Donkey Kong Country 3: Double The Trouble: An OCRemiX album review

Original Art by Maverikk and Emunator

     I do not like Donkey Kong Country 3. There are some elements to the game such as the vehicles you use to get around and open world feel but those positives don't outweigh the negatives. I find the colours bland, the world boring and sadly the music unappealing. Compare it to it's predecessor, Donkey Kong Country 3 is a let down in almost every way.

     Now that being said, yesterday (as of this writing) OCRemiX released their latest album and last of the Super Nintendo Donkey Kong games; Donkey Kong Country 3: Double the Trouble, its 36^th album to date. When I was going into the album I was afraid my feelings for the game would reflect on the album. However I am glad to say that this album is a great listen to. It is not as good as Serious Monkey Business, but it is still a great to listen to. The tracks range from musical genres such as piano jazz to electronica to even Rockabilly.

     Also interesting is that the album is not limited to strictly the Super Nintendo edition of the game. The team behind the album also incorporated the GBA soundtrack as well. Some of the artists like project lead Emunator combined both Cascade Capers tracks from the Super Nintendo and GBA versions. It creates an interesting dynamic between the songs and in my opinion, it works. No system has priority in the song as each is used equally to strengthen where the other track is at its weakest.

     There are over 60 songs on this album and I can't write about them all so I am going to sum up my two favourite tracks off the album.

     The first song is incidentally the first song on the album. Road to Double Trouble is a remix of the opening logo screen from the game. The four arrangers behind this song; Cody Wedal, Flexstyle, Emunator and Brandon Wedel turned the somewhat childish intro into a very primal beat. At only 54 seconds, it is the shortest song on the album, but it also makes it a great intro into Brandon Strader's song Let it Beat which is inspired by island music. It's a great two parter song that I wish more artists would do. Road to Double Trouble leads into Let it Beat so well, I first thought it was only one song.

     The second song is an awesome mix of Japanese wood winds and electric guitars. While I still think that DKC3 did not have the best soundtrack there was still a song on the OST I loved and that was Rockface Rumble. The original beat to the song great to listen to and this mix turns it up to 11. From the start of the song to 1:36 it feels like something out of a Kurosawa flick before going into a heavy metal guitar and drum beat. Before the end of the song, it goes back to the eastern style music to finish off the song. Ergosonic did a fantastic job on the song. I would want to put this song at number 1, but because Road To Double Trouble leads into Let It Beat so well, It just barely drops to second.

     That is one thing I respect about the artists over at OCRemiX is how varied they are. The entire site is full of artists who bring forward a wide range of genres. You are bound to find something on there to like be it rockabilly, classic rock, orchestrated work and even the occasional hip hop track. There is indeed something for everyone there.

     The album itself is great to listen. I have to give credit to Emunator, the project lead. He and his group took a soundtrack that I felt was inferior to the the other two games, and made it spectacular. It's not as good as DKC2: Serious Monkey Business or Kong in Concert, but it is still incredible to listen to. If you are a fan of Donkey Kong Country, why not finish off the trilogy and add Donkey Kong Country 3: Double the Trouble to your library. If you are interested, you can download the album off their site.

     This is Daimo mac and I am lost in the music.