Tag Archives: awakening

Dj CUTMAN, Spamtron – MeowMeow & BowWow, a tribute to Link’s Awakening (Producer’s Notes)

MeowMeow & BowWowNearly a year of work, dozens of mixes, a handful of awkward titles and here we are. MeowMeow & BowWow a Link’s Awakening tribute written and produced by Spamtron and myself.

What can I say that hasn’t been said on our Bandcamp, press release, or Facebook page… This album was both a challenge and wonderful fun to work on. Spamtron is an incredible composer and I began to love his covers of the Link’s Awakening OST almost more than the originals. The level of detail and commitment in his programming is astounding, it was nothing short of a delight to mix. The medleys he programming in Sword Search and The Woods are so fluid, I almost don’t notice when he transitions the source material.

Certain songs, like Ballad of the Wind Fish, were a serious challenge. This is a very emotional track in the game, a repeating motif that serves as both congratulations for completing a dungeon and the heartbreaking finale of the story. Spamtron re-wrote this song three times, in an effort to capture the subtly and emotion of original. I went through nine distinct mixes of the ballad before the version that made it on the album.

I created  a mini-game within the album’s music, playing off the title. Hidden in each song on the album is a Meow and a Woof. This was my attempt at personifying the NPCs Madam MeowMeow and BowWow (her “dog”). These samples can be heard clearly on the introduction of Mabe Village. Can you find Madam MeowMeow and BowWow in each track?

This album went through a very serious mixing and mastering process. At the beginning of August (when Spamtron and I had believed the album was done) I found myself researching some of the most technical areas of sound engineering. I made discoveries that blew my mind, so much that I purchased new plug-ins and re-mixed every track in MeowMeow & BowWow. For the sound engineers out there, I discovered the benefits of linear-phase EQ, 32-bit floating-point renders and the limitations of mixing at 44.1khz.

The excitement culminated last weekend at our release party, 8-Bit Lounge, held at the historic PhilaMOCA, originally owned by world-renown music producer Diplo. To extend some of the celebration online, I’m selling the remaining commemorative badges from the event, each containing a download of the album thats set to last ten years.

The album is available on music.GameChops.com, streaming it its entirety on YouTube, and will be available soon on iTunes and Loudr. It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience working on MeowMeow & BowWow. This album serves as a spiritual successor to Bagu and the Riverman, the Zelda II tribute Spamtron and I completed in 2011, which later became the seed for The Triforce of Bass, our first #1 album on Bandcamp.

I hope you enjoy MeowMeow & BowWow as much as we enjoyed making it. And to anyone who buys the album or shares it with their friends, thank you for your support. This would not be possible without you.

>B]

Dj CUTMAN to Release Link’s Awakening tribute album “MeowMeow & BowWow” on 8/31

meowmeow and bowwow coverDj CUTMAN has just announced that they will be releasing an “unofficial sort-of-sequel” to the breakout EP Bagu and the Riverman, a tribute to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

The album’s full title is “The Story of Madam Meow Meow & Bow Wow the Dog,” a verbose reference to two NPCs that appear in the town of Mabe in Link’s Awakening.

The album art, designed by Tron Bonne Art, shows the characters jamming with two Legendary Instruments, the sacred artifacts that it’s the player’s quest to find (I’m not sure if Bow Wow is jamming or devouring.) The art also shows the game’s Owl guide and the Wind Fish’s egg, two significant elements to the story of Link’s Awakening.

With almost two years since the original release of Bagu and the Riverman, these two chiptune producers have set the bar high in terms of electronic remix albums. Meow Meow & Bow Wow comes out on August 31st. If you’re in the Philadelphia area, Dj CUTMAN is holding a release party at the PhilaMOCA. Check out this Facebook Event for more details.

Triple Triad: Mykah’s EDM Final Fantasy Tribute

Triple Triad is now available from GameChops
Triple Triad is now available from GameChops
Final Fantasy is widely known for exceptional characters, superb storytelling, and memorable music. The music is so loved that many groups have adapted it for live concerts, including five distinct tours over the past decade. Today, the team of electronic dance musicians at GameChops have released “Triple Triad,” a twelve-track remix album playing tribute to Final Fantasy and the music of series composer Nobuo Uematsu.

Spearheaded by UK producer Mykah, Triple Triad takes inspiration from three classic games in the Final Fantasy series, VI, VII, and VIII. To many, these games were an introduction into the series. To others, these games serve as a fond memory of when story, mood and music took precedent over graphics, hardware and spectacle.

Triple Triad contains a multitude of genres and styles to fit any electronic appetite; styles range from latin dancehall to drum ‘n bass to house and dubstep. Mykah shows his versatility as a producer, while the compositions of Mr. Uematsu are proven, yet again, to be powerful in any context. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the series or a casual listener of electronic music, Triple Triad is something special.

Listen and download it today from GameChops.

Follow Mykah: Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter

GameChops is a record label started by Dj CUTMAN that produces electronic cover songs of video game music. GameChops acquires mechanical licenses to the compositions contained within their albums. Music is available on GameChops.com, Loudr.FM, iTunes, and other major marketplaces.

Tal Tal Heights Remix Roundup

I posted this video on my tumblr, and it inspired me to seek out other versions of this track. AND I FOUND SOME :D
NOTE: You can download all these remixes for free at Overclocked Remix by clicking the title of the track above each video.

Benjamin Briggs – ‘Climb My Mountain, This High’

Zircon – ‘Clash at the Mountains’

Will Rock – ‘Mountain of Dreams’