ReMix:Metroid Prime "Cradle of the Chozo" 4:14

If you somehow missed the Harmony of a Hunter Returns news from last week: it's real, and it's spectacular. We've got another featured track from another judge & ReMixer, as prophetik music (Brad Burr) turns in a cinematic/ambient/synthwave take on "Artifact Temple" from Metroid Prime:

"hey, everyone. =D this is the first of two tracks i wrote for Shinesparkers' album.

Darren contacted me in august of last year about possibly doing a track or two for his site's album celebrating 35 years of Metroid and the tenth anniversary of the original Harmony of a Hunter album (which i contributed two tracks to as well). i spent a bit of time thinking about what tracks were available and settled on this one for my first contribution. i loved the original's ethereal quality and really enjoyed the way it played into the level itself.

i approached this specifically wanting to do more sound design than i usually do on a remix, and wound up spending quite a bit of time just working with pads and ambiance to get started. i tried overall to keep the energy level down more to reflect the original's feel, and tried to also incorporate some of the techniques used by Celldweller on his album Offworld - lots of intensity and a driving, heavy beat, but a very low-key presentation that never really gets loud. i've been listening to a lot of synthwave recently and wound up combining all these elements into this track."

My inner musical sommelier detected hints of synthwave; Brad does a great job describing the track & giving you a feel for it, and the added emphasis on sound design comes through, with an especially nice distortion bloom to close the track out. Rexy evaluated:

"The time I've spent re-acquainted with Brad over the past two years made me understand his perceptions of theory and sonic explorations, so it made sense for him to test himself when drafted in for the new HoaH offering. I went A-B with the title track from Celldweller's Offworld album and did indeed sense similar techniques - the pulsing 8th-note bass, understated drums, reverb-heavy leads, and envelope-heavy sustains. Add on top an ethereal mixdown emphasizing the lower frequency range and a side-order of layered mellow synths, and we've got ourselves a soundscape befitting of the game's sci-fi setting.

Much like Gario's submission from before, this is another track where the entire loop didn't get used. Not like it mattered, as Brad still took the time to change up the rest. He re-structured the pacing so he could effectively switch from 6/4 to 6/8 on the fly, changed the key to better fit those Celldweller inspirations, made subtle changes to the chord structure, and went with distinct textural and melodic variations in both source run-throughs. I usually associate Brad with using classical writing techniques to demonstrate changes - and that did indeed bode true here on top of his rare step to writing for synthesizers. It's definitely worth the (absolutely free) price of admission!"

What Bev said; I'm used to a fairly organic touch from Brad, but he's been blending more & more electronic/synthetic textures into his work, perhaps culminating in this very atmospheric piece which primarily flies under the radar with a suspenseful, cinematic vibe, but eventually opens up a bit into a beat towards the end. Great stuff from Brad and one of *many* superb contributions to Harmony of a Hunter Returns!!