Reviews by Danko

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Plastic Pop (Plastic Fantastic) - arranged by Wobbler

Review by Danko, 04/11/2023

This is embarassing. I heard this when it was published, probably forgot due to all the other things in life to cater to. …then I attended the online stream from Bergen BIT Live 2023, and end game this popped out… …now there is no denial. Okay then. Wobbler, please appreciate the fact that there are well over a hundred remixes of Plasticpop. This is one of the better ones, shy of Mordi. Thank you for your interpretation.
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Mr Danko's Opus - arranged by Glyn R Brown

Review by Danko, 03/11/2023

What just happened?! Glyn R Brown, The Greatest C64 Remixer of All Time , taking music that I composed at ages 13 to 15 into consideration for a nine minute tribute? The word remix is totally out of context here. This is an interpretation worthy to stand on it's own, shoulder to shoulder with anything cinematic you can come to think of. The, to Glyn's previous repertoire, new element of spanish guitar strumming rhythmical chord progressions is a very clever and playful addition to break up almost nine minutes of Cinematic Orchestral supremacy. Every time I listen to anything by Glyn, I can hear him discovering a hidden chord progression or melody and bring it out of the original composition. This piece of music is no exception in that regard, I think I knew these simple, almost naively mundane, melodies from my childhood. Yet, Glyn found something else that I was not aware of existing in my own music. Technique - Are you kidding me? I know people making Cinematic music for a living, nowhere near as capable as Glyn. Artistic skill - Taking something of mine, and genuinely making it his own. That requires a true artist, not merely a remixer. Nostalgia factor - Holy shit. These original songs are 35-37 years old by now and an integral part of my childhood. I still remember the days when I composed them, where I was and how I felt. Not sure how to get any more nostalgic than that for me personally. It's going to take me some time to let this sink in, currently I am incapable of comprehending what just happened. Most likely I will freak out when I suspect it the least and the fact hits me like a ton of bricks. The fact that Glyn R Brown gifted me this tribute. I will never be worthy, Glyn. But I'll take it!
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Complications (Encore500) - arranged by Peter Clarke

Review by Danko, 09/10/2023

Well, as I recall things it was the other way around with the C64 version happening later, but I digress… Friendly banter aside, this track shows Peter Clarke's strength as a professional musician on guitar and keyboard which is something I've been suggesting for him to get back into after a decade of fake symphonic orchestral remixes. So glad he did, because this one is one of the funkiest tracks on Remix64 this year and so different from all the numerous Complications remixes out there!
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California Games - arranged by LMan

Review by Danko, 07/10/2023

When Makke says it sounds 20 years old, is it because it is 20 years old or because Makke is right? Nobody knows. To me, personally, this sounds like an improvement over anything anyone would have attempted to produce 20 years ago. And that is all. Spring cleaning and moving on is awesome, Lman!
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Complications - (E500 Funky Soul Mix) - arranged by Peter Clarke

Review by Danko, 06/10/2023

Not my favorite Complications Remix, but the best Complications Remix. I wish I had nothing to do with it. Having been privy to how Peter approached this interpretation was impressive. Initially it was to be 70s Motown, then Disco pretty much came out of the mixing process. The end result is Disco without the Cheese, showing Peter's talent when it comes to choosing tasteful aesthetics. Peter got a severe upper hand by being able to play those funky guitar, Rhodes Piano and Hammond Organ licks live and with great articulation. To me, this is what makes all the difference in a world of 100% In-The-Box DAW Remixes. It did take a lot more effort when it came to the mixing and mastering, however in hindsight it was definitely worth all the ache, pain and harassment from Peter.
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Funkey A Soul (the hardest part) - arranged by Eivind Sommersten

Review by Danko, 30/09/2023

I wresteled this particular SID because the driver did not have hard restart making it difficult to groove. And here you go, groovin'… Figure, you did not have to wrestle any of that. Apologies for the waveform reset bugs, and glad to see you managed to ignore them.
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Blue Comic Bakery Monday (Mashup Remix) - arranged by ALPA

Review by Danko, 31/08/2023

Fett nice, but where is the Blue Monday KikikikiKikikikickdrum. …och då är det alltså 'förlorat tillfälle' som skall in på lodrät nio.
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Angel (Merry X-Max) - arranged by Lagerfeldt

Review by Danko, 15/07/2023

Makke, are you aware that many say Dune's best track is Starchild? Only, Dune never did that track. I did. My favorite part is where Holger play those break percussions live. The fact that this remix never hit the radio charts back then is quite the conundrum…
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Yes Comment - arranged by FZN

Review by Danko, 15/07/2023

MIDI production aside, it took me months until I finally got this one. The concept is great, so thank you for remixing something I've made. We should redo this with a live saxophonist and some smoover grooves one day.
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Opus II - 100 years of demos (Cinematic64.com) - arranged by Slaygon

Review by Danko, 07/10/2022

This becomes very emotional to me, not only because I happened to have written the original version. Not only because I was not even a teenager at the time. No, this is very emotional to me because I made this SID as self therapy in a very dark period of my early life. And Slaygon has managed to convey this impeccably.
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Ground (Re-Lec-Tro Mix) - arranged by Mitch van Hayden

Review by Danko, 14/02/2022

When I grow up, I want to make a collaboration remix version of Ground with Mitch van Hayden, Teo/Rebels, Vincenzo/Rebels/Lethargy , DHS, Mordi and Mahoney.
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Plastic Pop - arranged by MRT

Review by Danko, 24/01/2022

Maybe I don't know everything about Plasticpop. However, I did author the original version so there's that. Mordi found something in that 15 minute c64 sid thing I did as a joke back in the days. I had no idea Plasticpop had so much nostalgia, Mordi found it. 200+ something shitty remixes later (not here, on YouTube, look it up sorry), MRT adds quality to his remix.
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Ground (Klsch edit) - arranged by Teo

Review by Danko, 24/01/2022

Rest, not OK. How many words, ja? Not OK. Not OK. Not. OK. Nicht. OK.
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Ground (Pump Up The Insomnia) - arranged by Vincenzo

Review by Danko, 24/01/2022

Blending several 90s anthems into something making my old SID seem as likewise, that is just amazing.
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Yes Comment (Prophet in a new day) - arranged by Mozolowski

Review by Danko, 24/01/2022

Perhaps not a lot of arrangement going on, though. The original got some more progressions, and this rendition only cover a slight part of it. Still, great emotional cover of that slight part.
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Tribute to Atos - arranged by Eivind Sommersten

Review by Danko, 24/01/2022

Someone taking a very unpopular sid of mine, turning into a dubstylee track. What is not to love? Love you, Eivind!
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Giana Sisters - Arok - arranged by Glyn R Brown

Review by Danko, 08/12/2021

Also, Glyn makes me want to stop working on all the music projects I do, because Glyn.
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Deformata (15 years Later) - arranged by Vincenzo

Review by Danko, 30/10/2020

People talk about channels and melody, they forget the utmost part of a remix. Soundmix. Aesthetics. This one just won a 15 year old part.
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