ReMix: Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos 'Demnos Inquisitor'

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Children of the Children of the Monkey Machine! On Monday, March 3rd, at 10:51am, coming in at 6lbs and 13oz, Lauren Elizabeth Newman was born! Our heartfelt congratulations to CotMM, who's been with OC ReMix a LONG time and resurrects his ReMixing career (last mix in 2003!) with this Steve Pordon collab arrangement from Solstice. Matt writes:

"This collaboration was picked away at by me and Steve after conversing about what to do for a few weeks. Also, I mixed the whole thing on cheap ear buds, so I still really haven't heard what it sounds like on proper speakers, but I think I got it right (:"

I chatted with Matt on #ocremix a week or so ago and at the time he was actually working on using Lauren's sonogram recordings provided by the hospital in an ambient mix, which is just like him - he's got a wonderful ear for texture, and has put together some of OCR's more compelling and unique soundscapes. This mix was actually Steve's idea, and it's part of Dirge for the Follin, Larry's tribute abute to composer Tim Follin. Mr. Follin's had a really interesting and varied career as a game composer, so the project should similarly yield very dynamic and varied results. If this mix is any indication, that's almost a guarantee, as Pordon and Newman take us on a dark descent that mixes Matt's industrial ambient style with orchestral and lead electric guitar elements for a very distinct sound. There's some very Downward Spiral-esque distortion beds that clip in and out, thudding and pulsating percussion, and most interestingly, a definite sense of direction and progression that can sometimes be problematically absent from ambient pieces. Everything up to 1'09", segued into with a piercing shriek, is essentially an ambient intro, but at this point structure and melody emerges, buttressed primarily by lead guit but supported by drums and bass. 2'45" takes things up another notch with intense drumming, intro'd by a big ole orchestra hit. The break at 3'36" gives listeners a chance to appreciate the underlying percussive textures in an exposed context, then things get busy again, culminating in an ending that goes back to the more ambient intro, albeit with aggressive electrical feedback hums.

What I like about this piece is that it's literally bathed in distortion, hum, and other means of sonic cacophony, but there's still noticeable structure and melody. Some of Matt's previous work tended towards more impressionistic interpretations of arrangement, but this one seems to straddle the sweet spot between identifiable compositional arrangement and otherworldly audio malevolence. Steve and Matt work well together, and this ReMix illustrates both of their strengths effectively; to some of our newer listeners who may not have traveled back to the mixes of 2000-2003 yet, this piece should hopefully serve as both example and gateway. Unique, fresh stuff - many congratulations to both artists for their respective comebacks, and especially to the entire Newman family on the birth of Lauren Elizabeth!

― djpretzel