ReMix:Donkey Kong Country "The teCtonic reCords" 6:10

Justin Tense resurfaces like a magnificent cicada for his third title-scrambled featured ReMix, focusing his attention on the DKC credits theme with a chill-yet-warm ambient EDM take:

"Hey, guys, it's been a while. 6 years and 3 months to be exact since I emailed through my last track!

Where does time go? Loved ones have passed away, my girlfriend turned into my fiancée, and Manchester United still can't beat Chelsea away from home...

As humans age, the paths they traverse will vary greatly. Forks appear upon the roads we tread, enticing, daring, and manipulating us to venture to unknown territories in this evolving journey we call life.

So, for all this uncertainty, it's always good to have a constant. Something that, no matter where life takes you, serves its purpose to help you appreciate the beauty of every interaction. For me, this constant has always been the music of David Wise.

The Donkey Kong Country soundtrack still to me is the pinnacle of gaming music. I purchased a SNES Classic Mini when it got released here in Australia a few months ago and just finished my playthrough of DKC. The second I heard "The Credits Concerto" track, I knew I had to remix it.

So, here it is... see you in 2023."

Whether it's past, present, or future Tense, I dig it. I enjoyed reading Justin's words; I find myself thinking more & more about the path(s) of life, how our thoughts, actions, friends, & family change with us. It's good to see a familiar name pop up after so long, and I imagine for many the music of DKC and Wise in particular serve as reassuring constants in a chaotic world. The credits theme isn't the most unique of the game's pieces, but fosters a sense of fond recollection for the game itself very effectively; if it's possible to be nostalgic for a game AS SOON as you've finished it, this is the type of melody that amplifies those emotions. There's a fair amount of repetition to the EDM skeleton of beats, a static bass, and a thick kick, but that's because it stays out of the way and lets the cross-delayed pluck patterns, ambient pads, and crystalline lead shine & shimmer. A daydream on wheels; more ambient fairy tale than dance fare, perhaps, with the undulating kick/bass pulse as a heartbeat. Liontamer writes:

"...this was a subdued but substantive interpretation of the source. There were extended portions of original writing over the top of explicit chord progressions from the source, but as long as that stuff's used directly from the source, that's OK with me and valid source usage. The track may feel overlong, but it's meant to just coast along and there's enough subtle contrast here to make it clear that the track developed and evolved. Nice to hear Justin back at it once again!"

Agreed; this is a great homage that's subtle and deliberate but achieves a serene, warm, & familiar vibe that channels the original into something new. Enjoy!