ReMix: Final Fantasy IV 'Four Friends of the Elements'

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Final Fantasy IV

So glad our first Hyadain mixpost was well-received, and that we've now got a follow-up. The genius of Kenichi Maeyamada's mixes lies in an uncanny ability to arrange for a schizophrenic cornucopia of identities, made flesh by awe-inspiring voice acting chops & caffeinated, dense lyrics... he's basically his own genre. Talking about his music in any traditional sense really can't convey the mania; suffice it to say that if you liked the first mix we posted, from Super Mario World, you'll probably dig this arrangement of 'Battle with the Four Fiends' from FFIV. Hyadain of course rocks each fiend out with his own voice & character, and half the fun is the transitions where one identity passes the psychological mic and the next takes over.

Lyrics are awesome, too; while Cagnazzo's use of "tsunami" may be unfortunately timed given the recent tragedy in Japan, sometimes a little goofy fun can help take your mind off more depressing topics; part of what I think the world loves about Japan is its sense of humor, which can be an excellent coping mechanism. I've seen a lot of #prayforjapan action going on, but since not all of us do, I instead just donated ¥2000 to the Japanese Red Cross over at the page Google set up to help coordinate relief. There are plenty of worthy causes and plenty of places on Earth that need help, but right now this situation is not only immediate, but very relevant to the world of VGM, so see what you can do to chip in!

It's hard to imagine removing the vocals from Hyadain's mixes, since they're so tailored & integrated, but the "backing" track is really well-constructed and sequenced and fits perfectly with the style. Over the top, crazy, and loads of fun, this is probably awful music for trying to concentrate, chillax, or make sweet, sweet love to, but if you want a musical slap in the face & are looking to spazz out uncontrollably, Hyadain has your number.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
Holy crap, I didn't realize both of these (including the SMB one) songs got put up on here.
I've had crappy nico rips of them for as long as I can remember; awesome to finally have a good MP3 of them.

- Gollgagh on July 2, 2012
This is really awesome! I'm becoming a big fan of Hyadains work ever since I fell in love with the [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpmxMPhWCbY&feature=related"]Nichijou[/URL] [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvwBwhhbx0g&feature=related"]OP's[/URL]. I was kind of surprised to know that that Hyadain was the same one on OCR! Pretty cool stuff. Check out his youtube people!
While the Nichijou songs weren't nearly as crazy as this (though, they were pretty crazy), it's still just as fun to listen to. I have a feeling this song would be better if I understood the game more, but I think I have a good idea of which voice is the protagonist and antagonist.
Really love this song. I hope we get more from Hyadain!
Also, it's awesome to see some mainstream artists (at least from what I was told he is mainstream) being posted onto OCR.

- urdailywater on September 7, 2011
LazarCotoron;761818 wrote: I really like that the whole thing isn't strictly sung-he sneaks in a few spoken words here and there, and they really add to the chaos in a fitting way.

I agree.
The manic music just tops the chaos off. Loads and loads of fun.

- Martin Penwald on May 10, 2011
I can't be the only one who when he/she heard this months and months ago, thought this was an entire band with an actual female singer.

- Emperor Charlemagne on April 6, 2011
I absolutely love this mix. Energetic, expressive, and manic. The voice acting is astounding. The characterization he creates here is wonderful; each voice is unique, descriptive, and masterfully executed. Golbez at the end came as a bit of a surprise, and at first I didn't link the final voice with a different character, despite the fact that it is clearly different from the others in both tone and character. It may be just a matter of the unexpected, since one might go into it thinking that there will only be the four fiends.
Fantastic ReMix on the music end of things as well. It blends beautifully with the voice acting/singing and is sufficient in getting my body moving.
Really, this fantastic all around. I love it, and I'm happy to see something like this on OCR. Beautiful!

- EmpyClaw on April 6, 2011
this song sounds crazy and uncontrolled...why do I actually like it?

- NegimaSonic on March 30, 2011
To repeat my FB post when sharing the page link: YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME.
I've been pulling for Hyadain to submit this ever since I discovered that he submitted SMWS.

- Zarggg on March 21, 2011
This song is just epic in its awesome.

- ZidaRose on March 21, 2011
classic hyadain. nice stuff.
and thumbs up for barbariccia's female love interests in the lyrics, hehe :)

- luhny on March 21, 2011
I absolutely love Hyadain's ReMixes. Like the other one, I've seen this on Youtube at least a year before it showed up here, but it really does belong on OCR. It is amazing that he does all the voices, including the female ones. That impresses me. The beat is good and the lyrics are just as crazy as you'd expect from something like this. Really enjoyable ReMix.

- Crulex on March 21, 2011
I love this song and I love this remix. It's mind boggling to think that it's just one guy who does all four voices, but in the end i'm bopping my head to the beat and smiling, all 173 seconds of it!

- LeviathanVIII on March 17, 2011
Stylistically, this reminds me of a LOT of Disgaea music. It's a little harder edged I feel, but it really sounds similar given the way the voices rise and the tempos used.
I really like that the whole thing isn't strictly sung-he sneaks in a few spoken words here and there, and they really add to the chaos in a fitting way.

- LazarCotoron on March 17, 2011
So he does all the voices INCLUDING the women ones? I didn't know that. That's insane. I wish I could do that. Oh, the pranks I would pull...

- Super_Sonic_Maniac on March 17, 2011
damn. this mix is amazing. love the mixed meter stuff.

- halc on March 17, 2011
This mix is a LOT better than his last one, with actual interpretation of the original song. Having an aversion to vocal songs is understandable when a lot of them miss the mark. Vocal songs, when done well, are tolerable. I think this is one of those.

- Brandon Strader on March 17, 2011