ReMix:Knuckles' Chaotix "Dreams of Summer" 4:27

So yes, our & Knuckles effort was *mostly* an A1 Sauce affair, but we threw some people off the scent with some pretty sweet album art & a couple tracks that were legit. The legittest was Jorito's sugary pop/funk jam on the ever-popular "Door into Summer" from Chaotix, with sax appeal courtesy Hank the Spank Tank; Jorrith writes:

"So, about a week ago, Arrow reached out to me about his secret April album project. Somehow my brain didn't register the part where he said not to bring my A game that clearly, so when I showed him a first WIP, he was like "Hey, this is actually good!". So, we decided to keep it going and make it an album-closing track to give the listeners a pleasant surprise.

I was (am) totally unfamiliar with any Knuckles-related material, so I asked Arrow for some recommendations. He shared a playlist with me, and the first track on that list, "Door into Summer," immediately clicked with me. I originally wanted to try something like a weird polka, but dropped that idea for a more light, dreamy, electronic/acoustic hybrid take that channels the same summer vibes, relaxed mood, and good times as the original. The arrangement came together quickly (also by necessity because of the tight deadline), but finding the instruments and layers took quite a bit of playing around to get it to sound right.

In my head, this kind of vibe goes very well with some relaxed but expressive saxophone. No way I was going to achieve that in a good way with samples, so I reached out to Aaron, with whom I've worked before and who is co-directing the Secret of Mana album with me. Fortunately, he was able to jump in on short notice, perform the parts I wrote and add a solo to boot. He really did do the track justice and gave it this extra bit of loungey vibe it needed. Rather happy with the final result; not too shabby for a track with such a tight deadline and for a game I'm not familiar with."

Indeed, agreed, such speed... "Door into Summer" is pretty much THE source when it comes to the ill-fated 32X addon, since it's the most popular/arranged track from the biggest exclusive, and Jorrith & Aaron have done it great justice with this smooth, agreeable jam. The original melody is a straight-up confection, and unless you're going to do something REALLY out there, you kinda-gotta work within certain parameters. This mix maintains the upbeat, sunny, & open-air atmosphere of the original while adding a dose of smoov, some uber-mellow hushed hypnotizing dialogue & a pinch of funk. Appropriately timed as it's spring here in the US and spring is kinda like a door... into summer. Yup. Props to Jarel "Arrow" Jones for conceptualizing the entire & Knuckles experience, to everyone who chipped in, to Native Instruments Battery 4 for facilitating my own intuitively-titled contribution, and to Schaap & Spank for putting together a (more than just!) presentable piece of music we can actually post ;)