Reviews by ggeudraco |
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Cauldron II (live at The Church) - arranged by Reyn OuwehandReview by ggeudraco, 01/05/2008 This remix starts off with a good drumbeat to get you started; it's not too complicated and gets you warmed up. This soon gets accompanied by another well chosen instrument about 30s later, which then gets replaced with another. This is a different method being used here, and I think it works much better than the previous way, which used up to about five instruments at the same time.The choice of using Mellotron and the choral is very wise, adding to the spooky theme that Cauldron II is supposed to provide. If you were told that a Rhodes piano would make a good proportion of this remix, it would be hard to comprehend, but there actually appears to be no problem at all using it. In general, Reyn's not putting in too many instruments at the same time, letting off one if one more needs to be used. It's very well edited and laid out, but I would wish for a few more bars of the Theremin at the end of the track. It would really suit the spooky setting to have a long outro, like it was in the raw Sunday Service version - this would be my only qualm with the remix. I very much enjoy this and denounce the criticisms Reyn makes in his blurb (sorry). |
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Nemesis the Warlock (live at The Church) - arranged by Reyn OuwehandReview by ggeudraco, 25/04/2008 The remix starts nice and quietly, building it's way up slowly - I find this is good to get comfortable with the track. However, at around 2:00, the inclusion other instrument feels a bit sudden, quick and overpowering the piano that started the whole thing off; only recovering with the harpsichord at 2:55.This soothing calm is rocked again by the use of the SID sample at 4:30. While this may be considerate towards the nostalgia of the track, I think it would have been better used on a remix using synth. As the track reaches its end, the fading of each instrument goes smoothly and ends nicely with the piano solo that started the whole thing off (with appropriate Sunday Service bells). For those who would start listening to C64 remixes, this may seem quite overdone and easy to criticise. But it must be noted that this was performed live on SLAY Radio, which shows Reyn's skills with multiple instruments and quick improvisation, and that is what rates this track highly. To respond to Reyn's blurb for this remix, I notice no significant glitches in the performance nor any issues with sound quality that can be heard over desk speakers. Because of these considerations, this is a good early candidate for ROTY. |
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The Great Giana Sisters - arranged by Reyn OuwehandReview by ggeudraco, 31/03/2008 As you hear the initial solo guitar, then the starting drumbeat, you realise that Reyn has set up this remix to just get straight into the action - there's little room to get settled before he gets started with the body of the track.Regardless of this, his choice of instruments is very wise - using a drum to keep the beat, while using twinkly metal percussion to add a special charm to the magic and whimsy that the original music was supposed to convey. However, the use of a honky-tonk piano is a strange choice, offering a (pleasing) deviation towards the style that the original track had. Something that does intregue the ears is a specific sound that occurs from the middle of the track onwards. Whether this was intended or not, you can hear something in the background like a 'woah', as if a key got mispressed during recording. To me, this adds to the realism of the track, and makes it sound more like a live session than anything else. As Reyn expresses his diversity in his musical talents through the use of many instruments (potentially splitting the track into 6 parts), the leading guitar finishes the track - you get the feeling that all has been done, but there's little lead-out to relax you enough for the next track in the album. I rate this remix highly, but you can't help the feeling that there could have been something appended that gives the listener a feeling of depth and involvement, rather than a general feeling of enjoyment. |
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Last Ninja 3 (mind.in.a.box mix) - arranged by Stefan PoissReview by ggeudraco, 11/02/2008 From the first few seconds, you can hear that this piece just jumps straight into the action, piggybacking off the SID. This piece immerses you into the music with its sweeping motions; something not easily done without using dynamic audio enchancement. Every instrument can be determined, and the subtle tones made keep me more than interested throughout the pieceThis by far improves on the current soundtrack, and is what I would expect for a remake on a modern system, but I regret that the ending could have been done a few seconds earlier; a section of the buildup is played when it would be just left to a calming fade. |
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Green Beret (live at The Church) - arranged by Reyn OuwehandReview by ggeudraco, 26/01/2008 After hearing this a few times, your realise the gradual and sometimes subtle changes Reyn does for his intro. However, when you know the drums mark the beginning of the action, you're constantly waiting and feel tortured until they do kick in.Reyn has used a very appropriate set of instruments for this remix, but I'm afraid to say that his decision to perform it in a 'live' setting has led to degradation of what I can hear the guitar do - I often have to apply dynamic audio enchancement to fully immerse myself. A nice ending is achieved by the slow and subtle fading down of every instrument to that final few notes done by one unit. Does it capture the environment the SID does? No - Galway has this music sounding like a dawn chorus; Reyn has made it over the top and turned it to a different meaning. However, has Reyn applied his own style and succeeded as a result of it? Definitely! |
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