ReMix:Golden Sun "I'm Golden, Son!" 3:04

Golden Pun ;) We continue our fiery journey through A World Reignited with this mega-collab from album director TSori and a potent posse of powerful performers, as the "Battle! (Saturos)" theme gets a horn section-infused rock jam modeled after 70's cop show themes - which sounds bloody brilliant, and is. TSori (Logan Thomas) spills the beans:

"I claimed "Battle! Saturos" without any idea what I was going to do with it. I chose it for a few simple reasons. The original is one of my favorite themes in any video game. There are a lot of great "Battle! Saturos" remixes out there, but they're all metal. I wanted to make sure it was something different this time. Lastly, my first couple of remixes, while a lot of fun, were really quite tame. I wanted to do one where I'd have to push some limits, and, as my college band director would have said (very disapprovingly), "be a hero."

I spent a couple of weeks trying to figure out what to do with the tune and then inspiration came in the form of the end credits music from Iron Man 3: a big, loud, brassy, tune with a driving rock feel, which was actually based on the style of '70s cop show themes. When the source tune plays in the game, Saturos has elected to fight your party by himself with essentially one hand tied behind his back. Yet, he's extremely confident that you're no match for him. He's clearly the best his people have to offer and he knows it. A loud, brassy, '70s cop show theme-style remix seemed like the perfect way to capture that sort of ostentatious and unrestrained self-confidence.

I simplified the main melody quite a bit to get a more powerful feel and filled the remix with hard-hitting brass. True to my plan to push my limits, I wrote a trumpet part that was higher than I could actually play. It took a solid four months of practice to add the extra couple notes I needed onto the top of my range.

Once I had the arrangement together, it was time to find people to play it. I could spend all day writing about how much I appreciated each individual's contribution to this, but suffice it to say, Siolfor, Danny, John, tibone, StormSkuggan, all did absolutely incredible work. This was the first collaboration of this size I have done, and it was amazing to watch all these parts come together from so many talented musicians. Thanks, guys!

The last thing that I have to mention is the title. When I was just getting the album started, I watched a lot of walk-throughs. In one video in particular, the speaker was explaining how to solve a puzzle and finished his directions with the phrase "and once you do that, you're golden, son"..... Then he just moved on as if he didn't realize what he said! Well, I got a good laugh out of just how awesomely stupid that pun was, and I knew I had the perfect name for this remix. It fit the style of music and the character, the kind of character who could exist in this game, look you in the eye, and with absolute seriousness say, "I'm golden, son.""

• TSori: arrangement, trumpets
• dannymusic: trombones
• JohnStacy: French horn
• Hank "The Spank Tank" Jankerson: saxophones
• Siolfor the Jackal: electric guitar
• tibone: bass
• StormSkuggan: drum & organ sequencing, mixing

Slightly demotivational side story: I actually quit playing trumpet in high school because I just couldn't hit high notes, no matter how much I practiced, and I was then relegated into the obscure, fascinating, & more forgiving world of... the euphonium. TSori spent four months extending the upper register just for this mix, and if that ain't dedication, I don't know what is. Being a mega-collab, one question is always how well the parts are integrated & work together, but that box is thoroughly checked, and the result is a fun-filled brass-rock romp oozing with bravado & panache. Siolfor the Jackal adds:

"I had a lot of fun playing the guitar for this track, something completely out of my comfort zone since I'm usually a rock/metal guy. The guitar parts TSori wrote were a good mix of fun and challenge, a good learning experience for me too. I'm proud I got to be a part of such a rad track."

StormSkuggan (Joakim Stenmark) chimes in as well:

"This was the first time I got to collaborate on a remix. It was a really fun and refreshing feeling to not worry about composition and just focus on making everything sound as best as I could. Which I must say was a much smoother process than I thought thanks to excellent musicianship from everyone. Plus, I got to lay down some sweet Hammond organ and drums too."

For a first a collab, this one's quite a juggernaut :) XPRTNovice offered a quick eval:

"The opening slayed me. The first like 15s are so good. Overall this piece is great, I love the blending of the different styles. Really unique sort of song that I can't even really compare to anything except maybe a track off the Rocky OST that was accidentally dosed with 1970s funk?"

Sign me up, Adrian. Given TSori is the album director, it's not surprising that there's so much great brass on these mixes, but it sure is welcome; this track is a particularly good example, but there's trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, sax, & more all over the place, really, and it's resplendent. Any world that's reignited in the absence of a killer horn section ain't *really* on fire, right? From the successful mega-collab production to the title-with-backstory to the infectious groove & 70's funk infusion, this mix is 24 karat magic.