ReMix:Earthworm Jim "City of Lost Things" 2:27

Another challenger enters the ring as BadAss: Paragons & Renegades enjoys a visit from Earthworm Jim and this "Junkit" ReMix from Justin Lassen, who slows Tallarico's original down and injects a more cinematic/industrial vibe:

"Earthworm Jim was first brought to my attention in the early 2000s from my friend and kindred spirit, Tommy Tallarico. He scored the video game and our circles crossed so many paths over the years. I met him before the existence of G.A.N.G., Video Games Live, and his new Amico/Intellivision revival when he was still heavily scoring all kinds of projects under Tommy Tallarico Studios (I still have his CD-R business card from back in the day!). He pulled up in a yellow sports car with a custom Video Games license plate at a DTS 6.1 surround project I was mixing at the time and he had the best attitude ever! So I got to help mix his remix and stems even back then! So I took on this remix as a tribute to him in a way from my heart to his awesomeness and fantastic work over the last 2 decades! It's upbeat, exciting, and a lot of fun! I hope that I have done the theme justice for him and the fans of this now-retro run-and-gun platformer! I wanted to do a more visceral, straight-to-the-point rock with electro elements kind of version that ticks all the right bells. I had a lot of fun working on this remix! I even got to use my own loops from my own custom Black Fox Society loop library!

Tommy's been a presence in & advocate for VGM for a loooong time; very cool that Justin contributed this track to the album as a personal homage. I remember briefly hanging out with Tommy in Philly back in June of 2006, when VGL was just getting started, and his enthusiasm for game music & gaming in general is a huge/genuine part of his personality. This mix takes a lot of textural cues from the source, but slows it down and makes it a darker, less-funky affair, which album director David L. Puga picked up on:

"Earthworm Jim, the gritty cyberpunk reboot. That's what this track conjures up in my mind. It's industrial badassedness with a smooth spy flair, it's the theme to the Earthworm Jim game we all want... Jim as the deadly cybernetically enhanced beast that he is, throwing cows around with his bare hands and zooming around space! Oh, yeah, it's a space opera too!"

Co-director Pavos adds:

"Wait, this isn't how I remember Earthworm Jim! Not that there isn't much to recognise here; there's a lot of the EWJ vibe in here, but it's much rawer than that! It's the industrialised Earthworm Jim, with a raged out Peter Puppy calling the shots! The production value on this track is really great and Justin makes some great transitions throughout the track. Rock on, Earthworm Jim!"

Agreed; this mix makes me think a dark/gritty EWJ reboot could actually work, such is the persuasion & production of the groove. Great to welcome Justin aboard, & another surprise and unexpected gem from BadAss: Paragons & Renegades!!