ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds "Potion" 3:06

Judges panel vet Chimpazilla wanted to ensure she was part of this Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom celebration flood, so she leveraged a Shameless Self-Panel™ that we allow Js to use as thanks for their service. :-) It's a good thing she did though, as we round out the week-long spotlight with five Zelda tributes total. Chimpazilla teams up with ad.mixx for original lyrics & vocals with their edgy & polished hip hop version of A Link Between Worlds' "Witch's House"! After a potential collab fell through, Chimpa knew it was dangerous to go alone, eventually reviving this idea after time on the shelf to great results:

"I adore the game A Link Between Worlds and I have played through it multiple times. I really love the "Witch's House" theme because it is simple yet haunting. I wrote this beat, keeping it on the simple side, with the intention of having someone rap or sing on it. I guess I didn't realize how close that intro sounded to the source. I recreated it by ear using a harpsichord patch.

The person I initially sent it to pulled out due to life circumstances, so the beat gathered dust for two years. Aaron and I had begun working together, so I sent it to him, and he loved it. The lyrics he wrote for it are just right; he wrote about struggling with addiction/substance dependency, which is appropriate considering the "potion" theme. I think Aaron has an amazing voice, and his ability to write both lyrics and unique melodies impresses me more with each song we work on. Aaron is also a fabulous producer, and he is a joy to work with. Expect more collabs from us!"

As noted in Chimpa's effusive praise and props, Aaron restored this dormant concept back to full health by adding in smart, targeted lyrics along with voice manipulation to pull off the female part sung as Yua (not to be confused with source game boss Yuga):

"This song was particularly fun to do. Chimpazilla did an absolutely stellar job with the beats on this one. When she sent me the beat, I was a little intimidated because I typically don't work a lot with straight hip hop beats. I'm more of a pop-centric singer, and it took a while to get anything written for it at first.

However, after working on it for a bit and getting that first chorus down, the mental block opened up, and I think I ended up writing some of my best stuff both melodically and lyrically.

Yua is made with my voice but pitched up +12 and then with a formant shifter. I have to sing in a way different tone when I do her parts (basically, I have to voice act to "sound like a girl"). She's actually inspired by another OC ReMixer, Hyadain, who does female voices in a similar way. His character for most of his songs is called "Hyadaruko". I believe one of his OC ReMixes, he actually used this technique to roleplay as Princess Peach. It was very interesting and cool. Yua is in no way related to the game. She's just a character within my music is all.

Kris has an amazing ear for production and song structure, and it was almost relaxing letting her take over on that front, so I could focus more intently on vocal performance and production. She creates some absolutely killer beats, and the instrumentation really vibed well with the vocals in the end.

I want to do more collabs with her, as I think this may be the best thing I've collabed on. I really hope y'all enjoy the final product as much as I do. Expect more."

Yes, sir, let's bring on some more collabs! Also, never let it be said that OC ReMix doesn't get behind power-up-to-drug comparisons, one of the staples of cheekily examining video games as a metaphor for life. :-) Judge Joe "XPRTNovice" Zieja was made a believer in the power of the "Potion":

"Was a little worried at the exactness of source usage in the beginning but then I entered a middle eastern club at 0:25

The singing is produced really well, these beats are hot as the desert sun, and the source usage is inventive and snappy. This is great stuff. This could have been a direct post in my opinion."

It sure could have been, but then we would have lost out on some important judge feedback! All of us thought the vocals' volume needed a boost, and Chimpa thankfully made those adjustments to have things fire on all cylinders. Along with the volume bump, ad.mixx's voice has just the right amount of delay to give his lines good weight and presense. You could definitely envision this getting used as BGM for some TikToks, shorts, or reels to create some Zelda clips with an edge (you're invited to, folks!). The production on this is super strong, with a clean, punchy sound (love the bass), and loads of subtle ear candy thrown in, including varied instrumentation and effects for both the beats and the vocals. All in all, an explicit yet powerful pop package with a deeper message and production sheen to be proud of. Getting a boost to save Hyrule has never seemed so dark, thanks to Chimpazilla & ad.mixx!