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Musical Discoveries in Touhou Fandom

I had an interesting time with this batch of pieces. But I'm going to make the most of it.

FD - Dream of Eternity & Alstroemeria Records - ETERNAL VERITIES
There were barely any Dream of Eternity arrangements to be found, which I consider very surprising, as it seems an ideal piece to remix. I've found each of FD's remixes for Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream as I've gone through it, but avoided featuring them against the possibility of future tracks having less representation. This seemed to be just such the time, and I appreciated that the remix in question successfully captured the tone I was looking for, if not to quite the extent I believed possible. Alstroemeria's arrangement, on the other hand, goes in a slightly different direction with the motifs. The result is very . . . standard for the circle; high quality, very modern. Simply for my preconceived desires, I personally prefer the simpler remix.



FD - Eastern Blue Sky & Alstroemeria Records - Blue Aster
To my slightly lesser surprise, Eastern Blue Sky seemly had a similar degree of representation in musical arrangement as its preceding sister track. There was more, but not nearly as much as usual, even for a less popular track. What was available were remix and arrangement from the same two circles that I had found for the previous track, and with similar considerations for them. After some deliberation, I decided to lean into the situation.



FD - Eternal Full Moon & Alstroemeria Records - Return to the Moon
In contrast, there were plenty of options for Eternal Full Moon arrangements, but amongst them were the same two circles again, and by then I'd committed (I'll be sure to post some of the other things I found another time). I didn't appreciate this piece as much as the first two (though I can still detect it growing on me on repeat listens), and though these two takes are quite unalike each other, I can't say I enjoyed either more than its companion. Nonetheless, they both do a good job at capturing the primary motif and building around it; the one enhances the instrumentation, while the other embellishes the presentation.



Finally, as an added bonus in compensation for this feature's gimmick:

SOUND HOLIC - Journey to Planet Earth
This is an arrangement of all three pieces, done in a style that I wouldn't normally expect from SOUND HOLIC. Granted, it's more a medley than a proper mixing of the motifs, but it's still presented with an attractive flair through dramatic instrumentation. Perhaps not much on its own, but a fitting epilogue to the post.
 
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chair - Maple Dream... (chiptune arrange...)
Maple Dream arrangements are in no short supply, but I found this one quickly and wasn't willing to put it aside. As a companion piece to my tournament submission, this is a far less sharp yet no less intricate take on the piece.


Madorenu - Ghostly Person's Holiday
Arrangements for this track seem much more scarce, which is unfortunate, as it's certainly worthy of more attention. This is a simple remix with a nice atmosphere, if rather little imagination beyond its instrumentation.


Yuuhei Satellite - Girls are Preparing
I was extremely lucky to remember this. To no one's surprise I'm sure, hardly anyone has bothered remixing this jingle; possibly I'd find references to it in larger projects, but I didn't find much in the way of dedicated attention. This may be the sole exception.
 
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I wasn't sure where to put the PoDD demo tracks initially; I wanted them distinguished from the full release tracks, but they don't technically fall into the same category as "bonus tracks." As they are more akin to Shrine of Wind, I choose to feature them with a similar placement.

REEYA - Reality
There's an odd discordance throughout this arrangement, not quite powerful enough to be obnoxious but not always subtle enough to blend into the piece. I wonder what the intent behind this decision was.


O-ame - Lucid Dream
There's some quality sound to this one that made it quite satisfying for me to listen to. It is brief, and its progression is a bit too reliant on buildup for its length, but otherwise the composition carries itself well with a fair amount of creativity.


[???] - Victory Road
A full length remix of a five-second jingle! Although the sound quality is a bit less than average, it manages to avoid sounding too repetitive.
 
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erisu - Lotus Land Story
I didn't look very long for this one; once I realized that the track title would be indistinguishable from the game title, I was hoping to find a satisfactory option sooner rather than later. Thankfully I came across this nifty synth remix. It's not quite synthwave, but it still has a nice spacey sound to it, and it manages to hold up well over its duration.


Karasu - Phantasmal Labyrinth
From previous experience, I trust Karasu to excel at unusual atmosphere, and this track is no exception. The buildup is beautiful, and somehow not so sharply distinct from its climax to make the transition jarring, despite its suddenness. This trend continues continues throughout the song; I keep expecting the more intense sections to feel disconnected from the rest of the piece, but it remains inexplicably unified.


Factory Noise & AG - Selene's Light
Honestly, the picture and unfamiliar artist were the deciding factors for this one (there were a lot of good options), but it's a noteworthy piece nonetheless. It has a similar style to the first remix, but differs in scope of arrangement, being slightly more imaginative and expansive.
 
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There are two reasons I'm late this week. First, I was unusually busy over the weekend. Second, I had determined to use a remix of the original Bad Apple!!, not the other more popular Bad Apple!!. This has turned out to be more difficult than anticipated. I'm giving myself more time, and in exchange I'll share this percussion-focused performance/cover that can't make the cut.



Excessively unorthodox, but I can't help but appreciate it, both for the high levels of skill on display, and because they look like they're having so much fun with it!
 
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Okay, I'm fully prepared this time.

EDIT: Apparently I completely forgot "Decoration Battle"?! I'm committed to rectify the oversight, but it's been two-and-a-half years already, so . . .

Laz (scarps) - Break the Sabbath
Nice to see a familiar name that isn't one of the big circles, especially when a search is encountering unusual difficulties. The amount of "Did Jesus Break the Sabbath" videos that apparently exist is equal parts disturbing and hilarious to me, and the fact that they seemingly outnumber arrangements of this piece is just another layer on top of that.


Eulogous - Scarlet Symphony ~ Scarlet Phoneme
Soft jazz is another nice find amidst the sea of heavy electronic that otherwise seems to dominate the top selections (not a complaint, just an observation). I suspect arranging in genres favouring improvisation (jazz, baroque) can be more demanding in certain areas, but that's only speculation.


CYTOKINE - creeping indication
After quite a bit of searching, I finally started finding remixes of the original Bad Apple!!. Granted, I suspect the infamous arrangement's influence is still detectable, but the missing motifs are present, and that's as much as I can ask for. I chose this one for its genre contrast to the other two.
 
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Random Touhou Fan - Spirit Battle ~ Perdition crisis
There's a fair supply of arrangements for this piece, but the energetic music box remix appealed to me. I usually prefer simpler music box covers (more realistic), but this one seemed to balance out somehow.


Kori - Alice Maestra
A bit more of an imaginative take on the Zunish style, rather than the standard straightforward "remastering." I think I prefer this take, too.


xi-on - Maiden's Capriccio ~ Capriccio
Not that I didn't foresee this, but this one was much harder to find for. For obvious reasons, most musicians prefer arranging the Dream Battle version, and as the titles are so similar most of the top results were in that category. However, I did eventually find a few, and this one was the preferred option (it's xi-on, I couldn't ask for much better than that).


On a closing note/bonus feature: A mere couple days after my weeks long search for remixes of the original Bad Apple!! had ended, Kommisar dropped his take on this very track. The irony . . .
 
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Gou the frog said:
I don't know who this man is, but the rhythm and the pace are all too familiar to me. Doesn't that sound Touhou?
Click to expand...
Yep! A Drunkard's Lemuria was composed by ZUN for the Uwabami Breakers game; I forget the details, but I think the developers were friends of his (similar to the Seihou situation).


rythmique - Silently Crossing the Asterism
I would have thought Casket of Stars was overshadowed by Magus Night, but contrary to that presupposition I found a lot of really great arrangements, to the point that it was a struggle to pick one for the feature. I went with this one primarily for the vocal performance's synergy with the arrangement, a delightfully airy blending that retains an unusual degree of range.


hatsunetsumiko's - Lotus Love
Again, I tend to think of Yuuka's other associated themes before this one, but it clearly gets the love it deserves. Those who remember RT4 will know what I was thinking of listening to this piece; after all, it's the same artist, just a different vocalist. In comparison, I appreciated the contrast between the vocal performance and the piece itself; the guy in the back is still creepy, but I can forgive it for the sake of the rest, and I wouldn't mind hearing more like this.


Saitama Saishuu Heiki & Aether - Sleeping Terror ~ Sleeping Terror
There were plenty of option for this, but with the previous two being relatively low-energy, I desired a more intense arrangement to balance the post out. One of the defining features of Sleeping Terror is its signature intro, and this piece successfully captures its intense contrast without losing its energy on its entrance into the main body of the piece.
 
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Soro Buta-R - Creation
It's actually someone from Liz Triangle, but as part of a collaboration project; as such, many characteristics of Liz Triangle arrangements are present. The atmosphere is strong, solemn and heavy with a sense of significance. There is little musical progression, as the weight and direction of the song are carried in the words, but it still builds upon itself slowly until reaching a climax.


Trick Nostalgie - Faint Dream ~ Inanimate Dream
I did look for other options, but the only other arrangement that held up to my expectations was from an earlier featured circle, and this is still my favorite remix of one of my favorite Touhou tracks. JynX not only captured the intensity of the original, he enhanced it, and for once the overwhelming business of his style fits right in.


C-CLAYS - After Play
For a suitable followup, we head over to the heavy electronic genres. I'm not a personally big fan of this kind of music, given its limited progression and reliance on repetition, but it's fun to listen to from time to time.
 
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I begin to wonder if I'll finish the PC-98 era before year's end. I could of course calculate it out now, but there's no impact either way so . . .

Meylan - Illusion of a Maid ~ Icemilk Magic
A relatively short arrangement that nonetheless manages to make its point. Surprising variety in the instrumentation, specifically contrasting its piano intro and interlude with its chiptune hybrid sections; it contrasts well without breaking the flow.


aKoidion - Cute Devil ~ Innocence
Not your standard solo instrument cover, this is a detailed arrangement from a skilled accordion player. It's not a simple matter to make a single instrument cover sufficient range to make up for the lack of accompaniment, and while the accordion is one of the few instruments capable of multiple simultaneous layers, I still consider this quite a find.


Alstroemeria Records - DAYS / BEAUTIFUL MOMENT
Once again, I'm struggling to find remixes of this game's later tracks, aside from circles I'd previously utilized. I'm using this piece for Days because of the extra bit at the end, which I think adds a nice touch considering what the original piece is meant to be.


To make up for that, here's a double-arrangement of Icemilk Magic and Cute Devil together:
Lowlands Blossom - Dreamy and Illusionary Twin Moons
Granted, this is more two separate remixes tacked together, rather than a proper combining of the themes.
 
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Yuuhei Satellite, feat. Shinra-Bansho & Shoujo Fractal - Connecting With You (Full Collaboration ver.)
What a big project for such an obscure track! Weirdly enough, while I appreciate both Yuuhei Satellite and Shinra-Bansho, I haven't found their collabs to be all that extraordinary compared to their standard projects. They are unique, though; perhaps this is the natural product of rectifying their respective styles? Personally, I think there's a different explanation, but I'm not willing to go too deep with it.


SilentBird - Arcadian Waltz
Hi there, Gou! It's very fortunate that this exists, since I wasn't finding much for this piece otherwise. The original is rather chaotic in its energy, so this is a nice switch-up in comparison.


AramiTama - Blooming Flower at the End of the World
Here's something unique; it reminds me of another piece from some time ago. I describe it as "loud ambience." Does anyone else find it mildly unsettling?
 
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zuikakup - Bizarre Romantic Story ~ Mystic Square
I was hoping for something unique for this track, and I believe I found it. Though seemingly a bit slow, this arrangement make up for it with atmospheric progression that fits the melody perfectly.


Frost Fragment - Dream Express (Bittersweet Piano ver.)
While the original piece is relatively fast, I thought the melody would suit a more remorseful tone. This captured exactly what I was looking for.


Paradise of Boundaries - Alternative Magic Formation ~ Magic Square (Arrangement - SA Style)
Quality option for this one were scarce. A fair deal of what I found was zunish, so I decided to go with the best option from that.
 
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Special Thanksgiving feature! I usually struggle to find something for this, but this year I found an entire EP of zunish compositions themed around autumn. I'm only posting one of the five tracks, specifically themed for the holiday itself.



ProfPrac stated he composed in the style of Touhou 11; I find it odd he didn't go with 10 given the theme, but it works out alright.
 
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Last minute post!

Stygian Riverside - Dreamscope
The majority of arrangements I found for this piece were zunish remasters; this rock remix stood out.


R3 Music Box - Spiritual Heaven ~ Spiritual Heaven
There were other options, but the music box seemed to fit this piece especially well.


Komeiji Records - Romantic Children
This one I feel a bit guilty for; the artist clarifies in the description that this is less of an arrangement and more of a transcription. Nonetheless, there is a unique sound to this piece, and I appreciate it.
 
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Murasame Umbrella - Plastic Mind
The sound could be perceived as a bit messy, but less in an audio-quality way and more in an "intentional" sense. What surprised me most about this discovery was finding out that maritumix was associated with a larger circle.


Ink-Black Cherry Blossoms (Ink-dyed Sakura) - Maple Wise
It's always a treat to find a creative arrangement of a less popular piece.


DJ Abner - Forbidden Magic
I've never heard anything from DJ Abner that wasn't zunish, but I'm not surprised to discover his musical skills are more diverse.
 
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Something I love are calm songs, it always make me feel so good and get relaxed 

And I also love Touhou and it's soundtrack 

Then i found something like, jazz versions of Touhou music, I loved it! Is a album called Cafe de Touhou



It sounds great =D

View attachment 2973

 
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Hi. it's me remember? yeah me neither.

It's been quite busy past few months, who thought having a substantial audience will take a lot of time.
in addition I've been grinding One Piece, biggest mistake of my life.
haven't even done a lot of music research, well i do found some interesting ones but mostly just my own taste.

I present thee




 
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