Audio

Daniel Ingram – Under Our Spell (Kaida Bootleg) | Hybrid Orchestral

With G5 here, who says we can’t have some fire remixes of old tunes! I love listening to new remixes of EQG: Rainbow Rocks music, and this one is great! We start by slowly fading in all the elements, something a lot of people do but that is hard to do well, and Kaida is one of the musicians who do it really well! As we get our first build up we move more into the electronic space as a drum build up takes over from the orchestral drums. Before we hit our drop we get a small part where the instrumental goes quiet for just a second so the vocals are highlighted, and then we move into this gem of a drop! The drop combines elements of both Orchestral and EDM making for a great combination that probably shouldn’t work but does! Afterwards we go back to more orchestral-leaning elements before moving into this awesome build up/drop combo! We end this masterpiece quite fittingly on the evil laugh, just like in the original!
Proofread by theCANderson, go show him some love!

Audio

Kimiko Glenn – Fit Right In (Pone177 Remix) | Drum & Bass

The movie remixes keep coming. So far I have loved all of them, and this song isn’t breaking that trend–on the contrary, this is one of the greatest yet! We start right into this track with a beat and vocal loop and not by fancily fading in elements one at a time, which is a change I very much appreciate. Then when you think you hear the build up happen you actually don’t get a drop; rather we get sort of an interlude that leads us into the lovely vocals from the amazing Kimiko Glenn. Then we actually get to the wonderful build ups and the amazing drop, and oh my is it awesome! We get the usual DnB elements, but we also get a pretty prevalent melody that’ll stick in your head for a while. Within the drop we get to the next part of the lyrics, and we get out of the drop with this amazing vocal fade out. In this next bit of vocals we actually get this awesome echo effect applied to the vocals, and I swear, having the words “unicorn butts” echo in your ears is one of the most fun experiences I have had while listening to music in a good while! I was curious how PONE177 would combine rap vocals with DnB, and I was very much impressed as this wonderful combination blessed my ears. As the rap part ends we get a vocal fade out into the build up, and I already mentioned how much I love the drops! This awesome drop keeps going strongly as the vocals unexpectedly fade into a repeat of the last few lines before actually ending the song, like a unicorn does
Proofread by theCANderson, give some love to him for making my writing look better than it actually is!

Audio

Alan Schmuckler – Danger, Danger (Pagan Pegasus Remix) | Future House

Today we’ve got ourselves a newcomer to the brony music scene! Pagan Pegasus brings us this amazing remix of the MLP: A New Generation movie song “Danger, Danger”, and, sweet Celestia, it’s awesome, so let’s gets straight into it! We start straight into the EDM vibes with a crash joining the lyrics, but in the beginning Pagan Pegasus still keeps mostly to the original rock instrumental, which is a welcome bit of variety when you compare it to other remixes. The build up in this song is also refreshingly simple–we just get a little vocal loop and an audible cue for “stuff’s about to go down”. And then we get to the drop! I love the drop–it’s unapologetic Future House fun and works perfectly with Alan Schmuckler’s amazing vocals. We then get a background beat after we get out of the drop, but we can still hear the original instrumental shining through. This is something you don’t see very often, and it really works well to make this remix stand out. Next we come to my favourite part of this remix–we get a classical build up, then the build up does a fake out and brings us not into the drop but instead out of EDM territory and into the clap rhythm of the original, and then we get the drop. To quickly talk about the build up to the drop–there isn’t any! We get the “My name’s Rob” line and then just jump straight into the drop, which is a gamble strategically because it might not always work, but Pagan Pegasus pulls it off expertly! This amazing second drop is where we end this wonderful masterpiece!
Proofread by theCANderson, give some love to him!

Audio

GhostXb – Dreaming | Ambient Orchestral

Ok, so people who know me know that I am a sucker for two things in this world: EDM of the House/Bounce variety and Orchestral, and of the latter this is a perfect example of why I love the genre! “Dreaming” starts out with this wonderful arrangement of strings that perfectly captures this dramatic feeling. Soon the strings are joined by an electric guitar, giving a nice accent to the song. Every now and again we get a really high note on the strings that almost sounds like a cry for someone. Then a bit later on out of nowhere these heavenly choirs appear to bring joy to your ears! Near the ending we get more epic orchestral sounding string parts as the guitar leaves, leaving us with only the strings, something I love hearing that really accents this piece nicely. At the end the strings simply fade out.
I’ve often talked about how much I enjoy longer songs that don’t go out of their way to be some flashy firework, and this song embodies exactly that. It clocks in at a bit more than six minutes and stays very consistent throughout, which makes it a perfect song for a perma loop, having exactly the right amount of variation so that it doesn’t get boring!
Proofread by theCANderson, big thanks to him!

Audio

Cherry Blossom – Tales Of Magic – Dark And Light | Ambient Orchestral

For every good and joyful thing, there’s always a bad and dark counterpart, it’s a rule in nature and our existence; there cannot be the good without the evil, and there’s no light without the darkness. But there’s a space, a little narrow space between these two forces, where the balance happens, where the harmony can be found, a place where you can get knowledge about the people in the light and the people in the dark. A place where you can understand both worlds, and where you can see both of their gifts, and their curses, and you get wiser. But you can’t stay there for long, you need to choose, you need to face the crude reality and determine which of them it’s the right one, and you need to accept the consequences of your decisions. And I think this song by Cherry Blossom encapsulates that feeling of being in the middle in a cool way. You can hear how the emotional weight of this feeling pulls the piece forward, like an inevitable fate. The contrast between the vigorous and energetic Violins and the taciturn and melancholic guitar it’s just perfect. The track speaks itself. It’s the voice for those who are at the border, seeking a new perspective.
Please, check this song, is very underrated, this song and Mystery Of Magic are just perfect, so go ahead and show some support!

Audio

Thunder Dash – Thankful | Piano Solo

Thunder Dash issues a call to gratitude through this beautiful piano piece. It’s an acknowledgement of good and bad times and the need to recognize both for what they are and appreciate that simply continuing to exist is more than some ponies have. This life-affirming sentiment is expressed through a gentle piano progression that has a blend of tender, hopeful moments and pensive passages, but the repeating theme always brings the song back to those positive notes as we are often challenged to do ourselves. I hope that you take comfort in this song, this shared belief in positivity, and the opportunity to make positive connections in your life. Let’s all be champions for each other and do our best to fill the world with beauty. Big thanks to Thunder Dash for doing their part!

Audio

BGM – The Tale of Trixie | Orchestral Metal

BGM has given us another fine pony tune, and this time their chosen subject is the most great and powerful pony in all the land basically ever–Trixie! The song opens with a gentle acoustic guitar that gives the impression that this song has a tale to tell in classic troubadour style. The guitar is soon joined by vocals that set the scene for Trixie’s arrival in Ponyville (accompanied by lyrics in the video!). The harmonized vocal tracks are awesome, and I love the use of the second track and the shift to the lower key to emphasize the conflict brewing between Trixie and someone (you’ll never guess who) in the Ponyville crowd. The full orchestral metal arrangement is totally epic and matches the lyrics perfectly. I won’t spoil the story, but it’s fair to say that some liberties have been taken in the retelling of events. It’s an epic tail told with suitable aplomb and is basically the most incredible, amazing, humble song ever. You will enjoy it. A lot.

Audio

Ocean Melody – Twilight’s Requiem | Lyre Solo

Sometimes it’s good to just relax and meditate on some music, and there are few things more soothing than the delicate strings of the lyre! Ocean Melody has created another lovely piece in their series of lyre songs inspired by the fanfic “Background Pony“. It’s awesome when folks create music based on written works and create a soundtrack to pair with the story. The whole song is performed using a lyre with a little ambience sprinkled in to enhance the mood. There’s a calm melancholy to the piece, and I enjoy the way that a consistent melody is often used to back more plucky passages, like memories trying to emerge from the constant noise of a normal stream of consciousness. I found that this narrative fit the song’s role in the fanfic, and I enjoyed the song’s interesting progression. Kudos to the artist for their continued exploration of this theme! Also, the fanfic seems like a good read, so probably check that too out if you’re curious and have some time.

Audio

Kimiko Glenn – Fit Right In (Yellow Tune Remix) | Synthwave

This is a really original take on this track. The synthwave delivery creates a much different emotional dynamic than the silly, fun energy of the movie version. The dreamy, ambient synth opening has a cool retro vibe, and the energy gets boosted by the introduction of percussion and vocals. The vocals are slowed down just a touch to fit the tempo, and the song then works to create melodies that compliment them while offsetting their original energy as we fly over the synth landscapes. I really like the bass heading into the chorus, which adds a satisfying thump, and the bits of effects accents sprinkled throughout the track add a nice depth. The chorus synth melody keeps the vintage vibe going, and a picture of the movie characters in leg warmers and headbands would fit the package perfectly. It’s an interesting and well-done remix, and I hope that you share my enjoyment of this creative approach!

Audio

Evgeniy Doctor – Hibernation | Electro House

It’s pretty funny that Evgeniy Doctor based this song on Benny Benasi’s “Satisfaction” (don’t follow that link if you’re at work!) considering how different the subject matter is, but it works! The track opens with cymbals and a buzzy synth line and quickly gets into some great house percussion. Some excellent vocal chops set up the track’s story, and the insistent vibe of the track is explained as Rainbow Dash stresses out about Tank’s need to hibernate. I love the “hibernation” Flutterchop that is used for a bit of vocal melody–it’s a hilarious parallel to the “satisfaction” lyric from the inspiring track. There is some nice depth to the mix and satisfying synth design throughout the song, and the arrangement keeps the energy high and dynamic. I was expecting this song to be a lot more chill when I saw the background art, but I didn’t mind being surprised! Add this track to the holiday playlist!