Reviews by Poke16384 |
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A Prehistoric Tale - arranged by Jogeir LiljedahlReview by Poke16384, 07/11/2023 Unmistakably Jogeir.. but a really faithful remix of Johen Hippel's original.. The soundscape is SOOO nice, spread out and airy.. There's just enough modification here for Jogeir to put his own signature on it.. (and clearly a lot of respect for the original work).. Lot's of lovely playing in the performance, especially the bent & slid notes of the melody.. My ears are in paradise… |
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Mr Danko's Opus - arranged by Glyn R BrownReview by Poke16384, 03/11/2023 It's taken me a couple of days to find the words to say about this Glyn composition.. If you aspire to write orchestral/cinematic remixes, this is your benchmark.. Just when we think we've heard it all from Mr Brown, he raises the bar yet again.. It's not just the beautifully composed arrangement that makes this shine, it's the mix as well.. You can feel the power that is there in his orchestra but it is controlled so well, delivering just the right amount of emotion in just the right places.. The mix in this track delivers a truly authentic sounding cinema-piece.. You just know this would drop straight into a movie.. I think this is the best piece of Glyn R Brown that I've heard to date.. and how he has never won 'Remixer of the Year' is beyond me.. This year.. Surely!! |
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Firelord - arranged by FastLoadersReview by Poke16384, 27/10/2023 Well.. this is certainly a different Firelord.. although you don't suspect it until 25 seconds in. Then all of the toys come out the toybox at once and it feels a bit like all hell breaks loose.. Personally, I'm torn.. No doubt about Jarle's guitar playing ability but the drum-track is pretty full-on and relentless and the whole thing might have benefitted from a 'breakdown' somewhere before the 3 minute mark which is approaching the end.. The soundscape is typically Fastloaders throughout, apart from beginning & end.. A bit of extra credit for including parts of the original which never made it into either Glyn's or my versions.. Musically, this is a very competent rendition and has some invention in it. The guitars in harmony are a really good sound and somehow soften the attack of the melody.. I'm just not sure that the standard Fastloaders instrument soundscape is suited here with the energy and drive of those drums propelling us at speed towards the end, without a breath along the way.. The original had a strong medieval feel to the rhythm, even though it was a SID composition. That rhythm is lost here, apart from a couple of hints at it, here & there.. This is a good remix so I won't be unkind but it could maybe have benefitted from a different rhythm with a little more ebb & flow to it.. and also a gentler soundscape with possibly a bit more 'Acoustic' and 'Organic' in the overall sound .. |
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Hades Nebula (Quinque annis post) - arranged by LaLaReview by Poke16384, 14/10/2023 LaLa may be best known for the insightful verbal critique he provides on all of our remixes but here is a musical statement which should leave you in no doubt about his ability to weave magic with a musical keyboard.. The atmosphere of this piece carries all the power of an epic movie soundtrack in a subtle soundscape that does the job to perfection.. His interpretation of Ben's piece adds buckets of depth that the humble SID chip was never capable of delivering but never loses the essence of the original… It's a great remix. |
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Kikstart II remix - arranged by Nadin0xD400Review by Poke16384, 23/07/2023 Is this good? Is it very good or is it truly outstanding..? For me, it's a damn good 1st synthy remix but not 'red'. Nadin can obviously create a coherent tune and add appropriate sounds but there are issues here. The drum track is a bit out of sync with the rest of the soundscape and there are places where it should be driving the beat but it's hitting on off-beats instead of downbeats which tends to detract from the overall energy.. There isn't really any invention here either, just a straight 1:1 cover with different sounds. An AROK winner..? For me, there were better remixes in that final Top 10 but I get that people who voted at AROK heard all remixes just once and Kikstart II is kinda catchy. I hope that Nadin will not just read this and feel it's all negative. There IS promise here and I've always been about encouraging new remixers to carry on and make more & better remixes. Lord knows, we need the new blood in the remix scene but.. overvoting new, average to good remixes with 'red' smileys doesn't help the new remixer. It tells them that they've already reached the highest possible standard for Remix64. If Nadin doesn't get the encouragement to improve, what happens when the listener novelty wears off and suddenly she receives 'greys' & 'yellows'.? It isn't helpful or constructive for those better, future remixes.. or Nadin. So, ignoring any mixing or mastering issues, (those techniques should also develop as she does), this IS a good remix. Please Nadin, push forward and make more remixes.. Study & improve your DAW & instrument programming skills.. Develop your musicianship craft and blow us all away.. |
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Guitar Stardust Space Debris Slinger Medley - arranged by 0Supereg0Review by Poke16384, 06/05/2023 My 1st listen to this remix left me scratching my head a little. So, I gave it 2 more listens.. It certainly wanders off the beaten path but that isn't necessarily a negative in itself. The overall soundscape is pleasing & warm and definitely suits 'Guitar Slinger'. Where I have issue is in the arrangement & execution. There are 'bum' notes in a couple of the guitar runs, early on and; guessing that some or all of this was actually played, I can understand why you have simplified a lot of the faster flourishes & riffs from Jogeir's original. A lot of the middle section has a different chord structure also with minor chords appearing, (again, no bad thing in itself) but it becomes unrecognisable as Guitar Slinger.. I honestly admire & applaud remixes that take original MODs to a new place, (you'll notice I've scored it 'red' for Artistic Skill to reflect just this) but overall it is only a 'good' for me. Some of the ideas in this remix are very good, only let down a bit by the execution. |
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Stranger in a Strange Land (Ensoniq Mix) - arranged by LaLaReview by Poke16384, 06/12/2021 Lots of very recognisable undertones here.. 'Electric Dreams', 'Never-ending Story'.. Reyn's original doesn't hint that strongly at this genre and soundscape so, 10/10 for adapting it to this style.. The arrangement is faithful but, (and this is no criticism) The original doesn't leave much room to add more of your own parts like 'answer backs' to the main melody, (Reyn did it already in the SID). Your soundscape is really good. The individual instrument sounds that you've chosen absolutely represent the mid to late 80's era of electro-pop. A really enjoyable remix that only suffers from some of the repetition of the original SID. This is a tough SID to do anything other than a 1:1 cover with and you've done that really well… If I marked it down for adding next to nothing new to the arrangement, I'd be a hypocrite because I don't know what I could have added, in your place.. |
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Deactivators - arranged by Glyn R BrownReview by Poke16384, 21/04/2021 A brilliant remix but this is Glyn so, we expect brilliant. Nevertheless, once you get past the fantastic arrangement and arrive at the mix & the master, these are also spot on. The whole thing has a Tim Burton feel to it and it's only flaw is the length of the track. It's an outstanding piece of music and was easily worth it's 4th position in the competition.. |
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Parallax Loader (Dozen Delightful Mix) - arranged by 0supereg0Review by Poke16384, 10/03/2021 Yes! Yes! Yes! Overall, a really inventive remix, very 'proggie' in it's feel and execution. My only criticism is the 2 minute wait from beginning to the entry of the picked guitar and nothing else to tickle the ears before. Another minute and the main protagonist joins the party, (the lead-guitar). For me, the remix really shines from around 3. 57 when everything comes back into tempo. There are some super-delicious licks & riffs happening and the overall sound is very authentic. Lots of musical invention here.. it perhaps needed more in the first few minutes.. another instrument to entertain us while we waited for the main-guest to arrive.. Great effort & a really good remix overall.. |
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Delta (lost in space mix) - arranged by 0supereg0Review by Poke16384, 10/03/2021 Wow! There's a mix of right & wrong in this remix.. For me, it misses a full set of red smileys by a small margin.. The guitar licks are tasty enough to occupy the centre of the stereo spectrum but moderation could have & should have been used. They could have been used as an 'answer back' to the 'Delta' melody line, (maybe using a slightly stronger melody sound).. and the guitar could have been given it's own, more traditional lead-break, somewhere in the middle too.. There are places in this remix where you hear an authentic prog-rock tune. In these sections, the tempo & feel really give us a little of the atmosphere of 'koyaanisqatsi', (the true parent of Delta). Despite my critique, I like this remix and I feel that it doesn't miss the mark by that much.. |
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Cybernoid 2 (Late Night Drive Mix) - arranged by 0supereg0Review by Poke16384, 10/03/2021 A very chilled beginning until the 2 minute mark when the guitar picks up the lead.. and there are some really delicious licks in there.. but a few that grate against the alternative chords, created by the bass wandering into new territory. I'm torn on this remix.. There's clearly a lot of talent here and some great ideas about taking this tune in a different direction but.. the mix is a little muddy in the low-mids, the balance gets lost and it does all get a bit messy, as the remix progresses.. Having heard this, I'll be sure to listen to future remixes from this musician.. I'm still going orange because I want to hear more remixes and new ideas.. |
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Oblique (Hoax me once, shame on you...) - arranged by SlaygonReview by Poke16384, 24/12/2020 No. 6 in the AROK/SLAY Summer competition and deservedly so. This is a complex SID to capture in terms of it's tricky arrangement and it's subtle eastern vibes. It manages to do both whilst taking the listener on Slaygon's own unique journey but never quite straying too far from the original. A truly 'different' kind of listen from the norm, here on Remix64. Well mixed & mastered too. |
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Duchesse (not so big band mix) - arranged by Eivind SommerstenReview by Poke16384, 18/12/2020 Let's get the negative out of the way first. The only thing that lets this remix down is the quality of the instrument samples. The sound immediately put me in mind of an Amiga Mod and it's a shame because there's not a lot else that's wrong here. It's funky and tight from an arrangement point of view and there are some very good ideas which are explored in this arrangement. The samples, although they're not the best, are used really, really well in expressing an otherwise convincing 70's funk tune. I think your arrangement shows growth from some of your previous remixes, Eivind and it makes me want to hear the next remix. I could pick things in the arrangement that could have been done differently but overall this is a solid arrangement which is only let down by instrument quality. I like this remix a lot. |
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Boulder Dash (Jamrock Dash) - arranged by MakkeReview by Poke16384, 02/12/2020 So, before writing this review, I listened to your remix several times, (and also to the original SID.. and to Chris Abbott's midi file). The first 25 seconds of this arrangement made me smile with joy. It's a great feel with genuine reggae elements and artistically, I can't fault it! As I listened through though, something sounded 'off' in the chords and it took a few listens to nail it. The keyboard 'chop' chords don't follow the chord progression of the other instruments consistently; especially during the original Boulderdash chord run. 1st time through they stick at the root chords then 2nd time they follow and it knocks the quality of the remix out of kilter. This occurs in other places too! If this was a noob's 1st remix, I'd be a little gentler but Marcus, it feels lazy for a veteran; especially someone with your pedigree. The 20 minute vocals sound fine but for the sloppy chop chords failing to consistently follow the chord progression, I've got to rap your knuckles and wonder why.. Nostalgically, this hits the mark enough to be a happy reminder of the original except for the 'mistakes'. I love the reggae feel of this and the mix & master sound great, (to my ears at least). I realise that some will disagree with my opinion but I've tried to be both critical of the shortcomings and complimentary of the highlights in a fair and consistent manner. |
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LightForce Frida (Dina of Dark) mix - arranged by AbynxReview by Poke16384, 08/10/2020 A relentless, driving remix for sure. The soundscape works well here but the unwavering 16th bass notes do get a bit tiring after 5 minutes. The remix would have benefited from a little more variation especially in the drum-loop department. A 'let-up' in the driving rhythm just here & there would have added some emphasis to the 16th beat rhythm when it returned. Overall, this remix benefits from it's simplicity. A good 1st attempt which is faithful to the original. I look forward to hearing your next upload.. |
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The Last Ninja Suite (Orchestral) - arranged by Chris Abbott offlineReview by Poke16384, 11/09/2020 After the 3rd time of listening through the whole 11 minutes & 40 seconds, I'm still totally unimpressed! This should be telling me a story, taking me on a journey… but I feel like I've been left at the start with lost luggage. There are some serious problems in the arrangement itself with discordant notes hiding behind the melody in more than a few places. The arrangement often builds & promises to go somewhere.. but then, sadly doesn't. The mix is another reason that this piece feels like a long, mediocre trudge in the mud. The instrument balances are literally, all over the place. The quiet passages are much too quiet & the crescendos lack power & oomph! Loud phrases jump out at you, unexpectedly and then vanish as quickly as they came. It all sounds disorganised and unplanned as an arrangement and lacks ideas. The final thing which detracts from any realism in the piece is the choice of iterations in the instruments. If you try to play fast string runs using an 'arco' iteration, you get a mushy sound that lacks definition; and there are examples galore in this piece of the wrong iteration on most instruments. The use of increased volume doesn't create a crescendo. You have to combine the instruments, using the correct iterations and build. I understand the desire to be the 100th Last Ninja Remix.. but this needed a lot more work, more attention to detail and definitely a greater understanding of how the instruments in an orchestra are actually played. I was nodding off at 4 minutes.. and nothing afterwards woke me up… |
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So-Phisticated III (part 1) I Adore My C64 Edit - arranged by JLDReview by Poke16384, 31/08/2020 This is a very well-crafted remix. The way that alternative sounds are used to 'answer' the refrains of the main lead sound demonstrates an understanding of how to structure an arrangement. I like the 'patience' that you show in letting the intro lead us in… This may be an electronic pop tune but the soundscape is rich & finally; somebody programmes an actual drum-track, (rather than using 1 or 2 loops). I see your 'newcomer' tag but I suspect you have more experience than a newcomer. This is a remix by somebody who knows exactly what they're doing. |
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Thats the Way It is - arranged by MagnarReview by Poke16384, 18/08/2020 This is a slick remix by Magnar. It caught my ear on the competition and having now had a chance to re-listen, I haven't altered my opinion. It's a nice interpretation of JT's original and the instrumentation gives it a great 90's feel, (to my ears at least). The 'hooks' are nice and there's some great use of phasing & frequency-manipulation to get some real 'cut' on the licks. I'm gonna -1 you for repeating the wolf-whistle. Catchy as hell and well mixed & mastered. |
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Magic Johnsons Basketball - arranged by LPChipReview by Poke16384, 18/08/2020 When I heard this on the SLAY / AROK competition, it grabbed me immediately. The 2 Fender Rhodes piano's split left & right are just so dirty & funky. The whole thing has a vibe that just drew me in. There are bits I could be picky about here but I'm not going to be. It's a great remix and has such a 'bad' thing going on. Well Done LPChip for producing a great remix which is different & really rocks! |
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Deliverance Stormlord 2 Title Music - arranged by Amin HajiReview by Poke16384, 11/08/2020 A nice vibe, once it gets going. I always loved the late 80's & early 90's for these sounds. Has a lot of promise for a 1st remix! Needs a little more in the soundscape & arrangement for the red faces but a great effort. I'm ready to hear more from you, Amin. |
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Last Ninja 2 InGameLvl 1 - arranged by SirRobinReview by Poke16384, 12/07/2020 A damn decent effort for your 1st remix. Negatives first.. It IS muddy in the low-mid range instruments with the guitars getting almost lost amidst the synths. It makes the snare stand out a bit too much and the equal-velocities on the snare-rolls sound a bit 'machine-gun'-ish. That said, there are some really big positives here. The arrangement has creativity & good ideas which are only let down by the mix. I listened to the whole 6:07 to hear what else might be here. Welcome to RMX64 and give me more good arranging like this. |
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Byterapers intro (djupt i hjartat av harddisken) - arranged by WobblerReview by Poke16384, 30/06/2020 The soundscape of this whole remix is nice and is a departure from the longer, 'drawly' notation of the original. The beat here has more definition and the chosen sounds compliment this. If you take a SID that is just 1:25 in it's original form, It's important to go somewhere with it, especially if you expect to hit 'top marks' for your remix.. In the arrangement department, this does deviate a little but not enough for me.. The original synth riff from the 'Yazoo' song 'Don't Go' is still in there and the chord-play behind that is nice. The drum-loop coulda shoulda varied more to lift the tempo as the remix progresses and to stop it from just being a single loop from start to finish.. Good effort and a pleasant listen overall.. Needed more for the big red smilies though.. |
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Batman the Movie - Gotham City Cathedral - arranged by MellowNoiseKievReview by Poke16384, 26/06/2020 This remix starts off so promisingly with a lot of high-energy feel to it. Although I'm not the greatest fan of 'Untz-Untz', the energy grabbed me early on.. What a shame that from 2:00 all the way to the end, it then just seemed to lose creativity even in the drum-part. The same 8-bar loop makes it just feel repetitive after that.. Good 1st effort and don't be disheartened.. Please get your creative head on and submit another remix.. |
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Wendy (Batmania II tune 5) - arranged by Eivind SommerstenReview by Poke16384, 26/06/2020 This is a very nice, laid-back remix which sticks faithfully to the structure of Reyn's original. The instrumentation is gentle and gives the overall feeling of a wind-down tune, (maybe for the end of a Slaygon & Ziona radio show). If you're waiting for it to 'take off'… it doesn't. If I was going to get super-picky, I'd maybe have liked the piano improvisation to vary a little towards the end. Nice, laid-back remix.. |
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Defender of the Crown medley (grand piano) - arranged by Paul NelsenReview by Poke16384, 18/06/2020 Welcome to Remix64, Paul. I was intrigued to know how your 16 uploads were constructed, (Wow!, that's some entry to the remix scene). So, I followed the link you provided to your YouTube page. Clearly, you are a more than competent pianist and there are some covers of C64 tunes on there that I wouldn't have imagined someone would tackle with a single piano, (even a Steinway grand…). So, to business! IMHO a number of your initial batch of uploads don't really lend themselves to a solo piano representation, (even though they're overdubbed). This one however, does! Full marks for playing the individual pieces 'live' but; for the mistakes that you didn't go back and correct It's '10 points away from Gryffindor'. You've got incredibly fast hands but that doesn't excuse incorrect or missed notes when the opportunity exists, to redo parts, individually. From an arrangement point of view, (and I feel qualified to say this) the pieces are 'bog standard'. None of the individual subtunes vary in any way from the original SID/Amiga versions. I can't imagine you have reached your standard of playing without developing the ability to substitute alternate chords and progressions in order to take the 'remix' to somewhere else. The Steinway badly needs tuning. In some parts it almost gets close to sounding like a 'saloon upright' and this detracts from the listening quality. Overall, I'm impressed with your playing ability, (and a little jealous too)… and you have a cat. So, that makes you a certain kind of cool and nice person (for which I'll score you a little extra). Please make another remix. I'd love you to really stretch your ability and include other instruments, (real or synthetic). |
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Spy vs Spy - arranged by Ctrl-ZReview by Poke16384, 10/05/2020 I Like this remix a lot.. It's got SID-ishness everywhere and bounces like a bouncy thing. Technically it sounds spot-on to me. Maybe a little more variation, if I'm being really picky but overall a damn good remix. |
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Monty on the Run - High Score - arranged by JB XplodingfistReview by Poke16384, 21/10/2019 Firstly, welcome aboard and congrats on your 1st remix.. The thing that hit me straight away, on the 1st listen was the lack of a bass-line. This is a fairly straightforward tune with a common, '4 chord trick'. (C-Am-F-G) is a structure, responsible for more hit songs, in the 60's than probably any other. As such, it's one our ears are familiar with and accustomed to and it needs variation to make it sound 'fresh'. Although Rob's original bass-line sticks rigidly to the 'root' notes, to bed down the structure, a bass-line could have been a neat way to vary the feel of this.. Using 3 similar sounds for 'chord', 'arpeggio' & melody blends the mix a bit too much and buries the piano, melody line in places. The drums DO vary in places and the fills are nice but the kit, overall sounds a bit dry, (emphasised by the lack of bass-line).. The sequencing structure with identical, short note lengths, make for a mechanical feel to the tune. Good 1st effort and please don't be put off by the lukewarm responses to it.. I hope it encourages you to immediately start on your next remix and I look forward to hearing it.. |
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Commando Hiscore (Eighteen Years Later) - arranged by WobblerReview by Poke16384, 04/10/2019 Yeah! This is a nice listen. The Mix could have done with a tweak here and there but it's an accurate rendition melodically and a pleasant remix overall… and I like it! |
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Just Good Friends feat. Raphael Biermann - arranged by omorocaReview by Poke16384, 31/08/2019 So.. it took me a while to work out that the original SID was 'Grave. sid' and that also gave me an opportunity to read the back story to the tune.. Technically, this is very average. The vocal is lost in the mix at times, overshadowed by the piano and the timing wavers away in some sections when the drum machine isn't laying down a solid beat. (The biggest benefit of working in a studio environment is the ability to record in sections and most importantly, go back and redo the bits that aren't 'up to scratch'). There's no point recording stuff 'in one take' if it isn't tight enough. Artistically, this doesn't do the original SID tune justice. There are so many opportunities within this remix to incorporate some of the variations from the original. The piano dominates, pretty much throughout with the same 4 chord trick and gets boring. The drum-track would have benefited from some variation, (tons of variation in the sid) and in the vocal breaks there's not enough to fill the space. Perhaps another, stronger synth would have helped for the lead-line bits. Even some bits of vocal harmony, here & there, might have lifted the monotony. The spot fx that are there needed to be more prominent. From a 'nostalgia' viewpoint, it bears almost no resemblance to the sid. The original melody line is nowhere to be heard and with the exception of the main 4 chord piano part, this could be a different tune. At over 5 minutes in length there just isn't enough variation… |
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For Joanne (Experim. Aural Maneuvers) [Vinyl Mix] - arranged by LaLaReview by Poke16384, 19/08/2019 A little Jean-Michel-Jarre / Vangelis influence here methinks. Overall, a nice feel to this track with a good faithfulness to the chord-structure of the original. Towards the end, (around 3:50-4:05), the timing gets a touch loose between the choir-voices and the arpeg-bells. For me, the drums could have been a little more up-front to peg the timing down against the choir-voices which are strong in the mix. It's a pleasant listen overall - Nice One LaLa! |
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