Arrangement of the Week: Love Everlasting

A lot of the electronic remixes on this series have been either of the ambient chill variety or lean towards the more energetic dance genre. So this week I’ll be switching it up a bit and be taking a look at a remix that embraces the world of chiptune music.

For this week, we’re looking at a remix of one of my favorite Katamari Damacy tracks, “Lonely Rolling Star.” This chiptune arrangement “Love Everlasting” comes to us from artist DDRKirby, who has been a regular contributor to OC ReMix and is known for morphing classic game tunes into 8-bit inspired goodness.

Much like DDRKirby’s other pieces, the music is heavily influenced by the Game Boy’s sound and the music of the Kirby series. There’s plenty of nods to the sound design of Kirby’s Dreamland, such the iconic star sound effects, and it all adds to the cheerful tone of the remix. While certainly not limiting himself to the constraints of the handheld, DDRKirby’s Katamari remix perfectly celebrates the classic Game Boy sounds and tones.

The piece maintains a fair amount of complexity throughout its run. While the lead synth takes a majority of the spotlight as the instrumental place holder for the “Lonely Rolling Star” lyrics, there’s plenty of variation in the accompaniment instrument patterns. The accompaniment changes up frequently, but always maintains a bubbly and upbeat vibe. The chiptune and Kirby influences end being a perfect match for the music of Katamari, both thematically and in terms of the track’s tone, making for an excellent and memorable remix.

Have any favorite remixes, covers, or arrangements of the Katamari Damacy music? Let us know about them in the comments below. You can check out DDRKirby’s “Love Everlasting” on OC ReMix.