Arrangement of the Week: Ada’s Groove

For our fourth Halloween arrangement, we’ll look at another survival horror game from the PlayStation era. Resident Evil 2, or Biohazard 2 in Japan, has a number of unsettling pieces in its soundtrack, but also has a few memorable character themes. This includes music for the female assassin/agent Ada Wong.

Unlike the unnerving atmosphere created by most of the soundtrack, “Ada’s Theme” is calm and ethereal. So it should come as no surprise that it became good source material for an electronic remix. Said remix comes to us from artist ABG, and is simply titled “Ada’s Groove.”

Like the original track, the arrangement opens up with ambient synth pads. The first forty seconds introduces the main instruments that will be used for the remainder of the track. A flute like synth lead, sustained synth pads, piano and synth arpeggios, and some light electronic percussion produce a mood similar to the original but with just a bit more energy and momentum.

This arrangement actually reminded me a lot of the Metroid Prime soundtrack. Particularly the way hybrid of acoustic and electronic instruments build onto one another. My only complaint is that it feels a little too short. What’s present works well, but it did leave me wanting to hear more. Despite this, it’s a great arrangement that builds off of some simple material.

Do you have any favorite remixes, arrangements, or covers of music from the Resident Evil series? Let us know in the comments below. You can check out “Ada’s Groove” on OC Remix.