ReMix:Sonic CD "The Madness" 4:30

It's been a pretty crazy week for me, personally, resulting in fewer mixposts, but we're hitting you this Friday with a heapin' helpin' of hyper-techno orchestra-hit & sampled vox MADNESS, as newcomer EAR takes on "Metallic Madness" from Sonic CD:

"I actually had the idea for this combo-arrangement several years ago but never found the right way to express it. Flash-forward to 2015 - a month into leading the Sound of The Sonic Stadium 2015: Tropical Paradise album project. I had recently pulled out the older rave, Eurobeat, and hard dance tunes that were so much a foundation of my musical influences in high school. Suddenly, it all just clicked - I could almost imagine Sonic & his friends at this late night rave on a tropical island (that, let's be honest - we would ALL like to be at!).

So, yeah, who's up for some StepMania?

The actual genre title is "Hyper Techno" of all things. It's like the more serious-ravey older brother of the sorta Inital D Eurobeat sound. XD I love learning about different subgenres, LOL."

Yeah, I'll just say, if you're looking for something subtle that's gonna touch your heartstrings & make profound comments on the human condition... this ain't that. I think potentially even a handful of orchestra hits can preclude one from emotional poignancy, and this mix has a veritable army, but that just means there's FUN to be had; musical caffeine, in every sense of the phrase. Sir_NutS writes:

"The arrangement and adaptation to the genre is where this remix shines, as this could be playing in a 90's rave club without much problem. Kept the energy levels high throughout but without falling in the traps of repetition or tiring the listener. There's tons of natural variations and surprises throughout the track, as it keeps evolving, introducing new, high-energy stuff along the way."

GOTTA GO FAST. Gario was feelin' the burn, with some specific critique as well:

"Damn, now THIS is an intense track, and it just never stops. I checked the sources, and it does seem they're all there (arpeggio from PAST throughout, orchestra hits from BAD FUTURE, other background elements referring to PRESENT). It would take too long for a detailed breakdown, and I don't think this arrangement needs that - the source is very strong in this one, and the arrangement is very clever.

The production is quite crisp, for most of the track. There are a few moments where everything comes in at once where the arrangement gets cluttered, making it a little difficult to parse every element out (such as at 3:41 - 5:52, for example). There aren't enough moments like that to take this below the bar, though."

Larry was concerned about the extent of sampled vox, but our standards are designed to prevent sampled material from doing too much heavy-lifting from an arrangement perspective, specifically; here they're being used more as instruments unto themselves, a staple of the genre in question. Definitely a hot, hectic, & enjoyably MAD debut from EAR... we hope yours enjoy the insanity!