Super Mario World

Game Music

Arrangement of the Week: Big Boo Badman

April 8, 2016 | Michael Hoffmann | 2 Comments Share this Arrangement of the Week: Big Boo Badman

There are always tracks that get more attention than others when it comes to game music remixes. There have been a number of covers of the “Sub Castle BGM” from Super Mario World and we’ve covered at least one of them on this series. Today on Arrangement of the Week we will be looking at one of the more interesting versions that I’ve encountered.

This version of the “Sub Caster BGM” comes to us from artist meganeko, who has created a wild and crazy EDM remix titled “Big Boo Badman.”

Meganeko delivers a load of surprises in this track. The piece starts with what sounds like enhanced samples of the original track. But about twenty seconds in, the music launches into a powerful choral chip-rock rendition of the theme. Soon more dance beats enter and before we’ve even hit the one minute mark, the track has transitioned into an upbeat electronic dance track.

The tone, style, and genre is in an almost constant flux. Each new variation and change up feels fresh and exciting but never makes the piece come off as unfocused. One of my favorite parts is the breakdown section at 2’36,” where the piece drops down to a sample from the game again and almost seems to restart the piece. It’s an unexpected and cool interruption that fits in well with the track’s other tricks and surprises. In the end it’s a surprising and fun interpretation of a classic Super Mario World track and it stands out well among many other arrangements.

Have any favorite Super Mario remixes, arrangements, or covers? Feel free to share them with us in the comments section below. You can check out meganeko’s “Big Boo Badman” on OC ReMix.
Events, Game Music

VIDEO GAMES LIVE LEVEL 5 is now live on Kickstarter!

February 24, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on VIDEO GAMES LIVE LEVEL 5 is now live on Kickstarter! Share this

We all knew it was only a matter of time. Video Games Live is looking to create a LEVEL 5 album with a third kickstarter campaign. Video Games Live has successfully funded two previous campaigns in the form of their LEVEL 3 and LEVEL 4 albums. You can read OSV’s review of their Level 4 album here.

Planned Track Listing for Level 5:

SUPER MARIO WORLD
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA
CHRONO CROSS
GRIM FANDANGO
PHOENIX WRIGHT
METROID
ICO
WORLD OF WARCRAFT: WARLORDS OF DRAENOR
COMMAND & CONQUER: RED ALERT
TOP GEAR

with stretch goals:

Mother/Earthbound, Okami, Xenogears/saga/blade, Katamari Damacy and more…

Video Games Live

The initial goal for the Level 5 album is $150,000. The stretch goals begin at $275,000 and increase in increments of $25,000. For each stretch goal reached another track will be added to the album which will be decided by kickstarter backer voting polls.

Video Games Live has an excellent kickstarter record and has always delivered their rewards to backers on time. You can find all the details about the campaign on their kickstarter page. Backers are already grabbing up rewards fast.

Will you be backing Video Games Live Level 5? Is there a song that you think should be on their next album?
Game Music

Arrangement of the Week: Super Mario Sleigh Ride

December 25, 2015 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Arrangement of the Week: Super Mario Sleigh Ride Share this

When searching through some of the winter themed game music remixes out there, I found that there are shockingly few that incorporate music from the holiday season. I did however find one really good arrangement that I thought was just perfect for today’s Christmas day post.

This week’s Arrangement of the Week features a creative mashup of pieces from Super Mario World and a handful of holiday tunes, but primarily Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” The arrangement is titled “Super Mario’s Sleigh Ride” from the group The OneUps, featuring performances by band members Mustin, Dale North, Nate Cloud, and William Reyes.

Where do I even start with this arrangement? The piece begins with the familiar “Sleigh Ride” introduction, but takes a sudden shift to the Super Mario World riff on the piano. The piece jumps frequently to other sets of source material, but almost always juxtaposing the melody of “Sleigh Ride” with material from Super Mario World. A majority of this occurs between the trumpet and saxophone, which sit on opposite sides of the stereo field, making it easy for listeners to hear the separate melodies.

There are tons of references in this medley including “Forest of Illusion,” “Map 2 – Overworld,” “Jingle Bells,” and “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on An Open Fire).” Even the mashup’s ending manages to combine elements from both the holiday and game sources, with the classic “Sleigh Ride” horse whinny effect on trumpet and the “Bonus Screen Clear Fanfare” from Super Mario World. All in all, it’s a masterful combination of various pieces, with some excellent performances from each member of The OneUps. A great holiday arrangement to finish the year with.

Do you have any favorite holiday themed videogame remixes? Tell us about them in the comments below. You can check out The OneUps’ “Super Mario Sleigh Ride” on OC ReMix.
Game Music

Arrangement of the Week: Ghosts of the Marble Hall

October 30, 2015 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Arrangement of the Week: Ghosts of the Marble Hall Share this

Our final Halloween arrangement, like the Banjo-Kazooie entry, is another piece that is not from a horror game, but rather from a set of pieces that play in a game’s more unsettling environments. For this last Halloween Arrangement of the Week, we are looking at a spooky arrangement of the “Ghost House” and “Castle” tracks from Super Mario World.

This arrangement comes to us from artist CrimsonZeal and is an orchestral reimagining titled “Ghosts of the Marble Hall.”

The piece starts off with the an erie rendition of the “Ghost House” theme. The combination of woodwind arpeggios along with the percussion and strings evokes an appropriate atmosphere for the music’s original setting. The arrangement takes on a more cinematic battle tone once the “Castle” theme kicks in. The main melody is actually present in both source pieces, but the arrangement takes more cues from the “Castle” track, particularly with the strings at 1’25”.

What I particularly enjoyed from this arrangement is the way the “Ghost House” material builds up into the “Castle” music. It’s a great transition that maintains the sense of dread that often accompanied playing through the game’s original levels. Another nice touch is the sudden drop off of the music at 2’30” to a coda featuring the strings. It gives the piece a more somber ending, that I really wasn’t expecting. Overall, a great orchestral arrangement.

Have any favorite orchestral arrangements of your favorite game tunes? Let us know about them in the comments below. You can find and download “Ghosts of the Marble Hall” on OC Remix.
Game Music

Meet Hyadain Part 3: Western Show on Super Mario World

June 1, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Meet Hyadain Part 3: Western Show on Super Mario World Share this

Well, it was 6 months between part 1 and part 2 of our “Meet Hyadain” series, but there’s been some big news recently, so we thought we’d get this next installment out to you rather fast-like. While Hyadain’s identity was always kept a secret, he recently revealed himself to be composer Kenichi Maeyamada (personal website here), a well-established composer of anime, videogames, and J-pop. He’s been at this for awhile (which makes sense given how amazing his arrangements are), but I found it interesting that he worked on One Piece as well as the arrangement of “525600min ~ Seasons of Love” from K’s Traveling Song album that we reviewed some time ago.

Although we now know his true identity, that shouldn’t stop us from highlighting his awesome YouTube arrangements of classic videogame music. This time we’re taking a look at the first Hyadain video I ever saw, which I was first shown at Dale North’s house a few years back, as is apparently his favorite Hyadain arrangement. I can’t say it’s my personal favorite, but the arrangement are lyrics are great as usual. Watch for more updates in the near future!

Are you surprised by Hyadain’s true identity? What do you think of the “Western Show” arrangement above?

[via Destructoid]
Doujin

Cutting Into Jason Cox: XOC Interview

October 22, 2009 | Audun Sorlie | 8 Comments Share this Cutting Into Jason Cox: XOC Interview

XOC is one of the better known arrangement artists in America. Ever since he released SMW, fans have been in love with his strange yet superb arrangement style, interesting song choices and bizarre personality. With over 15 releases under his belt, he has established himself as quite a prolific artist, and every release is more exciting than the next it seems.

Currently, XOC is enjoying a great reception for his latest album, XOC Plays SMB3, which is a digital release arranging the full soundtrack of Super Mario Bros. 3, and if that alone isn’t exciting enough, he’s joined by none other than Dan Taylor, the amazing bassist of Metroid Metal. XOC was kind enough to get some clothes on and answer anything we could throw at him in this interesting interview detailing most of his releases so far.

To read our interview with XOC, click the jump! (more…)