Eivind Sommersten - Duchesse (not so big band mix)

First of all, kudos for picking a SID tune nobody has remixed before! The basic concept behind this remix is really good, the choice of instruments is fitting, too, but the arrangement is somewhat thin. It's like you were afraid to layer instruments on top of each other. The bass, the trumpets, the vocals, everything sounds great individually. The few times they all sound together is where this remix really shines, but I wish there was more meat on this groove. The vocals sound very nice, too, but again, they are not backed by a worthy accompaniment. For a good example of what should be done listen to Uncle & The Bacon's body of work (on RKO and on their albums) - I'm sure everything he (they?) uses are all virtual instruments, too, but packaged and arranged in a much more convincing fashion.

Let's get the negative out of the way first. The only thing that lets this remix down is the quality of the instrument samples. The sound immediately put me in mind of an Amiga Mod and it's a shame because there's not a lot else that's wrong here. It's funky and tight from an arrangement point of view and there are some very good ideas which are explored in this arrangement. The samples, although they're not the best, are used really, really well in expressing an otherwise convincing 70's funk tune. I think your arrangement shows growth from some of your previous remixes, Eivind and it makes me want to hear the next remix. I could pick things in the arrangement that could have been done differently but overall this is a solid arrangement which is only let down by instrument quality. I like this remix a lot.