ReMix:Sonic the Hedgehog "Gotta Start from Somewhere" 3:10

Gotta love the auto-tuned SEGA logo intro :) For today we've got the opening track from Speeding Towards Adventures, as Jorito teams up with Hank Jank & Trev for an absurdly funky electro swing Sonic title tribute, with some delicious bluegrass/gypsy flavors; fellow album director Black_Doom writes:

"Our journey starts with an incredible take on some classic Sonic jingles by Jorito with some assistance from Trev and Hank "The Spank Tank" Jankerson. I've been looking someone to make an album opener for a long time, but nothing worked out. Then I asked Jorrith to make the introduction to the album, and finally things started to happen. To be honest, I wanted to get something rather short and simple, just like in previous Sonic albums, but Jorito went above and beyond my expectations, and made this track. The quirky blend of EDM, violin, clarinet, accordion, and sax is probably not what you expect here, but I bet you'll love it. :D Mad props to these guys for such a sweet start!"

These actually aren't the easiest themes to arrange with a substantive, full-song approach, but that's exactly what's been done, by cleverly going with a caravan/electro-swing style that gives the source melodies extra legs & lets 'em run a bit further - smart AND funky. Synthetic violin would never have matched the swagga & panache Trev brings to the table; he basically kills it, which takes the whole mix over the top & really sets the stage quite nicely. Hank once agains draws from the deep wells of his Spank Tank and brings his Jankerson A-game on sax, and the whole thing feels the right type of infectious. ReMixer Jorito (Jorrith Schaap) writes:

"Stepan wanted an opening track for the album, in the same spirit as previous OCR Sonic albums. He asked me to create a remix of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog title theme that started the series, and how could I refuse? Unfortunately, my ambition got the better of me and I didn't want to settle for a short opening remix for the album. Instead, I opted for a full-length track, but that proved to be quite a challenge, since the source tune is only 11 seconds long. So I cheated a bit and blended in the Sonic 1 "Invincibility" theme, as well as the Sonic 3 "Title" theme, as well as some EDM style builds and drops. And, of course, no Sonic opening track would be complete without a "Sega" opening choir, so I recorded myself and got some help from The Nikanoru to welcome you to the album.

At the time I started on this track, I was mesmerized by the track "Caravan Bowser" by Flexstyle and XPRTNovice, and I thought it'd be interesting to try that style for the title remix. I dove into the electro swing genre and tried to create a vibe similar to the band Caravan Palace. I'm not sure I succeeded in exactly that, but I think the overall track is very enjoyable and it's definitely helped by the awesome performances by Trev and Aaron (Hank "The Spank Tank" Jankerson). It also was a good excuse to grab ye olde accordion and record some parts myself. I really dig the solo part where Trev and Aaron shred out and hype you up for the rest of the album adventure to come!"

It's got a BIT more bluegrass/appalachian vibe to it than straight caravan - we could call it the "Cotton-Eyed Joe factor" - but that's certainly not a bad thing, and if you're gonna be inspired by a ReMix, that's a GREAT choice. Trev Wignall adds:

"Once again, Jorrith asked me to play some violin and I just had to oblige! His Sonic title remix was so much fun to play and shred on, and I had a blast. It was a great change of pace to bust out a fiddle solo over an upbeat EDM-style remix too!"

And it turned out GREAT, elevating the whole piece & blending seamlessly. Sir_NutS could have used a bit MORE swing, but still smelled what was cooking:

"Nevertheless, this is an incredibly deep rearrangement of a very simple source that expands it considerably, while keeping the connection to the source alive and noticeable for the most part, and to top that off, explores a niche genre and executes it fairly well."

I'd go beyond just "fairly," personally, but I'm also not a connoiseur of the genre, for whatever it's worth. Larry adds:

"Agreed with the others on this getting some huge arrangement mileage out of the "Invincibility" theme. Great work from Jorrith and crew. Loved it!"

Me too; great, unconventional start to the album, a worthy sibling to "Caravan Bowser," and QUITE a bit of fun!