Compilation albums rock. Through them, you gain exposure to other musicians and genre’s that you may not have heard of. OCReMix is wonderful at that as I have discovered several different genres and artist through them. It is because of OCReMix I have discovered my love for rock game covers, as well as classical piano work. Another example of a great compilation album is the remix version of one of Auxcide’s earlier albums, Of Atoms and Stardust, which I will be looking at today.
Before getting into the review itself, I would like to first commend Auxcide in using a Gameboy while making the album. Using a 20 some odd year old console to make music, and make it sound good is quite a talent, and this isn’t just limited to Auxcide. There are plenty of artists out there who use the Gameboy as an instrument which gives the old brick a new lease on life. I commend these artists for utilizing an important piece of gaming history in new ways.
Reading up on Of Atoms and Stardust, I can appreciate the love and kindness that went into these remixes. The performers here didn’t just remix the songs for fun, they did it to show appreciation to Auxcide’s first album, which is an example of how close knit the indie music scene can be.
So how is this album? It is a solid remix project. The artists keep it safe which can be a mixed blessing. They keep the music simple, but it lacks innovation. I do believe they didn’t try to innovate because they wouldn’t want to overshadow Auxcide’s original album, while commendable, does in the end make it sound somewhat average. Don’t get em wrong, the album is great, but it is also sadly predictable.
I never had a chance to listen to the original Of Atoms and Stardust as I came across Auxcide through word of mouth, but listening to this remix album makes me want to listen to the original. Also, it is because of this remix album that I would like to listen to the other chiptune artists on this album and check out their work.
Should you purchase this album? Even though they played it safe, I would still say yes as the album exposes you to new chip artists. These guys are good, and if they start experimenting more, then they could be great.
You can find Of Atoms and Stardust (Remix) on Auxcide’s Bandcamp page.
This is Daimo Mac and I am lost in the music.
Reviewing a remix album without any knowledge of the original material makes absolutely no sense.
Here’s the thing: When you set out to feature or review something, it’s reasonable to expect to do some research on it first. If you’re reviewing a movie sequel, you probably ought to know how the prior ones went. If you write about a band on tour, you should be able to explain why they’re touring.
So it comes across rather unprofessionally when you write up a review of a new remix/tribute/outtake collection without even making an effort to listen to the source material. I don’t care if you hadn’t heard of Auxcide before, it’s hard to believe you “didn’t have a chance” to do this kind of preparation.
Putting that aside, I also want to say – and I don’t mean to sound rude in saying this – that the review sounds very poorly informed in general. You make it a point to praise Auxcide for using a Game Boy as his instrument – the console that another author said in an article posted today was the most popular in the chiptune scene – but don’t give any mention to the fact that he achieves his sound by using two SPs in unison. And the last paragraph misleads the reader into believing the album has a set price. (It’s currently, at the time of posting, a name-your-price deal with no minimum.)
There are only two paragraphs that are wholly devoted to describing the remixes, and absolutely zero specificity. Did Parallelis’ track successfully re-imagine Ellipse? Was the dubstep influence on Disabletron’s remix a good call? Such questions receive no answer.
Similarly, you scarcely refer to Auxcide’s non-remix tracks here at all, which comprise nearly half of the total album length if you include “Particles.” Granted, seeing as you aren’t familiar with Of Atoms and Stardust, I can’t expect you to offer any comparison, but at the very least there could have been some opinion of them as standalone compositions.
Finally, given the above omissions, I feel quite frustrated that you spend most of your time here making judgement calls that, simply put, you have no right to make having so little familiarity with everything involved. The fourth paragraph postulates that the artists “keep it safe” such that they won’t “overshadow” the original album. How would you know? You’ve got no point of reference from which to suggest that’s the case, and it would be more respectable to refrain from offering wisdom you don’t possess.
Sorry, that was a little longer and harsher than I intended. Didn’t mean to offend you, only to offer some criticism.
I have zero respect for this article because someone who doesn’t listen to the original album before writing up the quality of a remix album is pretty insulting to the artist who originally made the album as well as the remixers. It’s like “I don’t care to read the book you wrote, but I have time to see a couple of poems you [Auxcide] and some other people wrote based off of your book.”
Not a fan of this review, hope to see more in-depth reviews that do the material they cover some justice.