ReMix:Final Fantasy VI "Terra of the Bells" 2:47

Another year draws to an end, and Argle (Adam Kirby) brings us a short-but-sweet orchestral & new age take on Terra's theme from FF6, off of last year's An OverClocked Christmas v.XIV! This year's version of An OverClocked Christmas is out as well - check out volume 15 at https://williammichael.info/aocc/aoccv15.html! Adam writes:

"Hi, there! Remix of Terra's theme from Final Fantasy 6 with a smattering of "Carol of the Bells" sprinkled in. Created for the OverClocked Christmas XIV album, so it's made to sound Christmas-y.

It's been a minute since I submitted anything or in fact gotten anything finished when it comes to music. In the corner of my mind has always been some sadness because I've truly enjoyed making game remixes over the years, but life and changing hobby priorities have gotten in the way. I've had this specific idea -- do Terra's theme as a Christmas song -- for literal years, and every year I fail to get it done for the OverClocked Christmas album. But I actually got the damn thing done for last year's album! And really, it's about time for a little-known song like Terra's theme to get a bit of recognition."

We see what you did there :) Nothing like checking a box you've wanted to check for years, and I think Argle did a great, focused-but-still-interpretive job of injecting Uematsu's original with some Holiday Spirit™. The melodic line is essentially pared-down, with a subtractive approach that removes some of the intermediate oscillations but keeps the core intervals intact - not rocket science, sure, but an approach you don't see all that often, and it helps differentiate this arrangement from the "handful" of other takes we've heard over the years. It's also a hybrid genre treatment, with predominantly orchestral & new age components but a minimal hip-hop style beat that comes in after the intro and some synth/dsp elements popping up here & there like tiny xmas presents. Judges were digging it; Liontamer writes:

"It's a distinctly different take on Terra's theme, IMO, since the theme isn't arranged in a melodically straightforward way, so you did a nice job simplifying it and working with the backing parts and chord progressions to retain the direction and feel of the source. Unlike Emu, I didn't feel it this was potentially too minimalist or overly simplistic, but I agreed with him that the variations employed meant you could scan around to any part of the track and feel like it was in a different place. It's got the Christmas/winter vibe and influence for sure, but this can be enjoyed anytime without feeling like you've dove into tropey Christmas music. Nice job for the holidays, and it's always great hearing the community put together great tributes for An OverClocked Christmas year after year, still running hot! Or cold, as it were..."

What he said - regardless of whether & what you're celebrating, here's to a warm & festive winter holiday for you & yours! Enjoy the mix, and check out the latest entry in the OverClocked Christmas saga!