ReMix: Kingdom Hearts 'Above the Rising Falls'
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- Game: Kingdom Hearts (Square, 2002, PS2)
- ReMixer(s): sephfire
- Composer(s): Hikaru Utada, Yoko Shimomura
- Song(s): 'Destati', 'Hollow Bastion'
- Posted: 2004-08-10, evaluated by the judges
A lot of people will probably be very pleased to see a Kingdom Hearts ReMix finally reach the light of day here on OCR; at least, if some of the requests and emails I've seen are any indication. It was Sephfire's intention to have the first KH ReMix on the site, and he has achieved that lofty goal where several have not and come up with a sweeping hybrid orchestral/d'n'b mix that's really rather kickass. Gets better each time you listen to it, and resembles somewhat the works of SGX; the mixer himself admits the influence/collaboration:
"This is a Kingdom Hearts remix of the "Hollow Bastion" theme, with traces of the "Destati" theme as well. Of all my work so far, this is the remix I am most proud of. I tried to create a really epic sound with this track. At the time I began work on it, I was listening to a lot of SuperGreenX originals and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" OST, which may explain the genre blend a little bit. Speaking of SGX, I need to give due credit to Mr. Adler for helping me to master this remix. Whatever he did, the remix sounded a heck of a lot cooler after he finished with it. So thank you, Sir GreenX, for your assistance."
I think some might have guessed the connection without being told, but if you're gonna get help from someone and end up with a piece that resembles their work to a certain extent, SGX would certainly be a great ReMixer to pick. Percussion here drives the whole thing and is over-the-top dramatic, with a moving, rolling pattern that is tribal, primal, but also measured. Piano swims underneath along with Absynth-esque swept pads and strings as other orchestral elements are brought in. Percussion gets decked out with a layered d'n'b vibe towards the second minute. The way different motifs appear and reappear, and the swift, sweeping nature of the piece truly lives up to the mix title and conjures the feel of rapidly falling water, or at least something vast in scope and fleeting. A very dramatic mix that brings Kingdom Hearts to OCR in a well-arranged, conspicuous way. Great stuff.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the Interesting mix. Nothing obvious coming up and still very
interesting to listen to. Oh and by the way to all fans of music my
name is Cody a.k.a. my musical name Codamadius (coda ma DIEUS). Not
DEEus. When I made my musical name I wasn't aiming for a roman name
or anything of that sort. It sounded fresh and new to me. Anyway,
I'm an aspired artist. I haven't been able to fully make my own
music yet but I plan to. I hear music in my head all the time and
it hurts not being able to write it down or make it myself
yet...but I'll learn. So far all I've been able to do is make
pre-made beats by using a program called MixCraft. I've made at
least 15-16 now and so far everyone who has heard them likes them.
If you want to listen, comment, or give feedback I'd be very happy
to read what judges or fans would like to say.
[URL="http://www.soundcloud.com/codamadius"]www.soundcloud.com/codamadius[/URL].
I usually don't post comments "advertising" my music but reading
all of the comments you all put in such detail gave me the urge to
because you give great feedback :) as I said...the music is not
entirely mine as it's pre-made, but the idea and the way I mixed
them it might as well be...anyway besides that, as you can see I'm
new to OCR and I've already downloaded quite a few mixes. Including
this one now :D great work! Hopefully one day I'll be able to
contribute one day as well.
- Codamadius on December 3, 2011
- Codamadius on December 3, 2011
Amazing mix. This got me into being a fangirl of sephire and
downloading everything else he's done here and at the sadly 404'd
AnimeRemix.com
- Mockingbird on June 3, 2010
- Mockingbird on June 3, 2010
Some great rhythms and a full atmosphere with a lot of intricate
textural details make this an exciting track to loop- nothing about
it is really over the top, but the intensity is relentless; even
when things aren't at full power, there is a sonic element pushing
the track forward. I love the percussion use- big drum hits
combined with some drier loops create a really nice texture, and
adding the piano arpeggios and the washes of synth and strings give
this a ton of depth and character. Phenomenal remix right here,
folks.
- OA on May 6, 2010
- OA on May 6, 2010
This is probably one of the first remixes I ever downloaded from
the sight after coming here. I had just been getting into Kingdom
hearts at the time, and the original Hollow Bastion theme was one
of the songs in the game that really popped out at me. I always
liked the mix of the sense of urgency and the feeling of loneliness
that you are supposed to feel as a result of events that transpire
in the game. Added to that, you're exploring this massive castle
that is sitting on top of a rising waterfall, something unlike
anything you've encountered in the game up until that point.
Whereas the Disney worlds are all colorful and full of familiar
faces, Hollow Bastion is falling apart and crawling with nothing
but monsters.
This mix takes all of that and multiplies it. One of my favorite kinds of mixes on this site are the ones that can not only make me remember where they are from, but actually make me remember them better than they are. I always feel a little disappointed that it's a bit short of the awesomeness this remix makes the level sound. This is one of them. From the booming bass drum to the "windy" synth, the whole mix sounds like it belongs in the soundtrack to some epic movie. It doesn't deviate too far from the original source, but in this case I don't think it has to. I also like the subtle additions of the Destati track in there (2:42 is the most obvious) , another piece from the OST that I am really fond of. It fits well with the overall feel of the song.
The only thing I can think of that this doesn't have are the bells from the original, which would have been a cool little addition.
- Darklink42 on December 30, 2009
This mix takes all of that and multiplies it. One of my favorite kinds of mixes on this site are the ones that can not only make me remember where they are from, but actually make me remember them better than they are. I always feel a little disappointed that it's a bit short of the awesomeness this remix makes the level sound. This is one of them. From the booming bass drum to the "windy" synth, the whole mix sounds like it belongs in the soundtrack to some epic movie. It doesn't deviate too far from the original source, but in this case I don't think it has to. I also like the subtle additions of the Destati track in there (2:42 is the most obvious) , another piece from the OST that I am really fond of. It fits well with the overall feel of the song.
The only thing I can think of that this doesn't have are the bells from the original, which would have been a cool little addition.
- Darklink42 on December 30, 2009
siven7;280835 wrote: Really great mix - 10/8 is a tough meter to work in, especially when you're using synth beats. No criticism! Awesome to see a KH mix in there and such a great piece to use (Hollow Bastion is beauty). Really nice work :)
Is the time signature on this piece really 10/8? Sounds more like 5/4 to me.
(A time signature ending in 8 usually denotes sets of triplets in each measure (hence the multiple of 3 in the top, e.g. 6/8, 9/8, 12/8).)
Either way, very nice work using an unconventional time signature that isn't your usual 1- ,2- ,3- , or 4-beat measure. You pulled it off flawlessly. I doubt that I will ever stop liking to listen to this piece of orchestral genius.
(BTW, where is the nod to "Destati"? Either it's really subtle, or I haven't been paying enough attention.)
- genius11433 on October 28, 2009
5 Star remix , I downloaded this remix off another website and
found this website .. thanks man .
- rusty. on July 8, 2009
- rusty. on July 8, 2009
You really played with complexity here. True remix but is much more
of a crisp art form. Very well developed and maybe even more so
than the original. Superb! Really dig the ambient hollow noise
vaporous throughout the music.
- Ryu2Wolf on January 6, 2009
- Ryu2Wolf on January 6, 2009
It was really good. like some other people said, this song gets
stuck in my head a lot. and it's good that you remixed a kingdom
hearts song! 5/5
- Garrant3 on July 18, 2008
- Garrant3 on July 18, 2008
Really great mix - 10/8 is a tough meter to work in, especially
when you're using synth beats. No criticism! Awesome to see a KH
mix in there and such a great piece to use (Hollow Bastion is
beauty). Really nice work :)
- siven7 on June 8, 2007
- siven7 on June 8, 2007
First, let me just say that this is an awesome remix! The
instrumentation blends really well, there's several dramatic flows,
it's great. Not to mention just that it's tricky mixing something
that's in a meter of 5 to begin with.
That said, I've got one gripe. From that great climactic moment at 2:47 that everyone's talking about (and I love the mournful reed bit in 2:51) the whole thing just keeps building in this really awesome way to a second, even more dramatic climax at 3:42... and then it doesn't end! The bit with three emphasized notes at 3:47-48 being picked up again by a soft note moving in and another chord-hit would be a great way to end the track, but instead it keeps going for a while, not actually doing much of anything, and finally ending in a way that is (in my opinion) kind of lame.
Apart from that, though, great track.
- Artscrafter on May 25, 2007
That said, I've got one gripe. From that great climactic moment at 2:47 that everyone's talking about (and I love the mournful reed bit in 2:51) the whole thing just keeps building in this really awesome way to a second, even more dramatic climax at 3:42... and then it doesn't end! The bit with three emphasized notes at 3:47-48 being picked up again by a soft note moving in and another chord-hit would be a great way to end the track, but instead it keeps going for a while, not actually doing much of anything, and finally ending in a way that is (in my opinion) kind of lame.
Apart from that, though, great track.
- Artscrafter on May 25, 2007
I really like this version, but may I make a few comments on things
I noticed? I thought that the bg booms was overpowering the
original beat. I thought that they should be a little bit more
blended than the first thing you hear. In fact the "Above the
rising falls" is really background music for the booms... TT^TT
Sorry, that's the only thing I wanted to point out. The idea was
great and the song over all turned out well.
- belovedchaos1 on April 2, 2007
- belovedchaos1 on April 2, 2007
HoboKa;227757 wrote: Well *ahem* this song actually is better than the original composition. In fact whenever i go back to the Rising Falls I go bleh...that's not what it should sound like - so I fork out this song for the place >< lol anyways 10/10 and 3 thumbs up!!
BTW I would kill for your talent of musical aptitude :( I'm thinking of becoming a remixer myself, but I realize just how hard it really is to create music, especially to remix it :S
- HoboKa on February 7, 2007
Well *ahem* this song actually is better than the original
composition. In fact whenever i go back to the Rising Falls I go
bleh...that's not what it should sound like - so I fork out this
song for the place >< lol anyways 10/10 and 3 thumbs up!!
- HoboKa on February 2, 2007
- HoboKa on February 2, 2007
This is just wonderful. It's..Just the best. I get this one stuck
in my head a lot too.
but my friend told me I should come here and tell you what I've done with my song. I hope it's appreciated and not flamed.
I made a video to Kingdomhearts using this song, and have copywrited you respectively. (OCRemix too)
Link is here: [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U2fGDkqPkA"]Over Clocked Deep Dive[/URL]
Hope you enjoy it (since no one else seems too. -_-; )and keep up the good work. :)
- Sephiroxas on February 1, 2007
but my friend told me I should come here and tell you what I've done with my song. I hope it's appreciated and not flamed.
I made a video to Kingdomhearts using this song, and have copywrited you respectively. (OCRemix too)
Link is here: [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U2fGDkqPkA"]Over Clocked Deep Dive[/URL]
Hope you enjoy it (since no one else seems too. -_-; )and keep up the good work. :)
- Sephiroxas on February 1, 2007
