Jump to content
  • entries
    19
  • comments
    76
  • views
    3,175

My Favorite "Legend of Zelda" Music Remixes


LittleDudeNT5

533 views

Lately I've been getting more and more into vaporwave, electronic instrumentals, lo-fi, & hip-hop beats. These genres are dominated by remixes of popular songs and compositions. The Legend of Zelda is one of my favorites series – as video games, but also for it's music. So, a lot of what I've ben gravitating towards is artists who remix Zelda songs – or just video game music in general. I've found some really great stuff, so I thought I'd share a short list of a few recommendations for anybody who might be interested! (not much else to do rn anyway)

 

 

Ocarina of Time With Electronic Grooves & Dope Beats – BKNAPP

 

The first artist I want to talk about is BKNAPP. I feel like he he is criminally underrated and under-viewed considering the amount of stellar work he produces. I wanted to put "Grooves and Dope Beats" at the top of my list because I've been addicted to it for months. This album-length collection features mixes from a large selection of classic tracks from Ocarina of Time. You'll notice right away that BKNAPP takes a lot of creative decisions in his remixes. He doesn't just put a beat onto the track, add a filter, and slow it down. He really makes the songs his own – though the semblance of the original always shines through. This is honestly one of my favorite albums of 2019.

The "Forest Temple Jam"/"Water Temple Isn't So Bad" back-to-back duo is so satisfying and probably my favorites from the mix. Though, the "Gerudo Valley Chill Version" is definitely a standout as well. 

 

BOTW Loops and Grooves – BKNAPP

 

Another mix from BKNAPP. This one focuses on remixes of tracks from Breath of the Wild. This is shorter than "Grooves and Dope Beats", and it's less of an uptempo remix album. This collection of mixes leans more towards the Lo-Fi/Hip-Hop genre, so it's much chiller. The tracks are fairly short, as they're meant to be loops. Regardless, listening the the 15-minute album as a whole is very calming, and I actually like putting it on when I'm taking a shower.

I like "The 10,000 Year Old Legend" remix the best, I think, though the entire album is easy to vibe to.

 

 

Spirit Temple Beat – BKNAPP

 

My last one of BKNAPP for this list. Now, this one is just a singular song, but it's so hot that I had to include it. Unfortunately, BKNAPP hasn't messed around with The Spirit Temple track beyond this one, which is unfortunate, because it's one of my favorite Temple/Dungeon scores from the entire series. This mix is a pretty straightforward one. There isn't a lot of flares: just a loop of The Spirit Temple's highest points, a hard beat, and some in-game audio clips. I actually like it when remixers add a bit of video game audio into their mixes. (give me a "Hey Listen!" on any Zelda remix and I'm in love). If you guys enjoy BKNAPP from what you've heard here, I'd recommend checking out his Bandcamp and Youtube. He does amazing work for other video games, and he also had a short album of Ocarina remixes that I didn't include here.

 

 

Open Your Eyes (BOTW Remix) – LILTOMMYJ

 

This remix is a bit of a different one. The remixer uses a style that reminds me of Pogo – who is well-known for his Disney remixes (and being an asshole, apparently). Regardless. "Open Your Eyes" uses in-game audio, vocal clips, and diegetic sounds alongside the music to create this complex and charming soundscape. The resulting composition is layered and honestly gives me such lovely nostalgia of Breath of the Wild. The video clips help accomplish this as well. I particularly love the musical change @2:15. Any admirer of Breath of the Wild will enjoy watching this mix.

 

 

Cookin' In Hateno Village – Wizard of Loneliness

 

Another remix of a Breath of the Wild track – and honestly this one truly takes the cake for the chillest-yet-most-infectious remix of a BOTW track I've heard yet. As far as I can tell, the remixer added little when it comes to additional instrumentation – relying instead on the source material. The main beats are derived from the "cooking" sound clips from the game, paired really well with the beautiful, pastoral song for the game's Hateno Village. (Hence the title) The little movements throughout this piece are delightful to pick out, and the bag/uilleann pipes of the original track really swell and provide the remix with a "chorus" type section. Although it's just one track, it is a longer one, which I appreciate considering most remixes – or "loops/beats" – of video game music tends to be shorter. I'd also check out their "Calm Grind In Tarrey Town" from the same album.

 

 

Z E L D A W A V E (I & II) – Marble Pawns

 

Probably the most famous Zelda remix collection – and the first you'll probably come across when looking up "Zelda Remix" – is Marble Pawn's reworking of the Ocarina of Time soundtrack. The original Zeldawave was released in 2017, and, as the title would suggest, leans on the Vaporwave genre – though, you could argue it's very similar to Lo-Fi as well. Marble Pawns picks out famous, well-known tracks from this classic game and gives them a minor twist: adding additional beats, some effects, and modulation. The original compositions are still at the forefront here, though, which helps retain the sense of nostalgia to those fans who are listening. Their remix of the "Great Fairy Fountain" theme is probably their most famous, though my personal favorite is the "Title Theme" remix. I love the inclusion of the cartridge, Epona's gallop, and Navi's voice in the intro.

Marble Pawns released a second Zeldawave just recently, this time reworking tracks from Ocarina's successor, Majora's Mask. I think this one is definitely work a listen, especially if you enjoy both games, but I don't think it's as good as the first collection. I feel like there could have been a bit more creativity in the remixing process, and there are some seminal tracks that would have been nice to hear. However, their mash-up of "Astral Observatory" and "Mayor's Meeting" is a must-listen. It's really genius. 

 

 

The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild Remix – S W I I M

 

There isn't much to say about this one other than it's a great remix to Breath of the Wild's main theme! It's fairly short and would work well looped/repeated if needed!

 

 

That's it for now! I'm sure I'll have more, since I listen to a lot of compilation videos of these. But these are my favorites!

 

0 Comments


Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×