Parasite Eve Remixes :: Review by Chris and Z-Freak

	Album Title:	Parasite Eve Remixes
	Record Label:	DigiCube
	Catalog Number:	SSCX-10023
	Release Date:	July 30, 1998
	Content:	1 CD - 10 Tracks
	Purchase:	Buy at eBay

Overview

The Parasite Eve Original Soundtrack was principally an electronica soundtrack, so it was only fitting that it got an arranged album that featured a variety of electronic genres. Though only 10 arrangements were made for the Parasite Eve Remixes, a huge amount of diversity is expressed, with genres including Drum 'n' Bass, Trance, Trip Hop, Techno, House, Jungle, and Intelligent Dance Music all being featured. The artists featured include prominent game music musicians such as Yôko Shimomura, the composer of the Original Soundtrack, and Hidenori Iwasaki, who goes by his nickname VAG40 in this album. Most artists featured are outsiders, however, who are not usually known in the video game music industry. Some are famous electronica musicians, but most are complete unknowns.

Track-by-Track Reviews

1) A.Y.A. [Theme of AYA Primary Mix]

Yôko Shimomura demonstrates her versatility with electronic genres here by creating an electrifying Drum 'n' Bass remix of "Theme of AYA," one of Shimomura's best compositions on the Original Soundtrack. The piano lines remain as catchy and upbeat as ever, while the heavy drum work that lies underneath drives the theme throughout and makes it all the more effective. Shimomura isn't scared to add ambient effects either, giving the theme a slightly surreal feel throughout. The whole theme is mastered wonderful, with several strong new passages being added as the theme develops, which is a positive diversion from the slightly repetitive original. The piano solos, which often have light jazz influences, are a particularly successful set of new additions, giving the theme a more substantial musical basis. This remix is one of the most accessible on the album, and while not as unusual as some of the later ones, it remains a fantastic item nonetheless. (10/10)

2) Arise Within You [Remixed by Tomo]

What we got here is a slighty unrecognizable battle theme, but the beauty lies with the use of the vocorder. The vocorder doesn't appear until 1:30, but when it does, you hear the phrase "Arise With You" and "Survive Within You" done in the most pleasant electronic/robotic tone out there. The beat keeps things going while the synth moves the piece foward and the drums provide some moments of sped-up BPM (beats per minute). Clocking at 7:13, unless you don't plainly like the use of the vocorder, you shouldn't have trouble enjoying it at its fullest. It's one of the more "tame" remixes on this album as well. (10/10)

3) Plosive Attack [Cultivate Mix]

Do you like Techno music? If yes, awesome. If not, this track is still worth a try, as it certainly isn't a stereotypical Techno track. Indeed, what makes it stand out against most Techno tracks is how a progressive feel attained, as well as the way it has subtle Trance overtones. It very gradually thickens throughout from a repeated bass note, undergoing major transitions approximately every minute. The motifs used, though repetitive, give this track a strangely compelling club beat that is maintained throughout by the reasonably frequent transitions. It eventually ends at the 8:34 mark, and despite taking a huge amount of time to reach this point, the end is satisfying. Admittedly, this track is one of the hardest tracks to appreciate, since many will find its repetitive nature to be unappealing. For those with an open mind and realize the track is intended for clubbers, however, these potentially negative points should be eclipsed by the realisation that this track needed to be repetitive in order to be effective. (9.5/10)

4) Missing Perspective [Dan K's Late Night Session]

This is among the calmer remixes, if not THE calmest on the album. It's actually too calm for its own good. Mostly comprised of wavy synth lines, percussion and a bit of subtle piano keys here and there. You just get a "chill out" vibe while listening to this remix, nothing more, nothing less. A fairly skippable track which doesn't have anything to hold one's attention for the duration of the piece. (7/10)

5) Influence of Deep [DJ Hiraguri's Operattack]

Beginning with a generic Drum 'n' Bass feel, the textures thicken throughout the introduction up to the 0:57 mark. After this point, Judith Siirila's voices comes in, singing the vocal theme heard in "Influence of Deep" from the Original Soundtrack. The music emphasises Siirila's voice perfectly, since there is no accompaniment after this point; though Siirila's voice uses too much vibrato for my personal tastes, the vocal sections are otherwise a pleasant experiences. After the solo voice section, the theme returns to a Drum 'n' Bass feel, but the beats used are much more catchy and unusual compared to the introduction. From then on, the track continually gets better and better, as the parts build, with there being plenty of contrast created through the addition of many different sections and the re-use of the solo voice section heard earlier. It amounts to 8:13 in total, but never gets boring and is very original. Tribal Masters has done well here. (10/10)

6) Under the Progress [Something Wonderful Remix]

This track features an interesting introduction which is made up of bird sounds and also a seemingly electronic xylophone. At the 0:30 mark a drum beat is added, and some in-game sounds are added too, almost as if items are being collected along the way. This arrangement features a dominance of repeated rhythms and melodies. Not only does this give the track a sense of similarity amongst the others, but it also gives the track a sense of order too.

With frequent sound effects being added here and there, we are eventually introduced to the main melody at the 2:13 mark. The melody rings out, and it fades away at the end of each phrase. The accompaniment brings out the melody nicely, and although it is repeated quite a few times, the variance of the accompaniment makes it seem continuous. The melody stands alone around the 3:15 section, which gives the track another edge of originality to it, which is further increased by the addtion of vocals. The overall effect changes at the 4:30 mark where we are introduced to a guitar melody. This soon reverts back to the origins of the track, and it is all ended perfectly. (9/10)

7) Primal Eyes [We are All Parasites/Charlie Horse Mix]

Are you familiar with the genre IDM? If so, that's great, but you had better hope that you like it, for this track is IDM all over. If not, I'll briefly explain what the genre is about. An acronym for 'Intelligent Dance Music', a rather misleading term to say the least, IDM is very different to standard techno music for the dance floor in that it less aggressive, repetitive, and driving, and more melodic, improvisational, and thoughtful. It's essentially progressive electronica that is intended to be experimental and original, rather than literally be used on the dance floor. It originated in Britain and reputable artists of the genre include Aphex Twin and Squarepusher.

Though this remix is not globally accessible by any means, it is a good example of IDM. The original is fragmented throughout the track, with its rhythms being distorted and many of its melodies being clouded by a sea dissonance. The electric guitar generally takes the leading roll, but is distorted greatly and various sound effects are used to give some mind-blowing textures. It develops very nicely undergoing several profound transitions, first after the introduction then at the 2:02, when it seems to almost become a completely different piece, which is much mellower and slightly more slow-paced, soon to become lightly decorated by the all-so-familiar piano descant sampled from the original track.

Though the track's transitions don't exactly flow, per se, there is an obvious lack of structure throughout the track anyway, as it is supposed to be an expression of experimental ideas, rather than a conventional track governed by traditional features. Indeed, its end feels neither climactic nor final in any way, as it literally just comes out of nowhere. At 4:41, though the shortest track on the album, it makes its mark and adds great variety to the album through its utilisation of an experimental 'genre'. (9/10)

8) Across the Memories [DB Remix]

Hidenori Iwasaki makes his previously unnoticed appearance into the remixing scene with this album. The first 15 seconds play the "Memory I" theme on piano, which quickly becomes flooded by the drums and bass section, which is mostly a rendition of "A Piece of Remain." The piano chords are pretty heavy here and just help to create a mood of tension while the drums and bass go wild. At around 2:09 minutes, Iwasaki incorporates the Eve synth vocals which may be too much to bear for the casual listener. At 3:00 minutes, Iwasaki makes a quick "chugging" effect as if he didn't really know where to take the remix next. When the timer reaches 4:30, Iwasaki just quiets down with an electronic melody only to return briefly and go down in silence at the end. It's definitely one of the more interesting remixes around. (9/10)

9) Urban Noise [112-80Mix]

As a Bristolian, I (Chris) have a lot in common with Portishead, Massive Attack, and Tricky, the Trip Hop artists that this track is influenced by. In fact, I once lived in the small town of Portishead, which is only a few miles away from where I currently reside, and the band Portishead is, of course, named after this town. It's pretty mind-blowing for me to see this genre, which practically originated from this town in 1990, is now incorporated in video game music albums. I guess there's nobody else around here (apart from my brother Dave) that could give this track such a personal review!

Anyway, this track is a very good example of the genre, though its not as dreamy and vocally rich as some of the best Trip Hop artists' music. It takes a lo-fi approach, with crackles and distortion being very evident throughout the track to give an ambient effect that does the original justice. The instrumentals are the main feature of the track, with dark rock-influenced guitar riffs, drum breakbeats, and spaced-out sound effects all featuring. When the vocals do appear prominently, it gives the track an extra amount of substance, sounding downbeat, lyrical, and quite moody.

Overall, it is a very good example of the genre and its combination of ambience and mind-blowing textural contrasts mean it is highly captivating. Though the original is greatly distorted, the material that the original provided was limited in the first place and minimal inclusion of such material seems a sensible move. Though development of the vocal melody would have been pleasing, the instrumental parts and overall atmosphere mean this is negligible. (9.5/10)

10) Somnia Memorias [Platinum Edition (English Version)]

The theme starts off with some bass and bird SFX, then the Trip Hop gets going, with a constant beat is accompanied by a piano and the bass guitar, while the singer sings the theme in English/Engrish. It loses a bit of the beauty when compared with the original version, which was sung in Spanish. At around 4:30 minutes in, there is a small guitar solo which seems compressed against waves of subtle string effects. The song ends with atmospheric effects like water, birds, etc... It's a decent arrangement, though it loses some of its original qualities with the English vocal. (9/10)

Summary

In many ways, this album is bittersweet. Since it contains such a wide variety of fairly unusual electronica genres, from Trip Hop to IDM, from Drum 'n' Bass to Trance, it will only appeal to a select few. As an approximation, about 97.8% of the world's population will think this album is nothing but senseless rubbish and will not find any positive features in the music. Indeed, the arrangements are abstract, the original is often distorted to the extent that it is unrecognisable, and there isn't a fragment of traditional music to be heard.

For the open-minded few who are prepared to try something different and enjoy electronica, this album really is a dream, however. It is original and captivating, and the diversity of the genres makes it extremely fun to analyse. With the sour exception of the final arrangement, every other one is very accomplished and the album manages to form a coherent yet extremely diverse whole. If you like electronica, definitely search on eBay and try to pick this up. If you don't, believe me when I say you'll want to avoid this one at all costs.