ReMix:Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars "Weapons of Mass Production" 4:45

Nutritious (Justin Medford) goes big on this ginormous dnb/edm cut off of Super Mario RPG: Window to the Stars, featuring a gigantic bass, punchy kick & snare, and myriad swirling synth patterns & melodies:

"This remix was a long time coming. I joined the SMRPG project with the intention to claim one of the better-known original tracks, but, unfortunately (or fortunately?), I was late to the game and ended up choosing "Weapons Factory." This is a very short theme with lots of repeated patterns and a really strange time signature (13/8 or something?) I started it some time last year with the idea of a electronic-focused big wall-of-sound-type mix. I got about halfway through when I ran out of ideas and the song really stalled out.

Many months later, DaMonz began contacting me about the status of the track and we had a few discussions about ideas and ways to expand on what was here. He was the one who came up with the idea of a DnB style transition and while working on that, I found myself humming the FF4 boss fight theme along with it. It then hit me that that same theme happens to also appear in SMRPG during the secret Culex boss fight, so I decided to roll with the idea. While there is a significant style-shift at the halfway mark, I tried to have a more gradual transition between the two source themes so that they are present together for a good portion of the switch.

Definite thanks to DaMonz for pushing me to not give up on the track & OceansAndrew with feedback help (and anyone else I bounced it off of earlier on that I forgot!)"

Source usage:

• :12-1:08 - Bassline from "WF"
• 1:09-1:41 - Lead playing triplet/simplified version of strings from "WF" (weakest connection, probably)
• 1:42-2:27 - Bass & triplet lead together (bass cuts out after a bit)
• 2:35-3:11 - Backing stab synth playing "WF" string lead more directly
• 3:12-3:32 - Guitars playing "WF" bass, synth on "WF" strings continues
• 3:33-4:08 - Guitar/synth leads playing "Culex" lead, previous guitars and synth alternate between "WF" themes and "Culex" theme
• 4:09-4:36 - "Culex" theme on leads and backing

Sometimes the paths we take to complete a given arrangement are circuitous and/or halting, but it's always sweet when some alley-oop moments of inspiration & suggestion can keep a mix moving in the right direction. In this instance, the track starts off as more of a swaggering behemoth, then via some crafty & gradual transitions, ends up in a much more agile space, as beats double-up & guitars play a central role. I think this stylistic transition & source integration was necessary to stretch things out and create the type of development and structure Justin typically likes to incorporate, and I think it worked out quite well. Sir_NutS concurs:

"Highlights for me were the break in the middle of the song, with the piano background and textures, and the buildup back to the main guitar section. The second half was much more interesting for me, even though this section was more conservative regarding the original, but its not a bad thing by any means. Loved the small riff and slowdown towards the end. This is a solid track with plenty of energy, no doubt it deserves to be in the front page."

Indeed; and about that mix title... you *could* say that Justin himself is a weapon of mass production, as he & Amanda just celebrated their 52nd (only a SLIGHT exagerration!) child, Breydon! He was born RIGHT before Window to the Stars was released, technically making him an album baby, so congrats to the Medford family on their ever-expanding roster of awesome children, and congrats to Justin specifically for his ever-expanding roster of awesome ReMixes!