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Fifth Remix Tournament


buskerdog

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The Remix Tournament is once again here. Normally Jssf hosts these, but this time around I'm hosting. I don't plan on doing anything different to usual, though. For those who are regulars to this event, hopefully it's been the correct amount of time since the last one. Also yes, I put the number of this tournament in the title, because otherwise I'm actually gonna lose count of these.

 

For anyone who doesn't know about these, here's how it works:

-Everyone will PM me three Touhou remixes. We usually use Youtube links for these.

-Then, I will post three of these from different participants on here.

-Then everyone rates the songs and can give their opinion on them. We usually rate them out of 10, but since I can compile the scores into percentages at the end it doesn't matter too much. Whether or not you choose to rate your own songs is up to you, but be aware your ratings of your own songs don't count. It's more about sharing the music, anyway.

-Once everyone has done this, I post another three songs, and we repeat the process until I've gone through all of the remixes I received.

-At the end, I put all of the scores into a magic cauldron and we see which songs were most popular!

 

As I am the host, I don't make any ratings, since I am technically not a participant. However, that's not to say I can't submit my own remixes...

Sign-ups will last one week, so just drop a reply in this thread if you're interested, and then PM me your three remixes of choice!

 

Current Entrants:

Jssf1992

Garison DeCrick

Ken Hisuag

Dana Iclucia

Drunken Flower

Crusader Jerome

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An obligatory reminder that this is open to anybody with even a slighter interest in Touhou remixes! While there is a bit of a time commitment, it does not need to be anything more than listening through each round's submissions and leaving a rating; anything further is optional (though still worth some consideration, imo).

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im puting this in spoiler because i don't wanna scroll a lot when i back here few months later
i recommend y'all should too.

Spoiler

1. Piano Concerto No 666 - Jealousy Fire

Incognito 100
image.png.14dd5c8ded05c50d4cd6934f72e1d104.png 

? Ken

was afraid this gonna be a plain piano.. but not!

im in storytelling mood rn, use yer imagination a bit

0:00 slow start yeah
I think of that introduction scene where book opens on it's own
like in disney movies or sumthin
"hey come here for a moment, sit down and spare some time with me"

0:16 and nice buildup
"Behold this story that I brought to you, a story about a princess love, struggle through grief and malice!"

0:30
I think of this where the story begins
where everything still comfort and peaceful

0:52
the lover never came back
doubts appears
heartbeat increasing
she's in search of his beloved

1:05 the climax
where she finds that she's been betrayed
devastated, rejection, sadness, grief
*breakdown*

1:19 where she engulfed by hatred and ressentiment
despair, anger, revenge 

(hoping the percussion would be a bit more powerful.
and the crash cymbal is a bit too much for me, yes it's fitting but.. because less audible drums it ain't at full potential.)

1:45 she has achieved her goals
but it's too late... she has been the very embodiment of jealousy.

(the drums is nice in this part)

1:55 how will the story goes from here?
well.. it's a story for another time.
 

unrelated but Parsee is my top 1, not because her theme tho.
7/10

2. Apparitions Stalk the Night
Holyshit 2005 (or end of 2005)
this album btw, track 11 https://thwiki.cc/東方小曲集_-唯我独尊-

dont think this garison, so busker then.

i can only storytell with orchestral stuff, so not this one.... but i can vibe.

the mix and transision is pretty nice ngl
could use a better guitar sample, or i just have problems with that kind of guitar.
yeah seems fitting, just me then. that'll do just fine.

more like a rock than a metal though. idk i think metal is a bit heavier.

and fadeout! amazing i love NO.

unrelated but it's amazing they took 8 years hiatus and came back

8.5/10

3. No more reason
everyone here been prying on bzb channel eh?

probably jssf or garison

im outta comments from writing previous 2 song

but y'all kow how i usually go with electro

0:00 nice opening, usually in every nuke fusion song lol.
i usually prefer hardcore than usual electro, so this nice.

sadly i dont feel any attachment to 0:33-1:06
although... it's necessary for the next part...

1:06 sounds nice, the bopping is back so im happy

and the whole remaining part is basically like those above so can comment no more.

seems like i mostly dont like the slow part of any upbeat song, probably not just electro but most upbeat is electro ? idk it just not impactful or something

6.5/10

 

 

mob_suika-export.gif.6d8d97d0ef2df024e56271e49c363436.gif🍺 BEER FOR THE BEER GOD!!!🍺 mob_suika-export.gif.6d8d97d0ef2df024e56271e49c363436.gif

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1: Xe - Piano Concerto No 666 ~ Jealousy Fire
"We usually use Youtube links," he says . . .

First things first: To the one who took the video from Youtube, created a Nicovideo account, and reposted the video there just for this joke, Discount-HolmesTM knows who you are, and I could not be more impressed at the sheer trolly genius at play.

Now for the music. While a bit chaotic near the beginning, it quickly balances out into a very impressive piano concerto. Something about it doesn't seem quite classical, yet neither does it strike me as modern. The integration of the source motif is handled excellently, having enough restraint at the beginning to give its eventual appearance a more climactic effect. Its conclusion is open-ended, which puts me in mind to the introductory piece of an orchestral performance, which makes it quite fitting as the first piece of our tournament. Overall, we're off to a strong start. 9/10 8/10 I already know I'm going to regret starting with such a high score.

2: XL Project - Apparitions Stalk the Night ~MintJam Mix~
A strong start, indeed!

The beginning of this piece reminds me of old-era bands I grew up listening to, like East to West or PFR. So from that experience, it feels to me like an older style of metal. The arrangement is handled exactly how I'd expect an ideal Apparitions remix to be done, where the signature motif is highlighted with surrounding improvisation, thus capitalizing on the original theme's strengths. Beyond that, the sound quality and balance of the instruments involved is noteworthy, and does a lot to enhance the presentation. My one complaint would be the fade-out ending, although that too is reminiscent to me of older metal. 9/10 8/10

3: OTOMEKAN - No more reason
Elusive lyrics. :(

The original Nuclear Fusion, similarly with Suwa Foughten Field or Cosmic Mind, has a problem with integral progression (which is just what I'm calling it); each section/part/sub-motif (can you tell I don't really know what I'm talking about?) is semi-distinct from the one it follows and the one it precedes. While good transitions preserve the progression of the theme as a whole, a lot of momentum is lost each time the motif changes. Ideally, each change should feel like a buildup from the previous part up until the climax, from which the piece descends back to its foundations (and, for a looping piece, begins the process again).

This arrangement accomplishes what I've desired for the theme since I first heard it, and I believe it does so through the vocal performance. By constructing this as a standard pop song (verse, bridge, chorus, etc.), the artists have revitalized the support motifs to continually build up toward the primary motif. But most importantly for me, they fix the original theme's greatest weakness, that being the transition from the climax for the loop, simply by adding an extended tonic note over the signature intro.

In conclusion, I'm very impressed with this arrangement, and just a bit intimidated by the overarching quality of the first round. 9/10 8/10

TTT

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Well, thanks to the others posting the name, I believe I found the first one on Youtube.  So I'm good.

Jealousy Fire:

Spoiler

Hmm, a rather intense arrangement of Green-eyed Jealousy?  Yes please.  The piano taking center for such a fast-paced piece is interesting, though I do think there are a few parts where the pace of the piece leads to a messy sound.  There's a nice start, a quick build up followed by a slightly more calm phrase, then right into an escalating intensity.  Sadly, the escalation feels like it loses control before it backs.  It may have been intentional, but it feels like a let-down.

7.5/10

Apparitions stalk the Night:

Spoiler

Well this is different.  I would definitely lean more toward 'chill' than 'metal'.  Not sure where 'chillout metal' comes from, unless someone thinks an electric guitar makes something 'metal' . . . anyway there's really an interesting effect here.  Despite the . . . sharpness of the electric guitar, the pace is consistent throughout, making for a sort of calming, but driving piece.  Since the piece doesn't intensify, the established mood of the opening notes don't fade.

8/10

Nuclear Fusion

Spoiler

Nuclear Fusion remixs are usually really good or just meh.  Honestly I would call this the second.  The piece is well-performed but doesn't really seem to go anywhere, I both want the piece to get on with and wonder why it's over already when it ends.  It's a little hard for me to pin down just why it feels this way, outside of maybe a slight disconnect between the vocals and instrumentation . . . 

6/10

 

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1. pretty neat i expected it to be just another calm piano arrange but it took me by surprise a little overall it's decent enough and quite fast paced for piano arrangement still a piano/orchestra in most cases ain't my thing so it gets only

6.5/10


2. huh, since when chillout + metal is even a thing? Regardless it's pretty unique pick maybe not exactly what i want to hear but it's not bad either and i also like Apparitions Stalk quite a lot so a little bit higher than first one, but not much

7/10

3. whoever picked this hit right into my zone (who even expected that lmao) OTOMEKAN is really great (and underrated) circle i like nuclear fusion theme, i like Renna vocals, i really like that solo starting at 2:31 as well (a bit too short tho) really reminds me a Psychic Temptation produced by OTOMEKAN as well (which is actually better imho)

8.5/10
 

 

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Ah, this is cool. Too bad I missed the sign-up cutoff, but these remixes are pretty fire already. I'll enjoy listening.

The OTOMEKAN one reminded me of the mix for the Hell of Blazing Fires course in Gensou Skydrift. It does feel a bit background-ish...

God is my judge.

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Jealousy Fire

Spoiler

A fun and bombastic listen, but this arrangement loses something of the melodic quality that I like about the original version of Green-Eyed Jealousy. I like that it's full piano, though. As much as I enjoy ZUNpets, the piano is my first love as instruments go.

Rating: 6/10

Apparitions Stalk the Night

Spoiler

Very melodic and with tasteful instrumentation. I could really go for a lofi version of this. Apparitions isn't one of my favorite tunes on the merits of the original version, but it has so much potential for remixing--my favorite non-Demetori mix is one.

Quite chill, although I wish it had a proper ending rather than a fade-out. Fade-outs tend to leave me unsatisfied on some level.

Rating: 7.2/10

Nuclear Fusion

Spoiler

As I mentioned above, it reminds me very much of the Hell of Blazing Fires course BGM in Gensou Skydrift, if a bit more techno. (The opening especially.) Vocals are above average for Touhou fan songs. Unfortunately, there isn't much buildup on the vocal side of things. Nuclear Fusion doesn't have a bridge section like some other songs, just A and B sections. The vocal melody is also fairly repetitive and doesn't try anything particularly interesting.

Rating: 5.8/10 (Okay to listen to, but better as BGM than by itself.)

 

God is my judge.

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Jerome was successfully added to the tournament. I'm happy we have a new participant! Alright, time to commence with round 2.

Firstly a Tokyo Active NEETs arrangement for Gensokyo Past and Present.

 

Then, a vocal remix of Maiden's Capriccio.

 

Finally, a Latin-style remix of Beware the Umbrella Left There Forever.

 

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Spoiler

 

1. Ah NEET's, it's a word that i hear quite often in 2hu fanbase personally i've always been neutral toward them though, usually not my style but they are one of better ones when it comes to orchestral and stuff like that, this one is pretty decent though

 

6.5/10

 

Spoiler

2. Now that's something i know this one so old Alstroemeria was one of best electronic circles i could find when looking thru really old stuff (2007-2009) (and EastNewSound) and it's nomico so it auto gets +1 to final score, you can just tell it's fairly old song but some of those are just timeless

8/10

Spoiler

3. Now it quite surprised me ngl i've expected it'll get a mediocre grade at best because of the style, but it caught me off-guard and was quite catchy as well, like almost everyone here know because i'm saying it in every post lmao it's not my exact style but it's pretty neat one

7/10

 

3 hours ago, Garison DeCrick said:

I wouldn’t be surprised if this is what Dana meant when they said they were going ham with their submissions XD.

stuff like that is my daily bread though and i'm going quite nut this time ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Welcome, Jerome! Glad to have ya!

4: Tokyo Active NEETs - Gensokyo, Past and Present ~ Flower Land
That guy still disturbs me slightly.

I'm shocked at how well Flower Land works in jazz; I'm not a fan of the original theme, but I'm finding that it has powerful arrangement potential. This particular performance does a great job at playing to the respective strengths of its few instruments, going so far as to give three of the five an interlude each for some fun jazzy improve style (there's probably a proper term for what I keep calling "improve," but hopefully everyone knows what I mean). Despite coming back to the same motif over and over again throughout, each of those instrument-focused bridge sections {oh hey Garison, just saw that notification} keep it from feeling repetitive. The only way I could see this being improved is if they gave the remaining two instruments a bridge section toward the end, but that might have messed with the progression.

New paragraph to keep the rating distinct. 9/10 8/10

5: Alstroemeria Records - Dreaming
You weren't kidding.

The way this song's progression works makes me really tempted to do another Garison Play-by-Play, but I will refrain. There are elements of EDM here, but I dare say they're balanced out by another style that I can't put a name to. What it sounds like . . . Have I featured FEZ on Other Game Music yet? If you've heard it, you'll know what I mean. The vocal performance is definitely the highlight of the remix. It seems to blend in with the music quite a bit, and I'm undecided as to whether this helps or hinders the effect of the whole. Either way, I appreciate the adaptation of the source motifs into the progression, specifically in the chorus.

The music doesn't really compliment the lyrics that much, but it works as a vocal arrangement. 8/10

6: TashMusicCircle - paraguas
We've got quite the quality line-up this tournament!

Right from the start, the artist goes all-in on his instrumentation. The acoustic guitar may be front and center, but behind it is a wide variety of accompaniments from all sorts of influences, including latin clickers, oriental percussion, some synthesized airy sounds, and even a drum set. These are all balanced in such a way as to keep the piece moving at all times. Normally this would be to make up for a lack of movement in the foreground, but in this case it's adding onto an already exciting remix. If he had so desired, the artist could have easily reformed this piece into a guitar solo without losing any quality. As it is, this arrangement is a musical masterpiece.

I feel compelled to rate this high, though I really wish now I had rated a bit lower the previous round. 10/10 9/10

 

TTT

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6.5: Ken Hisuag - Fifth Remix Tournament ~ Round 2 review
Reviewing a review.

You can tell how long it took to write this review by noting the part where the writer saw the notification for the previous post, and how long after that post his review was posted. Considering the time taken, there's far less details and discussion of music theory than normal, especially on the last part. Overall, not one of his best.

6/10, was probably tired but didn't want to put off reviewing any longer.

Hey, three of us were here at the same time! How about that?

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Gensokyo Past and Present (Jazz)

Spoiler

The original Gensokyo Past and Present ~ Flower Land, I always had mixed feelings about. I liked to listen to it, but the melody was simplistic and didn't go anywhere. That tends to hurt adaptations like this, but I do like that the improvised solo section was completely original. It adds some freshness to the track, although I would prefer if it took less time to get there.

NEETs always does good work with the instrumentation, which is automatic listen for me on basically all their videos.

Rating: 6.8/10

Maiden's Capriccio

Spoiler

Oooh, this is...a thing. Not the best first impression; the repetitive drum loop and the similar repetitive emphasis on certain notes in the instrumentation was grating at first, gradually became pleasant midway through, and slipped back to grating near the end. I liked that the drum line stopped for the last bit.

Vocals were good. Not a lot to say, but I appreciate that the contrast between the two melodic sections was maintained. It made the chorus(?) feel special when it hit even though the majority of the song sounds the same throughout.

Wouldn't be my first choice to listen to.

Rating: 5/10

Beware the (Latin) Umbrella Left There Forever

Spoiler

This one. Now this is a fun piece. I''m always up for exotic or uncommon instruments--they add extra character to a piece--and the Latin guitars and castanets are generally a good time. Fairly basic cover aside from the instrumentation choice, but overall not bad.

Rating: 7.5/10

Reactions

Spoiler

Garrison: Fade-outs have no business in anything instrumental whatsoever. Unless it's just background ambience or something. I'm less picky on stuff with vocals.

So that's where the new character choices came from. Was wondering about that, since Rin seemed like an odd choice. About frickin' time we got Alice, tho.

Dana: As NEETs listening goes, I find that the orchestral pieces are better for listening for the music, while the jazz is better for listening just to listen. Some of their better orchestrations occasionally give me chills.

 

God is my judge.

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