ReMix:RoboCop "CPC Zone" 5:42

By Malc Jennings

Arranging the music of one song...

"Title"

Primary Game: RoboCop (Ocean , 1988, CPC), music by Jonathan Dunn

Posted 2002-06-04, evaluated by djpretzel


Malc Jennings, who runs the excellent Amstrad CPC site CPC-Zone, is certainly doing his part to preserve this older system that many visitors may be unfamiliar with. In addition to running CPC-Zone, Malc also does some remixing, and contributes our very first Amstrad CPC ReMix, from a port of Robocop. Before I describe the mix, which is good btw, let me wax eloquent for a bit - it's guys like Malc who help make the emulation scene what it is. For every dozen sites that are dedicated to the mainstream of emulation - CPS2, N64, and next-gen in general - you're lucky if you can find one quality site representing an older system. Not that there's anything terribly wrong with the more popular face of emulation, but it's those who cherish the distant past of gaming and computing, when 64 colors was a boatload, that help keep the original buttresses of emulation intact, in this observer's opinion. If you've never heard of the Amstrad, check Malc's site out - you won't be blown away by shnazzy screenshots or redbook audio, that's for sure, but you might learn to appreciate some of the roots of where we are today.

Okay, I'm down off my soapbox now. I just thought it was cool that we got our first Amstrad mix and that it was from someone prevalent in the Amstrad scene :) This is pretty happy music for a Robocop game, considering the movies were all about major metallic booty kickin' (I only take the first seriously, myself). Up to 0'52" is pretty straight from the original, but at that point a nice house beat jumps in, then an offbeat octave bass, then some interesting guitar-ish chord pads. It's when the raveish synth at 2'35" comes in that the mix really feels full-on, and when the filter opens up then segues into a break with a staccato melody that actually sounds like some of the pentatonic stuff from the original Mystical Ninja game on SNES, things are workin'. Mix kinda takes awhile to start, but does groovy things with the original and is very enjoyable throughout. There's even sampled lo-bitrate percussion thrown in for a great nostalgic vibe. Recommended, unexpected, and cool. "Robocop!"

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Liontamer
on 2015-12-28 01:54:45

A bit long, and like Polo said, would have benefitted from some more tweaks/variations here and there. That said, it's easily one of the catchiest and most unsung heroes on the site. If chiptunes are your thing, this is awesome.

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Polo
on 2009-05-19 03:48:52

The chiptune chirps give off a perpetual vibe that's cute and bouncy, but at the same time sad and longing for something. I like how the blip-ish lead at 3:01 brings that same vibe to a more sensitive level. 3:54 is when the most elements play at once, making the lengthy buildup worthwhile. At 5:11, we say farewell to the beats as they walk into the sunset. Once they're out of earshot, we then hear Robocop call back a final time, putting a smile on our faces with the thought: "You know what? Things are gonna be all right!" A satisfying end.

Of course, CPC Zone can benefit from more active embellishments along the way. For example, I would've liked the guitarwork from 2:10 to return at 3:54 and boost the collective energy a knob. Alternatively, it could act as a countermelodic bass, playing syncopated notes and bass runs, to actively guide the listener into the next measures (listen to 0:30-1:45 in track 2 of the GBS file to get an idea). The chiptune chirps might even try some lower-key iterations (like in track 3 of the GBS), or simply take a breather while other synths work out new combinations.

Wishful thinking, yeah. But the aforementioned "longing" emotion is potent.

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OA
on 2008-02-19 11:22:09

Some of the weirdest reviews of the site are all up in this mix. WTF is goin' on.

The mix itself is in some serious need of some scissors; it takes forever to progress, and even then the expansion is minimal. Normally when I review a track i'll listen 3-4 to get all the nuances down, but this one I only had to listen twice, and I think even that was overkill. Sounds are dated, but the chiptunes are cool, and if you really REALLY love the theme this one is a keeper, because you are going to hear it for 6 minutes straight.

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Jaybell
on 2007-06-22 21:50:55

Well, this song certainly took it's sweet time. :P

At first, I was thinking, "this is just a chiptune cover of the original." but then it picked up! Oh did it ever pick up. It took an eternity to pick up, but man oh man it picked right up. Very happy, only complaint is that it's quite long.

Also, am I the first person to point out that this is remix 666? Funny it's the happiest track I've heard in a while on OCR.

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dotSe7en
on 2006-02-14 20:10:42

I love the beginning. It starts simple, then gaining energy. Lovely.

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DarkFrog
on 2006-02-14 11:55:10

This is the sort of song that will cause me to bob side to side with a smile and closed eyes, and yes, even at work. ^_^

Thank you for the fun experience!

-Austin Spafford

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Kurokun1293
on 2006-02-14 01:27:33

The first part of the song doesnt really catch the interest...and dragging it out for 40 seconds didnt help. Then it picked up. It got catchy. Its like a snowball rolling down a hill. It doesnt seem like much, then it gets bigger and better. at around 2:38 is when i liked the song alot more. Didnt expect this from Robocop. Unique.

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Master Spram
on 2005-12-12 10:39:58

Maybe English people don't like happy?

This is happy and I like it. I need happy.

Because I'm not very happy.

I need to fuck.

(PS: I like this a lot)

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tonguestubble
on 2005-09-25 09:02:01

Apologies for the drama, but i've loved this piece since i first heard it on the speccy. And this is fucking shocking. It's like what Crazy Frog did to Axel F. Only about 50 times worse. As if the world needs another dumb ass house remix... i'm going to start ranting proper in a minute, so suffice to say that if you appreciated any of the track's original beauty, you wil only find it here buried beneath a pile of the usual housey shit. but then maybe i've missed the point... fun i suppose...if you like that sort of thing..

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Corporal Eschebone
on 2004-08-21 18:32:47

Personally, I don't care that this is repetitive. I like to put this as my background music when I'm playing Continuum, and it really fits into the game.

This remix is very upbeat, and has two pretty simplistic [though catchy] main chiptunes [i guess that's what you call them] accompanied mostly by a reverberating techno background.

I'd have to say that minimalism is underrated in music sometimes, and this is a good example of that. Definately worth a listen.

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Oddity
on 2004-07-12 16:58:09

The first part is VERY slow in building up. I'm going to end up editting some parts out, yet it will still have every musical attention it was given, because I really like it otherwise.

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Streets of Rage bum
on 2003-07-19 03:51:14

i liked this track, ya, it was kinda repetitive......but it's nostalgic at the same time. Just so people don't get confused, this music is a remix of the Gameboy robocop, NOT the NES version. The NES version's music mimics the movie's theme by Paul Verhoven(?). But the Gameboys one is uh....it's own.

"Drop IT! Dead of Alive , you're coming with me!"

go Robo.

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Eccles
on 2003-04-18 15:14:59

When I saw this I wondered how on earth a 2 bar long tune could take up 6 minutes.

To be honest, the base tune kinda got on my nerves...even by the time the background stuff came in at 2:14 it was irritating (¿was that something new or did I always quit the loading screen to early to hear it?)

Anyhow, the samples are well chosen, although the cymbal flurry at about 3:00 didnt really work for me (and perhaps its my duff speakers talking here, but the sample didnt sound too hot)

Also at 3:00 when the other tune came in...I didnt really like the start-stop effect it had, although to my recollection, thats how the .ym sounded in the first place...

That said, at about 4:00 when everything came together, it sounded good, I liked it (though again, I didnt really like how the cymbal sounded)

And again...at 5:05, another cymbal flurry...

And it had a bit of an anticlimactic ending. Just a dead stop and the 'robocop' sample...though I dont know how you could have properly finished it, save for a fadeout (and again, if I recall, the dead stop is what the original did on the 464 when you started a game)

Despite this...it kept my head bobbing and my feet tapping throughout.

Despite the things I mentioned here, I definitley recommend everyone listen to it.

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Hobbes
on 2002-10-20 02:08:27

This is a great song - almost 6 minutes of pure fun. I especially like it at just about 3:00 when the beeping melody kicks in. Just really uplifting and catchy, and it's one of my favorite mixes. I highly suggest it to everyone.

Robocop.

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Streets of Rage bum
on 2002-09-25 07:12:49

sorry, but i think you guys made a mistake, this music is from Robocop for GameBoy, not reg. NES. I have the Robocop NES, and this ain't it. My cousin has the GB version, and this is the intro from it. But otherwise, it is quite the happy tune!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
RoboCop (Ocean , 1988, CPC)
Music by Jonathan Dunn
Songs:
"Title"

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File Information


Name:
RoboCop_CPC_Zone_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,881,241 bytes
MD5:
99e5368af967b61693df600d422df5cb
Bitrate:
112Kbps
Duration:
5:42

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