ReMix:Skies of Arcadia "Shining Silver" 4:08

By Sam Dillard

Arranging the music of one song...

"Great Silver Shrine"

Primary Game: Skies of Arcadia (Sega , 2000, DC), music by Tatsuyuki Maeda, Yutaka Minobe

Posted 2018-12-28, evaluated by Liontamer


Wow. Channeling a deliberately epic scope and grandeur that hits me like a modern update of Ottorino Respighi, this symphonic arrangement from Sam Dillard off of Arcadia Legends is, in a word, breathtaking; there's a scale to the width and layering of the ensembles, combined with a slower pace, that feels monumental. His own solo albums are amazing and do use the word "Cinematica," which feels spot-on.

"For this track, I wasn't too concerned with trying to stick super close to the original song, but rather make a new one with the same DNA. But the main point was trying to evoke the overall feeling of Skies of Arcadia as a whole, which has a very whimsical and big, adventurous tone. So, since I was only doing one piece for this album, in a way, I wanted this song to also represent some of the bigger symphonic feelings found across the soundtrack."

"Adventurous" almost sounds too small; this feels more... geologic. Seismic. Something natural in its awe and power, and beyond the interactions of individuals and agendas. The type of piece you could write about something like a planet, or a supercluster. Album director Darkflamewolf concurs:

"This track was very dear to my heart and I wanted a uniquely different remixer to tackle it. I was always a fan of Sam Dillard and made the attempt to reach out to him. In a surprising twist, he was in between projects and agreed to do it! Although the original song was an odd, quirky song with carefree whimsy and light-hearted flair, his orchestral take deepened the feeling of wonder and awe that the original should have had without removing the light-hearted emotion. This bombastically reserved piece truly captures what it would be like to be on the Great Silver Shrine orbiting in space, staring at the majesty of your planet slowly spinning below - the ultimate destination in the sky every pirate dreams to go. A moment of nostalgia forever burned into my psyche from playing this game."

This is the type of music Carl or Neil could narrate over while they teach you some space things, but you'd want them to keep it brief, because you also wanna hear the music, and they *would* keep it brief, because they're cool and want you to hear the music as well. Yeah. I've always loved everything Sam has sent us and rarely have any reservations of note... and the trend continues. However, I'm used to hearing his work at faster tempos, and the director's comment about this being "bombastically reserved" isn't an oxy-moron, but an accurate description of the slower, deliberate pace contrasted with towering oomph & proportion. I don't have a beef with the American overuse of "awesome" like some folk do, but I will say that when the word is truly warranted, it sometimes ends up feeling insufficient as a result. Rephrased: this is worthy of some awe, and a standout track on Arcadia Legends. Kudos to Sam for his well-deserved success & props to him for taking a break between projects to lend this album a grand vision!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 4 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
CJthemusicdude
on 2024-04-30 14:48:13

What an adventure! That ultimate crescendo at 3:27 was incredible! Very well done, this remix was supremely good!

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MusicHunter
on 2018-12-29 08:50:02

Damn what can i say bout this track the start just builds up to the epic over all tone and it just makes me wanna listen to the whole thing day in and out and when i saw this was by sam dillard i was FLOORED he has created just a master piece AGAIN and i will definately forever back him and all his projects he will ever make!

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Darkflamewolf
on 2018-12-28 21:14:56

What can I say? I truly lucked out with @Sam Dillard. Back when I was first recruiting for the album during year 1 of the project, I was literally taking shots in the dark. I was going down the alphabet of the Remixer roster on the forums and sending messages out (5 at a time per day, since that was a limit, it was painful). 90% never got back to me, the other 5% weren't interested and then there were the remaining 5% that agreed to the project It was to my great shock and surprise when Sam Dillard responded back saying he had fixated on the Great Silver Shrine track. Since he was inbetween projects, he was more than willing to help us out.

I believe I had originally tapped @Platonist for the track, but after several false starts and real life creeping in, he had to bow out. So it was definitely a stroke of luck when Sam Dillard rolled in and created something completely unique with the piece. As stated in his commentary for the track, he took the essence of the original song and turned it into something different, yet recognizable. Unfortunately, he had to get back to his own endeavors shortly after completing the track and could not stick around to polish it up for any faux judges feedback from @Gario or @timaeus222. I still pushed it their way just in case they felt there was anything jarring, but as expected, nothing surfaced and it was pitch perfect the moment Sam turned it in. I have to give a big thanks and kudos to Sam for taking time out of his busy schedule to lend his talents to this album!

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Liontamer
on 2018-12-27 05:16:55

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Skies of Arcadia (Sega , 2000, DC)
Music by Tatsuyuki Maeda,Yutaka Minobe
Songs:
"Great Silver Shrine"

Tags (12)


Genre:
Cinematic,Symphonic
Mood:
Epic,Suspenseful
Instrumentation:
Brass,Choir,Harp,Orchestral,Piano,Strings,Synth,Trumpet
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Skies_of_Arcadia_Shining_Silver_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,846,311 bytes
MD5:
cd22c0e560c420f1dd1b6187ba244efb
Bitrate:
218Kbps
Duration:
4:08
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