Posted 2017-12-05, evaluated by


We hope you're enjoying Secret of Mana: Resonance of the Pure Land and the debut mixes we've been featuring, which do a great job representing the diversity & creativity exhibited throughout all three discs. We'll be seeing more from Resonance in the weeks & months to come, but for now we leave you with a chill, dreamy ambient/jazz downtempo groove from album director Jorito, collaborating with JoyDreamer on vocals & featuring the formidable brass talents of JohnStacy on cornet.

Jorrith writes:

"The source track is very ambient and relaxing, and essentially consists out of just a piano arpeggio, a choir that sings chords and the occasional whale sound. I thought it would be interesting to turn it into a kind of ambient chillout track, reminiscent of Emunator's FFX remix "Laguna Tides," and that was the style I was going for. It was a lot of fun to play around with some crazy layered chords and vocals, and it was also a perfect excuse to add a mellow trumpet solo. This style also reminded me quite a bit of Enigma's "Sadeness," and because of that, adding whispered vocals to it felt the right thing to do. And, of course, you can't have an iconic Secret of Mana track without the iconic whale sound and some more ambient sounds to set the mood.

I was just finishing off work on another remix with Joy, and, since she has a lovely voice that goes well with these kind of dreamy tracks, it only made sense that I asked her to collaborate. She was immediately on board with the idea, and, despite my crazy vocal layers and a few retakes, she managed to pull it off very well. It even encouraged me to double up her performances with some of my own, because just samples weren't gonna cut it.

Same goes for the mellow trumpet solo. I was just wrapping up "A Wistful Heart" with John, and since I knew he is a great brass player with access to a lot of instruments, I asked him if he could perform the part live. He managed to get a great tone on his cornet and also loosened up the timing of the part a bit to make it flow better. All in all, this came out quite different but also quite similar to the original. Hope you like this take on another SoM classic!"

Just as Guifrog's piece delivers on the "footsteps" in ITS title, we've got real, actual whispers aplenty in this mix, which did end up giving me a 90s/Enigma vibe, but enough time has passed that what might have seemed kitsch now seems relevantly retro. As a confession, I bought Deep Forest's "Sweet Lullaby" as a CD single, back in the day :) The jazzy, almost film noir cornet tempers that aesthetic a bit, and sounds fantastic; french horn is fairly different from trumpet/cornet, so good on John for being a versatile brassophile. The vocals are ethereal and well-blended; JoyDreamer (Anne Marie Joy Jørgensen) writes:

"It's always a pleasure working with Jorrith on his arrangements. So much thought, idea exchanges, and precision go into the process and it just goes to show that with so much effort, you can make something truly amazing. I was really happy to be part of the project and I think of it as a great way to show our appreciation of the good old classic games. Let's keep the music alive."

We're certainly trying! Mr. Stacy adds:

"This was my second time to record cornet as a replacement for trumpet, and it actually worked out. This time I used a French horn mouthpiece and adapter to make a much more mellow sound than I think I could get with a standard cornet."

Interesting; as a (mediocre at best) euphonium player, French horn mouthpieces always seemed impossibly tiny to me... I didn't even know they made adapters like this. Very mellow sound, adds a ton to the mix, and the part in general makes the piece more interesting & blurs some genre lines. Ethereal, enveloping, and super-chill, this is another engrossing gem of an arrangement off of Resonance of the Pure Land; congrats to the MANY artists who made it happen and to Jorrith & Mike especially for pulling something truly special together!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 8 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
avaris
on 2017-12-16 12:45:48
On 12/14/2017 at 1:17 AM, timaeus222 said:

I mean, I get the intent of the whispered vocals, but I would rather they were simply sung, y'know? Kinda awkward that they were whispered loudly. Otherwise I think the vocals actually make sense here and DO aid the soundscape.

Completely agree!

The spoken word comes off more cheesy than evocative. The problem with whispering, and telling someone to listen to whispers is just a bit odd. The whisper at a really loud volume makes it feel as if the vocalist is literally in your face whispering; which is usually never pleasant.

The sung vocals are pretty cool, more jazzy than ethereal, which gives the track this cool hybrid vibe.

avatar
Jorito
on 2017-12-16 06:30:57
5 hours ago, DimeTower said:

So I actually love Enigma, and I'm forced to agree that the whispered lyrics actually distract me from the track, but let's be clear - the track is wonderful, and I'm a big fan of what the remixers went for with this effort. It's almost like they could have been separate songs. But I hope this doesn't discourage the remixer from trying something so beautifully ethereal in the future. I definitely give props to the idea and most of the execution!

Don't worry, I am used to not everybody liking remixes with lyrics and vocals in them, but that won't stop me from making others if I feel like it. Thanks for the constructive criticism and tone (also from others in this thread), it's better than the sometimes vocal complainers that ask me how I dare ruin cult classics with vocals.

See you in the next vocal track ;)

avatar
DimeTower
on 2017-12-16 00:58:20

So I actually love Enigma, and I'm forced to agree that the whispered lyrics actually distract me from the track, but let's be clear - the track is wonderful, and I'm a big fan of what the remixers went for with this effort. It's almost like they could have been separate songs. But I hope this doesn't discourage the remixer from trying something so beautifully ethereal in the future. I definitely give props to the idea and most of the execution!

avatar
timaeus222
on 2017-12-14 01:17:22

I mean, I get the intent of the whispered vocals, but I would rather they were simply sung, y'know? Kinda awkward that they were whispered loudly. Otherwise I think the vocals actually make sense here and DO aid the soundscape.

avatar
lemnlime
on 2017-12-13 19:13:15

I'm gonna have to disagree about the previously made complaints about the vocals. I actually liked them because of how they add to the chillness of the track. One of my fave tracks from the album

avatar
WesternZypher
on 2017-12-07 17:47:28

Would've liked this much more but for those vocals. I can see if it was artist intent to convey a certain sort of noir/nostalgia cheesiness (like a really bad love scene montage from an 80's flick or something) but played seriously, it really grates.

avatar
Fudd
on 2017-12-07 00:24:59

Honestly, I liked everything about the track except the vocals lyrics. It feels way too distracting and forced in, what has always been to me, a very calming (thus mantra) track. Whisper and Mantra never struck me as a track that needed words. Whispers of the forest, maybe.

avatar
Liontamer
on 2017-12-04 01:08:52

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Secret of Mana (Square , 1993, SNES)
Music by Hiroki Kikuta
Songs:
"Whisper and Mantra"

Tags (14)


Genre:
Ambient,Downtempo,Jazz
Mood:
Chill,Mellow
Instrumentation:
Choir,Sound FX,Trumpet,Vocals: Female,Vocals: Male,Vocals: Voice Acting
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original
Origin > Collaboration
Production > Live Instruments

File Information


Name:
Secret_of_Mana_Whispers_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
7,223,230 bytes
MD5:
97dc9209a8e21f6f9efa33d41ff2733e
Bitrate:
240Kbps
Duration:
3:57

Whisper
Whisper
Whisper

The whisper in your ear
whispers in your mind

The whisper in your heart
whispers in your soul

The purity inside
No doubt within your mind

Your path is set
The mantra guides
your way...

Whisper
Whisper

The whisper in your ear
whispers in your soul

The whisper in your heart
The mantra guides
your way...

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