Cookies (remixed): a gift for Rusty8984
Those of you in the Mario Paint Hangout might recognise this.
After seeing what a fun piece the original was, and how it had some errors in the harmony, I decided to take to FL Studio and remake this. And Rusty loved it! ^_^ I’m grateful and glad. Oh, and also, with this comes Cookies Live, a promotional video for the Mario Paint Hangout which I did:
The tempting allure of cookies can be resisted, but for the purposes of this vid, they can’t. :P
The whole thing was done with my PC webcam. I thought of doing it after I saw a pack of Smarties cookies being sold at Asda for £1 — I was thrilled! Those were the same cookies I pictured Luigi eating!
My signature MPC theme
About time!
I decided to jump on the bandwagon of composer themes. My Mario Paint Composer friends Herty, Mario7Mario3 and a few others already had their own MPC themes. This is actually an amalgamation of several works, some of which never made it online, others still in progress (or to be done). Going to this video on YT will allow you to see which previous songs of mine were thrown in.
This was the first entry in the MPC Original Composition Contest Round 16 (I had hosted the previous round).
Credits Theme (remixed): a gift for Xavalma
The idea for the picture came from M7M3, who suggested that this was the most poignant way to get the song across.
Here’s another song which had potential, but I wasn’t a fan of the instrumentation in the original.
Floating in Thunderous Skies
My first ever original composition in 5/4 time.
My second submission to the OC Contest Round 16. The very reason why I came up with this piece was because I wanted to attempt something in 5/4 time (five beats in a bar, so you don’t count one-two-three-four before the next strong beat; it’s one-two-three-four-five). I had kept it untitled for a long time, but after persuasion from fellow MPC users M7 and MrBretowsky, I finally named it. I thought of Mary Poppins whilst doing this — it felt as though I was floating with an umbrella and the skies were dark, and it was rainy, and there was thunder and lightning. Hence the name.
Westminster Tune ~ Preuve de foi
The words “Preuve de foi” mean “Proof of faith” in French, hinting at the song’s origin and back story.
This tune began in Westminster Cathedral (not to be confused with Westminster Abbey) and ended in Hatfield. I first wrote this as a tune to the new translation of Gloria in excelsis Deo, after hearing that at some point, people would start working on singable versions of the new lyrics (besides the plainchant). Then after some time, I realised that the tune would not fit the rest of the lyrics, so I left it. I sequenced a fragment of it on FL Studio, and left it for a few months. Fast forward to May 2011 and I started thinking of the song again. This time I had an idea of what the final result would be, but only a vague one. I got down to sequencing it, then got the feedback of my close friend James, attempted to modify it, saved the modified version, gave it to him for more feedback, then attempted to modify it again… but this time, my PC went wonky on me and I lost ALL my session data. T_T So this is by no means the final result, but it’s one song I can never get back again. I was in the College Lane LRC when I spoke to a coursemate of mine about this, and I cried…
That Poor Cat!
Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow *pant* meow meow *pant* meow…
I did this after looking at the article on That Poor Cat on TVTropes… that should speak for itself.
Éventails: an ambience for The National Service Journal
Some of you might remember this.
I had uploaded a low-quality version on YT once (I had recorded that with my phone), and this is only one of many remade BGM files for The National Service Journal. Now, about Éventails and what it looks like in the story: it’s a province known for its vast plains and grassy fields with flowers. The wind gently blows over the place, and it does so constantly. There are one or two wind turbines at designated areas, but they don’t spoil the place. Whatever the weather, the scenery is beautiful. That’s a place where couples declare love for each other, or people make very important decisions.
Harmonie: one year after my humble beginnings
Yes, friends, one year of music.
Close to one year after I did my first ever cover for YT, I remade my introduction to Les Histoires Duchemin: Harmonie. Another friend and fellow singer on YT, Usagiflower, wrote me a version with lyrics — I must get to that soon.
CODENAME=PENYEKSAAN: my first work in my own constructed language
Presenting… Sauveterrané!
In case you’re wondering what this is, it’s Sauveterrané. A conlang I’ll be using for Les Histoires Duchemin. I actually sequenced the music to this song (and had the idea for the melody) late last year, on MPC. This began as a Hymmnos, but I decided against it.
So, Sauveterrané. It’s a heady mix of Breton, Malay, Welsh, French, English, Latin and Hymmnos (of the Pastalia variety). “Penyeksaan” is Malay for “torture” or “supplication”.
Paraphrase on Kairi’s, Naminé’s and Xion’s themes
Kingdom Hearts fans will perhaps love this.
This is my first ever remake of an existing background theme from an existing game. It combines three character themes from the Kingdom Hearts series: those of Kairi, Naminé and Xion. I wanted this to be perhaps a way to lure listeners in. It did get quite a bit of feedback… 9 likes, compared to the minimum of four, but that was it. And I attempted to make this a video response to one of BlueNctrn’s works, but till now I don’t think anyone’s paid attention. T_T
Ubi Caritas (Taizé hymn)
The lyrics are short and singable: it’s “Ubi caritas et amor / Ubi caritas, Deus ibi est”. The full sentence, “Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est” means “Where charity and love prevail, there God is ever found”.
This is the most familiar of all the Taizé hymns to me, as I heard this being sung one Maundy Thursday when I was growing up. For the uninitiated, Taizé is a community in Burgundy, France, and people make pilgrimages there. The commune is best known for its hymns.
Fun fact: Scroll up a few songs and you’ll have listened to CODENAME=PENYEKSAAN. The original name, as a Hymmnos title, was METHOD_over_EXEC_TAIZE/.
And finally…
Prize remixes for the MPC OC Contest Round 15
In the results video (Part 2), I had announced that the top three winners would get remixed versions of their original compositions. After some time (and especially after working on Our Sending), I finally got down to doing two out of three. The final one is coming soon, and I haven’t scrapped it off my to-do list.
Third place: VG Title Theme
Originally composed by DrToadProductions.
Listen to the original.
When I finally put this up on YT, it sounded more like a credits theme than a title theme. It came to the point that one person said in his comments, “The credits roll and Kirby finally gets to eat his cake!”
Second place: A Distant Memory
Originally composed by ChristeriousNinja.
This is, hands down, my favourite song in the OC Contest Round 15, but it may not be my favourite remix. Listen to the original.
I’m saying this because this piece was really, really poignant, and in the remix, I did not want to touch it (except perhaps give it a more defined fadeout). I couldn’t find the right tempo for this, and I actually used the original sample in the remix. Also, my idea for M7’s MPC theme might be even better than the actual composition, and this.
Phew. That was a lot in one go. But that’s what happens when I don’t share my works for a long time. Have fun!
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