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Solar Stone - Solarcoaster (Midway Remix)
A little more energetic than the original, but lacking some of its inherent beauty, the Midway remix is by no means bad, but considering the gem of a tune which was being remixed, it's hard not to view it as a bit of a disappointment.
The track opens out with a fairly simple bassline while continues throughout the majority of the track. Some interesting sound effects create a pretty nice atmosphere, and then the vocals begin. They're a bit too quiet IMHO, and interrupted by sound effects a couple of times. I felt they could have been incorporated better into the mix. After the vocals, the tune begins to give us a bit of a melody teaser as it builds up towards the climax. It's nice, but unspectacular, and at this point, one begins to wonder if that one techy sound effect couldn't have been varied up a little more. More vocals, done better this time, lead you into the main melody, which sounds a tad bit higher pitched than the original's, which I really don't care for.) After that, nothing really new is introduced into the track, and we simply go through another buildup/breakdown sequence.
It isn't that I don't care for the track so much as I don't think it measures up to the original, and I have to agree with those who have suggested it "sounds like anyone could have done it."
The Arbiter's Verdict: 8/10
Solar Stone - Solarcoaster (Greg Murray Remix)
A somewhat harder mix of Solarcoaster. This one has even more energy than the Midway remix, without as much as a dropoff in pure beauty from the original. I'm not familiar with Greg Murray, but he did a great job here. It still isn't quite as good as the original, but it is impressive nonetheless.
This remix opens up with some interesting sounds which I don't really particularly care for, then a small build into the bassline kicking in. The bassline is very simple, but hits relatively hard. The build up is pretty good, although I would have held off on the vocals until the breakdown. The breakdown is nice, if not up to the standards of the original, and I like the cutting synth they use to tease the melody during the breakdown. The main melody starts, and is shockingly powerful compared to the original. Eventually the vocals return, and at this point I think we've been without a beat for a bit too long. Then we finally get back into the meat of the tune, with a slightly beefed up bassline, and the harder lead synth we heard during the breakdown. From here, song elements and layers are phased out until we're left with nothing but the sound effect we began with.
The production quality isn't the best I've ever heard, but the harder edge of this remix brings a lot more energy to a tune for which energy was the only deficiency. If I were a DJ, I'd definitely be spinning this mix, as it fits my style well and is overall a very listenable and danceable mix of a great tune.
The Arbiter's Verdict: 9/10
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