ReMix:Pokémon Red Version "Farewell, Beloved Ones" 4:19

By Danilo Ciaffi

Arranging the music of one song...

"Theme of Lavender Town"

Primary Game: Pokémon Red Version (Nintendo , 1996, GB), music by Junichi Masuda

Posted 2020-06-04, evaluated by the judges panel


Danilo Ciaffi follows up a lovely classical debut Twilight Princess mix from last October with this somber, cinematic/post-rock take on "Lavender Town" from Pokémon R/B/Y:

"Here with some melancholic, post-rock "Lavender Town."

With "City of Tears," I realized there is plenty of space in post-rock to integrate with my usual orchestral elements, so I took an attempt to insert more of them this time around. The result is quite a melancholic sound, so I took this path to a less spooky and more of a "death is part of life" alley. Polaris is partly where I got the inspiration from. I liked the texture a lot when I heard it and I thought it would fit nicely in a post-rock mood. I liked to focus more on the part of the story where Cubone is finally free to move on. :)

I hope you'll like it.

This track is done for the Pixel Mixers contest, the month themed "handheld games.""

Really dramatic presentation, here, with distant, jangling guitars, a rich cello part with plenty of vibrato, a scoring/"Thomas Newman" style piano, epic drums that come in after a bit, and a general vibe that channels post-rock, ambient, & cinematic influences all at the same time. Judges were unanimous in digging Danilo's more reflective, even melancholy take on the source - Emunator writes:

"I absolutely adore what you've done here. The Lavender Town melody is recognizable throughout, but the reharmonization presents it in an entirely new light that somehow still manages to work in context of the original game. This remix has so many layers of emotional nuance and keeps me gripped the entire way through. You nailed the post-rock buildup, and although I wanted to hear more of a dramatic climax, this still tells a complete story as-is, and I can't find any serious fault with the execution.

This is an easy pass for me - hope to hear more of this from you in the future!"

Danilo's debut collab with Medllix was excellent, and this follow-up is both a worthy successor & distinct, texturally. Judges were unanimous, with Chimpazilla echoing Wes's comments:

"I love Lavender Town so much, it's creepy on so many levels. You've taken that theme and given it a whole new feel while still keeping it plenty dark. This mix is utterly lovely. The production is fantastic. Love the drums, love the strings. Enjoyable listen and very easy YES."

Really successful example of changing the tone/vibe of a mix while keeping the source easily identifiable and extrapolating new emotions & angles in the process. Another excellent mix from Danilo and one of the better Pokémon arrangements I've heard lately; highly recommended!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 6 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
CJthemusicdude
on 2024-04-12 14:53:55

This is my favorite Lavender town remix that I've heard so far, and that's saying something because the original source tune is insanely popular. This perfectly matches the somber vibe of the town. It kicks off very nicely and is enjoyable to listen to, but once those strings kick in, it goes into overdrive into a sweeping, emotional piece. This was very good!

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Crulex
on 2022-08-18 14:27:31

God, the emotion in this ReMix is super rich and feels a bit sad, but somehow peaceful and hopeful as well, like acceptance after an event. Absolutely gorgeous, especially after the build up when the bit of drum and cello kicks in. This is lovely.

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DarkSim
on 2020-06-09 17:30:25

Mm, this is absolutely beautiful. Nice review from The Damned, I agree with everything. Would love to hear more Pokémon music done like this.

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The Damned
on 2020-06-06 21:25:22

Yeah, this is the style of music that should have been in the game.

The shrill, slightly spooky original set a mood, but this version sets a better one. It's a superior medley, even though it's the same one.

This isn't spooky. This is affirming. It starts off as if entering a foggy town for the first time, light slowly pushing back the haze as you walk down the street. Then it rises up a little, taking the core melody from oddly unsettling to a more waking, coming about felling. Then the big push at 2:40 comes in and the violin overtakes the base theme and pushes it back. This isn't sad anymore. It's melancholy. A little happiness mixed in with the sadness. A ray of sunlight filtering through the clouds overhead. Things will get better.

I do love the pokemon series music, but I also love it when someone takes it do a different place. This version feels far more emotional than the blippy tones of the original GameBoy had.

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Rodok
on 2020-06-04 17:33:46

I enjoyed this quite a bit. The piece is not in hurry and builds nicely.

Bravo!

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Liontamer
on 2020-06-03 23:52:11

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Pokémon Red Version (Nintendo , 1996, GB)
Music by Junichi Masuda
Songs:
"Theme of Lavender Town"

Tags (11)


Genre:
Ambient,Cinematic,Rock
Mood:
Chill,Peaceful,Sad,Solemn
Instrumentation:
Cello,Electric Guitar,Piano
Additional:
Origin > Competition

File Information


Name:
Pokemon_Red_Version_Farewell_Beloved_Ones_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,304,845 bytes
MD5:
67662bbfbb66559bb2f6fd224cb86e53
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:19

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