ReMix:2064: Read Only Memories "Saturated Media" 4:51

Our first mix from newcomer MET∆TRON (Richard Heule III) is also our first arrangement of 2 Mello's soundtrack to cyberpunk adventure 2064: Read Only Memories, featuring a smooth R&B ballad take on "Media Blues":

"This was made for the Pixel Mixers album, The Great Tale of the Little Ones Vol. 2, which was a tribute to indie games from the last few years. However, this version is a slightly different mix, along with an extended solo at the end. I chose 2064: Read Only Memories because it's a super good game with a super good soundtrack. The song itself was inspired by old R&B sounds along with the TR-808. I wanted to take the original song and make it sound more sterile and "corporate," while giving it some kind of soul."

Incidentally, of our 4000+ mixes, this MP3 now alpha-sorts to the tippy top, right above UV Sir J's legendary 3D Pinball mix - good company to keep. There's a little intro vocal drama that will no doubt resonate with those who've played the game, then we get to a silky smooth jam featuring warm, clean EP, a funky monoglide synth, a ballad 808 kit that reminds me of Milli Vanilli's "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" (controversy aside, they still had some great tracks!), and a bunch of polish/detail touches like accompanying synth plucks & chip-style flourishes. It'd have been absolutely silky, solid stuff regardless, but Richard really sells it with the extended synth solo in the third minute, reaching up into the higher octaves for some joy. Quite nice. Judges were unanimous; I liked Emunator's take in particular:

"This is a really nifty fusion track that marries some of the signature 80's and 90's synth and drum sounds that are distinctly R&B with a mixdown and pacing that evokes the same lazy, hazy qualities I'd expect from a vaporwave arrangement. I was skeptical about how you would stretch this out to nearly 5 minutes, but just on gut intuition, it never felt like things were repetitive just for the sake of padding, and it felt like the length was justified. The lead synth solos kept the melodies fresh, despite being too forward in the mix, and the rest of the supporting instrumentation all brings something warm and nostalgic to the mix. Love those chiffed synths especially!"

I'd say this uses its five minutes rather well, and (especially with the soloing) always has something going on to differentiate sections & keep things moving. The 80's verb applied gives everything a shared space, and in general I think the artist has done a superb job blending complementary elements & setting them in a relaxed, cohesive context that still gets funky, and more than once. Great concept & execution for a smooth jam interpretation of a modern indie OST... I applied the coveted "sexy" tag in our database, and I take that one pretty seriously. Excellent stuff, thanks to MET∆TRON for sending it our way!