ReMix:Final Fantasy VII "Dreams; Nightmares" 4:02

It wouldn't be a H36T submission without a story behind it, so we NEED the imagery behind H36T's expansive, engrossing foray into Final Fantasy VII, an uneasy dream:

""How often have you turned through the night. Each turn of your body turns a new page in your dream. The doors to the Dreamworld make no sense and the rooms even less. You can't find your footing though there is something beautiful to it all, something deep, maybe even precious. As the night grows old, however, things become more... blurry and muffled. Tainted with confusion, your dreams twist and bend. They rot into a vile, distorted mess.

The nightmare... begins."

Qualitatively, that is what the song means to me and was its inspiration. From a more critical standpoint, I've had a lot of feedback back and forth concerning stylistic choices and some of the writing. Especially concerning balance between instruments, usage choice, and the like. Perhaps the biggest controversy was this song originally ended abruptly and, later, I attached a free sample of a guy waking up (as if waking up from a dream). However, it seemed hit or miss. I always wanted to do something like Dream Theater did with "Pull Me Under" or as I've heard in a few other songs (Utada Hikaru maybe?). Well, for this submission, I decided I'll just compromise and fade out instead. Other than that... I think YMMV on the percussion at the end as well. Anywho, hope you enjoy my take on "The Nightmare Begins"."

Hearing H36T's arrangement approach is somewhat formulaic, which can appear to be a knock against it. It feels like the general formula is a melodically conservative structure with relatively similar instrumentation to handle the melody, then lots of textural exploration and expansion via original instrument and vocal clip additions; I can appreciate it. What it doesn't mean is H36T's tracks sounding samey, so each piece is a treat, as judge Emunator came to discover:

"Count me as one of the judges who's generally on board with H36T's style of arrangement, so it's no surprise that I found myself really enjoying this on multiple fronts. The original writing fits seamlessly into the vibe of the original, even if it is segmented rather discretely into "original" and "cover" sections. 2:07 is a particular moment that really caught my eye, when the low strings harmonize with the cello line. The new drum groove toward the second half of the track leads to some really interesting rhythms. There's enough moments where your original additions and sound design elevate this beyond just being a cover in my book. [...] Keep 'em coming!"

Here, we basically have an extended intro until the source theme finally comes in at :53 and stays in play the rest of the way. The second half from 2:23-on was more interpretive with the added drumming, whispy vocals, tense strings and gradual escalation which helped shore this up from an arrangement standpoint. The last 45 seconds were arguably getting more indulgent, but I personally didn't have a problem with it; it helps complete a nice arc. :-) The moodiness and dynamics of this ReMix are major strengths. This track may sound like a nightmare for some, but plenty of wannabe artists have dreams of getting their work to sound this interesting, yet far too many fail; the real nightmare is giving up too soon and not realizing one's potential. Don't let your dreams be dreams... ;-)