ReMix: Donkey Kong Country 3 'The Paper Chase'
- Game: Donkey Kong Country 3 (Nintendo, 2005, GBA)
- ReMixer(s): Diggi Dis
- Composer(s): David Wise
- Song(s): 'Chase'
- Posted: 2012-12-03, evaluated by djpretzel
- Album: Featured on Donkey Kong Country 3: Double the Trouble!
When I read "Paper Chase" all I used to think of was the MST3K episode Warrior of the Lost World... now I'll simultaneously (perhaps even preferably) think of this hip-hop/funk jam from Diggi, who quite simply never disappoints. His jam on HvV was the shit, then his jam on Wild Arms was the shit, then his jam on Maverick Rising was the shit, and now... see the pattern? At the potential expense of Frank's free time and/or sanity, I'll just say to current and would-be album directors: Whether you know it yet or not, you WANT this man on your albums!! In some ways this is more like a ReMix of the original DKC, since the core melody is more of a franchise tune being arranged again for DKC3 on the GBA. Frank writes:
"While browsing through the tracks that were still free to pick, my ears fell on this one. Since it's a quite known track throughout the DKC series (at least I think I've heard it on previous releases of DKC before), the tune was easily transcribed for use in my project. I wasn't sure which genre I was gonna do beforehand, but the track kind of progressed on its own. Since it's pretty much a constant loop of a small tune, I also went for the "loop" approach which serves the genre I went for nicely, I hope."
Director Emunator opines:
"By this point, the DKC jungle theme has practically been remixed to death by various artists over the years. However, it still amazes me when artists are able to come up with a truly fresh approach that breathes new life into an overmixed source, and that's exactly what Diggi Dis has done here.
Frank pulled no punches in adapting the classic source into a downright-gangsta instrumental jam that, despite the polarizing effect that hip hop can have on some listeners, has some serious crossover appeal because of just how much fun it is. It helps that Diggi Dis has gotten hip hop production down to a science by now, so you can expect every aspect of this track to be polished to perfection. Take this one for a spin with the windows down and the speakers cranked someday and see what kind of reaction it gets! ;)"
I don't know that 'DK Island Swing' is overmixed per se - it's certainly no 'Terra' - but, having mixed it myself (over a DECADE ago!) AND being a big fan of the melody, I'm glad Double the Trouble! found occasion to have it land in Frank's lap, because I really love what he did with it. More specifically, I feel like I've wanted to hear THIS source, done THIS way, ever since I first heard played the game - it's a classic enough melody to deserve & facilitate divergent interpretations, but I really dig the attitude and flavor DD brought to it, and it was a surprise to me to find it on the album since I figured it might have been overlooked or skipped as being more readily identifiable with the first game. From the funky shuffle beats, to sexy acoustic & electric guitar, to that synth solo, it's all just... so... cool.
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