ReMix:Comix Zone "Comix Bubbles" 4:53

Our FIRST ReMix of Howard Drossin's soundtrack to innovative Genesis action game Comix Zone comes in the form of this chippy electronic jam from Mazedude (Christopher Getman)!

I actually had something to do with this one, indirectly; Chris writes:

"Good day! I'm so happy to present the completion of one of the commission tracks from the American Pixels Kickstarter, requested by none other than djpretzel.

As the Kickstarter campaign for American Pixels came to a close, I was very pleased that a few backers opted to pledge at a "commission a remix" level. "Comix Bubbles" is the result of one of those. The request came in - from none other than the legenday djpretzel of OverClocked ReMix - that I arrange the music from Comix Zone, Episode 1, Page 1-1. Naturally, the first thing I asked was, "Is it by an American composer?" (I wanted the commission tracks to stay on theme, after all.)

The answer: yes. The original theme was composed by Howard Drossin, a rather versatile composer who has worked on both films and video games. You may have heard his work in The Man with the Iron Fists, Baldur's Gate II, or, if you're a martial arts afficianado like me, in films such as The Protector.

So I checked out the original, and... yeah. It was unique. A fun challenge. It was hard to get a good start on this too, primarily because when you break it down... it's a fairly happy theme. I don't do happy remixes all that often, heh. But, once I locked into the happy aspect, I asked - what if this was turned into one of those aggressively happy chiptunes? You know, going 9-bit with it, using some deliberately harsh chip samples, going to 30+ channels with the layering and effects... would that work? Good news. It did.

Getting back into remixing post-album release has been fun. It was nice to have a fresh track that didn't require sheet music, live instrumentalists, or funding. I'm on a 9-bit kick lately too, so crafting this was a blast in that regard as well. Thanks to tracker folks like Beek and Blue Zone for the samples and inspiration. And a huge thanks to djpretzel, again for the commission, and also for the support that helped the American Pixels album become a reality!

Enjoy! And get this - Kickstarter just notified me a few days back that I just hit the one-year anniversary of getting funded for the album. Wow. I'm rather surprised it's taken so long to get this track done, but you know, life happens."

It was awesome to see Mazedude's successful kickstarter and to support it as well, and the mix request was a sweet bonus. Comix Zone was a unique game, and Drossin is a unique composer, and given the theme of honoring American game composers that Chris has been (brilliantly) exploring, I didn't have to think very long about what my request would be, with an (obvious) eye on getting this OST represented on OCR! The end result is an upbeat chip-jam that blends 9-bit aesthetics with Mazedude's own sound; there's a faint twinge of melancholy to the main melody, to me - just a hint - and it makes things a little more interesting than something 110% sugary-sweet. Like salted caramel, more or less. Love the run at 1'15", the occasional glitching on the drums, and the sick rising transitions circa 2'20", but mostly I dig the main melodic refrain, which I think deserved the spotlight and which is provided context to shine by the ReMixer. Neat stuff; VERY glad I backed the kickstarter, and also glad I requested a mix from this game - hope you enjoy as much as I did!