Xenogears - Wings synthwave remix - "Dancing in the Sky"
32You can directly download the Pixel Mixers XenoGears Tribute Album here for free: http://www.mediafire.com/file/ukgcaijuhbms49f/Pixel+Mixers+-+Shattered+Memories+%5BXenoGears%5D.zip
Arrangement, production, backing vocals: Jorito
Vocals, lyrics: Fiddledo (https://www.youtube.com/fiddledo)
Saxophone: subversiveasset (https://www.youtube.com/subversiveasset)
Guitar: Jarrod G (https://www.youtube.com/user/imafutureguitarhero)
Gameplay footage by Naruuu (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi8V0NGJpCE)
Somewhere March 2018 I stumbled upon this (relatively) new VGM community called Pixel Mixers. I just wrapped up some tracks and wanted to start something new. Turns out Pixel Mixers was in the middle of a Xenogears 20th anniversary tribute album. While I played the game a long time ago and never got that far in it, I am a sucker for RPGs and their music. I was going over the available tracks and found Wings, the airship theme. Since I am still in a synthwave mood fuelled by The Midnight, I figured it might make for a great 80s inspired synth based tracks with male vocals and saxophone.
Took me a few attempts and false starts to figure out a decent starting point with those typical synthwave chord stabs, but once that was done, things started to fall into place naturally and I had a lot of fun playing with the sax and vocal interplay and the song structure.
Part of the Xenogears album concept was that every track required at least 2 collaborators. Since I knew I wanted to do a vocal synthwave track with saxophone, it was an easy choice to figure out what kind of collaborators would be needed. I found out that subversiveasset is more or less the go-to saxophone player in the Pixel Mixers community, and he hopped on board with a lively sax part as well as a solo part. The lead vocals and lyrics were done by Fiddle. Lastly I couldn’t resist having some guitar parts in there, so I wrote a quick solo with my VSTs that Jarrod was kind enough to replace. Can’t beat live performances, they always make such a big difference.
With all the collaborations, arrangement shuffling and things being quite different from the source but also still recognisable, I’d say this was an interesting experiment. I think it turned out well and can be enjoyed as a standalone piece even if you’re not aware it has its roots in VGM.
Lyrics:
Verse
There are times I feel like
Without you, there's less meaning in life
Hold my hand, tell me it will be okay
Passing by these bright lights
I need to figure out if I've got things right
Things keep passing by, I will find a way.
Chorus
We're going to spread our wings and fly
As we keep dancing in the sky
I feel so alive
Forgetting the danger that lies up ahead
Please just let me
Bridge
I really want to feel safe
I want to know, I wonder why
I feel this way
Nasty thoughts stuck in my head
I want them gone, I wish they could
Just disappear
Verse
Let's take in this moment
C'mon, just keep your eyes wide open
Gliding through the sky, no clouds in the way
I feel like I belong
Despite the troubles, I know I can stay strong
I'll keep holding on, I won't drift away
Chorus
We're going to spread our wings and fly
As we keep dancing in the sky
I feel so alive
Forgetting the danger that lies up ahead
Please just let me fly