ReMix:Battletoads in Battlemaniacs "Toadwise" 4:00

Clockwise, counter-clockwise, or - if you're feeling amphibious - "Toadwise," as Mazedude (Christopher Getman) hits us with a fun, funky, standalone chiptune/9-bit take on the title theme from Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (SNES):

"Good day! Mazedude here, and I'm very happy to report that, for the first time in a very long time, I have a "just for fun" remix! Not attached to a project, not a commission piece, not something from an existing album, but a true nostalgia piece from a game that meant a lot to me as a kid.

I love the game Battletoads in Battlemaniacs. In general, I tend to love any game that takes the time and effort to make each level unique, and the SNES sequel to the original Battletoads did that in an amazing way. Every stage had a whole unique set of enemies, strategies, and of course, challenging high-speed pieces that you pretty much had to memorize in order to get past. It was hard, but I enjoyed every minute of the challenge.

Musically, the SNES soundtrack was built on some fairly cheesy SNES-style electric guitar and SNES-rock samples, but the tunes themselves - by none other than the legendary David Wise - were catchy, and, after beating the game several times, they got in my head. As for this remix, I actually started this 2 years ago on my birthday, with ambitions to make a whole 9-bit interpretation of the original score. (I may still do that at some point.) I got a great start, and then I got stuck... listening to the first couple minutes every once in a while with the thought of "Man, I have to finish that some day" echoing in the brain.

Fast-forward to 2020, and during a short vacay at a B&B in the middle of COVID, I pushed through the block, and finally finished it!

I'd also like to add that my 40th birthday, 2 years after the day that I started this remix, marks the launch of my 2nd ever Kickstarter campaign, this time for the Words and Verses project. With all humility, I'd like to invite you to check out the campaign!

Phew, well this remix has been a long time coming, and was actually quite challenging to mix and master considering the number of layers and the 9-bit aspect, but I'm very happy with the end result. I also love that this is truly a nostalgia piece, from a game that brings back a LOT of memories. I even went so far, back in the day, as to force my best friend to learn the game with me, and on one majestic day we actually beat the game together! (Given the fact that if one of you dies, you both die, this was actually extremely difficult to pull off.)"

Chris forgoes the tracker aesthetic & keeps this one chiptunier throughout, with a slower groove that offers up lower-key funkiness. Definitely check out his Words and Verses kickstarter - even if you're 110% secular like me, the prospect of original Mazedude music inspired by a variety of ancient narratives sounds compelling. I remember many, many moons ago, I think at an Otakon panel but maybe MAG, Chris warned of the dangers of album projects getting in the way of individual, "just-for-fun" mixes like this... a valid concern, but I'm glad to see that we're both still getting it done :) Highlght for me was probably the bass breakdown/noodling at 2'16", which lets the surprisingly agile-but-beefy low end show some moves - quality stuff. Generally speaking the vibe stays pretty constant throughout and there aren't too many surprises per se, but it's all about the layered chip goodness & relaxed funk groove. Enjoy!