ReMix:Donkey Kong Country "Terror Plant" 5:50

By CrimzonWolf777

Arranging the music of one song...

"Fear Factory"

Primary Game: Donkey Kong Country (Nintendo , 1994, SNES), music by David Wise, Eveline Novakovic, Robin Beanland

Posted 2017-12-28, evaluated by the judges panel


Been a while! CrimzonWolf777 (Damon Barlow) follows up his debut Super Metroid ReMix from June of 2013 with a straightforward & enjoyable trance take on "Fear Factory" from DKC:

"I really couldn't think of a clever title for this, so I went with "Terror Plant" because power plants and I imagined what Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong would feel like being two monkeys in a factory (haha). As far as inspiration, I really like trance music. Hearing the original song, I really felt like it screamed of a trancey (Is that a word? LOL) type feel. So, this came to be. This is actually my 3rd and final take at remaking this song. My last take was back in 2009. Hope you all enjoy this song!"

Definitely some familiar staple trance elements here, like the saw pattern circa 3'51" for instance, but I like that Damon added in the second crunchier, guitarish synth lead at 3'08" - the handoff between these two lead parts was definitely a highlight, for me, and helped elevate the track above some of the more dated/expected elements. Gario sums things up well:

"Ooo, we're going with a more classic approach - straight up, unabashed four-to-the-floor trance, even with those layered saws toward the end. The sound design works, but I do feel many of the instruments are pretty vanilla (especially the layered saw that starts at 3:51). The production works well enough, though I do hear some overcompression that occurs when everything comes together.

To be honest, this sounds like a classic OCR track from ~2008 rather than something that is normally produced here today. It's a close call, since the crowding that happens in the track is certainly an issue, but I think it edges past our bar with the nice pacing, the expansions on the theme present and the overall phat beats."

My thoughts precisely; modern EDM production (even in 2008, but less commonly) would tend to apply sidechaining and more aggressive EQ to make everything pop, giving the kick more of a solid whack + sub thump & the highs a bit more sizzle. Chimpazilla also suggested a wider stereo spread and more motion/panning overall, which I think is spot-on. There's a reason those techniques became more ubiquitous, and I do think they help make EDM instrumentals more dynamic & more interesting, so it's not strictly just a question of older vs. newer aesthetics, but I also agree with Greg that what's here is good, production is otherwise solid, and the arrangement does a nice job fleshing things out, in particular with them synth solos. It's awesome to be featuring Damon's work after a four-year hiatus, and I'm digging his take on this treasured classic. I'd love to see him up his already strong game with some modern production techniques to add that extra level of polish, because the foundation here is excellent. Good stuff, looking forward to the next!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 4 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2023-11-05 01:31:45

I really liked how this ReMix started with the melody mostly true to the source and then continue to expand and morph as the mix went on, feeling more and more unique. Solid trance mix with a great beat.

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sebu
on 2018-04-10 14:25:58

This little beauty sneaked in and became by far the single most loved mix I have ever listend to here. Man I love you for this!

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Ybrik Metaknight
on 2018-01-02 11:06:45

So the mixpost doesn't direct to this thread, so that's weird...

What isn't weird is this mix. Trance is an odd genre for me; I'm not super into most of the electronica-related genres, preferring more organic sounds most of the time, but for some reason trance tends to grab me more. Still, I'm never quite sure what to expect when I start listening to a mix like this, particularly on a source material that has not only been covered pretty extensively but has actually been done in this style before.

I needn't have worried, because this one rocks. I found myself sort of dancing in my chair in my little office at work. Probably my favorite treatment of this source material, and definitely will go into my trance VGM playlists.

avatar
Liontamer
on 2017-12-27 15:40:34

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Donkey Kong Country (Nintendo , 1994, SNES)
Music by David Wise,Eveline Novakovic,Robin Beanland
Songs:
"Fear Factory"

Tags (9)


Genre:
EDM,Trance
Mood:
Energetic
Instrumentation:
Bells,Electronic,Piano,Synth
Additional:
Effects > Distortion
Time > 4/4 Time Signature

File Information


Name:
Donkey_Kong_Country_Terror_Plant_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
8,500,113 bytes
MD5:
5f1d1181cd0bf6a818910dd6aa08c5b0
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
5:50

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