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Chilly Willy (Dallas theme cover) - arranged by DjLizard offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 A Seinfeld bass kicks off this (apparently funky) remix of… Dallas! There isn't much feel for the actual melody of the piece here, though some of the synths and the general sound carpet is quite attractive. It won't chill your Willy, it sounds silly, but it is worth a lily. I mean, listen. |
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Ultima V Greyson's Tale (c128) - arranged by Eric Pochesci offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 This is played on a Vangelis instrument, but it sounds cloudy and messy. The choir seems to be uncontrolled and has occasional discords with the tune. Underwhelming. Thankfully short. |
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Noisy Pillars - arranged by FashReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Uninteresting version of the SID replicated almost entirely without additions or subtlety, and without the life and bounce of the source material. Life has been sucked out. Not offensive, just boring. |
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Lazy Jones - arranged by DJ Tobi offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Back to subtune 21, and Zombie Nation territory we go for another DJ Tobi clinical obsession tune. The start riff is very irritating: it certainly winds you up with stress, being a sequence of adjacent semitone notes. The C64 part of this has actually been FXd up quite a bit better in this remix than the other remixes from DJ Tobi, and there's some clever interplay between the various phrases. Or it may be just a delay. Once you get past the Zombie Nation Part, the cover gets weak and dry again. This tune is never going to be played in a club while it lacks this atmosphere. Compare and contrast with Instant Remedy's Lazy Jones. And what's the speech sample saying? It sounds so superfluous… and irritating. Zombie Nation's speech samples fitted into the piece a lot better. Better than the deluxe, but not enough for a mark increase. |
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Hypa-ball - arranged by DjLizard offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 You can't remix a bouncy 12/8 song in 4/4 without having a damn good reason. This cover doesn't have one, though it does convey the wideness of the piece better than the Low Kick remix, possibly because the SID appears to be better recorded. There's some nice synth noodling when the SID triangle wave plays, but when the backing stops, the rhythm changes completely back to the 12/8, and the ear gets confused. Drivel, but maybe your toe might tap if the wind is blowing the right way. Hey, look at those marks. Looks like this tune is more than the sum of its parts. Pretty good apart from the major flaw. Some good ideas. |
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International Karate - arranged by DjLizardReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Very Vince Clark filtered synth noodling start to this. No obvious IK influences at all, but it sounds nicely dancy. I'd be happy with this if I was creating a dance track. However, the percentage of IK is… about 0% from listening to it. Which makes this a wolf in sheep's clothing. Or a sheep in wolf's clothing, or something. But it's nothing to do with C64 music, and there's no melody to speak of. |
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Krakout (Fucough mix) - arranged by DjLizard offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Fucough? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! My sides have just come apart with the hilarity. Krakout is a crazy tune, but this is Krakout on E. If you ever saw anyone dancing to this, you'd wonder about their sanity: the bits of the tune are incredibly twee, and the whole thing is like a bad nightmare. Annoying. The word 'petty' also springs to mind, puzzlingly. |
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Temple of Apshai (drum and bass) - arranged by DjLizard offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Some things in life aren't meant to be together… yes, I know I've said that before, but it's true! Ask my parents! These two things are almost irreconcilable, though in this case the FX on the SID are nice, with some filter burbling almost managing to pull off the impossible. Strangely engaging at times, despite my reservations. Worth a listen: surprisingly he almost pulls it off. |
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Ocean Loader v4 mongoloid mix - arranged by dj waffelmeisterReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 After years of being ignored, Ocean Loader V4 gets a few covers at last. A smooth, expressionless but relatively well played lead conveys the melody accurately, and the choice of instruments is reminiscent of OMD. Some nice arp burbling adds some much needed variety. A bit of modulation on the lead and/or pitch bend would have worked wonders though. It's the musical equivalent of reading from a telephone directory. It's accurate, sure, but there's not a lot of individual expression there. Having said that, this is a cover that's had work and time put into it, and it conveys the tune accurately: there's some nice string work, the occasional sid sample (the boing at the beginning, which the arranger realised wasn't reproducible on any other synth). It's very pleasant, and sounds nice. Not earth-shattering, but if you like the tune you might as well download it, though the deadness of the lead may kill it for you, since the natural emotion in the SID lead's modulation is gone. Good, but unexciting. |
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Hypa-ball (Low kick remix) - arranged by DjLizardReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Hypaball has always been a wiiiide tune to me. The sid sound has a lot of detuning between different voices, and an expansion of the sound during the breaks. This cover tries to capture that expansion with filter sweeps and the SID, but somehow the raw SID has more power. The breakbeat on this one is a 'Doctoring the Tardis' beat, with the same 12/8 shuffle as the original SID. At 1:28 there's a nice break which sounds even vaguely Michael Jacksonesque. Oddly enough, the drums disappear too gradually to be replace by a conga filled break through the triangle wave quiet bit of the original. Well, you can't fault DJ Lizard for variety on this piece. This is a professional sounding cover, and interesting to listen to. Mentally it's very strange that the SID is more powerful to me: kind of overwhelming in a way. This cover fails to capture this, but takes the tune into a left-field arrangement that's interesting, though I'm not sure it would bear repeat listening. There's a more satisying cover for fans of this piece out there in the future, but until then, download this!). |
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Temple of Apshai Trilogy - arranged by DjLizard offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Drums and SID on two different paths for the start of the piece, but the piece gets going and surprisingly is actually spacious and even a bit exciting. SID Temple of Apshai, but some added bass, and a mixture of breakbeats and straightforward 80s rhythm. Surprisingly good considering the style and the source material. |
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Ultima V - Moonglow memories - arranged by DjLizardReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Oooh, this is a Vangelis feel. Nice echoey piano playing the SID part, and a scintillating synth riff. Pads join in to give a lush feel, and… At 1:23 a drill kicks in, to lead to a Robert Miles-style backbeat, bass and feel. It's quite harsh in sound, but it's got a lot of presence. There's an outside chance this would work in a club. From 2:09 the tune is joined by some rhythmic beeps which don't work because they clash with the tune. From this point the remix seems to undergo entropy and collapse, until a sudden recovery at 2:40, where is finds its feet again. DJLizard leaps into the hall of fame. |
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Ultima V - Stones 2001 - arranged by DjLizardReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Note to other remixers: if you're going to do SID with piano, this is how to do it: lots of echo, some feel on the piano, and a spaciousness. Some real playing wouldn't go amiss either. DJ has here cleverly managed to turn the tune itself into a riff, and this tune has a definite Enigma feel to it, which is most pleasant to listen to. Some beautiful string accompaniments, a good purposeful bass, great breakbeat to keep the thing humming along. It's understated but beautiful. Amazingly mature cover. |
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Ultima V - Theme (Trance) - arranged by DjLizardReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Ugly intro, with a dry gated synth doesn't make my ass boogie, and the lead that carries the melody is far too high in the mix, and stands out like a sore thumb. After the melody has gone, there's a lot going on which is supposed to be trancey. I'm not sure you'd get a serene trance with this, however: it's hectic and confusing. Maybe after becoming external to a few narcotics and some sleep deprivation you would be able to trance to this: but then, I'm sure it's the same with a lot of 'trance' tracks. Professional sounding, except for odd moments which hurt the ear. Too confusing to be satisfying, but if trance is your thing, this is it, baby. |
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Ultima VI - Heroes Long Gone (Z8F remix) - arranged by DjLizardReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 The beginning synth sound doesn't work for me quite as well as the previous Ultima covers since they sound hollow, irritating and don't work well at low frequencies. The consequence of this is that the piece fails to engage until some swelling strings briefly come into the equation. They then promptly disappear, to be replaced by a large filtersweep that is hard on the ears (too much resonance when the filter's passing through the mid section). There's a Robert Miles vibe develops here, but the filter sweep kills it, primarily through too much resonance. However, when that sweep disappears, it leaves very little behind. Too irritating for a 7. |
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Zak McKracken (IK (mix^2)) - arranged by DjLizardReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Sample, Hold, Cup of Tea, Lie down… Everything about this cover is powerful except for the lead, which is far too twee and dry. The filtered synth is great, the production is good, the sample/hold synth maintains the interest, the drums are punchy, and the whole sound is generally interesting. That lead needs work though. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you feel), it only occurs once, the rest of the time being taken up by 12' mix segments. It works well, though a bit of melody wouldn't go amiss… Abupt ending though: did they kill Zak or something? Worthwhile download for meatiness. |
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M.U.L.E. (Aerobics in the jungle mix) - arranged by MahoneyReview by LMan, 23/01/2003 The jungle fever is on the loose! Go and get yourself infected!Extraordinary well produced (like all of Mahoney's tunes), and really innovative (like all of Mahoney's tunes). What's left to say? Grab this mix and sing along: Laaa behdum dum baah dum bah dut… Great work! |
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Cauldron II (Besen Mix) - arranged by The 909SadistReview by LMan, 21/01/2003 909 Sadist has done a great job here, joining filtered sid, synth sounds and a punchy electronic beat. The result is something that would rock the house and techno dancefloors for sure. The mixdown sounds very professional.Describe this mix in one word? Techno! |
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Last Ninja III (qso-mix) - arranged by CirdanReview by LMan, 21/01/2003 Cirdan took the beautiful Last Ninja III subtune 10, and turned it into something even better. It starts off with a nice ambience, slowly and calm, just until the beat kicks in. An extraordinary 80's sounding background supports the ethnic lead instruments perfectly. The track is mixed and equalised very well, but unfortunately there's also some distortion at several spots. A little less maximising propably would do. But that doesn't really lower the fun of listening to this masterpiece, it actually helps it sounding 80s. For me, it's one of the greatest tracks in 2002. |
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Delta (Minimal) - arranged by Philip BakReview by rauli, 21/01/2003 Truly minimal. Starts with a piano intro. Then it's mainly the bass line and the lead for the rest of the tune, slooowly gaining in intesity until it all shatters and fades away in the end. Bautyful and melancholy. |
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Delta (Beret Supreme) - arranged by RauliReview by Tas, 20/01/2003 I'm not really sure what to makes of this remix really. it's very experimental to say the least. it's a kind somber/ambient remix and one that suits Delta very well.not really sure if he's managed to pull it off really, but credit to Rauli for having a bash at something a little different. The tune itself tends to drag a little and doesn't really quite grab you in the way that is could have. A nice vision really, but one I unfortunately couldn't respect in the way I should have. |
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Flight Path 737 - arranged by Tim ForsythReview by rafael, 20/01/2003 The original is fairly short in terms of what you can do with it - Tim's done a great job here on taking the little bit he's given and turning it into a majestic hymn. The sounds do remind me of Jochen Hippels work - particularly hisGive it a TryCD from 1990. Brilliant piano melody and very nostalgic razory (typical Amiga/C64/ST chip sound) bass backing. Good clear recording as well. Rafael Dyll |
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Lightforce (another Lightforce mix) - arranged by J LofReview by Tas, 19/01/2003 This version of Lightforce kinda reminds me of a tune from war of the worlds with it's attacking baselines and drums. The approach gives the tune a new leash of life and works exceptionally well.Question marks however rise on the bland choice of main lead and the lack of ooomph! and in parts the weak sounds. A good version of a tune that has been remixed a heck of a lot, and downloading is recommended, especially if your a fan of the piece. |
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Delta (Space Grind Mix) - arranged by Gustav TaxénReview by Tas, 19/01/2003 The tune starts off magnificently with a slow build-up and fx, before slowly emerging into the classic Rob Hubbard track. The tune could be seperated into two pieces really, with the first part being the traditional like for like approach. The second part is where Gustav starts to experiment a bit using the delta theme as a template to work on using his own ideas.Both part are done exceptionally well, and with the diversity of the second part he manages to capture the audience and captivate it at the same time. A really good experiment into something a bit different here, and one that gets my thumbs up any day. |
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Nemesis the Warlock - arranged by o2Review by Tomsk, 18/01/2003 By his own admission O2 points out this tune starts slowly. But the way it builds up is part of the magic for me. The original was more hard hitting but this slightly more mellow version still captures the essence of the tune. Fantastic stuff. |
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Cauldron II (the Pumpkin Rides again) - arranged by A0d+BST+TronReview by Tas, 18/01/2003 Certainly a unique twist to couldron 2. a kind of spooky/dance tune with it's main lead being the spooky part and the back ground being very much trance-like.The concept is very good, and it's well applied. I suppose the tune may go on a bit and tends to get very boring after a while. More variety and changes of directions would have helped somewhat. The tune will certainly feel at home in a nightclub and would do well at a up and coming bitlive event. Good effort, more variety needed tho. |
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Think Twice III (santa's got a new knob to tweak) - arranged by WobblerReview by Tas, 18/01/2003 A nice idea with some great background effects and a lovelly crisp clear sound. The main problem that lies with this remix is that the lead doesn't do it justice. You can easily imagine what Wobbler was attempting to do, but he's just fallen a little short with a lead instrument that doesn't quite hit the mark.The tune unfortunately is a little too repetative too, with not enough changes through out the piece to keep the interest levels up. All in all a good effort but just falls short on some aspects. |
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Out Run - arranged by Instant RemedyReview by Tomsk, 17/01/2003 This remix is stunning. From the moment you hear the original sid tune blend into the remix, and that wonderful engine roar past from right speaker to left you just know what's coming. Special mention to Instant for keeping this remix very C64 and yet also technically outstanding. I do love it when remixers pay homage to the original by including/enhancing the original sid sounds - and this has plenty of them. Don't worry - this ain't no sid with drums mix, just download it and hear for yourself. |
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Druid 2 - arranged by Instant RemedyReview by Tomsk, 17/01/2003 This tune probably became more popular as a remixed intro than as actual game music. Fairly plain and melodic, but still quite charming in it's own way. Then along comes Instant Remedy. This remix still manages to remix cool and laid back but adds so much more. A fantastic remix and the built up drum beat make this an Instant 'Classic'. Simply very listenable and with the added chord backing and wonderfull bass sound make this a really smart mix. |
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Platoon Title Remix - arranged by CZ TunesReview by Tomsk, 17/01/2003 I'd never heard this tune before listening to remixes of it. Sometimes this is an advantage when listening to a remix - other times not. But something about this 'tracker' based remix really caught my ear. CZ has done an excellent job keeping faithfull to the original but adding those extra elements that make his Platoon remix extremely enjoyable to listen to - even though it's quite old I still rate it as one of my favorite remixes ever! Techinally not brilliant, but musically I love it. The 'beefy' bass line is one of those that you'll either love or hate. Me personally. Love it. |
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