. The story was big and deep, it didn't shy away from some mature topics, and you felt like you were building the entire world throughout history. The gameplay was one of the best experiences at the time. Ark has so many moves and it makes playing him a real joy. And the soundtrack, one of my all time favourites... it has inspired me so much and it will continue to do so. RPG music does not get much better than this.

Terranigma turned 20, and I thought it would be a great time to return to one of my favourite games and song from a game. For a number of years now I actually had ideas of making an entire arrangement album of Terranigma on my own, but I think it would probably go beneath people's radar. So, for now, this single remix will have to do.

I've already remixed this song twice and they were both rejected (And rightly so! Haha). The first time, 11 years ago, I had been writing music for about 6 months and thought I was really cool with soundfonts at the time. I remember sending DarkeSword a PM about the remix, I can't actually remember what he said, haha. The second time, about 6 months after the prior remix, I had my first proper VST - SampleTank 2. At this point, I thought I was for sure making an amazing remix! Again, it wasn't. Plagued with dissonance, it was sure to fail. I saw the judges comments and Shnabubula was quite thorough with his analysis. I decided to message him on AIM and we still talk today, so I am thankful I made that remix.

Coming back to this song reminds me of my time over the years writing music and the bonds that formed from it. If I were an old man, this song would trigger so many memories. If I had amnesia, it might save me! I wanted to just do a really pleasing arrangement of this song that pays homage to the original but deviates here and there just so the song can be enjoyed more. I think that's very much what mv did with his remix of this song. His is pretty much the definitive Crysta remix and one of my favourite remixes of all time... so I can only hope mine can be enjoyed as much as his."

It's easy to forget, due to the steady track record of brilliant work since his return, but Alex wasn't always kicking ass & taking names like he is today; VERY glad he stuck with it and that those early experiences were learned from. This ReMix is, in a word, breathtaking... almost ambient in its production approach, yet firmly grounded in a folk/acoustic aesthetic, there are moments that linger in mid-air... very sweet, very heartfelt, very warm, and very in keeping with the minimalistic mix title. Sir_NutS writes:

"In general the production was full of little details, like the hand percussion touches, which morph into the soft battery drumming towards the song's climax near the end. The raining ambiance comes and goes depending on the mood, and I liked that it wasn't ever-present.

The arrangement, although fairly conservative, is well executed and shows great appreciation for the original theme, I think this arrangement is building up on the original rather than being transformative, but since the elements and variations are woven so naturally, and the structure is adjusted to fit a song form instead of the original loop form, this approach works very well for me."

Liontamer adds:

"I wasn't put off by the structural closeness, and thought Alex did a great job with transposing the theme, changing the instrumentation, and adding in comfortably fitting accent instrumentation to change the overall flavor of the theme. Nothing set off any red flags here. Nice interpretation, Alex, and awesome to see another side of your arrangements."

Ditto that; this mix was a LONG time coming, but it was worth the wait, and I'm going to be adding it to my holiday playlists just because I think it fits so well - great stuff!