ReMix:The Legend of Heroes V: A Cagesong of the Ocean "Take It Easy" 3:57

Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy - take it easy, with some provincial bossa nova, as Jorito (Jorrith Schaap) collaborates with Gamer of the Winds & prophetik music for this mellow, reflective arrangement of Legend of Heroes V (localized as 3!), off of Hometown Heroes: Town Themes Arranged:

"I finished my first contribution to album fairly quickly, and despite a crazy busy schedule, I couldn't help but do another track, simply because I like the concept so much. The aforementioned crazy schedule made a simpler track a necessity, and I've always wanted to try my hand at some bossa nova, for the simple reason of not having made a bossa nova track before.

Genre settled, I browsed YouTube for a suitable source track. I stumbled upon the first village track from Falcom's Legend of Heroes 3: Song of the Ocean, a game I played a lot on my PSP. Since the game music was catchy and I'm a long time fan of Falcom's music (going back to early 90s, yikes!), it was an easy choice and the arrangement came together quickly.

I always knew I wanted live performances for the lead instruments in this track. I quickly settled on flute to take the lead in this track, but I also wanted another lead instrument, something that could interplay with and complement the flute part. After some deliberation, I felt a saxophone would fit the bill just perfectly and would work great in the overall soundscape. As luck would have it, I knew exactly who would be able to deliver a great performance and on short notice. After reaching out to Gregory (Gamer of the Winds) and BRAD (prophetik music; and, don't look at me, he signs his messages like that) to see if they would be game, they immediately liked the concept and were on board. They both delivered great performances, and their parts really shine in the otherwise sparse track. It was also a great excuse to record myself on kalimba and shakers, because live recordings are better and more fun than MIDI.

All in all, I really like how it came out, despite it being a pretty simple song (just 10 tracks rather than the usual 50+!). Can't help but chill out after listening to it, and to me it definitely invokes the warm, fuzzy, relaxed feelings of home."

prophetik music (Bradley Burr) adds:

"I got to know Jorito a bit during our work on the Chrono Cross project, and I really enjoyed his eye for detail, his interesting adaptations of themes that I'd not have expected, and his work ethic and speed of response. He contacted me recently to record the second lead for this song, and I immediately said yes once I heard the WIP. I've always enjoyed the bossa nova style as a saxophonist - Woody Herman and Stan Getz are some of my favorite musicians! - so this was right in my wheelhouse. Jorrith sent over a version with live flute from Gamer of the Winds, and, within a few hours of me sending over my parts, he had a solid demo that was pretty close to done. I hope everyone enjoys it!"

Super-relaxing, spot-on for conjuring familial/homeward feels, and the live performances on flute & sax add a ton of depth & warmth. This is critical, since the backing string pads would potentially come off a little cold/static otherwise. Gario says it best:

"So calm, but then again on an album that's all about them hometowns I suppose that isn't a surprise. It's very nice, hearing the Costa Del Sol approach being taken on this one when the source had more of a chilled, peasant sound to it. Not too much to say - everyone did a great job on this. Great work!"

I was really happy to see less-represented RPGs & themes on Hometown Heroes, but that wouldn't have mattered all that much if the arrangements/production didn't deliver on the concept's promise. I'm thrilled with how everything turned out, and this Legend of Heroes mix in particular stands as an enjoyable & mellow but still creative & emotional gem. Bravo!