Album: Donkey Kong Country 3: Double the Trouble!
References 
Download Torrent
- Catalog Number: OCRA-0036
- Game(s): Donkey Kong Country 3, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
- Published: 2012-12-03 by OverClocked ReMix
- Media: 5 Digital
- VGMdb ID: 36626
Credits
- Game Composers
- Arrangers
- 8 Bit Instrumental, AkumajoBelmont, Archangel, Blue Magic, Brandon Strader, Chernabogue, Cody Wedel, DCT, Daniel Rosenqvist, David Wise, Diggi Dis, Doc Nano, Draconiator, DragonAvenger, Emunator, Ergosonic, Fishy, Flexstyle, Harmony, HoboKa, Hylian Lemon, JJT, Jason Covenant, Josh Whelchel, Level 99, Malcos, Matt Drouin, Mattias Häggström Gerdt, Mazedude, Monkey Kong, Monobrow, OA, PROTO·DOME, Paul Capps, Pot Hocket, Robin Beanland, Ross Kmet, Rozovian, Sole Signal, The Scarborough Joker, The Vagrance, Theophany, Usa, Vampire Hunter Dan, WillRock, bustatunez, diotrans, halc, ilp0, mv, prophetik, some1namedjeff, tefnek, zircon, zyko, zylance
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the Judging by my response and Flexstyle's, it seems it was rather
unclear.
But yeah, when you finish that pester Emunator. I had to to get my bonus package.
- Mirby on January 28, 2013
But yeah, when you finish that pester Emunator. I had to to get my bonus package.
- Mirby on January 28, 2013
Not sure if I made it clear, but I actually was planning to do a
Disc 5 review. I'm just not sure when I'll get to doing it, is all.
- Bored_Man on January 25, 2013
- Bored_Man on January 25, 2013
Come on, I reviewed Disc 5, and there are tracks by folks who'd
love to see it be reviewed.
It just wouldn't be fair if no one else reviewed Disc 5 and received the bonus content even though I did.
- Mirby on January 25, 2013
It just wouldn't be fair if no one else reviewed Disc 5 and received the bonus content even though I did.
- Mirby on January 25, 2013
Did you review Disc 5 yet? :-P
EDIT: And yeah, may want to touch base with Emu, although I betcha he'll see this very shortly.
- Flexstyle on January 24, 2013
EDIT: And yeah, may want to touch base with Emu, although I betcha he'll see this very shortly.
- Flexstyle on January 24, 2013
Also, I do not mean to sound impatient or demanding, but when can I
expect to receive the bonus content? Should I PM Emunator about it?
- Bored_Man on January 24, 2013
- Bored_Man on January 24, 2013
Let's finish this on up!
DISC 4: PACIFICA
UNDERCURRENT (ENCHANTED RIVERBANK GBA)
Oh hey, Pot Hocket. I remember the piece like this that was on Voices of the Lifestream. This one is very nice and relaxing, mellowed out and overall pleasant.
AQUATIC TRANSFORMATIONS (WATER WORLD GBA)
So we've gone downstream into the ocean, then. This song is not as "busy" as the original, but it's definitely similar to both it and the original's base, Aquatic Ambience. Guitar work is pretty cool as well.
HEART OF THE CAVE (CAVERN CAPRICE GBA)
Neat little cameo from Super Metroid in the beginning. This song is quite a long one, and it takes a little while to really pick up, but it is worth the wait. Even so, when it does, it isn't over the top or noisy, but more subdued and "present".
CRANKY'S MOJO (CRANKY'S DOJO GBA)
This song, the intro especially, makes me think of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, mostly because that game had you fighting different Kongs that seemed like martial artists. I can picture a montage of Cranky Kong training and sparring, trying to get back his skills from his heyday, and maybe preparing to go off on a sightseeing adventure of his own. The jazzy portion is unexpected, but pretty neat. Overall, a good pick for one of my personal standout tracks.
CHASING WATERFALLS (CASCADE CAPERS GBA)
I like the groove this one sets. Can't exactly think of the words to describe what I like about it, but I like it all the same.
CORN-FED KONG (ROCKFACE RUMBLE GBA)
I will be honest here, and say that I was never a huge fan of country music. Nowadays, I don't hate it, but it isn't my favorite genre, mostly because I have not listened to a lot of it, and a lot of it sounds very same-y. Same issue with rap. I want to think I'm getting better with both, though. Anyways, this song...it feels very cheerful and adventurous, like you're going somewhere, but enjoying the journey more than worrying about the destination.
SPANISH JITTERS (JUNGLE JITTER GBA)
THIS song. THIS is how you start an album flood, no question about it. I can't imagine how fun and rewarding it must have been for you all to perform with Mr. Wise and Mr. Beanland. The song itself, very very nice. I'm a sucker for jazzy, big band pieces, so this is right up my alley. I can definitely imagine this playing at a party or some other event. The "80's section" is a nice breakdown, and makes the piece that much more special. Top notch job, folks.
SEA BREEZE CONCERTO (STILT VILLAGE GBA)
If you look at the sprite banner for this piece, you'll see Donkey Kong on saxophone, and Diddy Kong on guitar, just like on the artwork on Kong in Concert. Ah, how time flies. Anyways, this just overall is a nice jam session. Monkey Kong, you guys are lucky getting to work with Mr. Wise, but this is really your show, and it is a great one. That said, the sax solo is very nice. I also love the ending referencing the startup theme from the original Donkey Kong Country.
BENEATH THE MOONLIGHT (STILT VILLAGE GBA)
I can tell just from the start, this is the album's baby right here. 9 minutes long, and all of it awesome. It's very atmospheric, and just overall an experience rather than just a song. Great job.
DISTANT DREAMS ON STORMY SEAS (GAME OVER GBA)
So the story ends with Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong stranded in the rain likely to die of exposure and cold? That's rather sad :(. Also, thanks to somebody posting a certain rendition of the main theme of DKC 1 in the album thread, I can hear a certain rap artist sadly singing along to this with his..."famous" lyrics. Joking aside, this feels like a somber yet fitting ending to the album. Perhaps it's signifying the end of the SNES era as the series moved forward into the N64 era. But either way, it's the end of the main four discs, and this is a good way to send it off.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
In contrast to the last disc's impression of doing the adventure again, this one feels more like an actual vacation, a hard-earned reward of relaxation. Great songs all around, especially with David Wise and Robin Beanland's involvement. It's been a great trip listening to all four of these discs, and I'm grateful to everyone who worked on the project. I'll try to do a review of the bonus disc at some point. Thanks again, everybody :).
- Bored_Man on January 22, 2013
DISC 4: PACIFICA
UNDERCURRENT (ENCHANTED RIVERBANK GBA)
Oh hey, Pot Hocket. I remember the piece like this that was on Voices of the Lifestream. This one is very nice and relaxing, mellowed out and overall pleasant.
AQUATIC TRANSFORMATIONS (WATER WORLD GBA)
So we've gone downstream into the ocean, then. This song is not as "busy" as the original, but it's definitely similar to both it and the original's base, Aquatic Ambience. Guitar work is pretty cool as well.
HEART OF THE CAVE (CAVERN CAPRICE GBA)
Neat little cameo from Super Metroid in the beginning. This song is quite a long one, and it takes a little while to really pick up, but it is worth the wait. Even so, when it does, it isn't over the top or noisy, but more subdued and "present".
CRANKY'S MOJO (CRANKY'S DOJO GBA)
This song, the intro especially, makes me think of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, mostly because that game had you fighting different Kongs that seemed like martial artists. I can picture a montage of Cranky Kong training and sparring, trying to get back his skills from his heyday, and maybe preparing to go off on a sightseeing adventure of his own. The jazzy portion is unexpected, but pretty neat. Overall, a good pick for one of my personal standout tracks.
CHASING WATERFALLS (CASCADE CAPERS GBA)
I like the groove this one sets. Can't exactly think of the words to describe what I like about it, but I like it all the same.
CORN-FED KONG (ROCKFACE RUMBLE GBA)
I will be honest here, and say that I was never a huge fan of country music. Nowadays, I don't hate it, but it isn't my favorite genre, mostly because I have not listened to a lot of it, and a lot of it sounds very same-y. Same issue with rap. I want to think I'm getting better with both, though. Anyways, this song...it feels very cheerful and adventurous, like you're going somewhere, but enjoying the journey more than worrying about the destination.
SPANISH JITTERS (JUNGLE JITTER GBA)
THIS song. THIS is how you start an album flood, no question about it. I can't imagine how fun and rewarding it must have been for you all to perform with Mr. Wise and Mr. Beanland. The song itself, very very nice. I'm a sucker for jazzy, big band pieces, so this is right up my alley. I can definitely imagine this playing at a party or some other event. The "80's section" is a nice breakdown, and makes the piece that much more special. Top notch job, folks.
SEA BREEZE CONCERTO (STILT VILLAGE GBA)
If you look at the sprite banner for this piece, you'll see Donkey Kong on saxophone, and Diddy Kong on guitar, just like on the artwork on Kong in Concert. Ah, how time flies. Anyways, this just overall is a nice jam session. Monkey Kong, you guys are lucky getting to work with Mr. Wise, but this is really your show, and it is a great one. That said, the sax solo is very nice. I also love the ending referencing the startup theme from the original Donkey Kong Country.
BENEATH THE MOONLIGHT (STILT VILLAGE GBA)
I can tell just from the start, this is the album's baby right here. 9 minutes long, and all of it awesome. It's very atmospheric, and just overall an experience rather than just a song. Great job.
DISTANT DREAMS ON STORMY SEAS (GAME OVER GBA)
So the story ends with Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong stranded in the rain likely to die of exposure and cold? That's rather sad :(. Also, thanks to somebody posting a certain rendition of the main theme of DKC 1 in the album thread, I can hear a certain rap artist sadly singing along to this with his..."famous" lyrics. Joking aside, this feels like a somber yet fitting ending to the album. Perhaps it's signifying the end of the SNES era as the series moved forward into the N64 era. But either way, it's the end of the main four discs, and this is a good way to send it off.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
In contrast to the last disc's impression of doing the adventure again, this one feels more like an actual vacation, a hard-earned reward of relaxation. Great songs all around, especially with David Wise and Robin Beanland's involvement. It's been a great trip listening to all four of these discs, and I'm grateful to everyone who worked on the project. I'll try to do a review of the bonus disc at some point. Thanks again, everybody :).
- Bored_Man on January 22, 2013
Can't get enough of [b]Cliffside Climber[/b]. It's quite faithful
to the original and really takes me back, yet is refreshed enough
to be its own work. Also I'm pretty sure I heard the snow level
music from DKC1 thrown in there at one point? Can't remember if
that happened in DKC3 but it made me smile. [b]Epic Bananas[/b] is
another favourite, taking one of DKC3's most haunting melodies and
turning it into an energy-filled beast. In many ways it would have
suited the treetop level where you have to outrun the ginormous
saw.
[b]Winter[/b] has a lovely atmosphere, although could use a little more variation to make it truly memorable. [b]Intoxica[/b] runs along a similar line, and is exactly the kind of electronica I often listen to outside of the VGM world — this might sit beside artists like Bonobo and Emancipator in my playlist. [b]Breaking the Crystal Key[/b] does a great job of retaining the source track's haunting feel whilst giving it a burst of adrenaline, and the oriental influences make it something very unique. Could have gone so wrong if it were any more electronic than it is.
[b]Friendships Through Dark and Light[/b] is wonderful, although strangely immediately evokes memories of Banjo-Kazooie rather than DKC3. Perhaps an omen of where OCRemix's top musicians should focus their attentions next? ;) [b]'Til We Meet Again[/b] is a great way to round off the bulk of the SNES music, I always was very fond of that short piece of source music.
Moving into the later discs, [b]Joyful Jungle Jig[/b] is a toe tapper that's fun to listen to although is another track that needed a bit more variation to really fulfil its potential. [b]FrosTronix (Original Mix)[/b] is fantastic, really nails the DKC atmosphere I won't even try to quantify any self-respecting remix should strive for and I liked the (perhaps unintentional) nod to Serious Monkey Business's 'Roller Disco' track towards the beginning.
[b]Dive[/b]. This one caught me off guard as I subconsciously expected the tracks stuck on the last disc to be inferior b-sides or something, but this is one of the album's finest. Great mood that does justice to one of DKC3's strongest source tracks, with some quality sax (or whatever) incorporated; I was very pleased when the piano bit I remember most from the source made a proper appearance a few minutes in. Random, but this piece makes me think of Homeland's title sequence music a little.
[b]The Crystal Key is Broken[/b] is the winning Mama Bird interpretation for me, surpassing the previous one which was already superb. The bass is so masterfully handled in this track that the relatively unchanged melody is given a whole new lease of life, and there're endless details to listen to and appreciate — ultimately evolving into a beautiful cacophony that reveals some serious skill behind its composition.
So, great work guys! That's as far as my track-specific reviewing will go as I really am a busy person nowadays, but it was fun thinking and writing about why I love some of these tracks so much. An incredible way to end the DKC remix album trilogy, and I agree with the sentiment that this is the most consistently high-quality one yet. I hope this isn't the last I hear from the talent involved in terms of interpreting classic Rare music.
- Thrik on January 17, 2013
[b]Winter[/b] has a lovely atmosphere, although could use a little more variation to make it truly memorable. [b]Intoxica[/b] runs along a similar line, and is exactly the kind of electronica I often listen to outside of the VGM world — this might sit beside artists like Bonobo and Emancipator in my playlist. [b]Breaking the Crystal Key[/b] does a great job of retaining the source track's haunting feel whilst giving it a burst of adrenaline, and the oriental influences make it something very unique. Could have gone so wrong if it were any more electronic than it is.
[b]Friendships Through Dark and Light[/b] is wonderful, although strangely immediately evokes memories of Banjo-Kazooie rather than DKC3. Perhaps an omen of where OCRemix's top musicians should focus their attentions next? ;) [b]'Til We Meet Again[/b] is a great way to round off the bulk of the SNES music, I always was very fond of that short piece of source music.
Moving into the later discs, [b]Joyful Jungle Jig[/b] is a toe tapper that's fun to listen to although is another track that needed a bit more variation to really fulfil its potential. [b]FrosTronix (Original Mix)[/b] is fantastic, really nails the DKC atmosphere I won't even try to quantify any self-respecting remix should strive for and I liked the (perhaps unintentional) nod to Serious Monkey Business's 'Roller Disco' track towards the beginning.
[b]Dive[/b]. This one caught me off guard as I subconsciously expected the tracks stuck on the last disc to be inferior b-sides or something, but this is one of the album's finest. Great mood that does justice to one of DKC3's strongest source tracks, with some quality sax (or whatever) incorporated; I was very pleased when the piano bit I remember most from the source made a proper appearance a few minutes in. Random, but this piece makes me think of Homeland's title sequence music a little.
[b]The Crystal Key is Broken[/b] is the winning Mama Bird interpretation for me, surpassing the previous one which was already superb. The bass is so masterfully handled in this track that the relatively unchanged melody is given a whole new lease of life, and there're endless details to listen to and appreciate — ultimately evolving into a beautiful cacophony that reveals some serious skill behind its composition.
So, great work guys! That's as far as my track-specific reviewing will go as I really am a busy person nowadays, but it was fun thinking and writing about why I love some of these tracks so much. An incredible way to end the DKC remix album trilogy, and I agree with the sentiment that this is the most consistently high-quality one yet. I hope this isn't the last I hear from the talent involved in terms of interpreting classic Rare music.
- Thrik on January 17, 2013
Went through all the GBA tracks too, some good stuff there. I was
pleased to hear the jungle tune from DKC1 pop up a number of times
(look out for the ones with 'Jungle Jitter' as a source, as well as
the first Treetop Tumble track), some brilliant interpretations of
it. :) I was otherwise unfamiliar with most of what featured,
although I think I heard the DKC1/2 Cranky theme pop up at one
point.
Still seems strange to me Wise chose to completely recompose rather than reproduce, as I see what an earlier poster meant about the atmosphere of some tracks (and consequently stages) being transformed somewhat. Not sure I can say it's a good or bad thing, just a curiosity. :)
- Thrik on January 15, 2013
Still seems strange to me Wise chose to completely recompose rather than reproduce, as I see what an earlier poster meant about the atmosphere of some tracks (and consequently stages) being transformed somewhat. Not sure I can say it's a good or bad thing, just a curiosity. :)
- Thrik on January 15, 2013
Thrik;899588 wrote: Might try and find time to do a track-by-track review of at least the SNES ones. I'll listen to the GBA tracks when I have time, but as I never played that version I have no appreciation of the source material whatsoever. Are any older DKC themes incorporated into it (as with both DKC2 and DKC3 SNES) or is it completely fresh stuff?
You should really check this stuff out. Hey, it's Dave Wise returning after all. And yes, you will hear some familiar melodies in there! :)
- StarTrick on January 12, 2013
Got through all the SNES tracks, absolutely splendid. Thoroughly
enjoyed the whole album apart from a few inevitable ones I didn't
appreciate the genre of so much. That makes three fantastic DKC
albums I've seen mature and be brought to beautiful fruition now,
although this seems to be the most accomplished album in terms of
sheer quality and quantity of music. Almost makes me want to see a
second edition of the earlier ones. ;)
Might try and find time to do a track-by-track review of at least the SNES ones. I'll listen to the GBA tracks when I have time, but as I never played that version I have no appreciation of the source material whatsoever. Are any older DKC themes incorporated into it (as with both DKC2 and DKC3 SNES) or is it completely fresh stuff?
- Thrik on January 12, 2013
Might try and find time to do a track-by-track review of at least the SNES ones. I'll listen to the GBA tracks when I have time, but as I never played that version I have no appreciation of the source material whatsoever. Are any older DKC themes incorporated into it (as with both DKC2 and DKC3 SNES) or is it completely fresh stuff?
- Thrik on January 12, 2013
If I recall, Wise stated a while back in an interview that the
game's soundtrack was added in near the end of development. I'll
try to find the interview.
....aaand, here you go! :D
http://www.squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/davidwise.shtml
- Cody Wedel on January 10, 2013
....aaand, here you go! :D
http://www.squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/davidwise.shtml
David Wise wrote: I came on to the project towards the end of development. We didn't have too much time to add the soundtrack to the Game Boy Advance port of Donkey Kong Country 3. We were using a custom sound engine, which took a little massaging to get the best out of it, and I was very aware we were making a handheld version. Graeme Norton had previously composed new and inspiring compositions some years before, for some of the original Game Boy ports of the Donkey Kong series, which I thought worked somewhat better than trying to do a second rate version of the original.
Actually, I did spend a week considering if it might be viable to convert the original score, but to do so would have required working within the limitations of the system, and it simply wasn't translating well. We were using 8 bit samples with no multi-sampling on playback, which introduces artefacts such as noise and anti aliasing. There is simply a very limited bandwidth to work within. The bass sounds very wooly on the GBA and has to be suggested, using hard sounds that we might think have a lot of bass content in them, such as piano and synthesiser bass. The original score used a lot of low sustained pedal notes, which would simply be lost on a handheld system. What's more, the high end breaks up using this system, so the notes viable aren't actually so high.
Thus, given the very tight time limitations and restricted bandwidth, I decided it would just take far too much time to adapt the original soundtrack. The only realistic way to meet the deadline was to compose a new score for the GBA.
- Cody Wedel on January 10, 2013
Only listened to a few favourite tracks so far, but I'm enjoying
what I'm hearing. I'll happily admit that DKC3 is my least
favourite of the DKC soundtracks, but there's nonetheless plenty of
quality music and these remixes are doing a great job of
emphasising just how good some of the composition was — I'd simply
forgotten after not giving it nearly as much listening time as I
have the DKC1 and DKC2 soundtracks.
One revelation that I can't believe I'd never noticed before: the main title theme incorporates both the DKC1 jungle beat and bonus level music. Not sure how that never occurred to me all those years ago but there you go.
Looking forward to getting through the rest of this monster album. I'm very curious about the GBA music, it seems so bizarre to me that Wise composed a whole new soundtrack for a game he was at least partially responsible for the original soundtrack of. Anyone know why that was? I know he was less involved than with DKC1 and DKC2, was he simply dissatisfied with the result or what?
- Thrik on January 10, 2013
One revelation that I can't believe I'd never noticed before: the main title theme incorporates both the DKC1 jungle beat and bonus level music. Not sure how that never occurred to me all those years ago but there you go.
Looking forward to getting through the rest of this monster album. I'm very curious about the GBA music, it seems so bizarre to me that Wise composed a whole new soundtrack for a game he was at least partially responsible for the original soundtrack of. Anyone know why that was? I know he was less involved than with DKC1 and DKC2, was he simply dissatisfied with the result or what?
- Thrik on January 10, 2013
Cody Wedel;898483 wrote: Unfortunately not, since we didn't have WAV versions of those two tracks :(
Bummer.
On the plus side, those two tracks are technically brand new to me, so I get an additional two songs to listen to on each playthrough!
- orlouge82 on January 3, 2013
Bored_Man;898484 wrote: I could provide WAVs of those two songs, if you'd like, since I have software that converts music file types to other music file types.
They could too, but the quality wouldn't be there.
- Chernabogue on January 3, 2013
