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Stranger in a Strange Land (Ensoniq Mix) - arranged by LaLaReview by TSARHFC, 30/10/2023 I never write reviews but this is something else. I adore every imperfect perfect moment of this. This is what the remix scene is all about. |
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Mr Danko's Opus - arranged by Glyn R BrownReview by LaLa, 28/10/2023 Glyn may have called this Mr Danko's Opus, but he has absolutely turned it into Glyn's Opus. A stunning display of the mastery of the cinematic orchestra, arranged and performed with the highest levels of professionalism. I cannot listen to this in the background - it demands my full attention, and when I close my eyes and go along with Glyn on the journey he invited us on, those 9 minutes just fly by. Using Danko's 'Opus' series as a backbone, Glyn has weaved an intricate and marvelous musical story. From the soft sounds of a piano emerges a delicate intro that slowly turns into a romantic piece. After a short break we get a more forceful barrage of staccato orchestral hits - which ends abruptly as we suddenly drop into the deep and mysterious tones of woodwinds. From those depths we slowly emerge to the surface where we are greeted by an angelic voice and the brightness of high brass. Another break and we find ourselves - in a Spanish village where lovely flamenco music rules the world. As we leave the village behind, we are yet again introduced to an angelic voice that accompanies us on our journey together with a full choir. Our story concludes in an upbeat fashion where the entire ensemble of the orchestra is in full display. At the very end we are greeted by a children's choir (which I wished was featured longer). And… that was it? Yep, those 9 minutes flew by, didn't they? Well, at least this is the story that I am hearing, but I'm sure everybody will find their own journey in this piece. A mesmerizing tour de force from a very talented musician. Just wow. |
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Firelord - arranged by FastLoadersReview by Poke16384, 27/10/2023 Well.. this is certainly a different Firelord.. although you don't suspect it until 25 seconds in. Then all of the toys come out the toybox at once and it feels a bit like all hell breaks loose.. Personally, I'm torn.. No doubt about Jarle's guitar playing ability but the drum-track is pretty full-on and relentless and the whole thing might have benefitted from a 'breakdown' somewhere before the 3 minute mark which is approaching the end.. The soundscape is typically Fastloaders throughout, apart from beginning & end.. A bit of extra credit for including parts of the original which never made it into either Glyn's or my versions.. Musically, this is a very competent rendition and has some invention in it. The guitars in harmony are a really good sound and somehow soften the attack of the melody.. I'm just not sure that the standard Fastloaders instrument soundscape is suited here with the energy and drive of those drums propelling us at speed towards the end, without a breath along the way.. The original had a strong medieval feel to the rhythm, even though it was a SID composition. That rhythm is lost here, apart from a couple of hints at it, here & there.. This is a good remix so I won't be unkind but it could maybe have benefitted from a different rhythm with a little more ebb & flow to it.. and also a gentler soundscape with possibly a bit more 'Acoustic' and 'Organic' in the overall sound .. |
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Sigma Seven - Just a touch of Jazz - arranged by 0supereg0Review by Waz, 25/10/2023 It's a fairly good effort to do something different with this. But I do think there's a little bit too much in the way of jazz noodling with a Kenny G styled saxophone which gets in the way of the main lead being given the room to flow and be the star of the show - which may need a mixing tweak to get that up front. It could also do with being a tad shorter to make it sound more punchier, as the original isn't that long to begin with. As Louis Balfour would say in Jazz Club - Niiiiiiiiiiice. |
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Hades Nebula (Quinque annis post) - arranged by LaLaReview by Waz, 24/10/2023 If you wanted John Carpenter to do a space themed horror with the soundtrack based on a Ben Daglish under-rated tune, then this is what you're looking for. Delightfully cinematic, with beautiful use of instruments, and attention to detail means each nuance is carefully placed. |
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Complications - (E500 Funky Soul Mix) - arranged by Peter ClarkeReview by Waz, 24/10/2023 Take one of my favourite demo tunes composed by Tomas Danko (halcyon memories of the Mutant Refridgerator part of one demo in particular) and give it plenty of funky soul and a gorgeous vibe, and you have an impressive and excellent reworking. Attention to detail has been paid throughout so that the instrument placement is just right, nothing is wasted. And most crucially of all, the feel is all there, it has that in spades. |
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Hades Nebula (Quinque annis post) - arranged by LaLaReview by Poke16384, 14/10/2023 LaLa may be best known for the insightful verbal critique he provides on all of our remixes but here is a musical statement which should leave you in no doubt about his ability to weave magic with a musical keyboard.. The atmosphere of this piece carries all the power of an epic movie soundtrack in a subtle soundscape that does the job to perfection.. His interpretation of Ben's piece adds buckets of depth that the humble SID chip was never capable of delivering but never loses the essence of the original… It's a great remix. |
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Hades Nebula (Quinque annis post) - arranged by LaLaReview by Tomsk, 11/10/2023 I've always loved this remix. The additions add extra layers, and the new tighter timings also add improvement. The new subtle nods to Ben's other tunes for the most part fit nicely. Overall its the choice of soundscape and style that have always elevated this remix for me. It's dreamy and evocative, and I encourage you to give it a whirl. Great stuff! |
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California Games - arranged by LManReview by Danko, 07/10/2023 When Makke says it sounds 20 years old, is it because it is 20 years old or because Makke is right? Nobody knows. To me, personally, this sounds like an improvement over anything anyone would have attempted to produce 20 years ago. And that is all. Spring cleaning and moving on is awesome, Lman! |
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Complications - (E500 Funky Soul Mix) - arranged by Peter ClarkeReview by Danko, 06/10/2023 Not my favorite Complications Remix, but the best Complications Remix. I wish I had nothing to do with it. Having been privy to how Peter approached this interpretation was impressive. Initially it was to be 70s Motown, then Disco pretty much came out of the mixing process. The end result is Disco without the Cheese, showing Peter's talent when it comes to choosing tasteful aesthetics. Peter got a severe upper hand by being able to play those funky guitar, Rhodes Piano and Hammond Organ licks live and with great articulation. To me, this is what makes all the difference in a world of 100% In-The-Box DAW Remixes. It did take a lot more effort when it came to the mixing and mastering, however in hindsight it was definitely worth all the ache, pain and harassment from Peter. |
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California Games - arranged by LManReview by Tomsk, 01/10/2023 About time you got you finger out Markus 😊 Thumping remix, with lots of sonic ear candy cleverly mixed to keep this sounding fresh. I especially like the break drum sequence at 1:26, and those smooth pitch bending synths throughout. I do long for some snares in the drums later, rather than the four on the floor, to add variety, but all in all it's just good to have you back. |
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Funkey A Soul (the hardest part) - arranged by Eivind SommerstenReview by Danko, 30/09/2023 I wresteled this particular SID because the driver did not have hard restart making it difficult to groove. And here you go, groovin'… Figure, you did not have to wrestle any of that. Apologies for the waveform reset bugs, and glad to see you managed to ignore them. |
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Good Enough (RKO edit) - arranged by JLD & zionaReview by PhunkyData, 28/09/2023 Love it.! You get the point for sure.! Miau miau…miau…purr…purr purr…purr.! What`s that 15 words shit about? Honestly? |
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Cobra (Chillout Mix) - arranged by Dr FutureReview by LaLa, 23/09/2023 The original by Sylvester Lévay is pretty laid-back, too, but you managed to make it even more chill by switching the lead to a sax. Which, BTW, sounds really good! A bit of a Spanish flamenco flair here and there on the acoustic guitar also doesn't hurt. 😉 And the entire mix, as expected from you, is squeaky-clean and clear. |
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Nightdawn Lounge (Share your love with me) - arranged by Eivind SommerstenReview by LaLa, 23/09/2023 I think it was a good choice to alternate between the vocals (from a sample library, I guess) and the melody lines of the SID and NOT pitch-correct the vocal samples to the melody of the SID. However, that also makes the structure of this remix a bit disjointed and to be honest, I think this remix would be great even without the vocals. Plus points for picking this rarely (if ever) remixed SID, though - I wish there were more remixes of its various subtunes, because it deserves it. As usual, the mixing is top notch, though, every instrument comes through crystal-clear. So, from a technical perspective this is a great remix, but the arrangement is not particularly exciting. |
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Ocean Loader 2 (Year of the Analogue Horn) - arranged by Dan TootillReview by RaidenSkywalker, 11/09/2023 I must have listened to this 30 times today. What a fab remix of a classic tune, you did a fab job on this Dan, the arp bass sounds amazing. loved it, loved it, loved it………. |
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Blue Comic Bakery Monday (Mashup Remix) - arranged by ALPAReview by Danko, 31/08/2023 Fett nice, but where is the Blue Monday KikikikiKikikikickdrum.…och då är det alltså 'förlorat tillfälle' som skall in på lodrät nio. |
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Human Race (tune 4) - arranged by Tim ForsythReview by Eivind Sommersten, 22/08/2023 First of all, kudos for the signature change - I think it works really well. It also helps bring out the alternating bass which is perfectly mixed and another standout feature of this remix. My gripe here is that there is too little variation in dynamics in the overall arrangement. After the bass comes in around 0:30 there really isn't that much change. In my humble opinion this remix would be perfect starting out super softly and saving more of the pomp (like the choir, which otherwise also works well) until the very end. Otherwise it's really good! |
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Commando (The Guitar Ballad) - arranged by Dr FutureReview by LaLa, 16/08/2023 Adding the obligatory Commando cover to your portfolio, eh? 😉 Honestly, the part I like the most is when you veer away from the original melody completely at 2:18. Otherwise, it's a pleasant, but fairly run-of-the-mill Commando hiscore cover. I really like the instrumentation, though, has a bit of nice Spanish flamenco flair to it. |
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Human Race (tune 4) - arranged by Tim ForsythReview by LaLa, 16/08/2023 Mesmerizing! It was a stroke of a genius to cover it in this style and signature. And I completely bought it, too - until 2:39. The relatively sudden change in the rhythm there disrupted my gentle rocking, and the arrangement falls apart a bit after that, especially when it comes to the coda starting at around 4:08 with that syncopated lead. But overall, those are comparatively minor distractions in an otherwise excellent piece. |
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Purple Liner Intro (Dystopia in Ukraine) - arranged by Yogi & CosmiqReview by neo, 08/08/2023 A haunting tune with effective use of samples to create the right atmosphere. Interesting use of percussion and effects to create the level of tension. |
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Kikstart II remix - arranged by Nadin0xD400Review by Scaver, 07/08/2023 I do encourage new remixers in the scene as they bring fresh ideas and blood renewal for the benefit and joy of everyone. As for a track among first remixes, it is indeed promising. However, I can deeply sense the wing testing factor here. As others already constructively noted, the soundscape needs improvement, the track does not provide any own added values (new ideas, solos, structure rearrangement…etc.) and the sound is a bit pulsing to me personally all over the track. Arok party 1st place well deserved? Definitely not. There were way better remixes on Arok but voting is always a tricky thing during parties as many factors may apply (e.g. not everyone votes who likes this or that track, meticulously crafted products may not prevail due to poor local acoustic features of the party place, name voting…etc.). Nevertheless, I feel that we have a great new player in the field and hope to get more remixes in the future with more elaboration and own added values that really distinct the final product. So keep up the good work! |
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Cybernoid II (C64 Modern Mix) - arranged by X-WaveReview by Dan, 06/08/2023 Give this one a bit of time, shame it takes to long to hit the spot |
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Gerry the Germ (tune 2) - arranged by Tim ForsythReview by The_Blode, 05/08/2023 Britpop vibes and a little and those synth keys have so much nostalgia in their melody. I said to Slaygon it's like game end music…and it ended the Arok remix compo so go figure 😃 another great tune from Tim! Cheers |
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Plastic Pop (Plastic Fantastic) - arranged by WobblerReview by The_Blode, 05/08/2023 LOVE this tune! So poppy…this kind of bubblegum pop is my guilty pleasure. I honestly didn't know it was an AI until I read the comments but it doesn't sully the tune for me. Excellent work…my vote for best remix 2023 is this. Also, the lyrics hit home HARD! lol also BIG nostalgic vibes here. |
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Out of Nothing (feat. Atom Guitar) - arranged by Eivind SommerstenReview by Waz, 27/07/2023 Thoroughly enjoyable, especially with the flute giving way to the guitar. And definitely we need people to appreciate the late Kjell's music a lot more - hugely under-rated in my view. So something to do him justice (as this does, and rocks pretty hard) is welcome. The only thing I'd probably change a little is the middle section - it maybe needs a litlte more definition, but does also break up the tune nicely too. Rock on. |
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Tristesse - arranged by Dr FutureReview by Waz, 27/07/2023 I would have given this higher, but even though it sounds fine, this remix has all the emotion of DRAX's original piece torn out of it. Only when the SID lead comes back in does that emotion come back (because that's something DRAX was always superb at). It doesn't cut it for me - the guitar is nice enough but definitely feels like it's also too long compared to the original. A more cut down version may have worked better in this instance. |
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Shogun - arranged by AarrowReview by Waz, 27/07/2023 Potential here for definite, a little spoilt by too much reverb being here. There's actually a nice use of some Oriental instruments but they're a little buried underneath, and need to be igven the time to shine - as in fact it does later in the mix. Maybe also it needs a little shortening by say 30-60 seconds, but definite potential - and kudos for picking a lesser known composer also. |
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Gerry the Germ (tune 2) - arranged by Tim ForsythReview by Waz, 27/07/2023 How this got a mere 6th in the Arok Party competition, I don't know. Seriously. I really enjoy the indie rock style of this one, and definitely with the guitar cranked up to Britpop levels, it definitely shows something different for this tune as well, and makes for a very enjoyable listen. The only thing I would possibly look at is a possible change of the long lead at the start of the verse, but apart from that, an admirable effort. |
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Kikstart II remix - arranged by Nadin0xD400Review by Waz, 27/07/2023 Whilst I can see the potential here for me (and bear in mind I'm a big fan of Shaun Southern games), and that there's most of the feel of the original, for me it doesn't quite get it right - the drums do attempt to give it a faster pace than the original but somehow works against the other instruments in the mix mix, meaning it feels a little lost. Should it have won the Arok Party competition in my view? No. Is it enjoyable to listen to? Initially yes, but does grate a bit after a while. That all said, there is potential for Naxin0xD400 to go on to greater things and definitely that should be encouraged and nutured to become even better. There is promise here definitely. |
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