Oxygen Thief

Galactyforce Remix

This is a review not as a C64 remix, but as a stand-alone trance track. I haven't ever heard the original SID (you likely require one of these to play it), but as a piece of music in its own right, this track is almost awesome, but for one critical failing. I say, "almost awesome," not because it's very good but not quite awesome, but because that failing very nearly ruins it completely. It's got a great sound, juicy fat bass, nicely spaced sounds and a very effective emotional buildup from the beginning right up to the end. But it has this one critical failing.

The track is too short. In fact, there's only a little over half as much as there needs to be. It builds up very nicely, raising the temperature and quickly breaking down between the 1:49 and the 3:21 mark when the principal synth surges back in. This extended buildup sustains the pace and the keeps the anticipation high, and the whole thing meshes extremely well. Several neat musical themes are deftly introduced, and cutting the whole drum part at 3:06 for a measure expertly pushes the temperature that bit higher in anticipation of the return of the melody line introduced originally at 1:03. But then only a minute or so into this nearly euphoric synth it starts the fade out! Why?! It was so good, why stop there?

As I wrote, Putzi introduces the musical themes up until the fade-out point very skillfully, but the fade-out leaves them all unresolved. It really needs at least another 3 or 4 minutes to bring in the sounds and melodies from the initial buildup and blend them in with the main synth line from 1:03 and 3:21. The piece as a whole really needs to see them reintroduced and resolved before the end. At the moment, this track is like a mountain with a sheer drop on the far side: you go up the mountain and see an amazing view, and then you fall of the other side and die :-( :-(

I have to decide whether to score the track as a whole (which is missing its second half) or for the part we have been given, which is brilliant. But I can't, so it gets two scores: if this is all there will ever be to this track, I'm desperately sorry because it just leaves me feeling cheated, like an incredibly hot girl who takes you back to her flat, lets you take a shower and then kicks you out. I've been there, I know what it's like, and if this is the case, I can't ever listen to it again. If, on the other hand Putzi is going to finish it off and leave me relaxed and happy, then I'll have to give it a massive score.

Situation 1 (go home empty handed): 40%, and I'm really angry
Situation 2 (go home the next morning): 90%, and I'll come back that evening for another helping