& Knuckles / & Knuckles / & Knuckles

& Knuckles
Comments from album director Jarel Jones (Arrow), visual artist Tabby Ramsey, and ReMixers
Album freely available at http://ocremix.org/info/&_Knuckles

I'm very proud to announce the release of the newest OCR album: & Knuckles! Knuckles has long been an unsung hero among gamers, and I'm happy to bring him to the forefront for a sonic tour through some of the best songs of the franchise. The original idea for this album was devised only three months ago, but a large number of artists stepped up to the plate to help make this happen even over such a short time. I truly hope you enjoy their outstanding work here. Get ready to not chuckle, and to start flexing your muscles!

- Jarel Jones (Arrow)

This was my first time doing the cover art for an OC ReMix album and I had a ton of fun! While I'm more into Mega Man these days, Sonic was my first fandom, so it was awesome to revisit and draw it again. Also, c'mon, let's face it, swole Knuckles is awesome. It was an honor to work on this album and I hope you enjoy the art as well as all the crazy awesome music inside.

- Tabby Ramsey
http://digitallyfanged.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. ZEB.RO - "Knuckles Goes Ratchet (Chunk Lee Mix)"
Sources: Sonic & Knuckles - "Knuckles' Theme"; Street Fighter II - "Chun-Li (China)"

Arrow: I'm really happy to have ZEB.RO on board for this album. He's done some incredible work in the house music scene (http://soundcloud.com/zeb-ro/hashtag), and though his English isn't the best, the world absolutely needed to hear more of his musical genius as he tackles other sources and styles. This particular mix is amazing, and I think we can all agree that only legit reaction to it is... DAMN, SON!

ZEB.RO: Hi my new Banger. Create wery fast with producer and, i enjoy game name of 'Sunic". In this, I make new style Trapcrunk. Also with, guest appearance "Chinn Li". P.s. Pls, am not racist

2. Jorito - "Holiday Sensations"
Source: Knuckles' Chaotix - "Door into Summer"

Arrow: Who *doesn't* want more accordion in their life? Jorito stepped in to submit a nice, upbeat tune that's definitely lighthearted and is sure to put you in the mood for immediate folk dancing fun.

Jorito: When Arrow reached out to me for this very special April album project, I was immediately on board, despite the short turnaround. Based on what he told me about the album concept, I thought doing a polka-style track would be an excellent idea. So, I sat down, scourged the Youtubes for ideas, and found my inspiration in the "Line Dance Polka" by the Hubn Bubn Polka Band. For the amount of time I spent on it, it turned out rather well. I hope it shows the same kind of smile on your face as it did for me when I leaned back and listened to it.

3. ladyWildfire - "Chuckles' Chaotix"
Sources: Knuckles' Chaotix - "Walkin'," "Evening Star," "Hyper-Hyper," "Moonrise"; Sonic Adventure - "UNKNOWN FROM M.E. ...theme of 'KNUCKLES'"

Arrow: I was very impressed by Wildfire's track for this album. Her smooth jam really gets to the existential truths behind Knuckles and his in-game devotion towards protecting the Master Emerald. You can truly hear all aspects of his life in this track: his confusion, his anger, his courage, his dreams and nightmares, even his desire to set your heart free true.

ladyWildfire: Over the years, I've witnessed Knuckles become the butt of many jokes, and I felt that I had to do my civic duty as a gamer & musician and create a song about Knuckles that is both profound and timeless. In many instances, we see Knuckles as an innocent, often confused and misled by Robotnik. I wanted to expand on that and try to imagine Knuckles coping with a more mature issue, existentialism.

Here we see Knuckles is clearly lost and struggling to find meaning in this harsh and unforgiving world, and he must face a challenging decision: does he continue his search for some sort of spark that would make life worth living, or does he continue to simply exist without passion and wander aimlessly until his demise? I've decided to examine one possibility in which Knuckles is struck with some words of infinite wisdom and explore how Knuckles, in his current state, would react to this wise, philosophical message. As you listen, I implore you to look past the surface and try to see the hidden meanings behind these nuanced and enlightened words; take them with you throughout your daily life and cleanse yourself of them evil spirits that's in you.

4. Justus Johnston - "OHNO"
Source: Sonic & Knuckles - "Knuckles' Theme"

Arrow: Justus is an old friend and colleague from VGMusic.com, so I really appreciated him bringing his talents to this album. A constant use of thorough bitcrushing results in a mix that honestly hovers on the edge of panic, yet one which I think everyone can get into.

Justus Johnston: Knowing that contributing to the Knuckles album was the grimmest and most portentious of all duties, I promptly launched my DAW and recorded myself singing the song that will end the universe. Alas, this song is neither Knuckles-related nor is it the appropriate time for such an apocalyptic occurence. Sighing acrimoniously, I committed the star-crossed sonorousness solely to the lamentable medium of two-inch tape, which I then smeared with peanut butter and completely dehydrated. Breaking this dehydrate into a fine powder, I mixed it with wood pulp and formulated a patterned paper, which I then scanned in to my notation software as if it was sheet music. The resultant notes were then converted to MIDI, and performed through a sampler, resulting in the aural vomit you now hear, as bizarrely titillating and salacious as it is cloying and borborygmic. I am a singer... but I shan't ever sing again! Also, there's a bitcrusher, just cus. ENJOY, FOOLS!

5. Liontamer - "Chaotic Rodeo"
Sources: Knuckles' Chaotix - "Chaotic World"; Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - "Title Screen"

Arrow: A fellow colleague within Team Brown Heat, Larry channels both originality and substance with this impressive arrangement. His modesty belies his abundant music-making ability, not to mention the transcendent success of his voice acting career.

Liontamer: This track was about me remembering the good times with my friend Knuckles, and is a true story. Much like Knuckles, whenever I have bouts of creative ennui, I punch walls with my fists. And fly around too.

6. José the Bronx Rican - "Knux Jacked Swing"
Sources: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - "Boss"

Arrow: It's not a Knuckles album without "Knuckles" himself coming at you with a slick beat and dirty rhymes, ready to make your knees buckle from the sheer struggle of handling this turnbuckle of an unsubtle track.

José the Bronx Rican: So, after Michael pulled out of the project, he decided to have some fun with his contacts at Epic (his record label). He utilized his recordings, some of which were adapted by Sega's programmers, he called up his "Jam" collaborator Heavy D for help, and made use of several stems left on Teddy Riley's cutting room floor after the Dangerous sessions. The result, he told Epic, would be his newest single, knowing full well what their reaction would be.

7. DarkeSword - "Botanic Beat"
Sources: Knuckles' Chaotix - "Midnight Greenhouse"; Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - "Knuckles' Theme"

Arrow: As always, DarkeSword brings the quality arrangements. This time around, he hits us with a short but sweet track with a steady bassline, luscious pads, and, most importantly, a driving beat that really makes you feel like you're right there, getting the Chaos Emeralds punched right out of you.

DarkeSword: okay i have a track
i apologize, it's not very bad.

8. djpretzel - "Battery Preset Zone"
Source: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - "Knuckles' Theme"

Arrow: Mr. David J. Pretzel himself delivers an imaginative soundscape that really takes the Knuckles theme that started it all as far as it possibly can, and then beyond. The constant changeups in the beat show just how good an idea you can get even from simple variation. You're not ready for this.

djpretzel: DAT BEAT THO

9. Jorito feat. Hank "The Spank Tank" Jankerson - "Dreams of Summer"
Source: Knuckles' Chaotix - "Door into Summer"

Arrow: Jorito delivers a second remix that's... a legitimately good track? Whoops, there went the joke.

Jorito: So, about a week ago, Arrow reached out to me about his secret April album project. Somehow my brain didn't register the part where he said not to bring my A game that clearly, so when I showed him a first WIP, he was like "Hey, this is actually good!". So, we decided to keep it going and make it the album closing track to give the listeners a pleasant surprise.

I was (am) totally unfamiliar with any Knuckles-related material, so I asked Arrow for some recommendations. He shared a playlist with me, and the first track on that list, "Door into Summer," immediately clicked with me. I originally wanted to try something like a weird polka, but dropped that idea for a more light, dreamy, electronic/acoustic hybrid take that channels the same summer vibes, relaxed mood, and good times as the original. The arrangement came together quickly (also by necessity because of the tight deadline), but finding the instruments and layers took quite a bit of playing around to get it to sound right.

In my head, this kind of vibe goes very well with some relaxed but expressive saxophone. No way I was going to achieve that in a good way with samples, so I reached out to Aaron, with whom I've worked before and who is co-directing the Secret of Mana album with me. Fortunately, I was able to jump in on short notice, perform the parts I wrote and add a solo to boot. He really did do the track justice and gave it this extra bit of loungey vibe it needed. Rather happy the final result; not too shabby for a track with such a tight deadline and for a game I'm not familiar with.

10. Level 99 - "And Knuckles and You"
Source: Knuckles' Chaotix - "Electoria"

Arrow: GUYS, THIS ALBUM WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SHIT, NOT ACTUALLY GOOD; WHAT ARE YOU DOING, *UGH*

Level 99: True Fact: The only reason I married my wife besides the fact that she gets me Canadian whiskey is that she acts like Knuckles. You see, I have an unhealthy obsession with Knuckles to the point where I can't get aroused without her dressing up like an echidna and putting on underwear made of Sonic & Knuckles carts (very uncomfortable to wear, but the look is a killer). So, when I was approached with the offer of turning my love of He Who Must Never Chuckle into a song, I hopped on that. I hopped on it like Knuckles would.

I was so excited for this song that I didn't even get to put the lyrics in it. Or the brass. Or any melody whatsoever. Because this song is supposed to give everyone a chance to be their own Knuckles. This is an arrangement of "Electoria" from Knuckles' Chaotix, and if you want to, you can totally do the Knuckles rap on top of it and it sounds amazing. So make this song about you AND Knuckles. For we are all Knuckles, deep down in our hearts. Also, in our Knuckles.