SEGA Fans Chronicles - Chapter IV: Amphibious
Following his victory on the Sonic Zone Remix Competition held at Over Clocked Remix, we had a little chat with Amphibious. Check it out after the jump!
CHAPTER IV: AMPHIBIOUS

Who? Jordan Michael Reed (AKA Amphibious)
Where?
Email: jmr[dot]tunes01[at]gmail[dot]com
Why? Musician, video game music remixer.
SEGA Fan since… He was 4 and his dad bought a SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis.
Favourite SEGA game: Sonic 3 & Knuckles/Shinobi III
Favourite SEGA console: Mega Drive/Genesis
RadioSEGA: Hey there! Thanks for taking some time to talk to us! First of all, let me congratulate you on winning the Sonic Remix Zone Competition!
Amphibious: Thank you! It was a big surprise to me. I've only been part of the OCR community for a little over the year and I didn't consider myself that great at remixing, but I certainly surprised myself throughout the competition. Everyone else put together some great tunes so it is a real honour.
RS: How long have you been remixing video game music?
A: I have had an interest in it for a long time, but I only really got seriously into it about a year ago, not long after officially joining the OCR forums.
RS: Are you a big Sonic fan?
A: Huge. I grew up playing the Genesis titles and Sonic 3 & Knuckles remains one of my favourite games of all time. I've also clocked a serious amount of hours into Sonic Adventure 2, and even more recent entries like Colours and Generations.
RS: You chose Rusty Ruin as "your" zone for the competition. Any particular reason for this choice?
A: I wanted to avoid some of the more remixed soundtracks, namely 1 - 3 & Knuckles on Genesis. I always enjoyed the soundtrack to the Genesis version of Sonic 3D Blast as a kid, and I noticed that OCR only has 1 remix from that game. I did a lot of listening to other Sonic soundtracks but I ultimately felt Rusty Ruin was an awesome choice and had a lot to work with and was one of my favourite stages from the game. In the end it turned out to be a very fun theme to remix in a variety of different styles.
Amphibious' winning track on the Sonic Zone Remix Competition - "Dilapidated Sky" (Rusty Ruin & Sky Sanctuary)
RS: When did your love for SEGA start and why?
A: I believe I was 4 when my dad brought home our Sega Genesis, it certainly started then. I spent a ridiculous amount of hours playing it, and I still have it and play frequently. It was Sega that got me into gaming so it holds a special place in my heart.
RS: What's your favourite SEGA console?
A: Sega Genesis for sure. It was what got me into gaming in the beginning and considering I still play it nowadays (more than my XBox, even) says a lot about it, at least for me.
RS: What's your favourite SEGA game?
A: I've already mentioned Sonic 3 & Knuckles, so I have to mention Shinobi III as well. It's a fantastic action game that still feels very refined even today, and it has some seriously smooth graphics and an awesome soundtrack. If there is anyone out there who missed it, I seriously recommend it.
RS: Getting back to the music, what made you start remixing video game music?
A: Given that the bulk of the music I've been listening to over the last several years is from OCR, the idea of remixing music myself became a very enticing option. I've wanted to improve my own composition as well, but personally I feel that remixing music will be a great way to improve my skills as far as production and arranging go, and from that be able to create my own music using what I've learned.
RS: Have you remixed songs from any games other than Sonic?
A: The first full remix I did was from Final Fantasy 3, though it was kind of short and not that great from a production standpoint. I really got into remixing in a previous OCR competition, the Wily Castle Remix Gauntlet. I ended up making 3 remixes that incorporated Shadow Man from Mega Man 3 with various Wily Castle themes, and was involved in playing guitar for a 4th mix. I learned a lot from that competition and it really got me itching to keep on remixing.
Amphibious' take on Mega Man - the sweet, sweet "Robot Lounge" (feat. C7)
RS: Which music genres do you like the most?
A: I like a good variety. Funk, jazz, fusion, chillout, ambient, rock, drum and bass, I'll listen to most genres depending on my mood. I really dig jazzy stuff so I supposed anything remotely jazzy is a little higher on my preference list, but not by much.
RS: Any favourite bands/artists?
A: Most of my favourites nowadays are video game composers like Yasunori Mitsuda, Koji Kondo, David Wise, etc. As far as bands go though, Rush is definitely my favourite, I own several of their albums. Sloan and Liquid Tension Experiment are also up there too, even though LTE was more of a side project that only released 2 albums. David Arkenstone is another artist I enjoy, particularly a few of his chillout albums, but also his brilliant celtic and world music.
RS: Which instruments do you play?
A: I play several, though some much better than others. I mainly play guitar and sing in a choir, but I also dabble in keyboard playing and drums on a lesser level. I used to play trumpet in high school and I seriously regret giving it up.
RS: I understand you also create your own music, rather than just remixing vg music. What's your main source of inspiration?
A: Well, I only have one official album I released on Bandcamp for "pay what you want" and its more of a concept album with a unified focus. It was influenced by a lot of chillout stuff I'd been listening to, such as Boards of Canada, David Arkenstone, Bonobo, and Quantic. I listen to a lot of other genres though, so my next album I'm working on may have at least a bit more variety to it. I'm hoping to finish it by the end of the summer, so stay tuned!
Oceans EP (Album Preview)
RS: Do you have any advice to someone wanting to start working on music remixes or any other musical project?
A: Well, you'll need to learn to use the basic tools required to make music of whatever kind you choose, whether it be just a DAW and some plugins for electronic music, or recording equipment for acoustic instruments. There are demos for a lot of DAWs out there, FL Studio's is pretty much fully functional except you can't save. There is also tons of free software out there, so make sure you really look into what is available to you, you might be surprised. And I guess most importantly is that it will take time for you to get good at making music, so don't expect a masterpiece right away. I'm still learning a heck of a lot myself, and I know I will keep learning for years and years.
RS: We have a mandatory question every week on SEGA Fans Chronicles. Funnily enough, it's a music question! If you were going to a desert island and could only take one soundtrack to any SEGA game with you, what would it be and why?
A: I think I would pick Sonic Adventure 2 for its sheer variety. There are some great adrenaline pumping tunes to keep me active, and also some jazzier laid back tunes for when I just want to chill on the beach. I feel Rouge's stage themes would be especially good for an island setting.
RS: Apart from all the above mentioned, do you have any other hobbies/interests you'd like to share with us?
A: I play a lot of video games and make music, but other than that I sometimes play tennis, swim, canoe, and other outdoorsy things, though I don't think I do any of that enough to call it a true hobby!
RS: Thank you for your time! I'm sure we'll be hearing more about you in the future. Did you know Gavvie's always looking for good SEGA remixes to play on Saturday Night SEGA? :)
A: Well you're certainly welcome to use any of my mixes from the Sonic Competition. If I ever get around to remixing more SEGA music I'll keep that in mind. Thank you!
That's it for the fourth chapter in the SEGA Fans Chronicles. Be sure to check out Amphibious' Bandcamp page for a chance to download his Oceans EP. Also, we might have a new chapter coming later this week, so stay tuned. Until next time, here's another remix by Amphibious:
30th July, 2012 - 22:32 GMT
KC
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