Video Game Music: Remixed, Reloaded, Redux

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Video Game Music: Remixed, Reloaded, Redux

Thu, Mar 13, 2008

Once upon a time, five or six years ago, one of the websites I checked every day for updates was not a news site, a game review site, or a web comic but a web site dedicated to video game music remixes. That site, run by djpretzel, is OverClocked ReMix, and it's a true pleasure for video game enthusiasts and audiophiles. Below I've listed some of my favorite remixes that still find their way onto my mix CDs from time to time.

One requirement for appreciating any of these remixes is that you acknowledge that video game music can be more than just background noise. Given the popularity of "Still Alive" from Portal, I think most people are willing to concede that video game music has evolved into a new beast. Names like Koji Kondo, Nobuo Uematsu, and Yasunori Mitsuda have a particular power in this select field. Recently, there have even been symphonic concerts and shows dedicated to video game music. It should come as no surprise that the enthusiastic fan base of video game players is fertile soil for remixes of and homages to video game music.

Inevitably, each remixer has a particular style, and I'll break down the music by remixer, highlighting my favorites and select tracks worth downloading. This is by no means a comprehensive list of the composers over at the website, but it offers a wide variety of the styles found on the site. I hope to highlight other remixers in later posts.

Ailsean:

Most of Ailsean's tracks tend toward a hard rock and metal tone. If you're looking for soft orchestral music or winsome tunes, this is not the place to look. These remixes are ramped up and accentuate the latent energy of the original songs.

"Knights Come Marching Home" -- One of my favorites in which he blends Frog's Theme from Chrono Trigger, tracks from Final Fantasy IX, and "The Saints" to rollicking effect.

"Terra in Black" -- A dark, rock interpretation of Terra's theme from Final Fantasy VI. Given my bias toward Final Fantasy games, this selection should come as no surprise.

"Metalroid" -- Industrial sounding and dark, Ailsean mixes together two tracks from Metroid with his favorite tool: a guitar.

AmIEvil:

Like Ailsean, AmIEvil tends toward rock and industrial themed remixes, but he is certainly not limited to those genres.

"CastleMania" -- If you had Metallica cover a few tracks from Castlevania, it might come out sounding something like this. Though, where Metallica might linger over the heavy guitar, AmIEvil uses it to bridge the melodic portions of the songs.

"Secret of Monkey Island" -- Simply named, this remix covers the music from the fantastic PC adventure. While it's hard to describe, it certainly captures the tone and feeling of the game.

Insomnic:

Though he doesn't have many remixes to his name, his interpretation of the Koji Kondo SMB2 them is fantastic.

"Super Mario Bros. 2" -- It captures all the ludicrous feeling of the game. It's playful and upbeat and worth the time of any Mario fan.

kLuTz:

To be technical, kLuTz is less of a remixer and more of a re-arranger. His piano compositions play with the original tunes and add depth and emotion.

"600 A.D. in Piano" -- I cannot adequately describe the ways in which kLuTz plays with this song because I simply don't have the technical vocabulary. All I know is that he took one of my favorite songs from Chrono Trigger and made it seem even more sublime.

"Tale in Piano" -- This piano version of "The Melody of Life" from Final Fantasy IV feels more human and real than the bleating of the sound coming from the SNES. It makes me wish my mother had forced me to learn the piano.
Pasq242:

I can't really supply any details about the style of this particular remixer because, as far as I know, he has only created one remix. I include him because it is, by far, my favorite remix. I have subjected more people to this song than any other remix on this list.

"Prelude (Refractive)" -- It begins with ambient wind noises and slowly builds to that famous arpeggio that begins each Final Fantasy game, but that's not all. Then it begins to gain momentum until it plays out into a riveting breakdown and manipulation of the elements of the Prologue. Absolutely a must download for all fans of Final Fantasy, but I've actually had people who would never consider video game music to be at all intriguing ask me about this track when they heard it on my CD player.

The Pancake Chef:

The Pancake Chef is a genre blender of masterful skill. He is playful and witty without ever employing words, and he has a penchant for remixing songs from my favorite games.

"Spekkio Beach Party" -- A remix from Chrono Trigger, this song never fails to put a smile on my face. It's effusive and jubilant and unashamed of its video game origins.

"Arab Painting" -- This is a track where the genre mastery comes into play. The Pancake Chef incorporates a Moroccan or Mediterranean sound into Relm's theme from Final Fantasy VI. The combination of the chanting, drums, piano, and flute make for an ethereal experience.

I hope you enjoyed these tracks. I have plenty of recommendations left in my bag of tricks.

Castlevania, chrono trigger, Final Fantasy, Koji Kondo, Metroid, Nobuo Uematsu, remixes, video game music

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1 Comments For This Post

quintin3265 Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 12:33 pm
If you enjoyed Overclocked ReMix, you might enjoy remixSite, at http://www.remixsite.org/. Like Overclocked, it focuses on video game remixes, but the site also allows musicians to submit music themselves without a judging process.

GameCyte