And now for something a bit different! For this remix Koron Korak recreates the original melody and then offsets it from the vocals, creating what sounds like a conversation between the singer and the arrangement. The arrangement itself has a really cool vibe to it that channels the warm, summery feeling of the background art. The chorus pumps up the arrangement and introduces a jazzy saxophone melody, an unexpected but awesome choice. It’s definitely the instrumental that drives this song, and the vocals, though left largely unaltered, function more like another instrument. The bridge adds a great chippy synth that soars along with the vocals before the saxophone takes over at the end and steals the show. This is a thorough, thoughtful exploration and reimagining of the original, and the effort is very much appreciated.
Electronic
Power Note – Faithful | Melodic Drumstep
Power Note brings us this incredible and completely emotional track about Twilight Sparkle and her duty to be the new princess in equestria! The song unfolds with a somewhat melancholic and delicate piano, an arpeggio is heard, accompanying the nostalgic chords that the piano is marking. Little by little more instruments are introduced including spirited drums and a synthesizer. After a brief pause where only the piano remains for a moment, we get a slow buildup that persists as if it represents an unreachable past. Then we hit the exciting, nostalgic drop, conveying a feeling of epic melancholy, with an aggressive dubstep bass, vocal chops from Twilight’s voice , powerful leads, energizing battery and an enveloping melody. The whole track reminds me a lot of the songs of the golden era of the bronies, and is a truly faithful ode to the show – so please check it out!
Vanessa Hudgens – Gonna Be My Day (Seventh Element Remix) | Drum & Bass
It’s always interesting hearing everyone’s approach to these remixes. Seventh Element takes the original and pushes up the tempo, creating a greater sense of urgency. The opening keys combine with new synths, percussion, and effects to create a reverby, bubbly beginning, and then the strings kick in as the song builds into the chorus. The arrangement feels like it’s winding up for a big emotional punch, but instead we get a bubbly, peppy chorus that bounces merrily along. It’s a great combination, and the song flows along really nicely with some fun tweaks after the bridge that give it this great, chippy vibe without getting crunchy. It all makes for a lively pick-me-up of the tune that keeps the positive vibes of the original while doing its own thing.
Aventrix Fixes Assertive Fluttershy Fixes ArtAttack – Still Shy VIP (feat. Metajoker) | Drum & Bass
First ArtAttack created this terrific song with the goal of capturing Fluttershy’s capability for being both gently nurturing and forcefully protective. Then the Original VIP updated the arrangement and added Metajoker vocals to make the song that much more epic and impactful. Then Assertive Fluttershy created their Fix that reworked the song to create a UK Hardcore version for My Little Remix War V. Now Aventrix has created their own version that takes the hardcore mix and polishes it up. The tempo, key, and EQ have been adjusted, and new synths, drums, and FX create a super clean sound. You’d never know that this track was made on a phone using audio from YouTube. It sounds great, it’s a wonderful link to horse music history, and there’s a higher quality free download link in the description that I would recommend for full audio goodness. Get in there and create some new nostalgia!
Evgeniy Doctor feat. Brilliant Venture – Royal Guard (NeighGative_ Dark Tech Mix) | Dark Tech Trance
This track is based off of this fantastic original version meant to evoke the feeling of Canterlot Castle at night from the perspective of the Royal Guard, but it takes the original techno delivery and gives it a wonderful Nightmare Night twist! This track debuted during the NeighGative_ set at Ponyville Ciderfest this year and now gets unleashed upon listeners through this amazing individual release. NeighGative_ videos have fantastic background art and effects, and this track is no exception. Sonically, Luna’s formerly ethereal vocals get a crunchy, blippy, distorted treatment which makes sense when the intensity ramps up and the image of Nightmare Moon appears in the background art. Ominous vocal chops round out an arrangement that pulses with dark intensity. A cool shift in the synth melody at the end accompanies a shift in the background art, and the song concludes with Luna announcing, “I am a nightmare.” The citizens of Ponyville may not be safe, but at least we listeners received this entrancing contribution to the catalog of amazing Nightmare Night tunes!
Altius Volantis – Flutterfright | Hardcore
Altius Volantis has contributed a frightful Nightmare Night tune, and the effort is much appreciated! The track opens with some Flutterchops over a spooky melody, and the progression ramps up intensity by layering in additional synths before adding some percussion that could be footsteps on the path behind you…or maybe just the wind? Another Fluttershy chop and some rumbling bass introduces a shift to a more stripped down but no less intense arrangement before Fluttershy screams “RUN!” and the drop hits. Things go really off the rails at this point as the intensity skyrockets and the background image shifts, and you can really hear the artist’s fondness for noise.horse tracks coming through here. A return to a calmer delivery just sets the listener up for more madness, and the track wraps up with a Rainbow Dash cackle, letting us know that everything will (probably) be okay. The experience made me wish that I was enjoying this song as part of a Headless Horse album, but I’m glad that an alumnus of the label stepped up with this ripper of a track that channels the spoopi elements of the holiday in such a wonderful way!
Koron Korak – Missing Heart | Dark Ambient
This track may surprise those only familiar with Koron Korak’s more recent fare, which has been a joyful exploration of pony goodness, but the artist has long been adept at channeling any emotion into their music. The description of this song as an outlet for the artist’s darkest feelings at their lowest point makes a lot of sense, and the image of Cadence literally missing her heart perfectly embodies this sentiment. The distorted, synth-driven opening growls fair warning at you, and the echoey percussion, ambient rumbles, screeches, haunting vocal effects, and dark keys are perfect accompaniments. The percussion simulates a misfiring heart before unsteadying effects herald an actual, faint heart beat, creeping into the song before dying out. It’s dark stuff, but it’s incredibly well-done, and we can all be thankful both for this incredible encapsulation of despair and that the artist is in a better space now.
[P@D] L-Train – Books And Branches | Electro Swing
L-Train has recently made quite a splash in our community with his recent forays into electro swing, with many fun and colorful releases in this modernization of the swing genre. His newest track, “Books and Branches” comes to us hot off the press, courtesy of the newest Ponies at Dawn compilation album, “Aurora.” Making creative use of Twilight’s vocals from her “Morning in Ponyville” song from the season 3 finale, “Books and Branches” gets us up and moving to an upbeat melody, catchy chorus, bouncy bassline, and epic drum and guitar solos punctuated by lively horns and woodwinds. All in all, I think it’s safe to say that L-Train, this electro swing king has done it again with “Books and Branches” – a vibrant track that’s sure to make you feel that “Everything is certainly fine!”
[ASOS] Sylvver – Psychedelhi | Big Room House
My buddy Sylvver has been trying so hard to make it onto ASOS; When you hear this track, you understand why she just made ASOS: Eclair! A track about traveling the sands of Saddle Arabia, A hero is fighting their way across the desert looking for glory and coming to the aid of friends! The track big room house genre shows here with those big adventurous bass tones, and that melody makes you feel like you are in an epic montage in your pursuit of your enemies! The song starts like you riding off into the night with that build, then transits over to this more serine tone with those harmonies, as if you stoping to plan your next move as you rest before you spot then and ATTACK! Just song picks up again. Sylvver told me this song tells the story of a hero’s epic battle across the dunes of Saddle Arabia; I say a FINE track for your first ever song on ASOS! As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself.
Synthis – Floating | Future Pop / Chillout
Ever felt like you’re in a void – hovering uneasily in the clouds, separated from a world below that you can’t quite see or reach? You’ve no idea where you’re going or, even worse, if you’re heading anywhere at all. These emotions are familiar to me, and, apparently, I’m not the only one. Sam Synthis, one of the most talented singer/songwriters in the fandom, has skillfully captured this caught-in-the-clouds feeling with his latest release, “Floating.” Powerful lyrics highlight the reality we humans face as we all struggle to make sense of the world we live in and bring it under some semblance of our own control – a goal that inevitably eludes us and often leaves us feeling “empty and broken,” with “loose ends” scattered around the seams of our lives along with the realization that we’re all “floating towards forever.” Such deep reflections might lend themselves to dark or heavy musical rendering, but Synthis’ smooth vocals combined with a chill melody and instrumentation carry hope and positivity, making the lyrical message reflective and relatable rather than dark and heavy. I ended up feeling that although we sometimes find ourselves in a “Ground Hog Day” that never seems to end, though we sometimes feel empty and broken, we’re not alone in this. There’s not something wrong with us. It’s part of the human experience. And maybe it causes us to stop looking so much at the clouds around us or the world below us for answers. I, for one, have learned to look up.
Horse Music Herald 