ReMix:Final Fantasy VI "Terra: [Magitek Perfect]" 3:29

We're back from another great MAGFest; thanks for coming out to our panels, those who attended! OceansAndrew actually started this mix as part of a "how to mix" panel from MAG 2017, and polished it up afterwards for release. You've got a high-energy drum n' bass mashup of two classic FF6 themes, with some nice chip touches courtesy of Super Audio Cart:

"This started as a fun track that was mixed live at one of the OverClocked ReMix panels at MAGfest in 2017, and while I didn't finish the entire thing that day, what I had started felt really cool and dynamic, so I finished it out. It features a drum and bass backing with a Super Audio Cart lead, and some string stabs. Later on I added some classic Uematsu organ backing to really give it a classic Final Fantasy flavor.

Initially I was trying to mix Terra's theme with Celes's theme, but it wasn't working like I wanted it to, so instead, I combined it with the FF6 boss battle. Not only did the two themes mesh together well (best example of this is at 2:47), but it also gave the song a different narrative feel.

This definitely has a badass fighting feel to it, and you could imagine it being the backing track of an intense FF6 anime fight or something. I hope people get pumped up listening to this."

Significant other & judge DragonAvenger writes:

"Terra is very determined here, which is a fresh take to me on a theme that has been heard a lot of different ways. Having heard this from the inception of the "How to ReMix" panel to final form I can say there was a lot of revision time put into this, including being worked on during our honeymoon cruise! I thought the transition into the Decisive Battle was pretty seamless and helped keep the energy going strong. Similarly, the synth countermelodies on top were neat. The combination of the two themes at the end is really creative (I might have helped there, so I'm biased). The organ runs definitely are a straight call out to Uematsu and made me realize how often he used that effect; I was reminded both FF7 and FF8 battle themes as well in that section."

It's an interesting combo; both of these sources are elaborate & rich enough to provide inspiration/material for hundreds of fantastic arrangements on their own, as we've seen over the years, so on paper it might seem like combining them would result in melodic or structural overkill. Andrew dodges that by letting them trade off and by keeping things agile & frisky with the pacing. He's been constantly improving his EDM game, and I dig the builds, drops, & general crispness to the production - those chip leads really sing/soar, and the trailing pitch slides down are a nice ornamental touch. String stabs inject an extra bit of excitement and flesh out the sound palette with a non-synth element, and the transitions are tight & keep things rolling. I was impressed with this mix when Andrew walked us through it during our convention panel, and was enthusiastic about him developing it into something he'd feel confident submitting. Fast forward a bit, and it passed the judges panel unanimously & delivers on the promise of the original sketch/framework. Great stuff from OceansAndrew which blends two popular & substantive themes from one of the great 16-bit OSTs into an energetic jam you can and should get pumped up to!