Reviews by beldin |
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Shadow Skimmer - arranged by Markus SchneiderReview by beldin, 30/03/2003 Compared with the original sidtune, which is among my favourites, Markus' attempt at creating an orchestral remix based on it, works extraordinarily well. The quality of samples is outstanding and sounds really professional. This alone is worth the download. Many arrangers would be happy if they could use such equipment.At the same time, the remix could be described best as over-ambitious, which is likely the reason why this particular remix has caused some controversy in public discussion. The sidtune is a completely different style. It's a fast-paced, powerful and drum-heavy music. Turning it -- or parts of it -- into an orchestral soundtrack is an extremely tough job. Professional equipment alone (and the ability to use it) is not everything. Orchestral arrangements should raise specific emotions and capture you through-out the entire track. This is where the Shadow Skimmer source material was not the best choice. The clearly recognizable theme is there and is the highlight. But it is surrounded by elements that don't focus on a specific atmosphere and which don't raise any emotions except when the fairly majestic Shadow Skimmer main theme kicks in from time to time. Overall, this is one of the best remixes so far. Markus should not be put down if he expected only outstanding votes. He did an awesome job with this one and we all hope to see more like this from him in the future, whether on CD or not. |
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KikStart 2 - arranged by IceXuickReview by beldin, 27/03/2003 It's impressive how the arranger has turned the IMO weak source material into a modern-sounding dance-floor track which gets more interesting towards the end. If it just would not take a full minute to build up. A full minute without any drums or percussions. And even when the drums kick in finally, it takes another 90 seconds to get to the first variations. That and an additional 30 seconds of silence at the end are two drawbacks.I had to look up the sidtune in order to not misjudge this one, the nostalgic value is not considered in the overall rating. |
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Thanatos (In Love Mix) - arranged by DJ RETROGradeReview by beldin, 27/03/2003 First of all, what's the goal of adding 12 seconds of weird babbling at the beginning? Something like that is a definiteNO!for C64 Remix playlists, for instance. The rest of the 5:20 long remix is a straight-forward and very repetitive cover-version which adds some monotonous and questionable percussions, such as noise in the background. Why it's called In Love Mixis beyond me. The remix has absolutely nothing to offer and is disappointing. |
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Aztec Challenge - arranged by IceXuickReview by beldin, 27/03/2003 With a total playtime of 5:46 (!) and a distorted voice sayingAztec Challengeagain and again, this remix is very repetitive and close too the border of getting annoying. Unless of course the listener is into such stuff. What else to add about this remix? It contains lots of drums which change the rhythm of the original version quite heavily, although the well-known bass-line is there and recognizable. It doesn't capture you like the original does. The flute-like lead sound would fit better into a more calm (and maybe orchestral, again) arrangement. |
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Wizball Highscore (sid-cover) - arranged by Kent WalldénReview by beldin, 15/03/2003 Compared with previous remixes of the Wizball high-score theme, I think this is a better one. As the sub-title might suggest already, this arrangement is based on SID-like sounds (except for drums and percussions, of course, but including arpeggio in the background) and also is a direct cover-version. The chosen instrumentation is pretty obvious and well-balanced and doesn't attempt on using any experimental and questionable instruments. I don't think I have tried hard to find any flaws. The remix just works fine the way it was set up. Thumbs up. |
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Ocean Loader v4 mongoloid mix - arranged by dj waffelmeisterReview by beldin, 21/02/2003 The biggest drawback of this remix is, the chosen lead instrument is a pain to listen to, although the tune is only two and a half minutes long. I find the rest of the chosen instrumentation questionable, too. In addition to the lead, the dominant and monotonous drum'n'bass is a headache-guarantee. And I would prefer if I could enjoy more of the things in the background. The arranger should have put more emphasis on the background. |
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Blood money (Kicked miX) - arranged by THC FlatLineReview by beldin, 21/02/2003 Stuffed with a great selection of synth/electronic/SID sounds and modulations and offering an awesome recreation of the important lead, it is very good. Expect the sidtune on different and more capable equipment. It is a cover version, which is close, but different at the same time. For instance, unlike the SID version, it doesn't concentrate on filtered sounds and heavy ring-modulation. |
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Spy vs Spy - arranged by ScorpionReview by beldin, 21/02/2003 Only enjoyable at high volume because it doesn't consist of many voices or rich sounds. But be aware of a drum solo in the middle which takes away some of the flow (and fun). TheSpy vs. Spytheme is clearly recognizable, however, and recreated in a clever way with a matching accompany. Though, for a total of 3:06 it is quite repetitive, also in the second and better half. |
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Cybernoid 2 (Pede Cyber Mix) - arranged by DHSReview by beldin, 21/02/2003 Impressive production quality of this 6:35 long dance-remix with regard to quality of sounds and richness in sound. Even the stutter-rap at the beginning fits well. If I could suggest an improvement, I would replace the piano in the lead with a more obvious instrument. The piano is about the only thing that doesn't work perfectly and in the lead sounds unexpected. In the accompany it fits very good. |
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Creatures 2 (Infamous remix) - arranged by InfamousReview by beldin, 21/02/2003 If you're not familiar with the sidtune, base your expectations on sub-song #6 of the sidtune in HVSC. Neither the remix nor the sidtune have any nostalgic value for me. Hence I don't consider that in the overall rating.The remix has nothing special to offer. Bass, percussions and accompany are pretty monotonous and hence boring, but not bad. The overall arrangement doesn't trigger any emotions though. It lacks something like a theme, probably because the original sidtune is weak in this area, too. But nevertheless, the sidtune performs better, and its lead voices are more enjoyable the longer you listen to it. |
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Delta - arranged by Terminal StormReview by beldin, 19/02/2003 Fast-paced club music arrangement of well-known elements from Delta with focus on the title theme. I think the chosen sounds and effects fit well and the added accompany was a good idea. It could add more bits here and there to sound more rich, however. |
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Last Ninja 3 (Ninjha mix) - arranged by Red DevilReview by beldin, 18/02/2003 An awesome atmosphere (somewhere between majestic and melancholic) is created by this arrangement. The highlights of this remix being piano and pan-flute as lead instruments, a well-balanced choice of mostly accoustic instruments and a rhythm which keeps you caught for the entire song. |
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Arabian Zoids (Themed Solo) - arranged by LarsecReview by beldin, 18/02/2003 Musicians most likely disagree, but for my taste the 9:29 long track contains far too many added pieces which have nothing in common with the great source theme. In particular, the female voice singing some completely unrelated Oriental stuff from 1:30 to 2:45 is something which makes me double-check whether what is playing is actually the correct track. Apart from that, the beginning sounds thin, and with the long Oriental singing, it takes too long for the remix to build up. Assuming it started around 3:53, it gets better, but not with regard to the mixing and the things that follow. It gets thinner again around 6:30 with a solo (nothing recognizable), followed by another own composition which almost fails to find its way back to the Zoids theme which in the last minute is disturbed by improvised and IMHO questionable and wild lead guitar playing. Conclusively, in the category of aSID remix-- as a remix of Zoids -- (and trying to follow and understand the arranger's long comment) I don't see many bits which make this remix more than average in its category. The sheer play-time can't compensate the ballast. In a stripped down version I could concentrate on a remix of Zoids and would rate it higher. |
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Hell On Earth Spells Game Over - arranged by MakkeReview by beldin, 18/02/2003 The winner of Remix64'sGreat CD Giveaway Competitiongives an outstanding example of innovative and successful usage of singing and entertaining lyrics in SID remixes. It it based on a short accoustic guitar version of Times of Lore(Martin Galway) in the intro and builds its two main parts upon perfectly blended Pop versions of Deel 3and Cybernoid 2(Jeroen Tel) for a total of 4:47. The lyrics just fit so well. |
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Space Harrier (Cooksley vs Bach Mix) - arranged by Karl R PettersenReview by beldin, 16/02/2003 It's a pitty the great harpsichord arrangement has no chance against loud percussions and a lead instrument which could be described best as asinging saw, it literally gets buried - eewh! |
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Ocean Loader 2 (Dance X-Periment) - arranged by Sonic WandererReview by beldin, 16/02/2003 Considering how Instant Remedy started out, Sonic Wanderer's attempt sounds much like he's in the early steps of Instant Remedy. For a club remix, however, this one starts too late with stomping drums (at 1:22). The middle part with bass-line and steady percussions is better, but also has a questionable sequence where the rhythm is changed abruptly. Another thing that could be replaced or changed is the dominating Arpeggio in the background which is too close to the lead. Else this is a nice effort. |
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Moon Patrol - arranged by dor-xReview by beldin, 16/02/2003 Entertaining…, but hey, what isMoon Patrol? The original sidtune is a 25 seconds short bass solo (well, call it melody) accompanied with weird drums. So, what this remixdoes is adding a complete own and lengthy guitar composition on top of the looping (and later modified) bass-line from Moon Patrol which makes it a complete new track rather than a remix, IMO. Hence in the category of a SID remix, I think this one performs a poor job. |
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Jinks Rebound - arranged by Krister NielsenReview by beldin, 16/02/2003 A straight-forward extended SID cover which means it contains a few samples from the original sidtune, but replaces most of the instruments and percussions. In thisenhanced sidtunecategory, however, it does a good job. In particular I enjoyed a great bass-line and drums. |
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Cauldron II - I am a Pumpkin Man - arranged by traumaReview by beldin, 16/02/2003 A mixture betweena capella, lyrics, Kraftwerk-style electro drums, club-music and heavy metal near the end. In other words, a real strange mixture, and although I agree it may be a very creative piece of music, I can't get accustomed to weird stuff like this and I'm not impressed at all with what it does to the Cauldron (Hexenküche) theme and its atmosphere I think this mp3 has a very limited and special target group. It's not anything I would recommend as a download. |
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Loopz (Radiowellen Mix) - arranged by ifadeoReview by beldin, 16/02/2003 While a selection of good and smooth sounding sounds was used, this track covers parts of the original sidtune in a quite too repetitive way for a bit more than four minutes. I wish it would cover more of the sidtune and would attempt at one or two variations. If you're looking for a track to become sleepy, this is one. 😉 |
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Turrican (Juno mix) - arranged by J LofReview by beldin, 12/02/2003 Too much filtering used throughout the 6:25 mix of several Turrican songs gives an overall too muffled sound. The used sounds/instruments mainly sound cheap, too. Additionally, the remix doesn't concentrate on any theme either which makes it a bit of a boring random concatenation of unfinished Turrican cover versions. |
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Clystron (Subtune 6: Hiscore) - arranged by LManReview by beldin, 12/02/2003 The rating of this remix is solely based on what the remix has to offer since hearing the name of the sidtune doesn't ring a bell. The high quality of sounds used in the remix, the modulations in the bass-line, drop of percussions and a piano part in the end, and the overall hypnotic atmosphere (in a good sense), make this an outstanding piece of music. |
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Star Paws - arranged by Michiel SoedeReview by beldin, 12/02/2003 Simply fantastic! Despite being one of the old(er) remixes -- with some of the release dates being wrong --, it extends and improves the Star Paws SID source material so much with synth sounds and modern equipment, it's unbelievable. A real master-piece with Jarre-feeling in several places and being rich in timbre from beginning till end. Hard to beat. |
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Thrust - arranged by BozReview by beldin, 12/02/2003 Extra-ordinary enhanced version of the sidtune, albeit straight-forward and with a few original SID samples in some important places where they are used for effects and percussions like pulse-modulation drums (which in my opinion was a good decision and results in a nostalgia bonus). The arranger has replaced and added enough to make this a 6:36 long enjoyable synth-track with a well-chosen set of sounds and instruments. |
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Lightforce (another Lightforce mix) - arranged by J LofReview by beldin, 12/02/2003 It's a fast-paced dance-floor version which contains clearly recognizable parts of Lightforce. So don't expect a full cover. The dance-floor style makes quite a difference. It also doesn't attempt on covering several of the impressive SID modulations found in the original. But it's a fine attempt on a dance-remix of Lightforce which benefits from strong source material and a good selection of sounds. It's somewhere between aGOODand a VERY GOODremix. |
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Mixer - Synth Sample #1 - arranged by MixerReview by beldin, 29/01/2003 Perfect! Everything it has to offer fits really well. Superb choice of instruments (guitar, strings and synth lead, drums) and the strong source material adds it bit with a catchy and emotional theme. A must download, especially if you remember it from theSwinthline-drawing screensaver demo. |
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Sanxion - arranged by XORReview by beldin, 29/01/2003 Very well chosen synth-sounds and percussions create a rich sound and manage to compensate the few minor mistakes in the transcription of the first theme. Major drawback is, it is 5:36 long and hence gets a bit boring in the last 40-50 seconds where the track ends with a percussive solo. |
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The Orchestral Synthasaurus Ninja - arranged by FeekZoidReview by beldin, 29/01/2003 What a fantastic instrumental soundtrack this is! It creates a varied and impressive atmosphere, switching between a clearly recognizable synth theme with powerful drums and less percussive slow'n'sweet sections based on acoustic guitar and piano accompany. Towards the end of the 4:12 long track you can enjoy a climax featuring a lead e-guitar. Makes it probably one of the most complete SID remixes so far.(Btw, according to HVSC 5. 2 it covers The Inner Sanctum (loader)by Anthony Lees, not Ben Daglish.) |
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Task III (Hum along with the task) - arranged by Trace & MahoneyReview by beldin, 29/01/2003 Listener, be warned, this is another piece of music witha cappellaelements. If you prefer instrumentals or real singing, better avoid this track. While it starts as a real nice synth tune which you would want to listen to at higher volume, it doesn't play like that for more than 44 seconds. Weird and questionable sound effects, which sound displaced, fill the rest of the first minute right before the first female a cappella singer joins with her improvised singing sounds. Twenty seconds later a higher female voice takes over and then it gets worse, sounding more like screaming at times, and forces me to turn down the volume of a track which I would enjoy if it didn't feature a cappella singing like that. It continues like that for a total of 5:40. |
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Faery Tale Adventure - In The town - arranged by choscReview by beldin, 24/01/2003 The C64 version of the original Faery Tale AMIGA soundtrack is poor and full of errors. With its inaccurate transcription of the notes of the original, this remix also sounds quite like it is based on the weak C64 material. A monotonous drum track and a few synth-sound fill-ins, which don't fit well, stretch this remix to a length of 2:29. It fails to capture the atmosphere of the AMIGA soundtrack. |
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