ReMix:RuneScape "You're in the Wilderness Now" 3:20

J Damashii ain't the only one who can do RuneScape! Not one but TWO OC ReMix judges transform the PC classic with their first OCR team-up in nearly five years, as Emunator & Flexstyle take RuneScape's music and run it back with some lo-fi style:

• Emunator: arrangement, keyboards, programming, additional mixing
• Flexstyle: arrangement, programming, mixing, mastering

Both artists have been putting out music professionally through Curaga (Emu) and Firaga (Flex) Records, respectively, but it's nice to have them tag-teaming for another mixpost 'round these parts, with Flexstyle treating the source material as a homecoming:

"I'm infamous for not having played hardly anything I've ReMixed, but not this time! I spent so much time in RuneScape as a kid in the early/mid-2000s, and this theme is burned into my brain from that era. When Wes and I sat down and decided we wanted to remix something together in a more lo-fi style, this is what came up, and I'm glad he was willing to run with it! I contributed a bit of arrangement and some sound design, and tightened down the final mix/master. Now all we need is a good rapper to drop some PK-ing bars for this Wilderness trap (beat)... anyways, enjoy this new flavor from the two of us!"

Meanwhile, Emunator has been a productivity super-battery, already racking up 10 OC ReMixes before the first half of this year's even finished (with this being #11)! Just like Flex is at home with RuneScape, so too is Emu, regaling us with quite the narrative:

"Mike and I always do our best work in real-time, and this one covers in-person studio sessions at both of our houses, and a couple of virtual Zoom mixing sessions as well. We started off with Mike programming the beats and that nasty custom 808 patch and me playing all of the melodies and riffs on keys, but things eventually went a bit off course. By the end of the process, we both contributed arrangement ideas, drums, bass, and more toward this twisted spin on hip hop, inspired equally by 24/7 lo-fi study playlists and hard-hitting drill beats from artists like Pop Smoke or Drake.

Our original concept was strictly meant to be a cozy lo-fi romp through the forests of Lumbridge, not a care in the world as you chop trees, build fires, and kill cows. But the call of the wild was too strong to resist, and things turn dark as you approach the edge of the woods. The temptation of riches and power becomes too strong to ignore, and you step over the line that has forever separated civilized society from the lawless expanse that lay beyond.

You're in the wilderness now.

You're overcome with insatiable bloodlust, the urge to vanquish your foes becomes a roiling tempest within your spirit. There's no turning back now, this is what you were made for. Glory shall not be denied. You approach your first unsuspecting victim, wielding a longsword made of iron and a steadfast heart made of gold. And with a swing of your blade...

Zero damage. Huh? Crap. Your foe turns around, sly grin on their face, and with and a single crack of their Abyssal Whip, it's all over in an instant. As the world fades to black around you as you teleport back to Lumbridge, you hear the echo of their parting words...

"~~get rekt, n00b~~""

At least you get to try over again when you buy the farm. :'-( Judge Chimpazilla's quite the frequent collaborator and/or mastering engineer for Emu, so color me surprised that this one was brand new to her. With musicianship like this between Emu & Flex though, Chimpa colored herself impressed with the track's bold sound and polished production:

"Yep, lo-fi is definitely the style du jour right now, and Wes has dived in with both feet and he is doing a great job with these arrangements. I haven't heard this one before so I'm coming in cold on it, which is unusual for an Emu arrangement! I love the chill vibe of this, the gritty badass sub bass, lots of ear candy and emotive keys, drums fit just right, awesome evolving arrangement, mastered to perfection, love it. Gud job, guyz!"

Count me in as a happy ear candy recipient, as the soft synth wail at 2:11 and string accents at 2:14 were amazing elements that had me in the second half, not gonna lie. Now I just want these guys to arrange Mr. Driller and call it "Mr. Trapper" or "Mr. Lo-fi", depending on the approach. It probably has as much likelihood of happening as my imaginary instructional driving music concept (Final Fantasy X-2 "Hands on the Wheel" OC ReMix), but a man can [come up with stupid ideas and] dream! :-) Very cool transformation of "Autumn Voyage", including playing with the rhythms, to give it a whole new character. 1:59 definitely had that "bad boy" energy, like some boy band teens trying to flash some ice or whatever the kids say these days. "That's tough." Love it, bois! :-D