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Human Race (Goldrunner) - arranged by Fash offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Pretty much each voice of the SID played with different instruments. No additions, no extra material, no extra interest. A rework without much merit, except for the echo lead which is OK. Uninteresting. |
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KnuckleBusters Y2K - arranged by Fash offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Knucklebusters is very easy to ruin. And… poof! It just was. Imagine if you will me wincing in a corner, and you've got my reaction to this remix. Detail? Well, timing sucks, the rhythm is wrong, the synths are irritating and the whole remix hangs together worse than a group of friends in a scary movie. Pretty bad. |
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Commando (Little Noise Mix) - arranged by BoulderDash(CZ) offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Of the many ways Commando can start, a lot choir drone is one of the most unexpected, particularly when it goes into a Jarre-like beginning. The choir sounds cheap, and so doesn't really convey the mystery that it's trying to. Then in comes a sped-up version of the SID with some drums. And… er… that's more or less it, except for the disastrous synchronisation of the melody voice with everything else. Occasionally extra SID voices come in to further maim this already bludgeoned piece. While I was reviewing this in my house, I heard slammed doors all over the house as the piece went on. Incredibly, this one contrives to get more and more ear-battering as it goes on, which considering how it starts is a great feat. OUCH! The piece starts out as a 6, and then dives throughout the tune. |
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Return Of The Mutant Camels - arranged by Fash offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 The intro instrument called upon to play the beginning big drums to this piece isn't a drum! In addition, this Peruvian tune has been sucked dry of emotion: the Ben Daglish tune cleverly used vibrato and flutes to convey a beautiful place. This is hell by comparison. It's lucky the Incas are dead: they would have hated this. |
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Thundercats - arranged by Fash offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Interestingly the ID3 tag for this used to say 'Unknown Artist'. Good description of Rob Hubbard. Still, what of the cover? Well, it's the SID but without any of the performance or dynamics. Complete waste of time, and part of it are truly dreadfully inaccurate. Rob Hubbard turns in his… seat. |
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Armakunis Journey - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Anything with journey in the title had better be epic! Luckily this is. A simple start has Ben's subtune 3 loading music nicely echoed across the landscape. Then some floating chords come in with the echoes and beautifully complement the SID. At 1:30, in comes a stirring military drumbeat to convey us to the next floaty part of the tune: reminds me slightly of Bolero! Building on that atmosphere, beautiful choirs crash in to convey the scale of the epic journey of the title. Let's face it, it's a classic remix. It tries to convey emotion and it succeeds. Yet it's a simple cover. Classic download. |
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Meanwhile, The planet: (FeekZoid2000 mix) - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Wow. Here comes Jarre, but don't tell FeekZoid (he hates Jarre). A gourmet meal based on a tiny bit of SIDtune, this is professional, from the meaty kick drum, to the atmospheric filter usage, the long sweeps over time, the tune building to climax… and relax. Vocoded voices actually fit into this cover along with the floating pads and the rest of the atmospheric SFX, though the tune doesn't have a lot of melody to speak to. One to have in the background, I think. Might not be your cup of tea, but the quality can't be denied. |
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MicroProse Soccer Intro: Smooth FeekZoid Mix - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 It's amazing the difference a good delay can make to a tune. Other arrangers might have rendered this dry and uninteresting, but Feekzoid has simply added strings, timpani, an orchestral feel, bounciness and smoothness to the original SID, all blended in seamlessly. Gorgeous work Feeky: even Galway's patented digis fit in perfectly. Must-download. |
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The Orchestral Synthasaurus Ninja - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 You don't often hear guitar beginning a Ninja track. That's the first surprise with this. The second is that the SID (despite the orchestral track) is still here in FXd form, along with a distinctly Art of Noise set of drums. Then the Orchestral X-files parts starts. It's sublime: great cello, guitar and pianos, wonderful string work, nice X-Files lead, thunder… then it turns into an 80s OMD kind of cover. Well, you can't fault this tune for variety! Oh yes, the guitar solo at the end: marvellous! Must-download. |
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Savage (Boom!Tsk!Fz!) - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 One of Jeroen's bouncy tunes is covered here with some suspense by Feekzoid, who cleverly builds to the payoff bassline with decent synths and restrained. The body of the piece is well done with a standard house/club rhythm section giving it a disco feel. Floaty pads and strings do the business, and clever breaks keep the interest in what is a tune you can easily tire of in its original form. I'm not sure about that lead though: or rather that octave duplication of the lead. It pulls down the piece slightly, and should be more staccato. Quality work. |
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Something Stranger - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 And Microprose Soccer begat… well, sometimes an idea floats across the Universe, and hits the right person. In this case, that idea was a Microprose Soccer subtune, and the person was Feekzoid. A simple riff that sounds like it came from a Pong game has an entire space station built around it: SFX, vocoded space vocals, whistling wind, beautiful pads, and an entire song structure. It should have been on a Jarre album, but of course, Feekzoid hates Jarre 😊 Probably just as well it wasn't then. Just download it: it's not a tune you'd heard in its original form, but it's a great space overture, which builds and builds into a prog rock masterwork: military drums, wonderful powerchords and a theme which never seems to end. One of the best C64-related MP3s ever created. |
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The Analogue Ninja - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Do they play this theme to Ninja babies? A musical box version of the Last Ninja, complete with pizz. strings and some gorgeous instrumentation. At 0:35 it stops being so cute and begins to develop a dark side. Further developments take the piece through an Art of Noise section, replete with banging drums and timpani and piano. An odd combination but it works here. It's weird, but it works. |
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The Vindicator - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Hmm, didn't like the original, and this cover doesn't persuade me to like it, though it does get much better after the first minute or two. I do however see the improvements that have been made to the tune, and the feel of this cover is such that it hangs together nicely. There's even some cello and strings in there: always a sign of class. It's too muffled in production for me to be totally happy with that, but it's a worthy download if you like the original. STRANGE ending! If you like the original, try it. |
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7 On The Top (tune 3) - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Dramatic though very compressed-sounding intro conveys a dramatic intent to this cover. A very 90s-sounding chime-lead does the melodic work, and the drums and bass keep the tune moving. It's a strained sound coming from this cover, as if the sounds were too big to fit into it: that makes it less punchy than it could be. There's a very '80s teen film feel to this'. At least one of my toes was tapping. |
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Last Ninja 3 (tune 7) - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Ear caressing strings and choir, and cavernous taikos convey a wonderful atmosphere, though the sound is overemphasised in the sensitive mid EQ range, which makes it slightly painful to listen to. A suitable bell arpeggio continues the theme, and the piece then goes seriously Terminator-esque and heavy: very atmospheric. This is film soundtrack stuff. Quality download: don't miss it. |
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Last Ninja 3 (tune 8) - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Slightly tinny beginning (which sounds like a Jarre end-of-album track, strangely) removes some of the suspense and power from this otherwise very nicely arranged cover. There's some real emotion here, struggling to get out. At 1:02, some serious synthy bass works with a church-organesque sound to give a very Vangelis feel. A dodgy pitchbend is needed in the subsequent melody for accuracy, but should have been echoed more, since it doesn't sound right this dry. A varied tune, it's difficult to keep the momentum up, and there are parts where you think 'what's going on here'. The main verse could have been even more powerful with more equipment thrown at it, but what's here is genuine art. A download for fans of real melody. |
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Tusker - Finale - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Jungle screams and atmosphere permeate this track. The Matt Gray jungle drums are cleverly mixed with other ethnic percussion to create a jungle atmosphere. Most of Matt Gray's SID bass and drums are intact here, but the lead and chords have been re-rendered with a choir-like instrument and FX. Later developments include SIDlike FX that weren't in the SID, phasing, flanging, gated synth and other additions. Some large chords never quite sound large enough. A cool throwaway distorted lead at the end should have been used earlier: it's worth the price of downloading in itself… This remix is well done, but it doesn't float my boat. This is probably unfair on the remix, but it's a reflection of my lack-of-feeling towards the original tune. Quality Matt Gray cover. |
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Last Ninja Remix (tune 7) - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 This tune has always been a smokey back-alley New York tune to me, so hearing it done so synthily is more difficult to like than it should be. The lead (which should be a smoky sax played by a real cool sax player) is a dry synth which doesn't convey the atmosphere of back-alley melancholia that it deserves. The rest of the backing is rather reminiscent of Sega's arcade work. Very atmospheric synth stabs add a touch of class, taking it from a 6 to a 7 overall. There are more atmospheric versions of this tune, but it's still worth a download. |
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Myth - tune1 - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Massed choirs follow Jeroen Tel's anthemic intro to Myth: an approach which works very well. I'm not sure about the drums which accompany the tune when its gets going though: they don't make my foot tap, and they're a bit random-sounding. This has always been a difficult tune to cover once you get past the memorable intro, and this cover bravely tries to inject ideas and rhythm. It's a competent Myth, but my posterior isn't heating up. Part of this may be the high-frequency challenged overall sound. Worth a download if you're fed up of really bad Myth covers. |
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Neon Nights (tune 4) - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 This sounds like Chris Huelsbeck. It might be the piano, the choir or the JV2080 bell-type sounds. However, there's an unpleasant discordant feel here which I don't like at all. It's a subtle wrongness with the instruments: maybe some chords played at too low a frequency, but unsettling all the same. The kick drum and snare also don't go together too well: the snare is sharp in all the ways that the booming, almost tuned, kick is not. Somehow offputting. See if you agree. |
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Starforce Nova synthmix - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Not an obvious tune to cover, so brownie points there. Watery arpeggio and synth lead are nicely echoed, but the overall sound of the remix is cluttered and muddled. Some nice Cooksey-synth-work is good, but that wet-reverb piano isn't doing the piece any favours at all bass-wise. Worth a download if you like the original. |
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Terrafighter theme - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Atmospheric pads wing this remix into the right landing zone, though they take a long time to start the tune. A tense pause then takes the tune into a pad/arpeggio section. The big drum hits are very Jarre-Zooklook, but the arpeggio instrument itself is disturbingly wibbly, and the instrument used for the lead offputtingly twee. From 2:00 these problems go away, and the remix shows off the piece to best advantage. As it goes on, it again reminds me of a Sega piece, possibly because of the lack of high frequencies in the file which makes it sound like it's been recorded on tape or from a low-quality sound source like an arcade speaker. Brings the majesty out of the tune nicely. |
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Thalamusik (from Sanxion) - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Ah, Thalamusik. The classic tune. Tough to cover, with listeners demanding a high standard of Sanxion… The beginning is promising, drums are tinny but purposeful, there's some effective filtered gated synth, and the bass works. However, the main leads are awful, and effectively kill the remix for me. The breaks in the piece are imaginatively done, if lacking in dynamics, and the difficult impossible-to-replicate-without-the-sid bits have been done well (with the SID lurking in there). The first whiney solo bit has been done justice thanks to suitably whiny instruments and that ever-present gated-synth effect. The second difficult bit doesn't knock me out: it's unsubtle, though it's not the worst rendition of this piece I've heard: far from it. The last solo at the end of the piece is a disappointment: the lead is just the wrong sound. It's not whiney, it's not vibrato, and it just doesn't convey that scrapey desperate sound that the SID conveys. Better leads would have given this a 7.5. |
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Warhawk main theme (sadmix) - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 A slow, sad treatment of Warhawk: almost a requiem. Shades of this mood for Warhawk also showed up in O2s seminal Warhawk mix. It works very well. Warhawk by its nature relies on minor chords, and has a strong melody line which can well survive away from the original SID. This, this cover works. A Jarre Revolutions feel and floaty pads (albeit with an irritatingly piercing echo-lead) performs the rest of the piece. It's an intelligent and persuasive cover, and even when the melody has its chords changed, it works, the sign of the thought that's gone into it. If the production and sound quality were better, and a couple of the irritations in EQ removed, this would be CD-worthy. Perhaps a rework on better technology? Pretty damn good. |
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Jyde Funk - arranged by Fredrik SegerfalkReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 It's funky. It's MoN funky. It's got an asthmatic organ lead though. Toe-tapping: the bass and drums work well, and there's the compulsory rhythm guitar whacking. Inexplicable speech samples and bell sweeps are odd but atmospheric. In conclusion: this is whacked out funk, but actually listenable with an open mind. Not vital, but a nice download for the open-minded. |
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Afterburner (Before I burned the afterburner mix) - arranged by FTCReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 An almost ethnic sound characterises the start of this cover, before the main tune kicks in at 1:00. Good use of FX and sounds gives a quite luxurious atmosphere. Thanks to Jeroen's original, this cover is slightly disjointed, and there are parts of it which just stop the tune, but there's some good moments. Jeroen's solo is captured well, and the mix of synths and SID works very well. Well worth the download. |
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Arkanoid 2010 - arranged by FTCReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Arkanoid is a very difficult piece to cover. Having done so myself a number of times it's very difficult to balance the delicacy of the ethereal part of the tune with the apocalypse caused by the bass and drums of the SID. This one captures neither very well, and adds some odd melody. When the good bits of a cover are the bits in the original SID, then you know something's up. An OK Arkanoid with oddities. |
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Beastie Boys (B) - arranged by FTCReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Big chords and an odd splatty sound give this a unique sound. Again, good use of delay gives the tune a wide-open and interesting sonic feel. It's definitely not flat! This is a very disposable cover in the sense that it doesn't really leave its mark on me musically: the original tune sees to that. But as a happy use of 1:55 of my life, I'm OK with it. There's nothing here to dislike, and a lot to enjoy. It's an odd tune to cover though. Happy happy happy. |
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BraveStarr (Subtune 2) - arranged by FTCReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 The usual FTC ambience is present and correct here in this cover of what's one of Dave Whittaker's odder arpeggio-driven tunes. Some nice piano lead over the arpeggios, and a nice breakbeat make this a pleasant-sounding but odd cover, but somehow it sounds chaotic. This is perhaps because sounds chop and change very quickly, and some sounds which should sustain a lot longer and fade off are just cut. It makes the sound very confusing, because sounds disappear just when the ear is beginning to like them. A chance is missed throughout the entire tune to have a really warm single bass note, (notoriously hard from a sound module) underpinning the beginning of the tune: something to really rattle the windows. This would have made the beginning a lot less brittle and warm. Wistful, but also confusing and choppy. Still worth the download. |
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Hawkeye Highscore Tune (Alltime lowest score ever) - arranged by FTCReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 A better entry from FTC which has some clever use of the SID. The 80s Chris Huelsbeck rhythm suits the piece nicely, and the space between the bass and the drums which is integral to the feel of a MoN piece has been preserved nicely (never play the bass and drums at the same time for a funky feel!). Some nice spacious instruments all contribute to a very early 80s cover. The original source material is quite limited, but nice enough. Overall a very pleasant cover, strangely reminiscant of Human League except it's cheerful. Nice. Very nice cover of a cheerful tune. If you like 80s, you'll like this. |
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