Difference between revisions of "CHRONOTORIOUS Interview"

Revision as of 04:26, 1 September 2009

OneUp Studios first rocked the Chrono fandom in 2002 with Time & Space - A Tribute to Yasunori Mitsuda, which sold out its pressings twice and carved out an enduring legacy among the remix and fan music album scene. OUS proceeded to release more work, including two fantastic group albums (both with a Chrono track on them), before forming the "Bad Dudes", a collective of pre-eminent remixers who've been churning out top-grade remix albums with awesome regularity. Now comes CHRONOTORIOUS, which most likely now has full claim to the title of best Chrono series remix collection. FaustWolf and ZeaLitY digitally sat down with Mustin and the other remixers for an expansive interview covering the album's execution and the artists' stylistic choices. There's also some sweet personal trivia to be found, so strap in! A big thanks goes out to Mustin, OneUp Studios, and the other remixers for their work! We'll kick things off with Mustin, then head to the remixers. We'll then return to Mustin for a look at the technical and business side of things.

Hey! If you haven't gotten the album, you can buy the disc (while stock lasts) or purchase the MP3s (minus a few tracks). Head over to the Bad Dudes HQ to order, and check out OneUp Studios for more VGM love.

A Chat with the CEO

Courtesy of Mustin, head honcho of OneUp Studios! Questions are by ZeaLitY.

1. You've been doing this a long time. I imagine that each release brings the thrill of seeing your work completed and enjoyed by a lot of people. That never gets old, eh?

No, it doesn't get old. It's nice to know that people are enjoying what I helped to put together. I just wish more people knew about what I do/what we're doing! The goal is to get 5,000 solid fans that will buy whatever I do (as long as it's quality, of course). Then I'll be a happy camper!

2. The remixing side of OneUp Studios started as a lot of familiar faces (like Dale North), but the community's changed over the years. Would you call the remixers involved with Bad Dudes the current A-team for OUS remixing, or keep them in a separate category?

The Bad Dudes has been what OneUp Studios was this whole time. With the confusion of everyone thinking Mustin/OneUp Studios/The OneUps are all the same thing, it became important to make sure people know that these entities are separate. If you think about it, the Bad Dudes have made EVERY OneUp Studios album (non-compilation and non-The OneUps, of course). I wish I could go back in time and say Time & Space, Xenogears Light and The Very Best of SEGA were Bad Dudes and people would come to know OneUp Studios as just a label, like Jive or Ninja Tune. Ah well. Regardless, I call this team the A list for sure. There are so many great remixers, but the Bad Dudes are mostly made up of friends and good times. I think there's only one Bad Dude I haven't met in person.

3. And who's rolling with you these days for the live team?

4. Chrono songs have been covered countless ways, and this album demonstrates that the sky's the limit for reinventing these pieces. What was it like receiving works in progress and finished pieces from remixers, and hearing new, high-quality interpretations of your some of your favorite VGM?

Fantastic! Always love to hear from these guys. posu yan (the remixer formerly known as po!), Kunal and Joshua Morse never cease to amaze me. The WIPs are always fun to get. Some of the guys are very anti-WIP. Ailsean always just shows up with a finished product just when you forgot about him. Took a bit for his "Dethfrog" to grow on me, but I love it. Joshua Morse always does a million tunes before settling on one he's gonna do. And I swear the WIPs are almost finished tunes themselves sometimes. I usually have his WIPs around and listen to them often, even if they're only 30 seconds - they're that good. Same with posu. There were a few tracks this time that didn't make the cut. Diggi Dis' first go around on "Schala" didn't quite cut the mustard (you can download it from his site, [www.DiggiDisMusic.com www.DiggiDisMusic.com]). We didn't feel it was CHRONOTORIOUS enough. That worked out well for everyone, I think, as I feel his track on the CD is one of the strongest "Schala" arrangements to date. This is actually the first time in the history of the label that I can remember where we've actually made voluntary cuts.

5. It's been exciting to see the music video contest and Mario Circuit video concept pop up. Are you planning to use Youtube as another way of attracting interest in VGM remixing and live shows?

Yes, OneUp Studios would like to use YouTube and other visual medium to build interest in the label and video game arrangements in general. There's some great stuff out there, and we'd like to get into the fray. Here's hoping for more!

6. What's the biggest pain in putting together a OneUp Studios release?

Me! [laughs] I tend to hold things up as I'm so busy juggling things. Sometimes the Dudes have it easy in that they just gotta come up with one bangin' track. I gotta keep everyone managed, keep the vision, coordinate the artwork, etc. Not complaining - if anything, the Dudes should complain about me. We could have had this album on time to coincide with the Chrono Trigger DS release had I been better at managing my time. But it wouldn't be as strong of an album as it is now.

7. What are you most proud of in the OneUp Studios community or history? And what's next for the Bad Dudes?

Good question! I'm most proud of what we've accomplished as a group - working towards the Respect and Recognition of Game Music in America.™ So many stories have been told about someone hearing one of these albums and the music changing someones mind about video game music. That's the good stuff. Hearing another person tell me about how their Mom or Dad heard them listening to a OneUp Studios CD and how it changed the parent's outlook on game music as a whole - that's the most rewarding thing, I think. I'm also glad that we've built a community of friends and continue to make music that people want to hear. Let us never forget that while we stand on the shoulders of geniuses - the original composers - we do it for the love of the game. It isn't always about nostalgia for each Bad Dude, but I think we're united in purpose - paying homage and better ourselves as musicians.

8. What styles or conventions do you personally enjoy in remixes of your favorite VGM, and do you apply that philosophy when selecting remixers and performers for OUS releases?

I don't have any particular favourite style when it comes to video game arrangements. From the heavy metal of housethegrate and Power Glove, to the piano stylings of Bladiator and Dhsu. My favourite arrangers are posu yan and Joshua Morse, but I have many favourites. Neskvartetten comes to mind. ArmCannon are masters. virt and Shnabubula rarely disappoint. There's just so much radness. I'm quite satisfied with our current roster, though.

9. KFSS Studios recently closed up shop, and VGMix X is finally stalling out in terms of submissions. What are your thoughts about the future of the remixing community, and what would you like to see more of? Would co-mingling and cooperation with the Japanese remixing and doujin community be feasible, in your opinion, giving the extremely disconnected and scattered nature of the Japanese community? (Makes it so hard to find arrangements sometimes :( )

The future is in video. The game bands are It right now. More and more game bands are showing up on the YouTubes. And more and more people are playing game music. I have people calling me from bars in my own town saying that there's some band that's covering a game tune at some bar at that moment - and I've never heard of them. Whether or not they've heard of The OneUps is neither here nor there. Point being, I personally feel that the video game arrangement has lost its niche, having gone main stream. With the Super Mario Bros. theme being one of the best selling ring tones, it's apparent now that game music is near the level of saturation of film music - if not more so. In regards to the Japenese Doujin community and the West working together, our own Tim Sheehy has been the only person to bridge that gap as far as I know but I'm probably wrong. Still, that's monumental to me, as the Japanese scene is seemingly more serious. Plus the fact that Tim got to work with Bizen just makes me giddy. I love the majority of Bizen's work. So good! Could the mix of Western & Eastern VGM arrangements keep going? You'll have to ask Akumu Hau from Nitro Game Injection (http://akumunsf.good-evil.net/) that question - he knows more about the Doujin scene than anyone I know.

Tim Sheehy: Regarding the Japanese doujin community, I'm working on it. I recently worked with the circle DDBY on a Link's Awakening arrangement album that got sold at M3, which is one of their bi-annual conventions, and I'm in talks with them about maybe expanding that relationship. I have a lot of love for that community, as they tend to respect each other quite a bit, despite how disconnected the whole thing may seem to us.

10. Reflecting, did you think back in 2001 that 8 years later, you'd still be going strong with an awesome cadre of remixers going hot on consistent releases?

I did. I knew The OneUps would still be going and I figured I'd still be a part of churning out game music arrangement albums, though I had imagined someone else would be at the helm of the label, with me in an "executive producer" seat. Things are getting by and I'm looking forward to more!

11. For your upcoming Super Mario Kart album, are you covering the original SNES Rainbow Road theme? (Had to ask!)

Yes, for the upcoming Super Mario Kart album by The OneUps, we'll be covering "Rainbow Road," don't worry! It's one of my favourite game tunes of all time. Soyo Oka herself said it was one of her favourites she had written. I hope I can pull off what I'm trying to. It's one of the more intense recordings on the album. We just got back from recording the drums at a studio and I'm looking forward to getting them into the master file. Lotta work going into this one tune!

12. Thanks for everything. As a final question, what do you enjoy most about this stuff? Is the actual nuts and bolts music-creation still its own, profound joy?

It's the nostalgia. I love the nostalgia. I love remaking old game tunes that I love - even new ones that I've come to love. Been sitting on a "Linebeck's Theme" from The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for some time now. Gotta finish it up and send it to OCR! But yes, sitting in front of the computer and making the track and getting in "the zone" is when I truly feel alive - making game music arrangements or not.

Down with the Bad Dudes

We sent questions to each remixer, and though some didn't have the time to answer, the majority provided inimitable insights to the remixing process. We start things off with a roundtable, then break to some unique questions.

Remixing Roundtable

From: Albums and Doujins
From: Features