Reviews by LMan |
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Displaying Reviews 1 - 30 out of 45 |
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Once there was only dark (NES ProgRock Remix) - arranged by LinusReview by LMan, 24/11/2020 Impressive and sophisticated, like everything Linus does. It's a feat, how NES chiptune sounds can capture the 70s prog rock vibes so nicely. Spiced with nonstandard rhythms and unexpected chords. For everyone not familiar with Linus' SID works, I recommend checking them out in HVSC. |
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Ocean Loader 1 (Trancey Blitz Mix) - arranged by dr.blitzenReview by LMan, 28/09/2010 The overall arrangement, which closely follows the original's, does not go along well with the dancefloor beat, making it sound out-of-place. Re-arraning and omitting parts of it might be a good idea. In fact the bass track is barely audible, and the beat kind of lacks the boom and punch. This remix could be improved a lot merely by proper mixing and mastering. |
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International Karate - arranged by Chris AbbottReview by LMan, 09/11/2009 Dramatically underrated classic synth remix of a classic SID tune. Don't be fooled by the upload date, this is a piece of c64 remixing history from pre remix. kwed.org times.Apart from a careful arrangement and instrument selection, this remix features a pure reverence for Hubbard's masterpiece, but at the same time isn't afraid to enhance even further. Nearly a decade old, this still competes with the best. It's beautiful. |
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Alien (Standard Edit) - arranged by Joe McPanicReview by LMan, 09/11/2009 Reminiscent of 80s pure synth productions, which is nice. More careful work could have been done on the sound selection, especially regarding the drums.Also, a couple of surprises in the arrangement to spice it up would have been nice. Enjoyable! |
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Comic Bakery - arranged by Mongo ErectusReview by LMan, 02/06/2008 Interesting approach, although it's kind of overdone with the bit-crushing and distortion: it initially might make you wonder if the destroyed sound was intentional or an unfortunate accident during the mixdown.The second part from 2:48 onwards finds a better balance between distortion and distinguishable sounds: it doesn't try to do everything at the same time. Overall, I would love to hear this with better execution and smarter use of the distortion effects. Thumbs up for daring something out-there with the oft-remixed Comic Bakery. |
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Spy Vs. Spy (Acoustic) - arranged by EricReview by LMan, 10/12/2007 Funny idea and vocals, thumbs up for that. Could be much better if the guitars were properly tuned to match the harmonica.Speaking of the harmonica: additionally to being off tune with the main guitar, it sounds very harsh and piercing in the mix with too much treble. Overall good effort with weak points in the production department. |
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Aztec Challenge (run of despair) - arranged by Andrea BaroniReview by LMan, 24/02/2007 Parts of this arrangement are absolutely fantastic, others are a bit dissapointing. For instance, the guitar part at 1:43 should be much more bassy heavy (Rammstein esque), maybe an octave lower.Some of the melody variations don't seem to work very well, because the original arrangement is so powerful - kind of disappointed anticipation. Still - very good effort, only so close from being really outstanding. |
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FunKus - arranged by DafunkReview by LMan, 01/02/2007 Once again, Dafunk completely lives up to his name: this is pure funk. In this great arrangement, Dafunk combines old-school with modern elements, and includes bits and parts of the original SID sound here and there. Truly impressive! |
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Atmosphere (Touching the Sky) - arranged by HazelReview by LMan, 01/02/2007 Mostly well produced, but it seems to me that emptiness in the arrangement is attempted to be concealed by over-use of reverb. Still, pretty enjoyable bouncy tune. |
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Sonic Soul - arranged by JBReview by LMan, 01/02/2007 Starts off lounge-esque, great ambience, choice of instruments and effects. Fantastic saxophone part.Then, it suddenly morphs into a (rather ordinary) dance tune, and after a while back again. Flawless, professional production. |
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Moments of Everydayness - arranged by Markus HollerReview by LMan, 01/02/2007 Very high marks on the artistic and technical scale, no doubt about the professionality behind this remix. On the other hand, it is also quite hard to enjoy - this is sophisticated music, not fit for casual listening. |
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Rambo (feat. Hanna Kappelin and Larsec) - arranged by Visa RösterReview by LMan, 29/03/2006 Top notch vocals as usual by Visa Röster, and Larsec's style is distinctive in the arrangement. Technically, this piece is flawless.On the other hand, I would really really appreciate if there were some lyrics for the melodies, and I would not mind if it was in english, or in swedish or any other language I don't understand; the point is, lyrics would add a lot of personality and texture to the singing. Without doubt Visa Röster have the finest vocalists in the whole scene, it's a shame all we get to hear from them is Ooooohs and Aaaahs, if you know what I mean. 😊 |
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Fist II (band in the rain - new mixdown) - arranged by TraxerReview by LMan, 29/03/2006 Comparing the new mixdown to the old version, the rain effect has not effectively been turned down at all. In fact, it even sounds more present, with more treble in it.The rain really should be barely audible after the intro, it totally distracts from the outstanding far eastern arrangement. |
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Sweet - arranged by Marcel DonnéReview by LMan, 23/03/2006 This is surely one of the very best remixes ever released, either at RKO or on any CD or anything else. The 80s synths style is predestined for this emotional SID tune. The background arpeggios softly pad the smooth lead sounds, and the sublte yet driving drums add drama to it all. Certainly a masterpiece and not to be missed. |
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Megasweet - arranged by DJ SkitzReview by LMan, 14/03/2006 There's not enough praise for this remix. No doubt this is among the very best techno remixes ever released at Remix. Kwed. Org. Technically flawless, extremely driving beat, and great synths. If you dig that style, this is a must-listen. |
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Kinetik (Starship Remix) - arranged by DeesReview by LMan, 21/02/2006 This is a very sweet synthy tune.But: as with other Dees releases, this lacks some variety. Change an instrument here, add an fx noise there. Introduce additional elements as the tune evolves - and this could shine. Even if it lacks Technical / Artistic / and Nostalgic impression in its current form, it is still very enjoyable to listen to, thus the Orange Smiley. |
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Last Ninja 3 (mind.in.a.box mix) - arranged by Stefan PoissReview by LMan, 20/02/2006 Does the original justice by maintaining the epic, foreboding soundscape. Industrial, electronical goodness combined with a great selection of instruments and the occasional sparkle of raw SID sound. Absolutely faboulous. |
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Thing on a Spring (dance remix) - arranged by choscReview by LMan, 16/02/2006 After a nice start, nothing further happens.Overall it's quite entertaining! But the lack of variation, a barely audible hihat section, and wrong melody parts make it drift into the average. |
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Arkanoid 2k5 - arranged by J RooneyReview by LMan, 15/02/2006 YES! I just love the progressive industrial sound of this one. Touches of Arkanoid in proper doses make it clearly recognisable, yet different from all other Arkarnoid remixes out there. In my opinion this style is very suitable for Galway's famous SID. |
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(The World Needs Another) Comic Bakery - arranged by 7anReview by LMan, 15/02/2006 Very straight forward remix. No miracles on the technical side. But a nice groove, grinding bass and rhythm make this a great dancefloor tune. Now where's a dancefloor when you need one… |
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Danko's Busstrafik (nstlg-mix) - arranged by VernestReview by LMan, 14/02/2006 I can see where Vernest is heading with this, but this sounds just unfinished. The drum track is virtually inaudible and incomplete. The sudden ending adds to the impression that this is an incomplete piece of work. |
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Parallax unplugged - arranged by TokafondoReview by LMan, 14/02/2006 A nice idea, and an impressive guitar play. A better tuning of the guitar, a better microphone and this would earn an Outstanding. |
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Lightforce 2006 (XOR's electronica remix) - arranged by XORReview by LMan, 14/02/2006 This would be a killer track, if it weren't for the really poor mastering. The lead sound needs more presence, and the panoramic centre is just empty. My advise: set all levels to zero and redo the mixing and mastering from scratch.On the plus side, I just love the backing, and the care for details. This would make a fantastic soundtrack for an 80s SciFi movie. |
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Artura(Dublin Delight Mix) feat. Andreas Wallström - arranged by MakkeReview by LMan, 31/12/2005 Kick-ass Irish Folk style remix! This is a truly innovative, funny and entertaining rendition of Artura. More of that please! |
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Athena (Sweetness Of Being A Siren) - arranged by load_errorReview by LMan, 13/06/2005 I really love this remix. It's the kind of music I used to listen to a lot in the 90s, and I still occasionally do. The tune's length is just fine, couldn't be long enough for me. It builds up nicely, has a mellow atmosphere, and fitting sound effects in the background. The rythmic part is well made, and even production values are high. Relistening, I simply can't praise this one enough. Oh the sweetness of being a siren!Very decent ambient remix! More of that please… 😃 |
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Supernerd Lightforce Remix - arranged by Jurek RabenReview by LMan, 07/12/2004 That's what I call a kick ass remix! 😃If you're looking for a straight cover version of Lightforce, you're looking at the wrong place here, and I think there's enough of those already… This one is a progressive house / bitpop styled remix (actually it's hard to pinpoint a genre). It incorporates elements of the original in a very creative way, hacking and mincing them to flow with the grooving beat - still they are clearly recognisable. Although this tune may not be a crowd pleaser on a general scale, it would surely rock the house on any techno/house dancefloor. A final word to Jurek Raben: stay faithful to your style! 😊 (Now would you please excuse me, I'll go find a pair of really loud speakers to play this thing on.) |
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Giana Sisters (Keep Da Scene Alive) - arranged by DHSReview by LMan, 22/04/2004 Any reference to a 'Bike' band is purely concidental.At least that's what the mp3 tag says, and if you want to know what bike-band that could be, just listen to the first seconds of this remix with a message by DHS featuring Makke! You know, listening to it actually makes you wonder if Makke leads a double life as lead singer of Scooter… whoops now I gave it away. 😊 This piece of music is most entertaining in every aspect. DHS' techno beat transports the familiar Giana Sisters tune right to the dancefloor. The Scooter-Sound-A-Like experience scores all the nostalgia points here, you almost expect Makke to shout Hyper Hyper! 😃 Great fun guys, keep it up! |
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Total Epygt (German Salami Edit) - arranged by DHSReview by LMan, 29/09/2003 Wow! 100% pure trance. Here, the audience receives a perfectly produced dancefloor style remix of Total Egypt, a SID by one of my favourite SID artists: TBB. In times where dance-stlye music gets less popular all the time, tunes like this one prove that four to the floor isn't dead yet. There is really nothing bad I could think of when listening to this, so thanks for all of that, DHS!Rock on!! 😃 |
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Black Lamp (Come and Claim It!) - arranged by LarsecReview by LMan, 08/09/2003 Larsec's Black Lamp mix intially takes a while to capture you. But when it does, it does so fully - and by the time the break sets in, you'll find yourself rocking your head, at the latest. Apart from that, the tune is well produced, with the typical Larsec-esque atmosphere. A quite different approach to a great SID, an overall outstanding effort. |
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Dutch Breeze/Robocop 3 (Progressive Uplift) - arranged by LagerfeldtReview by LMan, 03/09/2003 You cannot listen to Lagerfeldt's Dutch Breeze interpretation without feeling the urge of getting on your feet and dance. I just love those juicy drums on this one. The proper usage of SID samples maintains enough of nostalgia, while Lagerfeldt's production standard is obviously top notch studio quality. An excellent dance track, punchy, fresh, and perfectly produced. |
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