Jet Force Gemini: Mizar Attacks!

Jet Force Gemini: Mizar Attacks!
Comments from director Darkflamewolf and ReMixers
Album freely available at https://mizar.ocremix.org

I remember getting hyped for this game way back when it was first introduced in Nintendo Power. I was already a Rare fanboy due to my love of Donkey Kong Country and this was just yet another great endeavor in their growing roster of masterpieces. Popping that cart into my Nintendo 64 that first time and seeing the Rare logo with that ominous jingle followed by bombastic title screen music, I knew I was in for a good ride.

And that's exactly what we hope to deliver to you with this album, a good ride from start to finish! The overall genre of music present through the album alongside track order was carefully crafted to flow from one to the next to give you a single cohesive experience from the moment you press play. There is even a separately remixed bonus track meant for just that purpose - with specifically created transitions between tracks, it is intended to be an aural experience enjoyed via a single sitting period.

Like my previous album project I managed, Jet Force Gemini was completely off the radar on most remixers history of games they were familiar with. Being the sole person directing and managing this (albeit smaller) project was challenging. I thankfully secured some insane talent who were all more than willing to give this underrated gem a shot and the album we've created, I'm sure you'll come to agree, is one freaking fantastic collection of songs that'll knock your socks off! So sit back, grab your rocket launcher and enjoy blasting some Ant guts across the walls with this album, Mizar Attacks! Enjoy!

- Darkflamewolf

01. HeavenWraith - "Galaxy Quest"
Source: "Main Titles"
Composer: Robin Beanland

02. Glejs - "Dreadnaught of War"
Source: "Battle Cruiser Sekhmet"
Composer: Alistair Lindsay

Glejs: This track morphed so many times before it took its final form. I'm glad the first few attempts were put to rest as it slowly grew into this wicked dubsteppy reggae-style track. There is surely some room for improvements as I've never composed this kind of music before, but it was super fun!

03. Deedubs - "Big Bug Funk"
Sources: "Ichor Military Base," "Funky Disco"
Composers: Alistair Lindsay, Robin Beanland

Deedubs: Quite the impeccable timing Darkflamewolf has! I began this remix a couple of days prior to them contacting me to inform me that they were beginning a new album project remixing music from Jet Force Gemini. Ooh, man was I excited! It was a soundtrack that I was very fond of and listened to it many times throughout my childhood. The music of Ichor Military Base was one of the tracks that stood out to me in particular. Since I had already started remixing that one, I claimed it right away once the album project began.

Glitch hop was the style I was aiming for this time. I had been listening to quite a bit of glitch hop and funk before starting the remix, wanting to explore those again after my last go 4 years prior. The name "Big Bug Funk" comes from one of the areas you can visit in Ichor called the Big Bug Fun Club. The brief, but catchy, disco music that plays there also makes an appearance in this remix.

04. bLiNd - "Tick Tock Tawfret"
Source: "Tawfret"
Composer: Robin Beanland

bLiNd: "Tawfret" was a very difficult source as most of it is embellishing orchestral elements to create atmosphere for the game. I managed to turn it into a hip hop-influenced track that seems to flow good as a remix in the end.

05. Sam Dillard - "Ruins in the Deep"
Source: "Water Ruin"
Composer: Alistair Lindsay

06. MkVaff - "The Edge Calls Me"
Source: "Rith Essa"
Composer: Robin Beanland

07. bLiNd - "Goldwood Glimmerstep"
Source: "Goldwood Forest"
Composer: Alistair Lindsay

bLiNd: "Goldwood" took a little effort on the percussion end as most of the original is toms among 6 tracks. I worked in a deep dubstep beat with some cool basslines and even kept the feel using jungle sound effects.

08. GlacialSpoon - "Dance of the Ant Spawn"
Source: "Spawnship"
Composer: Alistair Lindsay

09. Gario - "Under Cerulean Skies"
Source: "Cerulean"
Composer: Alistair Lindsay

10. Deedubs - "Bone and Marrow"
Source: "Eschebone"
Composer: Robin Beanland

Deedubs: This remix was a doozy.

"Eschebone" is one of my favorite tracks from Jet Force Gemini. The music is so dark, intense, suspenseful, and foreboding, complementing the planet you explore in-game. With such a track, I really wanted to see what I could do with a film score style and attempt to tell a story with the music. With my symphony orchestra, drum, choir, and synth patches loaded up, I had high aspirations for what I wanted to create. And, well...

Generally, during the creative process, I tend to go through a short period of "I don't think this is going to work. Perhaps I should drop this project?" That feeling more often than not goes away as I progress through the track figuring out solutions. However, out of all the album project remixes I've worked on thus far, this track was the closest I ever came to throwing in the towel. At the time, I was working on another project remix, and later on real life things started popping up. On top of that, the instrumentation mentioned above began to feel like it was just too much of an undertaking. I felt like I tried to get too complex and whatever progress I did make seemed to exacerbate any inconsistencies between sections of the remix. After a few months of work, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had sputtered and stalled.

Darkflamewolf always had faith in me though. They continually cheered me on and provided very helpful feedback on my WIPs. Thanks to that feedback, I felt like I had the direction I needed to finish the remix. I finally gained some momentum and eventually finished the remix, 6 months after I started it. It was a very long and arduous process, but I hope what came of it transports JFG fans back to the fiery and treacherous depths of Eschebone!

11. aluminum - "CompuSiege"
Source: "Mizar's Palace"
Composer: Alistair Lindsay

12. PirateCrab - "Fury Cutter"
Source: "Boss Battle"
Composer: Robin Beanland

PirateCrab: I immediately knew I had to turn this into metal the moment I heard the opening melody. I instantly had a ton of groove ideas in my head and just had to give it the special sauce. Chug chug!

13. Deedubs - "World Destroyer"
Source: "Asteroid"
Composer: Alistair Lindsay

Deedubs: I knew exactly what kind of style I wanted to use when I was given the opportunity to remix "Asteroid." During my numerous Prodigy fixes, "Spitfire" became one of my favorites of their tracks. It's not as up-tempo as some of their other popular tracks, but the aggressiveness of it was something I wanted to emulate for a track of my own. "Asteroid," conceptually and musically, seemed like a good fit for an aggressive, Prodigy-esque remix.

I hadn't originally planned on writing and recording lyrics. That's not an entirely new thing for me, but any lyrics or vocals done in past projects have been approached with a more humorous angle. This remix was meant to be aggressive! I wanted to sound much more menacing and eeeeevil. My goal was to write the lyrics as if Mizar himself was sending a message to Earth, communicating his plan for revenge after Jet Force Gemini confronted him.

Now, in no way do I consider myself a lyricist, so for some help, I consulted my good friends the rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, and yet another well-known Prodigy song, "Firestarter." Aside from a bit of lyrical inspiration from that song, Keith Flint's performance was also the main inspiration for the voice I wanted to use for Mizar. This proved to be quite a tough impression to achieve. For starters, I grew up in Northern California, so my accent is very different from Flint's Essex accent. My voice is also quite a bit deeper than his. Trying to push my voice and enunciate the lyrics, in rhythm, in an unfamiliar accent, all the while trying to stay in character, made for some rather frustrating recording sessions and tired vocal cords. After a while, the voice became its own thing and I finally got in some takes where I felt like I did a passable job (at least as someone who is an untrained vocalist and wannabe voice actor!).

14. bLiNd - "Anthem Anubis"
Source: "S.S. Anubis"
Composer: Robin Beanland

bLiNd: "Anubis" was originally something I was remixing for a friend, so I instantly claimed it for the project. Not much worked at its tempo with my style so I went for a trap beat since it worked so well with the source.

B1. HeavenWraith - "Galaxy Quest" (Instrumental)"
Source: "Main Titles"
Composer: Robin Beanland

B2. Rotten Eggplant - "Selection of Destiny"
Source: "Character Select"
Composer: Graeme Norgate

B3. Glejs - "Dreadnaught of War (Alternate)"
Source: "Battle Cruiser Sekhmet"
Composer: Alistair Lindsay

B4. Deedubs - "World Destroyer (Instrumental)"
Source: "Asteroid"
Composer: Alistair Lindsay

Foxfall - "Mizar Attacks! (Atmospheric Collage)"