Arrangement of the Week: Big Boo Badman

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There are always tracks that get more attention than others when it comes to game music remixes. There have been a number of covers of the “Sub Castle BGM” from Super Mario World and we’ve covered at least one of them on this series. Today on Arrangement of the Week we will be looking at one of the more interesting versions that I’ve encountered.

This version of the “Sub Caster BGM” comes to us from artist meganeko, who has created a wild and crazy EDM remix titled “Big Boo Badman.”

Meganeko delivers a load of surprises in this track. The piece starts with what sounds like enhanced samples of the original track. But about twenty seconds in, the music launches into a powerful choral chip-rock rendition of the theme. Soon more dance beats enter and before we’ve even hit the one minute mark, the track has transitioned into an upbeat electronic dance track.

The tone, style, and genre is in an almost constant flux. Each new variation and change up feels fresh and exciting but never makes the piece come off as unfocused. One of my favorite parts is the breakdown section at 2’36,” where the piece drops down to a sample from the game again and almost seems to restart the piece. It’s an unexpected and cool interruption that fits in well with the track’s other tricks and surprises. In the end it’s a surprising and fun interpretation of a classic Super Mario World track and it stands out well among many other arrangements.

Have any favorite Super Mario remixes, arrangements, or covers? Feel free to share them with us in the comments section below. You can check out meganeko’s “Big Boo Badman” on OC ReMix ^[2].