Peter Clarke - Monty on the Run (Monty Gets Orchestrated 2011)
94%
Out of respect for the original composer and composition, I was never going to take any liberties with this remix. My addition is the teaser/intro - Let's just hint at the tune and wrap 2 distinctive bits of melody from different parts of the original around the moody orchestra.
Tempo(s)! The original was in the region of 190BPM (a tempo that neither orchestra instruments or normal human performance can live with - I have played it back at 190 and it just turns to mush).
The Majority of the tune is at 150BPM but the opening bars from the original dragged like a mother at 150. So, the remix uses 2 seperate tempos 170BPM in the opening bars from the original and again, when the intro is revisited later in the tune. I broke out of the bass rhythm just as the tempo change arrives to de-emphasise the change. Hopefully, it works and the changes feel subtle.
I always felt that this piece deserved a full-on orchestra arrangement with seperate string, brass & woodwind parts and then on the other hand, Rob's original is a lively piece that is
really driven along by the bass and drums. Thus the choice to mix traditional orchestra with a full kit & bass.
…and that bit about 2/3rds of the way through the orchestra part always screamed 'Egypt' at me….
The second part was always going to get a guitar thrown in there - The Fender Rhodes piano matched up really well with the bite of the Rickenbacker bass and that sort of dictated
the style of the break.
The return of the violin in the finale was to add more colour & texture to the end and I felt it should be an 'Alternative Duelin' Banjos'
Overall I'm happy with the outcome of my first serious attempt at a remix - I monitored the final balance / mix through speakers not headphones SO…
*** IT SOUNDS BETTER THROUGH SPEAKERS THAN HEADPHONES ***
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RUN 10, so I was looking forward to listen to this one. I was not disappointed at all. I was not disappointed despite the fact that this is not a
pureorchestral version. Luckily, all the additional drums and synths that appear in this version really work to its advantage. Its style cannot really be summed up, so let's just say it's eclectic. If you're looking for pop-orchestral a la Rondo Veneziano - it's in here. If you're looking for a Hammond-organ-heavy 70s prog rock - it's in here in the middle section. My only complaint here is the somewhat flat mixing. It needs a bit more oomph, a bit fuller sound. Okay, I do have another complaint, too: sometimes the tempo changes are a bit abrupt. And the instruments (like guitars) sound too synthetic. Well, that was 3 complaints, but whatever… All in all, quite a trip, quite an effort, quite a remix!
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Montyremix crown for a long time. This little beauty, however, resets the bar. The original is here in full, nothing left out, nothing missed, nothing misinterpreted. The orchestral instruments weave together brilliantly even if the samples are not as authentic as some I've heard. In the first half of this remix, we get a little closer to
The Devil's Gallopwhich Rob Hubbard admits to being influenced by in his original. I love the way the brass crescendos
parp parpin from the background and the melodramatic feel the strings give in the early bars. In the second half, we go back to an 80's underground club with the driving bass and Fender Rhodes licks, but no
Hammondthat I can hear. The whole feel of the break has a bit of a
Supertrampthing about it and now the end guitar riffs remind me even more of
Dire Straits, (from RH's home town). Brilliantly arranged and executed and would have been three reds but for the flat mix. Perhaps the arranger will warm it up and resubmit it. Overall, an excellent remix
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