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Musical Discoveries in Touhou Fandom

Last week's feature was postponed due to my own stubbornness; despite past experience suggesting otherwise, I somehow thought 14.8's arrangements would have a decent degree of representation. But even Touhou Arrangement Chronicle was unable to dredge something up for me, so I'm forced to concede.

Tokimi Gusa - Hangover of Bedfellows Dreaming Differently
There were more intricate arrangements available (and plenty more documented but unavailable), but the beauty of the original has always been its serene pacing, and I'd just as soon retain that. Plus, I feel it's been a bit since we've had a PC-98 remix.

Zing - Urban Legend in Limbo ~ Bamboo Forest in Flames
I acknowledge technicalities on this one, but the artist does reference "Neo" specifically in the citations, and I promised to get a contrasting arrangement of this motif specifically when it was covered earlier, so I'm pushing it through. I really appreciate this one, too; it has some great chord contrasts going for it, which are blended excellently with the progression style, and the whole thing is nicely elevated by its close.

Missing Tracks:
{U2 Akiyama - Bell of Aeons}
{U2 Akiyama - Occult Attract}
{U2 Akiyama - Boundary Folklore}

Kuro Shiro - Unknown X ~ Occultly Madness (BW2 Soundfont)
This one really surprised me with its elusiveness, since I figured even an obscurely retitled arrangement from ZUN himself would have a fair degree of recognition by virtue of origin alone. But apparently it continue to be overlooked in favor of its predecessor, which I find particularly disappointing, since I vastly prefer the later version. Regardless, I did manage to find something, and while I personally feel the external reference detracts more than it helps, putting that aside leaves a decent chiptune performance.
 
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Does "Madness of Visages ～ Horrible Night" count for my purposes here? I've felt obligated to consider uniquely named arrangements of tracks as unique instances, mainly so as not to discount "Dream Battle" or "Master Spark," but thereafter it's caused some confusion with such tracks as this. If it were to be represented as its own piece, wouldn't "Pipes & Fiddles" deserve similar treatment? (and even beyond this there's still "Folksy Touhou days.")

Well, regardless I couldn't find anything for it aside from this minute-long double-arrangement, so I'll consider it a bonus.
Musbime - OVERLAP
 
A_RukaP - Bibliophile with a Deciphering Eye
I've yet to find a remix of this piece that impresses me more than just slowing the original down a bit in an audio editor. But I couldn't very well consider that a rearrangement, so I've found something that mixes things up in a satisfactory manner. This is a fun, happy performance that utilizes the motifs fairly well, although at the sacrifice of the original's uniquely bouncy progression. It's the bridge toward the end that really sells me on it, though.

Hachimitsu Tonkotsu - Seira ~ with the Spring Breeze
An unusual sound to this one, which may just be poor post-production, but works well enough to be considered stylistic IMO. There's a slight dissonance in the accompaniment, yet I think this is what holds the piece together through its various phases. I do wonder how much of this effect is intentional, but it's fascinating regardless.

beco- - A Star of Hope Rises in the Blue Sky
This may not contrast too well with the others, but of all pieces this round, "Star of Hope" definitely deserves such bombastic presentation. This take delivers a bit more on the progression with some additional sections, and though there are some adjustments to the motifs I'm not sure I understand, I still appreciate the creativity applied to an overall faithful remix.
 
pigdevil2010 / Pigu - Dreaming Butterfly
Pigu's arrangements remain my standard for chiptune remixing; Kommisar pushes the hardware to its limits, and HertzDevil stays faithful to its original form, but Pigu explores its potential with creative restraint, striking a balance between the possible extremes.

KASMAN - The Colorless Wind on Youkai Mountain
I deliberated on this one for a bit; the original motifs are a bit difficult to discern, and the style isn't particularly appealing to me. On the other hand, I wouldn't normally take such things into consideration for more familiar tracks, and I ought to be consistent. Regardless, it was by far the most unique arrangement I found.

Yumi Sakata - Deep-Mountain Encounter
I wondered if I'd ever get Yumi Sakata on here; a lot of their remixes are too rough for my tastes, but I respect their work for what it is. This particular performance sounds overly compressed to me, but the arrangements itself is excellent.
 
Shoop - Swim in a Cherry Blossom Colored Sea
From the channel's full label, I anticipated a basic eurobeat performance of the track, and was instead met with a chill synth mix. Just as well; IMO this sort of piece works better at lower energy levels.

Nuekawa - A-Un
Now this is a eurobeat, and a decently creative one at that (and clever title to boot)! I find it fascinating how this compares to the previous arrangement in length and pacing; they're about the same in the former, but how do they feel?

Rayson Williams - Illusionary White Traveler
For some reason I hadn't particularly high standards for this one; the original is one of Zun's especially balanced presentations, and I figure there's a higher likelihood of remixes losing that balance in their process. In this case, the arrangement is largely unchanged in favor of tweaking the instrumentation to emphasize the tone, and I'm sufficiently impressed by the result.
 
Nyanposu - The Magic Straw-Hat Jizo (Staff Role Arrangement)
This may not sound like much on the surface, but I'd consider it amongst the most noteworthy finds on this thread. It's one thing to do a zunish revamp of a Touhou composition, either in the style of another game or just switching up the presentation a bit; it's quite another to take one class of theme and rearrange it into a different class.

POP KOGAKU - Does the Forbidden Door Lead to This World, or the World Beyond?
I had another option lined up, but it's not often I find a live folk performance with such unique instruments. I'm not even sure what the wind-type on the left is technically called, but it looks like a portable pipe organ and sounds like a flute ensemble.

Sworn To The Black - Crazy Backup Dancers ~ Humanity is Insanity
When I think "crazy dancers," I imagine chaotic metal, and now I've finally found an arrangement that alligns with that visualization. Ironically, I can't help but feel it's missing a vocal performance, but chances are I wouldn't appreciate it as much if it actually had one.
 
fellism - Into Backdoor (UDoALG/Ghost Mix) & Kisen Sagetsu - Into Backdoor in the style of Kouryuudou
I couldn't decide between these two; they both technically accomplish the same thing, just with slightly different destinations in mind, and both do an excellent job accomplishing it. The atmosphere of the original is incredibly unique for the series IMO, and I appreciate that there's so many different recreations of it in alternate styles (these were just my personal favorites).


rabbit762 - CONCEALED
I listened through over half-a-dozen different straight rock arrangements before settling on this jazz hybrid. "Concealed Four Seasons" is a powerful piece, and I thought I was committed to respecting that in my selection, but this particular remix was too good to forgo (I'd consider this another "tournament worthy" performance). In any event, I'll have another opportunity next week with this piece's sister track.

CC Himeko - No More Going Through Doors ~ TranceSpace
There's quite the ominous aura to this remix. I'm not sure what's going on in the beginning, but I'm inclined to assume it a reference to something; regardless, it sets the tone quite well. The progression is also appreciated; I suspect the artist could have simplified the arrangement without negatively impacting it's presentation, but the fluctuations elevate it even further for all that.
 
JerryStuffRo - Secret Deity Matara ~ Hidden Star in All Seasons (Chiptune Rock Cover)
This artist usually specializes in Zunish arrangements under the Paradise of Boundaries circle, so this stood out to me as a unique find in spite of the familiar name. Additionally, I wasn't finding very many arrangements I was impressed with (outside of the big name circles, which I'm still trying to avoid for the purposes of this project).

Sataori - Unnatural Nature (Subterranean Mix)
There's a degree of irony in going from a PoB affiliate to a straight up Zunish remix of the sort they're known for. I'm a bit worried I'm overdoing the Zunish of recent, but in this case there really weren't viable alternatives.

Lumarbo - White Traveler
Been a while since I've featured this artist, and there's quite the contrast between this and the other arrangement I'd previously shared. The mood is perfect here, sufficiently distinct from "Illusionary" to suit my expectations.
 
Touhou Ocarina - Seeds of the Incident
We're on to T15.5, and I expect trouble turning up anything for most of it, but hopefully there'll still be some worthwhile discoveries. This is not an example of that, but it's the most unique thing I found for the track; most 'remixes' were just compilations of the variants with very little creative nuance. Granted it's off-key at points, but at least there's real effort put into it.

Missing Track:
{U2 Akiyama - Being Things Eye To Eye}

Karl Zuñiga - The Ground's Color is Yellow ~ Primrose (UFO Style)
I really have been sharing a lot of Zunish remixes lately, but I hold it's as viable a style as any other. This is an especially well-constructed example, doing an excellent job at recreating the style of T12 in a way that compliments the subject motifs wonderfully.

Francois's yomogi farm - Mushroom Waltz
Glad to have found something from Yomogiya for this; the chiptune collab album they organized is a real treat. This is a more straightforward sort of chiptune, but there's nothing wrong with that, and I couldn't ask for better presentation of the melody.
 
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The Chronicler is experiencing server errors; I'd say "serves me right for waiting," but this time of year I'm pressed for time as it is.

Missing Track:
{U2 Akiyama - The One Jointly Responsible}

SOUND HOLIC - Ship of the Dawn
There was no avoiding a big-name circle here (I only just barely managed to find this one). At least I get to share something of excellent (if less exceptional) quality to balance out the more lackluster offerings this week.

Missing Tracks:
{U2 Akiyama - Equality Under the Law of Dharma}
{U2 Akiyama - Sprouts of Suspicion}
{U2 Akiyama - An Odd Couple}

Usami Kagen - Constant and Unchanging Temple of Worship
UK's exclusive coverage of U2's compositions officially extends beyond T14.5, although they've not been nearly so thorough as they were there.

Missing Tracks:
{U2 Akiyama - Shining Armillary Sphere}
{U2 Akiyama - Two Minds of One Body}

Uneuro - The Ravine Kappa's Technological Prowess
Normally I wouldn't consider transcriptions as viable for my intentions here, but after six none-returns I was well desperate. This is at least a very competent execution, and would be a quite impressive piano cover if were to be played.
 
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Maswaki - A Rose Blooming in the Underworld
This one had decent coverage actually; I wonder why? (I actually suspect I know, and I'm a bit annoyed about it.) No matter though; this is an excellent arrangement with some creative instrumentation choices, and I'm happy to have found it.

Missing Tracks:
{U2 Akiyama - In the Deep-Green Tanuki Forest}
{U2 Akiyama - Scheming Outside the Box}

Cinnamin Acid - Yorimashi Between Dreams and Reality ~ Necro-Fantasia
While the source track for this one arguably deserves a more high-level remix, I also want to stick to the core concept of featuring obscure musicians within the fandom. The instrument selection lacks nuanced balancing, but isn't so poorly curated or mastered to grate. Ultimately this take respects the original (perhaps more than it should?), and I'm willing to presume sufficient familiarity in the listener for it to pass.

Missing Tracks:
{U2 Akiyama - Floating with the Tide}
{U2 Akiyama - Possession Flowers Yet to Bud}
{U2 Akiyama - Branches Reaching to the Truth}
{U2 Akiyama - Immortal Red Soul}

Usami Kagen - Corridor Stretching to Eternity
UK again turns up as the sole source of coverage for a track. For the most part I'm out of things to say about them, but I can at least appreciate the benefit to my intentions at the moment.
 
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Missing Track:
{U2 Akiyama - Grandiloquence)

SilentBird - The Inverted Castle Lit by the Setting Sun
This one is fairly recent (I reckon SilentBird will eventually cover everything if they keep up as they've been going), but I'd rank it a step above the usual emergency fodder; gimmick though it may be, the music box style is executed with skill and creativity.

Usami Kagen - Shinkirou Theatrical SOUND HOLIC - EMOTIONAL EXIT
*Retroactively switching out my initial feature to reduce over-representation, having tracked down a better alternative.

Missing Tracks:
{U2 Akiyama - In High Spirits}
{U2 Akiyama - Dream World Folklore}

Hexacube - Happy Sheep Parade
Another instance of one theme out of the bunch surprising me for its decent coverage. That being said, I kinda get it more this time, given the distinct progression form of the original, which this arrangement adapts superbly.

BONUS: Stumbled across an "Occult Attract" remix whilst hunting, so I can cross that off the list!
Zing - Balls Attract
I'm surprised I missed this, 'cause it's certainly a competent arrangement and seems to have decent exposure. I suppose there'll always be things eluding my searchings, but if anything that just makes the eventual discoveries more exciting. :)
 
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Merry Christmas y'all! This year I managed to acquire some noteworthy arrangement albums I'd had my eyes on for a while, and subsequently picked out some especially impressive tracks to share around this time. May they provide a bonus bit of euphoria as 2025 draws to a close.

ShibayanRecords - NOTICED
Shibayan does not know what "reasonable length" means, but we give them a pass because they can back it up with quality performances more often than not. This one proceeds from Touhou Sound Fireworks, and I'd argue they put out their very best for the collaboration.

A-One - Over the Rainbow
Something about the harmonization work on this one continues to stick with me, no matter how many times I've listened to it. This is also from Sound Fireworks, with A-One successfully defending their reputation as the standard of Touhou eurobeat.

ShinRa-Bansho - Grand Feast -goddess-
This one's hard to find, but I'm loath to post such a big name circle myself unless absolutely necessary. Chorus on this song is incredibly hyped, exactly the energy I enjoy closing out with. I got this one from MelonBooks's CD book Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves (translation questionable),back to which I'd traced two exceptional tournament submissions (I wonder if this was long to make it into the tournaments had they continued?).
 
Against my expectations, a full lineup without skipped tracks (the catch is I'm featuring UK again).

Latchezar Dimitrov - Flawless Clothes Of The Celestials ~ Yellow Lily
I've seen this guy quite often through this endeavor, but it never felt quite right to favor him over alternative options. This is what he does; live solo violin accompanied by a piano backing track. He's a good player, and his arrangements show care and consideration.

JAGMO - Bhavaagra as Far as the Eye Can See
That a reasonably well-regarded circle as this would cover the later arrangement of a piece rather than its original form seems unfortunately improbable, but as evidenced here has been known to happen (and much obliged I am for it). I didn't know JAGMO did piano solo performances, but the quality is certainly on par with their larger scale work.

Usami Kagen - Overcome a Thousand Trials
I confirmed the existence of a remix from CielArc (found in this crossfade's album), but couldn't get hold of the full track, thus I must resort to UK once again. While I do appreciate their efforts, these are still little more than creative midi arrangements, and I'd rather they had more put into development.
 
Happy New Years! Didn't miss Christmas this time around, so there's less pressure to make the first share of the year stand out, but either way I think I've found something worthy of the occasion. I almost reposted chair's remix of "Easygoing Egoist," being in line with the ongoing catalogue, but better to favor something unshared.

Hooded Edge - The Icon of Extermination
This is a chiptune medley of various Reimu themes. The tone blends well between the motifs; I dare say this is the best Reimu-themed general arrangement I've yet heard. The style is balanced between nostalgic and modern chiptune, so it should appeal widely.


I figure I'll be done (or anyways very close to done) with the compendium by the end of this year. Upon reflection, I must admit it rather silly to devote so much time to something like this. I justify it in what I learn about music through the investigation; confronting composition styles and genres I'm not usually comfortable with, appreciating the ways in which sound can be manipulated and applied to create unique experiences. Art, in its various forms, is an exercise in experimenting with such aspects of Creation that we are given for that purpose, to appreciate and wonder at the depths therein. My own gifts incline more toward written expression, and I believe it best to continue focusing my growth in those areas; but even so, I remain invested in the experience of music, and offer thanks to God regularly for the privilege to do so. 😁
 
SOUND HOLIC - Eternal Harmony
Not gonna lie, don't particularly like this one; too much disparity in mood shift for my tastes, disrupts the flow. That being said, it's still a professional level arrangement, and the fact I was able to get anything for this track is not something to be scorned (I've realized SH actually did a full album of T15.5 arrangements, but not all of them are readily available; might see what I can scrounge up for missing tracks later, there's at least one I initially missed from this).

Baguettes Ensemble - On a Rainy Day
Tad bit laid back for an "Easygoing Egoist" remix perhaps, but it's admittedly unique for all that (and besides, I wasn't realistically finding anything to compete with chair's arrangement).

Billy Qvarnström - Possession Flowers in Full Bloom
Did not expect to find much for this track, so color me impressed. It's always fun to discover when an artist you were distantly familiar with turns out to have covered Touhou at some point, and doubly so when it's a more obscure track (as opposed to another "Bad Apple!!" or "U.N. Owen" performance).
 
Ya know what, there's only two more in T15.5, and I already did the digging for them, so I might as well get it finished off here an now.

Alex QQ - Scattering Blizzard of Spirit Possession Flowers
Precious little coverage on this one, and nothing too impressive, but at least it's someone new. This is also the last of the title theme variants (not counting the bonus track), and I wonder that all of them get so little attention.

Missing Track:
{U2 Akiyama - Blooms of Spirit Possession}

So not even the "ultimate" rendition of the motif seems to be appreciated. Shame, 'cause I dare say it's one of Akiyama's best compositions, to say nothing of it being his final original contribution to the franchise to date.
The best I could find as alternatives were a couple different medley arrangement of all the variants together, but none of them did much more than stringing them together. Nonetheless, I'm inclined to share one for the sake of it.
reimufate - Seeds of the Incident ~ A Blizzard of Scattering Possession Flowers

And then to end off on a more high-energy note, here's the runner-up for the "Easygoing Egoist" feature. It's a fine performance, but I can't find it in me to appreciate it the way I ought, having been spoiled by other takes (to say nothing of the original, which sets a high bar to begin with).
Over Heaven - Tonight Stars The Egoistic Duo
 
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Missed last week due to a full weekend; by the time I had time, it was OGM time, to I chose to take time instead. ;P In exchange, I'm doing all four Violet Detector tracks in one go.

40Nix - Nightmare Journal
I recall this being the more popular track when I first entered the fandom, but apparently that's changed 'cause even using the original Japanese title resulted in mostly "Diary" arrangements. In fact 40Nix's "Diary" remix was towards the top of my initial results, but seeing it put me in mind to their take on "Journal" (which I'd found some years ago), and seeking it out I determined it ideal for my purposes. I typically find 40Nix's chiptune overly retro for my tastes, but they're undeniably skilled in it nonetheless (and this is one of their better arrangements IMO).

kitty-cat-satellite - Lucid Dreamer
Typically an arrangement like this irritates me; the direction is ambiguous, with too many ideas being interposed without sufficient balancing against each other. In this case, however, I gathered a sense of "passion project" from the performance, which helped alleviate the misgivings I'd normally experience. I'd still say it was overly rushed, but for once I can appreciate the result for its authenticity and clear show of effort.

Arerukināda/Arlequinada-senpai - Lunatic Dreamer
What else can I do with a name like that (still not the worst result Google Translate has given me though)? Obviously this is some form of MIDI arrangement, but the result is sufficiently unique in sound for me to forgive its mislabeling. Can't help but wonder what it would sound like on an actual honky-tonk though.

akino estoy - Nightmare Diary
Out of all the options available (and there are some great ones), this one stood out as being simultaneously amateurish and wonderfully creative. Many arrangements are either disappointingly straightforward or aggressively unusual, and while there's plenty of range in-between, a lot of it gets taken up by professional circles. It's refreshing to still discover a fair supply of remixes like this, wherein the strengths of presentation are carried in simple but original execution.
 
RFSNMAN - Absolute Annihilation Shrine Maiden
Quite the intense arrangement for a menu theme remix! The pacing is well regulated, the instrumentation is crisp (especially that bass!), and the motifs are adapted clearly. Overall really happy with this find.

pizywizy506 - The Lamentations Jizo Only Know
I resonated with the artist's explanation of PC-98 covers becoming oversaturated; it's all well and good to have them, but far too many treat them as MIDI projects instead of opportunities to experiment.

JRAFS - Jelly Stone
The original's lack of progression leaves lots of room for creative expansion, and I hoped for an arrangement that took up that opportunity. I hadn't anticipated thematic stylizing in conjunction, but I certainly couldn't ask for better.
 
Mapore - Lost River
Atmosphere focused arrangement, which suits the subject matter well. There's the slightest zunish bent to it, giving the impression of the music collection style; whether or not it's intentional, I think it worked toward the piece's benefit.

BegissoR - The Stone Baby and the Submerged Bovine
Bit heavy perhaps, but I found the affect appealing, with the added bonus of sharp contrast with the previous piece. I hope the motifs are discernible enough to everyone else.

ZahranW - Everlasting Red Spider Lily
Have I not shared ZahranW yet? Part of me looks forward to finishing this project so I can post more casually (but the real problem is absentmindedness, and what can I do about that?).
 
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