Chrono Trigger "Skylands" 4:13

Chrono Trigger's 30 years old today! Time for a thought experiment! If the Kingdom of Zeal fell into the ocean, what would that be like...? (Perish the thought. :-D) We may have the answer with prophetik music's dreamy (and eventually rockin') rendition of Yasunori Mitsuda's most enduring composition:

""corridors of time" has been on my "want to remix" list for years. as have many that have heard it, i was entranced when i was listening to it playing the game in my youth. the image of the floating islands of Zeal with this music playing behind it is so iconic to me.

my children recently played through chrono trigger on their own (my daughter's almost done with her NG+ now, actually!) and it's been so exciting to see them really engage with the game world and especially the game's music. hearing various themes plunked out on the piano in varying degrees of completeness has been a joy, and when they asked me to find tracks from the OST so they could listen to them, this was the first one i pulled up.

one of the key things i try to do with a remix (especially when it's in a similar style as the original) is to focus on finding a new way to state what's already there. in this case, that meant proceeding in a triple meter (6/8), focusing on some sound design elements (especially the bells to start it, i am proud of what i made there), and not getting in the way of the beautiful melodic line while still finding some fun ways to highlight and change elements of that same line. most of my songs lately have been very A/B where the opening is more chill and the ending is a different genre and more intense, and this is no exception - i started with a very floaty new-age vibe focused around light synths and hand pan, and ended with a messy post-rock-inspired texture.

there's very short snippets of "frog's theme" and "wind scene" (two tracks my kids just love from this game) in the middle and at the very end of the track. i think putting them together like that showcases just how similar so many of the game's chord progressions and musical concepts are.

this is again done in fl studio with omnisphere and addictive drums 2 as my primary tools."

proph believes the children are our future, so he's teaching them well and letting them lead the way. Showing them all the beauty Chrono Trigger posesses inside... but I digress. :-) Judge Hemophiliac latched onto the second half's indie rock vibes, with visions of JJT back in the Voices of the Lifestream days:

"I'm not sure why but I'm feeling like this is comparable to Hydrophone Breakdown by JJT. Something about the soundscape itself beckons back to it. After 2:25 the drums in particular really remind me of the FF7 track very much.

Some overdrive or distortion effects on hand pan + synth background elements make them very present in the mix, nearly being too powerful. They toe the line nicely without becoming dominant, but add color instead. I like how clean the snare sounds in the first 1:31 of the track, it really cuts through. It has an interesting contrast between the clean sound of the snare and the semi-distorted and semi-lofi pad/strings in the background.

The time signature change to 6 is also handled nicely, and allows lots of space to experiment with melodic changes and embellishment. Every time you step away from the source momentarily you pull us right back to it keeping us anchored to Schala. To me the harmonic changes and melodic embellishment are highlights of the track. The ending closing with some quotes from other CT sources was a nice way to close out the ethereal and floaty conclusion.

I could see a complaint being made of the distortion heavy background elements getting too big and creating muddiness, but to me it serves as a wall of sound and energy climax (particularly in the final 1/3 of the track). Refreshing and unique take on a classic."

Nice idea dropping the beats out at 1:31, allowing for some sustained synth lines to add a different feel to the texture. The blended "Frog's Theme" & "600 A.D." cameos at 3:40 for the close-out were absolute money. Refreshing's the right word overall, I agree, as Brad's 6/8 time sig change set the stage for Zeal's familiar yet novel melodic treatment, along with his significant transformation in the mood for the second half. For fellow judge & Zeal arranger Gario, proph's tribute connected in all the right ways:

"Dang, this one hits the spot. The attentive listener is immediately grabbed by the meter change from the source, and the casual listener is happy to stick around for the change halfway through from a more atmospheric fare to something with more bite with that guitar. The source is obvious yet more *implied* than overt for much of the arrangement, a necessary exercise given the change in meter. Needless to say, the arrangement is great. [...] Yeah, easy pass, nice work Brad!"

Many thanks to minusworld, Rockos, and prophetik music for making this milestone anniversary of the Chrono series extra special for the scene! 30 years later in the Kingdom of Zeal, the magic lives on...