Reviews by LaLa |
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Magical Sound Shower (Carribean Edit) - arranged by GhostReview by LaLa, 01/03/2003 Steel drums galore - which is understandable. The idea of a Caribbean-style tune is novel but it wears thin pretty fast. There's only so much you can do with steel drums. If this remix was only half this long it would've had more punch. Plus I think the mixing of the tune could use some help to boost the sounds of the steel drums which sound dry and a bit too distant. |
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Storm (Its more fun to remix) - arranged by ifadeoReview by LaLa, 01/03/2003 Even if you never listened to this cover you'll recognize two Kraftwerk references here: first, the name of the remixer which is a reference to Kling- Klang Studios, second the reference to the It's more fun to compute Kraftwerk piece. The cover itself also contains some Kraftwerk references: the opening seconds remind me of Autobahn, the more or less simplistic arrangement also smells of Kraftwerk. Unfortunately, most of the sounds selected for this cover are of the modern Kraftwerk variety and I am not too fond of them in this context. A neat idea that needs to be worked on more. |
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Ocean Loader 2 (Dance X-Periment) - arranged by Sonic WandererReview by LaLa, 01/03/2003 Don't let the almost romantic intro mislead you: this is a genuine dance remix. So genuine, in fact, that it's in the dime-a-dozen category: chew it once then spit it out. |
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Grand Prix Circuit - arranged by AmpReview by LaLa, 01/03/2003 A fairly straight cover of Kris Hatlelid's famous digi tune. The opening seconds with the racecar sounds are very appropriate, then it continues in a promising fashion, but after that there are several problems with this cover. First, the lead sound is a washed out pad instead of a more edgy sound. Then the oh-so-important electric guitar hits that make or break the original have been tamed here so much that it makes the tune sound weak. Having a piano in there later was also a mistake. All in all, this cover just doesn't gel together very well: it can't decide whether it wants to be edgy or not and that's not a good thing. |
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Arabian Zoids (Themed Solo) - arranged by LarsecReview by LaLa, 01/03/2003 Ever since Jarre's Millennium concert at the pyramids of Ghiza I've come to appreciate Arabic music more and more, especially modern Arabic pop and Arabic singing. This chill-out cover of Zoids has some of the latter - and that's where the Arabian attribute ends. So in this sense the title is a bit misleading. It may have started as an Arabian style cover, but then it morphs into a standard chill-out track, then into improvisational noodlings based on some SID classics. In other words, if you want to hear a coherent SID remix, steer far away from this one. The individual chunks of this remix are interesting, but as a whole they don't make any sense to me. After this 9 and a half minute long track I was left confused, not satisfied. The good point is that the technical quality of this track is pretty high. |
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Cauldron II - I am a Pumpkin Man - arranged by traumaReview by LaLa, 01/03/2003 This tune is pretty awesome for several reasons: first it's an excellent blend of a capella vocals and a heavier rhythmic overlay. Second, I find it very funny - if you don't smile when this cover starts, you are not getting the joke or you never played the game. This is because the vocals actually make sense! Third, it has a very good progression to it: it starts in a humorous way with only vocals. Then a hard rock singer's voice comes over all this as frustration builds. Then the rhythmic overlay provides even more drama. After a short and very appropriate bridge section - which features Kraftwerkish drums - the tune culminates in a crazy organized chaos that sounds similar to a heavy metal concert mostly because of the presence of heavily distorted electric guitars. I find the result absolutely ingenius! It's an excellent, excellent piece!I am pumpkin man! ADDENDUM: Recently I've been listening a lot to this awesome tune, thanks to re-discovering it on the BIT Live DVD. My only gripe about it now is that when the purely a cappella part ends and the drums kick in, the signature base of the original tune (I am a Pumpkin Man and I'll be jumping… jump, jump, jump, jump, jump) is no more. That's a bit of a shame, but I still think the remix is awesome as is. Can't get enough of Pumpkin Man! PS: This will be played a lot on Halloween night to scare the trick-or-treating kids… |
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Last Ninja - Wilderness Woodhouse Mix - arranged by Chris MReview by LaLa, 01/03/2003 It starts with a pretty good groove, but it continues in a disappointing fashion: the lead sounds are weak and out-of-place, there are way too many tingly and bellish overtones. If the intention was to evoke oriental feelings, the result is a total failure. The arrangement is not too bad per se, but the instruments should've been selected more carefully. |
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The Last Ninja (clouded mind version) - arranged by mymessedupmindReview by LaLa, 01/03/2003 A very interesting experiment where the Last Ninja tune is slowed down and it is put into a sort of ambient wrapping. I don't think it's as artistic as it was probably intended to be, but it is certainly a notable effort. It's a pretty good for a chill out track as it's very pleasant to listen to. |
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Lightforce (another Lightforce mix) - arranged by J LofReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 J Lof manages to breath new life into one of the most remixed tunes simply by speeding it up. That and choosing killer sounds for his remix. 😊 Add a rather danceable rhythm to this bowl of soup and you got one pretty good Lightforce cover. |
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Platoon (Stratovarius Mix) - arranged by ifadeo offlineReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 Strangely appealing and decidedly electronic, this remix is not trying to do too much but still achieves a lot. I quite like the bass sound in it and the whole electronic feel that it projects. |
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Commando (Orchestral - Compo Edition) - arranged by LarsecReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 I've heard so many remixes of the various Commando tunes, I lost count. This one starts very slow with a single wind instrument playing the lead of the hi- score tune - a very nice piece of remix. Then it switches to the main theme with a more grandiose style. High marks for choosing a SID tune that doesn't lend itself naturally to the symphonic treatment, but except for a few inspired spots (which are mostly where the choir is audible) I find the arrangement crooked and somewhat misdirected. Also, most of the instruments are panned dead center which sounds especially unnatural in a symphonic piece. |
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Way of the Exploding Fist (Tune2) - arranged by Kent WalldénReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 Starts out like any regular WotF cover: very oriental in nature, ambient, serene. Then at around 1:20 more drums and a dancey bass kick in and the ambience is gone, but it actually works out quite nicely as they blend into the overall structure well. I think this is a very good high quality remix, if somewhat unorthodox in its approach. |
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Black Lamp subtune 1 (codename whistler) - arranged by MahoneyReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 I'm not sure how to categorize this remix: I think it's a cross between a symphonic piece and good old Western-style music a la Morricone (whistling plus harmonicas - what else can it be? 😊. Doesn't take itself very seriously, but not in a sarcastic, rather in a joyful way. It's bound to cheer you up! I'm impressed by the quality of this remix, but I don't quite agree with the arrangement all the time. |
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Great Giana Sisters (Deep Tunnel Remix) - arranged by RadiuzReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 In contrast to Dr. Future's version, this is a fast-paced dance version of the same Hülsbeck tune. Maybe the style is not a very original one, but it's done fairly well and is definitely danceable. |
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Noisy Pillars (Final 80s drummachine remake) - arranged by Jarno BeumerReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 I think the bass actually sounds better in this one, but I liked the lead better in the 2002 remake. Jarno needs to combine the best of his two mixes to create a better one. 😊 |
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Crown (Orchestral Menace Edit) - arranged by Markus SchneiderReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 It starts with some moody harps but it continues with more carefully selected wind instruments. It then evolves into a very masculine theme that is alternated with peaceful solos, creating a sort of emotional roller-coaster ride in just 3 minutes. Markus shows some pretty impressive mastery of the symphonic domain here, even though at times his piece suffers from too synthy instruments. But he did the best he could with what he had and the result is awe-inspiring. |
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Last Ninja 2 (Mansion in-game) - arranged by Jon WellsReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 This remix seems to have everything: it's a full and complete cover of the original SID, the instruments radiate a sort of 80's synth-feel… But somehow the overall feeling of this cover is not as good as the sum of its parts. There are bits and pieces of it that are pretty awesome (like that stabbing bass in the opening minute, that pad sound that is a cross between a choir and a flute, that nice break in the middle, etc.), but at times it sounds cheap and kitschy, which is unfortunate. |
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Deflektor (SKA-flector mix) - arranged by Nova89Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003 In spirit it's similar to Reyn's superb version (available on Nexus 6581) with acoustic instruments and such, but it's thinner and less developed. Not a bad arrangement at all, but it sounds like it could've used more work. Especially that ugly bridge section in the middle. But I really like the guitar licks featured in it. |
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Crazy Comets (Komet Non-Stop mix) - arranged by MakkeReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 This is a bloody awesome cover in the style of Kraftwerk, more specificly their Electric Café album! Complete with the typical minimalistic drums, the minimalistic music structure - and even singing! It is really good, and although I think the singing could've been more robotic and the lead sound a bit more Kraftwerky, all in all, it's one very good piece of work. |
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Follow Me (SunSample 3 Mix) - arranged by DHSReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 Although the novelty value of SID remixes with lyrics probably wore off by now, I still find them rather interesting. Especially this one - pay close attention to the singing. I quite like its lyrics! Follow me back in time! 😊 |
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Last Ninja Remix - Loading Theme - arranged by SolknightReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 A rare remix from an HVSC Crew member (Andreas and myself also tried remixing SID tunes). He chose one of my favorite LN tunes and did a respectable job of bringing it to a more modern sound environment. I like the choice of sax (?) for the lead, but unfortunately some of the slides seem to drift off-key at times. This cover would sound even better with a purely acoustic treatment. |
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M.U.L.E. (Aerobics in the jungle mix) - arranged by MahoneyReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 I am a bit mystified about why people rate this tune so high. It's a mixed salad of jungle samples, an electronic lead, some samples from Jarre's Zoolook, and even a female a capella performance mixed with males shouting Hey! found its way into this remix. Sure, it's a quality recording, it sounds like a great production, it's even funny at times, but its musical value is not exactly outstanding. |
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Spy vs Spy (electrormx) - arranged by O-FiREReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 A very nice chill-out cover. Sometimes keeping it simple is better than overcomplicating it. |
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Firelord - Symphonic - arranged by Glyn R BrownReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 This is one of the best (if not *the* best) symphonic covers I've ever downloaded from RKO! This is probably the closest one can get to that orchestral sound without actually hiring one to perform a tune. It also has a soundtrack feel to it, probably because of the fast moodswings that is typical of film scores. I don't know how much Glyn worked on this tune, but it was sure well worth it. The only enhancement I can think of for this tune is a better placement of the various sections of the virtual orchestra in the stereo space - everything seems to come from the middle, which is not realistic. But that is just splitting hair over this awesome work! |
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Indiana Jones (Non Vocal Ethno Revenge) - arranged by Thomas Detert offlineReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 This is basically the same thing as the first version, but I like this one a bit less due to the missing vocals which give life to and spice up the other version. Still sounds bloody awesome to me. |
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Indiana Jones (Ethno Revenge) - arranged by Thomas Detert offlineReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 Reminds me a lot, a _LOT_ to the style of Deep Forest - and it is fantastic! Although I do question its place on RKO: after all, it is a remix of the Indiana Jones theme.😉 (But then where should we stop: what about Delta, Zoids and others that are also covers of covers?… …) Anyway, this remix is bloody awesome and you have to be deaf not to notice that. |
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Hades Nebula - arranged by Thomas HillebrandtReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 This cover has lots of potential, unfortunately most of it is not used fully. The ambience it tries to create is a good idea, but is disturbed by brushy drums - those should've been marching drums, anyway. The cheesy bass further destroys the ambience. Again, not bad, but could've been a lot better. |
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Ducks Ahoy! - arranged by Stello DoussisReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 This is superb, it's really, really awesome! It may be short, but it's very effective at capturing the feel of those merry-go-round tunes at fairs! My only problem with it: it cuts off abruptly. (And to overcome its shortness, play it twice. 😊 |
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Cybernoid (for hammond organ) - arranged by plasm303Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003 I don't think most SID fans can appreciate how authentic this cover is: Leslie effects, cheesy drums, electronic sounds generated by tubes - it's a typical Hammond organ! Very good! (My Dad is a big fan of these beasts, he has a similar electronic organ, so I know exactly why this cover is spot on.😉 |
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Pooyan (subtune 1) - arranged by WolkReview by LaLa, 04/02/2003 This is a happy little tune! I can easily imagine it in a children's educational TV program, where it'd be a favorite for sure. |
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