Street Fighter Compilation “RE:”MIX Chiptune

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

	Album Title: Street Fighter Compilation “RE:”MIX Chiptune
	Record Label: Suleputer
	Catalog No.: CPCA-10346
	Release Date: October 1, 2014
	Purchase: Buy at CDJapan

Overview

Capcom’s record label, Suleputer, has started a new CD series that takes their classic franchises and turns them into remixes with a focus on chiptune, but also with the inclusion of modern electronic elements. The second album in the series, Street Fighter Compilation “RE:”MIX Chiptune, tackles the well-regarded soundtrack to Street Fighter II. Featuring a variety of artists, such as sasakure.UK and Professor Sakamoto, it boasts a plethora of styles. What is the end result of this compilation album, especially compared to the first album in the series?

Body

The album opens with sasakure.UK’s “Chun-Li (sasakure.UK Gomenne! Kung-Fu Remix).” This tune sets the tone for most of the album, featuring a strong chiptune melody, some great electronic accompaniment, and even some samples from the character’s voice in the original SNES game. There are some great bridges and interludes that really help break up the track and make it much more dynamic. “Dhalsim (TEKINA Remix)”, by DJ’TEKINA//SOMETHING, is another interesting remix that blends together chiptune and dubstep quite successfully. I really like the dichotomy in this track, with the chiptune and ethnic melodic blend being abruptly interrupted by the inclusion of “Yoga Fire” before the dubstep drop. Similarly, baker’s “Guile (aggressive Remix)” blends a strong chiptune melody with elements of dubstep, drum n’ bass, as well as steady dance beats. Interestingly, the use of Guile’s vocal samples (“Sonic Boom”) is an interesting addition that works well to accentuate the overall experience.

Hige Driver’s “Ryu (Hige Driver Remix)” is another successful track in the vein of Chun-Li’s remix, with its focus on a strong chiptune-driven melody, plenty of fun dance elements, including dubstep-influenced sections, wobble bass, and a great tempo. Professor Sakamoto’s “Ken (8bit Tornado Remix)” is entirely chiptune, and is done in the style of Mega Man, making for an extremely powerful remix that is catchy, has a great tempo, and really captures the spirit of the original. “Zangief (michitomo Remix)”, by michitomo, is another dance remix with a more standard beat that is quite enjoyable. It’s a bit less creative than some of the other remixes, but it is still enjoyable.

HyperJuice’s “E. Honda (HyperJuice 1,000,000 hand slap Remix)” isn’t as dance-focused as much of the album; it emphasizes chiptune with a modern synth approach and lighter electronic tones. Overall, it’s an enjoyable remix and one that still manages to work with the album as a whole. One track that does feel a bit out of place is “Blanka (Sadness of Jimmy Remix)”, by arai tasuku. This remix, rather than go for a faster-tempo piece or include modern dance elements, opts for a more experimental tone that doesn’t always work. The overall tone of the piece is quite dark and brooding, which captures the title quite nicely. However, it does get a bit cacophonic and evil, carnival-esque with the inclusion of the piano. Compared to the other themes, it’s quite jarring to go from upbeat remixes to something so drastically different. It might work for some, but it is certainly the most divisive remix, despite its creative take.

The last four remixes on the album are dedicated to the four villains of the game, M. Bison (or Balrog in the West), Balrog (or Vega in the West), Sagat, and Vega (or M. Bison in the West). “M. Bison (PellyColo 2spin Remix)”, by PellyColo, is a fun tune that blends ’80s synth with chiptune to create a really playful, ’80s pop-inspired approach. Carpainter’s “Balrog (Carpainter Flying Barcelona Grime Remix)” is another interesting tune that captures the Spanish flavor of the original and blends it with some heavier chipstyle electronic beats. While the chiptune focus is there, there is also a strong focus on the dance side of things, sometimes overextending its stay slightly, but on the whole, it’s still fairly successful. “Sagat (Aureole Remix)”, by Aureole, is an experimental remix that isn’t quite successful. There is a lack of focus in the actual melody—although it isn’t entirely absent compared to most remixes on the album—and, as such, it isn’t nearly as engaging overall. As for the electronic tone of the piece, it’s more subdued and makes for a relaxing tune that would perhaps serve better as a closing tune. Lastly, “Vega (K’s “Sweet Nightmare” Remix)”, by K’s, closes the album with another strong chiptune dance remix that incorporates some beautiful piano work into the mix as well.

Summary

On the whole, Street Fighter Compilation “RE:”MIX Chiptune is a much more successful album than the Monster Hunter predecessor. Perhaps this is due to the original source material being more melodically driven or the fact that this is a much more chiptune-oriented album than the predecessor. For the most part, each remix manages to blend a modern electronic style with chiptune melodies while retaining the melody; however, there are some tunes that feel slightly off stylistically from the rest of the album, though they can still be enjoyable to some degree.