Arrangement of the Week: Super Mario Sleigh Ride

When searching through some of the winter themed game music remixes out there, I found that there are shockingly few that incorporate music from the holiday season. I did however find one really good arrangement that I thought was just perfect for today’s Christmas day post.

This week’s Arrangement of the Week features a creative mashup of pieces from Super Mario World and a handful of holiday tunes, but primarily Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” The arrangement is titled “Super Mario’s Sleigh Ride” from the group The OneUps, featuring performances by band members Mustin, Dale North, Nate Cloud, and William Reyes.

Where do I even start with this arrangement? The piece begins with the familiar “Sleigh Ride” introduction, but takes a sudden shift to the Super Mario World riff on the piano. The piece jumps frequently to other sets of source material, but almost always juxtaposing the melody of “Sleigh Ride” with material from Super Mario World. A majority of this occurs between the trumpet and saxophone, which sit on opposite sides of the stereo field, making it easy for listeners to hear the separate melodies.

There are tons of references in this medley including “Forest of Illusion,” “Map 2 – Overworld,” “Jingle Bells,” and “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on An Open Fire).” Even the mashup’s ending manages to combine elements from both the holiday and game sources, with the classic “Sleigh Ride” horse whinny effect on trumpet and the “Bonus Screen Clear Fanfare” from Super Mario World. All in all, it’s a masterful combination of various pieces, with some excellent performances from each member of The OneUps. A great holiday arrangement to finish the year with.

Do you have any favorite holiday themed videogame remixes? Tell us about them in the comments below. You can check out The OneUps’ “Super Mario Sleigh Ride” on OC ReMix.