ReMix:Dance Dance Revolution Extreme "Epic Steps" 3:54

Tonalysis (Jeff Morrow) debuts on OCR with a suspenseful EDM take on "Sync" from DDR Extreme:

"Frequently, fans discover artists through OC ReMix. In my case, I discovered OC ReMix by first discovering zircon through Pandora. After learning the basics of how to use FL Studio, and taking a few lessons from zircon himself, I decided to try my hand at remixing. I'm a long-time DDR fan, so I decided to pick my favorite DDR tune, "Sync," as my first submission. This is (another) resubmission based on previous comments by OC ReMix judges, a new revision of my previous remix based on lots of good feedback. My goal was to take the track and make it even more epic. Thanks for considering my remix."

While some of the synth leads in this mix hit me a little dry/untreated, there's a strong sense of momentum & development, and Jeff did a good job of incorporating panel feedback across revisions; MindWanderer writes:

"No surprise from me - I liked the previous version well enough to pass it, and there's no question that this version is even stronger. The parts I mentioned that I liked before but that were too quiet to be heard well have all been addressed, and yep, I like them even better now. Overall it's mixed maybe a little bit more quietly than I think was necessary, but it can't simply be made louder without causing the overcrowding in 2:58-3:11 that was an issue before. Very nice work."

I like how the groove here develops from chill & laid-back into something with a more energetic pulse, and then some of the subsequent breakdowns have a nice ambient shimmer to them. The ascending key changes take some getting used to, but also echo the "steps" in the mix title, i.e. convey rising intensity/stakes. From a production perspective, especially on the lead synths, this takes me back a bit to OCR's earlier days, but never in a bad way. It's been almost eight years since our last DDR mix, so it's also good to see a series so closely associated with its music back on the homepage. Kudos to Tonalysis on the successful revisions & debut mixpost!