Mirror Image: A Link to the Past ReMixed
Comments from album directors William Harby (WillRock) & Emery Monzerol (DaMonz), and ReMixers
Album freely available at http://mirrorimage.ocremix.org

Mirror Image is a reinterpretation of the soundtrack to Nintendo's SNES masterpiece The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. 

The music of the Legend of Zelda games has always been an integral part of the game experience, even being able to play musical instruments in the games themselves. We felt that A Link to the Past deserved more attention than it already got in the game music community, since many of composer Koji Kondo's greatest and most iconic themes originated from this game. In celebration of the game's 25th anniversary, we set out to honour the legacy of its soundtrack by creating an arrangement album while also staying true to the awesome diversity that defines the remixing community. We hope you enjoy it!

- William Harby (WillRock) & Emery Monzerol (DaMonz)

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1. Sam Dillard - "Timeless Journey"
Sources: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - "Overworld," The Legend of Zelda - "Above Ground," Zelda II - "Overworld BGM," The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - "Overworld Adventure (Main Theme)," The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - "Ocean," The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - "Hyrule Field Main Theme," The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - "The Sky"

WillRock: Who we intended to ask to cover the main theme was always a big consideration due to the iconic status of the track. Sam Dillard was the original person we picked out, due to the strength of his "Dark World" ReMix on OCR. However, he was unable to take the track, so we gave it to Theory of N. Theory of N, however, ended up dropping his claim so we ended up asking Sam again, who accepted.

He went ahead and created a huge, orchestral medley of various overworld themes from the Zelda series while being cohesive and faithful to the original source material. In hindsight, we felt the track was such a gargantuan effort that it deserved the first track placement on the album. I believe it's one of the most epic things you'll ever hear and have to applaud Sam for doing what is an absolutely outstanding job.

DaMonz: The "Overworld" track. Probably one of the most iconic pieces of video game music. As a ReMixer, I know I would probably have a hard time taking this on because of all the baggage this source carries. Doing it justice with a quality arrangement, and still adding some value to it with personal creative touches would definitely be an enormous challenge in my mind.

The great news is, Sam has managed to overcome that challenge. The incorporation of all the other iconic Zelda themes should have made this even more difficult (as it probably did), but the end result flows incredibly well and has such an epic progression that I don't think I could have hoped for anything better for this album.

2. RoBKTA - "Once Upon an Adventure"
Source: "Title"

RoBKTA: Remixing Zelda is not an easy task for someone that's mostly accustomed to jazzy, groovy tunes like yours truly. Zelda is not only a game, it's an adventure, and most of all a pretty epic one. So let's try to give those jazzy vibes an epic flavor, shall we? Let's put the groove in an electro-jazzy overloaded joint combining RPG-esque elements with swingy drums and 90s house pianos which at the same time will make you think of what you're gonna embark on once you press the "Start" button. Oh, yeah, also short sources are always a real challenge, but it's what makes the final result so satisfactory once is all done.

3. Jamphibious - "Groove of the Goddess"
Sources: "The Goddess Appears," "Princess Zelda's Rescue"

Jamphibious: This source was tricky to work with, but I had a sort of chill hip-hop vibe in mind, so I rolled with that. Since there isn't too much melody to work with, I tried to simply build the track up over time, introducing various elements and using some light glitch effects to keep it interesting. However, I started to feel like the one melody simply wasn't enough, so I snuck in a rendition of "Zelda's Lullaby" at the climax of the piece. I was pretty pleased with the result, and I thought it gave the track a little something extra that it needed to really flesh it out. It was a fun little track to make, so I hope you all enjoy! 

4. Jeff Ball - "The Young Princess Whispers in Your Dream"
Source: "Opening Demo"

Jeff Ball: I was really inspired by the idea of Zelda communicating her request for help to Link while he slept. This small moment of the game has no music, and you only hear the sound of the rain while Zelda's words appears on the screen as Link is sleeping, but it's a profound little moment. I wanted to capture that moment in a musical way. It had to be solo piano, and I drew some inspiration from the early Final Fantasy piano collections, which I love for their simplicity, yet they have such profound emotional expression. Every note of this piece was meticulously placed to bring out as much yearning as possible. A small and magical whisper for help.

5. WillRock - "Raining at Hyrule Castle"
Source: "Hyrule Castle"

WillRock: The title of this remix might seem awful (and it is) but along with the extended intro, it is in fact a reference to a certain track in Cowboy Bebop. Beyond that, it's a heavy metal version of the Hyrule Castle theme. I was influenced quite heavily by Savatage for this, whose highly medieval fantasy-inspired tone to their music was something I was attempting to replicate. For a time, I considered turning this into a song, but when I made this instrumental version, I didn't feel the need.

DaMonz: DoesRock.

6. PROTO·DOME - "Excuuuuuuuse Me, Princess"
Source: "Princess Zelda's Rescue"

7. Yoann Turpin - "Church Reflections"
Source: "Church"

8. XPRTNovice - "The Chicken's Tale"
Source: "Kakariko Village"

XPRTNovice: I really wanted to tell a different story than the typical Kakariko Village theme for the series, and my mind drifted to all the times we abused the chickens in the village. I thought about what their story would be like. And then I thought they might want revenge. I tried to give it to them.

9. bLiNd - "Dungeon Shuffle"
Source: "Sanctuary Dungeon"

bLiNd: Been wanting to remix this since I was a small child.

10. XPRTNovice feat. Wiesty - "We're the Fugawe Forest"
Source: "Forest"

XPRTNovice: Well, I guess I needed a debut rap track at some point. I didn't expect it to go there, but it did. I wanted to create this sort of atmospheric, funky thing, to give the feeling of getting lost in the forest, but at some point I think I ended up getting bored with it. And then I started rapping, and it all came together. Many thanks to Wiesty for his excellent live drum recording and augmented organs. Live instruments, other than that, include another organ played by me, 4 saxes, flute, trumpet, and dropping the mic.

11. Hylian Lemon - "Technicolor Thunderstorm"
Source: "Dark Mountain Forest"

WillRock: This was one of the more interesting takes on the album, IMO. When we were picking out artists, we tried to consider some form of faithfulness to the original tune, and yet Hylian Lemon (not known for Imperial March-like shenanigans) ended up claiming "Dark Mountain Forest."

I will admit, I was a little bit concerned how this might end up (being the director of a game I'm VERY fond of perhaps made me more invested that I had any right to be). However, the sheer groovy chiptune feel, along with the very tasteful additions and variations to the original source tune helped differentiate itself in a very positive manner, adding a vibe that isn't present in the original. I feel like this shouldn't work in any capacity but somehow Hylian Lemon made this feel like a natural, effortless take. I think it's a testament to the quality of the source tune and talent of the remixer that this works SO WELL, and make this one highly recommended.

DaMonz: When Hylian Lemon confirmed his claim for this track, I knew that it would be awesome. I have never been disappointed by anything done by Ben, and with such an awesome source there was no room for doubt in my mind. I always love how he finds unexpected ways to twist the harmonic progressions in most of his arrangements to give a whole new set of (techni)colors to whatever track he's arranging. This case is certainly no exception, and makes for an extremely solid pillar of absolute chippy grooviness for the album.

Hylian Lemon: A Link to the Past contains a lot of great source tunes that have been remixed and arranged and covered more times than is possible for a human brain to comprehend. I almost feel silly making another contribution to that kind of ocean, but hey, if I'm going to arrange something from every Zelda game, I've gotta hit the big ones too.

This source in particular usually gets a pretty cinematic treatment, so I felt like that was a good opportunity to break away from convention (although Platonist beat me to the punch with his excellent chips).

12. DaMonz - "The Darkest World"
Source: "Dark World"

DaMonz: This track was very tricky for me. The music for the Dark World has a lot of significance to me, and I wanted to make absolutely sure I did it justice… which is why I ended up restarting my ReMix from scratch multiple times. I tried doing something with a very high intensity, but then I thought that had already been done quite enough, and I wanted my take to be different. So, I tried a few different slow-paced approaches, which turned out to be quite boring (to me, at least). And then, as I was listening to some Vulfpeck, I was struck with the idea of making a funky take with particular attention to the bassline. After that moment, the floodgates were completely lifted, and the track almost made itself on its own. I just had to follow the flow. I had lots of fun making this, and I hope it will live up to the assuredly high expectations of such an acclaimed source track!

13. Chimpazilla - "As Above, So Below"
Source: "Dark World Dungeon"

Chimpazilla: I can never say no to remixing any Zelda source. I'm a HUGE fan of all things Zelda, so it is ironic that I actually have not played this specific game (need to remedy that). I selected this source with quite a bit of unwarranted bravado, as it is a bold and tricky source, and I wanted to EDM it as much as possible. I hope no one minds the vocal clips, as I felt the story was best told with Ganon laughing at poor Link struggling.

14. Fishy - "Calamity"
Sources: "Ganon's Message," "Battle with Ganon"

Fishy: I played through Breath of the Wild earlier in the year, so I was quite in the mood for a bit more Calamity. The final battle is not the longest source track, so I mixed it with the classic spooky Ganon intro.

15. Doc Nano feat. Jeff Ball, Denis Bluteau, Kristin Naigus - "The Triforce of Sorrow"
Sources: "Triforce Chamber," "The Goddess Appears"; Cameo: "Overworld"

WillRock: This was one of the first WIPs received for the album, and, I'll admit, the first time I heard this, I was hit with such a wave of nostalgia and emotion for a source tune that honestly, I'm not only not that invested in, but barely knew, due to it being at the end of the game. However, this take is SO STRONG that it brings up that vivid imagery of all those adventures you'd go on while playing these games. For me, remixing isn't just paying tribute to a game's soundtrack. It's a means of connecting you to that youthful innocence you had playing these games as a kid, and helping you relive the joy of playing these games for the first time. This remix manages to do that for me with a source tune that I'm not particularly nostalgic for by itself, which I find pretty incredible. That's about as high praise as I can give anything, really.

DaMonz: Here I was expecting an awesome solo piano piece from Doc Nano, maybe with some orchestral embellishments. And then what do we get? An ambitious, amazing orchestral arrangement that goes far beyond anything that I could have imagined. As it turns out, the Doc knows what's up.

AND THEN, having samples wasn't enough for Alex. Jeff Ball recorded violin and viola, which stepped up the quality of the piece dramatically, even though it was already excellent. Then came in the beautiful oboe track from Kristin, which brought it even further. And as if that wasn't enough still, Alex sent me over the flute parts, after which I invited Denis at Sébastien "Trainbeat" Dufour's personal recording studio to record the finishing touches (huge thanks to both of them from me for that, by the way). The gorgeous result of this unexpected collaboration is definitely worth all the effort that went into making it a reality, and I'm extremely grateful to everyone involved.

Doc Nano: I thought it was an interesting choice to attribute sentience to the Triforce of A Link to the Past; it was not just an artifact, but a character in its own right. What would such an entity feel after being used by Ganon to impose his destructive wishes on the Golden Land? Surely a great deal of sorrow, despite Ganon's eventual defeat by Link. Perhaps it's fitting, then, that the main source tune ("Triforce Chamber") is surprisingly melancholic for a post-victory track. I explored this idea of a sorrowful Triforce in an orchestral arrangement whose style is inspired by the gorgeously melodramatic soundtrack for The Legend of Sirius (Koichi Sugiyama). By juxtaposing the melody of "Triforce Chamber" with the harmonic progression from "The Goddess Appears," I sought to add both variety and a bit of schmaltz. The track would not have been complete without the expert contributions of soloists Jeff Ball (violin, viola), Kristin Naigus (oboe), and Denis Bluteau (flute).

Denis Bluteau: Beautiful melodies, great arrangement. Lots of talent!

16. DDRKirby(ISQ) - "A Link to the Future"
Source: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - "Ending (Story)"; Cameos: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - "Title," Super Mario Bros. - "Overworld BGM"

DDRKirby(ISQ): I guess I am becoming known as "that guy" who you run to when you are running out of time for your remix album project and need another track done. I'm starting to lose count of how many times I've stepped in as a pinch hitter in the 11th hour...

Due to a snafu of sorts, WillRock and DaMonz needed someone to fill in and remix the first ending theme real fast. I wasn't real familiar with the source (just how often do you expect me to have gone through the full ending to LttP??), but, fortunately, I had about two weeks to work on it, which was more than enough time.

So, there I was trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do with the source, when somehow out of nowhere I realized that the main melody was somehow reaaaallly similar to the Cosmo Plant music from the SNES Gradius 3 OST. I started thinking about that idea more and more, envisioning the beginning fanfare as a sort of alternate "Catapult into space" theme, and I knew I was onto something. I was super excited to try it out -- Gradius 3 music is just plain awesome!

So, heavily referencing the classic "Departure for Space" track in all its glorious major key synth action, I tried as much as possible to replicate the same style with my remix, as if it came straight out of the Gradius 3 OST. My initial attempt actually used primarily instruments ripped directly out of the SNES soundtrack itself, though I later ended up swapping them out for a more "hi-bit" / 9-bit feel. Once I had the first chorus down, I was basically 100% sold on the idea and just needed to continue onward to the rest of the track. There were some challenges involved in trying to translate the triplet-based melodies in the source into something that worked in 4/4 time, but I always believe that that sort of forced problem solving breeds creativity and this case turned out to be no exception. I also put in a brief callout to the LttP title theme (2:28) and even managed to sneak in a quick callout to Mario at the 1:15 mark as part of the fun solo.

As the song goes on, I made some departures from Gradius style so that I'd have a little more variation. I remember having a pretty hard time deciding what to do at the 2:38 mark, but in the end figured out that heading into a triplet feel would both be a good changeup as well as allow me to better cover some of the melodies from the source which were harder to translate into straight meter. I go into one last triplet rendition of the chorus after that, at which point I felt like I was really channeling my inner WillRock with the synth solo -- I actually briefly referenced his DuckTales remix when trying to decide how to work out ending. I actually am usually no good with melodically conclusive endings, so I'm happy that I was able to pull this one off.

All in all, the track actually ended up taking more time than I expected (while still coming in on time -- hooray!), but was a real blast to make!

17. bLiNd - "Nayru's Hymn"
Source: "Ending (Staff Roll)"

bLiNd: First time I ever remixed the Zelda theme.

18. DaMonz - "The Dankest Chips"
Source: "Dark World"

DaMonz: To be honest, I was really not expecting this track to be on this album. This was my first ever attempt at using FamiTracker, and it was only intended as a test track. But then I threw the track at Will just for laughs, and it turns out he liked it enough to include it as a bonus track on the album. It’s quite funny too, because I made this track before my "Darkest World" track on this album, and I actually re-used some of its ideas, which is why the two may have moments that sound quite similar. So, there you go! An unexpected free bag of Zelda-flavored chips, just for you!