Makke - Cauldron 2-005
92%
Since It's Binary, Baby! has gone off the radar for a while, I decided to release the remixes here on RKO. I will release one track per month in track order from the album. I decided to remaster the tracks. Not sure if they're better sounding or just different sounding, but they've been remastered from my original Renoise mixdowns.
I've been a big fan of Kraftwerk since my early teens. I listened a lot to Karl Bartos Communication album when it was released in 2003. This remix is an obious nod to I'm the Message from that record.
The lyrics were copied from the game description on the back of the cassette. The sound of the voice was created by feeding a 303 saw tooth into an Akai DC Vocoder plugin. I'm still quite pleased with that vocoder sound.
Lyrics:
Where once the tiny cottage stood
A mighty palace, dwarfs the wood
And there within the highest tower
The witch queen wields her mighty power
A rule of evil ‘cross the land
With ghosts and gargoyles close at hand
Her enemies destroyed this night
Yet one remains to set things right
A pumpkin warrior, brave and good
The last survivor from the wood
So go now swiftly climb the stair
And cut a lock of witch’s hair
Seek out the cauldron black
And brew a spell to change things back
Then the hag will know defeat
And thy revenge will be complete
Dr Future shouts:
Tas shouts: Technique
Artistic skill
Nostalgia factor
Overall rating
PS: Now that I've listened to Karl Bartos' I'm The Message again, the resemblance is pretty obvious. Well done, Makke!
Technique
Artistic skill
Nostalgia factor
Overall rating
Sadly, the plugin isn't available anymore.😒
The whole track is full of Kraftwerk related blips and blops and this is a good thing. Everything sits well and tight in the mix and sounds marvellous (but it already did with the first released album version).
Thanks for releasing it on RKO. I'm looking forward to the next releases from It's binary, baby!.
Technique
Artistic skill
Nostalgia factor
Overall rating
Definitely a fresh take on the original, which is very short and simple. Lots of creativity went into this, an absolutely great interpretation. 5/5 -
Embracement (30% weight, nostalgia): How well does the remix represent the original?
Now that’s a tricky one, as the original is so short. It picks up all of the signature parts, but I think it is not easy to realise on which original it is based. The general feeling is well preserved though. 4/5 -
Arrangement (14% weight, part of artistic skill): How fitting and elaborate is the choice of instruments for the chosen style?
Awesome! Some sounds are a bit 2005ish, but hey, who cares! 5/5 -
Performance (14% weight, part of artistic skill): How well are the instruments played? How good is the timing, tuning, groove etc.?
Excellent performance, nothing to complain about (no wonder, as most of it is programmed). 5/5 -
Mix (9% weight, part of technique): Is the volume balanced well between the instruments? Are EQ, compression and effects applied appropriately?
Excellent mix, you can clearly hear that this was done by a professional. 5/5 -
Mastering (3% weight, part of technique): Does it sound well-rounded and professional overall? Are master bus processing and the overall spectral balance ok?
Excellently mastered, again clearly audibly done by a pro. 5/5 -
Overall: 4.70
Technique
Artistic skill
Nostalgia factor
Overall rating