[Da Phunky Forest] or [OCRemix]
IMC #2 :: Second Place
Relative Placing = 89%

Judge: TimberWolf

Second Place

Right away you notice a wide array of instruments in use, as well as the lovable little thing i call the 'fretbird'. I think it was excellent use of an effect to achieve something different than it was originally intended to be. There are some decidedly synthy effects and instruments all around but none are mismatched or grating in any way. They are nice quality synths, too!

There's a nice set up at the beginning (definately an italian sound to it for a moment, lol), leading to a great laid back main portion with sounds and effects all over the spectrum. Very nice! I also like the additional melodies the bass follows. They're excellent at creating the mood.

The song breaks out at just after a minute with some goofy everything-goes-everywhere sound. Is that steel drums i hear? :) Just after that, it slows down again, with some nice sound spectrum exersize, with instruments that push high and reach low. There's almost a creepy/starry night feel to it for a few seconds. Is that a keyboard solo in there? I love the melodies. :) This song has percussion that's there, but stays out of the way. Also, the ending is very fitting with the rest of the song. Overall, i think it's an excellent tune. :)

Judge: DarkeSword

First Place

Some really great jazz stuff happening in this mix; the whole thing just feels really laid back and is perfect "chillin'" music. Very nice. The opening "doit" sound adds a kind of kookiness to the mix that gives it charm. Pizzacato strings and bass work really nicely together. I really dig the double time feel around 1:00, and it stays interesting with different instruments coming in and out, like the square wave and steel drum. Percussion is detailed; good job in making it an instrument to be used, and not just a time keeper.

I can't find anything wrong with this mix. Fantastic jazzy/ambient piece. Lots of attention to detail, making this an enjoyable mix that's fun to listen to. Astonishing work.

Judge: Tranquil Chaos

Second Place

Da Phunky Forest Off to a great start with a very atmospheric intro. Nice bell synth and nice, albeit quiet, drum loop with good variation. The upbeat breakdown is cool and really adds variety to the flow, segueing into a really ethereal portion. I really like the modification to the theme in this piece. The unorthodox use of a fret slide sound is actually very cool here and shows creativity with sounds. All in all a very strong, very groovy, atmospheric mix that I really enjoyed.

[Samurai Gordoh Plays Star Fox At Christmas]
IMC #4 :: First Place
Relative Placing = 100%

Judge: TimberWolf

Second Place

First, this song starts of with the F-Zero song--a song i think only one other remix here even touched. This mix is kind of soft, without being boring. Everything seems to mech nicely! The switch to the star fox tune is simple, yet i think it's quite effective. The tempo reduction/instrument muting twice just before really adds something to it. A little extra feeling that needed to be there. :) The star fox theme seemed a little out of place, but that's what you get when mixing songs together, lol. I think it was expertly handled. I thoroughly enjoyed this!

Judge: DarkeSword

Second Place

Another fantastic jazzy piece from Adhesive Boy. The intro is mysterious and fun, and I love when the bass and shaker come in, along with the sweet vibes and flute carrying the main melody of White Land. I love the square leads and synthy pads; they really add a funky feel to the song, and provide an interesting texture to the song. The ending is also quite nice, with chords in the square leads, and a harp arpeggio to finish it off.

Few things. While the Titania Boss theme is done nicely, it seems tacked on at the end, and doesn't hang around for too long. Fleshing out this theme would have helped a lot.

Overall, great work, with a cool, laid back jazzy piece with a nice texture.

(Note: This song tied for first place with both [Classic Smack] and [Sir Nuts]. If you'd like to see the second place and third place awards, which were not used, they are [here (2nd)] and [here (3rd)].

[The Lonely Psychotic and Pensive Windmill Man]
IMC #7 :: Fourth Place
Relative Placing = 62%

Judge: TimberWolf

Fourth Place

I like the initial feel of this one. It starts off nice and slow, with the rain adding a nice effect.

The song goes along at a slow pace, though Boy uses these places to add feeling, often going down to one slow and soft instrument. (Or maybe it's a few layered ones, lol.) At about~:45, Boy layers in a nice strong distorted drumline that would be more at home in a fast industrial techno song. The drastic switch in styles is well done, however. The two styles are played together for extended periods, but there are also well-planned places where the drums drop out and let the softness in the song reassert itself. Great instrumentation, and great timing to let the enhanced percussion take over the soft flutey feel of the rest of the song. Well done!

Judge: DarkeSword

Fourth Place

Trademark Adhesive Boy vibes play under a pretty oboe playing the source, with percussion making a brief appearace to help things along. Dirty breakbeats come in under a flute and oboe duet of the source, but the percussion is much too staticky, even for a dirty sound. Rainfall underscores the vibes playing a melancholy tune, as the dirty percussion returns. Oboes in harmony on the source lead us out, and rainfall completes the piece. A very beautiful texture here, but the staticky percussion seems over the top. Nevertheless, wonderful job.

Judge: Psychrophyte

Fourth Place

Jack Ryerson (aka Adhesive_Boy) gives us a certainly interesting take on the Windmill Hut, chock full with a couple of woodwinds, a tuba, some bells, and... really harsh drums? The heavy contrast between flute and the drums was the clashing, key factor that prevented me from giving this song a higher placing, as everything else conveyed the picture of the crazy old Windmill Man nicely.

If I was going to pick more nits, I'd have to say the rain sounds come in to the song for my personal liking, but I can readily overlook this, considering the base song.

[They Always Come Out At Night]
IMC #8 :: Fifth Place
Relative Placing = 64%

Judge: TimberWolf

Sixth Place

This song got a little bit of a bad rap in the IMC thread on-the-spot reviews for it's use of a breakbeat-style drumline without capitalizing on the breakbeat style.

While the song changes instruments and styles quite often, Adhesive Boy wasn't going for a breakbeat style exactly. He simply used that style of a drumline to add a little flair to his song.

This song does seem to have a lot of flavor derived from the same area that he got the ingrediants from for Da Phunky Forest. You can definately see the resemblance. It's almost like Da Phunky Forest was Chicken Cordon Bleu, while They Always Come Out At Night was a Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Both share the Chicken, they just use it differently. (Pardon the food metaphore, i'm hungry, and it seemed to make sense at the time. )

Lets get back to the style changes. This song has some nice laid back stuff, some near-chiptune stuff, and a touch of class and even some 70's in there too for maybe just a second with that repeated bassish synth near the slowdown toward the middle/end. I noticed some nice originality here, as well as that funny vibrato on a few of the instruments in just the right spot. Very nice work on your panning and effect control. I can tell this one had a little work done to it, and wasn't just slapped together.

Overall, it's a great tune that doesn't stick to a given style too long, or even a given instrument, save those quick drums. Excellent!

Judge: Psychrophyte

Fourth Place

The song starts off with a soft, phased synth, playing the main melody for a bit. A flute comes in at 0:10, and soon after we have piano and synths. At 0:25 the crunchy, distorted percussion comes in while a vibrato-laden synth plays the melody. Then at 0:48, we have a tuba, chimes and percussion combo that changes up panning before going back to the synth. 1:28 brings a calmer section, with some choirs thrown in for good measure. The song changes back and forth between the harsh drums and synths and the lighter things like flutes, giving the song a goofy quality. A SID-like synth comes in at 2:32 and helps lead the song to the ending.

-=Presentation=-
The sounds used are a mix bag... some are clean and crisp (like the flute and some of the synths) while some are harsh and muddled (drums, mostly). Sometimes the panning is questionable, but it's forgivable. The song sets itself up as goofy or quirky, and I think it does a decent job at that sound-wise, but a little more practice with mastering never hurts anyone.

-=Originality=-
There are some interesting unique elements to this song, which add to the kookiness of the original. The arrangement is a pretty good example of building upon the source material.

-=Structure=-
There song changes moods a lot, but that was intentional. There are some transitions that could've gone a bit smoother (i.e. 2:32) and there could've been a little more emphasis on the style used, but it's still a good effort.

-=Verdict=-
It's almost refreshing to her a silly piece like this after listening to all the more "serious" entries. There's still work that could be done to volume levels, panning, EQing, and overall details, but as it is, it's a goofy, fun listen.