Naean

Dance eJay 2+ Mix #7 -- Retro Rhythms In this music mix, I wanted to create a song with a strong nostalgic feeling, using some bass and synth samples which sound particularly retro. Additionally, I chose to use some gritty-sounding guitar samples, to hone in on that retro sound, and give the song a primitive-recording-equipment kind of feel. In general, this song is heavily influenced by early music production methods. To this end, I also deliberately made some sections and samples in the song significantly louder than others, adding to the scenario of a retro setting with lack of sophisticated audio balancing. Credits and other information are available in the video description on YouTube. MP3 download link.

Dance eJay 2+ Mix #6 -- From Forest To Factory This music mix aims to depict the act of a forest being destroyed in favour of building a factory in its place. Various sections of the song are aimed to represent various actions and emotions related to this act: The initialisation of factory planning, the celebration from humans of building a new factory (among a minority of people's concerns cropping up before being quickly brushed off), wild animals reacting to forest deconstruction and dealing with the harsh reality of being driven from their once natural habitat, the sad aftermath of mostly desolate forest remains, etcetera. I deliberately chose to use some samples which sound, and also are named, in relation to this song's topic. The general "nature versus technology" theme heavily influenced this song. Out of all my eJay mixes to date, this is one of the most emotionally-involved songs, and is inspired by another emotion-focused eJay mix of mine: Dilapidated Longing. Credits and other information are available in the video description on YouTube. MP3 download link.

Dance eJay 2+ Mix #5 -- Unsettled Scatterbrain In this music mix, I wanted to create a song that sounds as if it's constantly at odds with itself, (representing an indecisive/conflicted person) while at the same time maintaining enough structure to be an enjoyable music track. Ironically enough, I feel a bit conflicted myself when it comes to marking this music mix as completed, because I don't think that I executed my idea as well as I envisioned it. Most notably, I have quite mixed feelings on the bass in this song. On the one hand, I dig its somewhat clashing nature, but another part of me feels like the pitch dissonance and note timing inconsistencies are perhaps too strong. I don't want to leave this specific song concept unpublished on the cutting room floor, so I tried to polish things up, and eventually considered it a complete piece, or "as close to finished as it'll ever probably be". Credits and other information are available in the video description on YouTube. MP3 download link. There's also another MP3 download link of the beta version, for anyone interested.

Dance eJay 2+ Mix #4 -- Funky Fightin' This music mix is inspired by the Zone Act 1 Boss music track from Sonic The Hedgehog 3 on SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. Big thanks to the composers and arrangers of that track! Many thanks also to Game Genie Sokolov for providing rips of Sonic The Hedgehog 3 samples, some of which are used in this music mix! (https://ggsokolov.blogspot.com/2016/10/soundfont-sonic-3-knuckles-3d.html) More credits and other information are available in the video description on YouTube. MP3 download link.

I'm having a "Dance eJay 2+ Week" from 2 to 6 December 2019 on my YouTube Channel, where I'll be premiering a new music mix every day. 🙂 Dance eJay 2+ Mix #3 -- Gems, Skulls & Death This music mix is directly inspired by the Gem Path and Death Route music tracks from Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. Big thanks to the composers and arrangers of those tracks: Josh Mancell and Mark Mothersbaugh! Additionally, the complete omission of Gem Path and Death Route music tracks in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex inspired this music mix a little bit, so I put some synths/'technology-esque' samples in there, as a homage to that game's overall music style. More credits and other information are available in the video description on YouTube. MP3 download link. There's also another MP3 download link of the beta version, for anyone interested.

A few music things that I did recently. Credits and other information are available in their respective video descriptions on YouTube. Music Mashup #23 -- Invincible: Demo Track & Final Track - Sonic 3D (Mega Drive) MP3 download link. Dance eJay 2+ Mix #2 -- Dilapidated Longing MP3 download link. There's also another MP3 download link of the beta version, for anyone interested. Extrarrangement #1 -- Mystic Cave Zone: 1 Player - Sonic The Hedgehog 2 MP3 download link.

Art #96 -- Eyenchor A drawing that I have done on page 13 in my Daler-Rowney A4 Optima Spiral Pad. BIC blue médium biro pen on cartridge paper. Art #97 -- Lightcickles A drawing that I have done on an individual A4 sheet. Lights inside icicles that are shaped like sickle blades. Berol Colourfine and Berol Colourbroad Fibre tipped pens on Ryman Bright white card. Art #98 -- Crooked Smile A drawing that I have done on an individual A4 sheet. The eye and mouth in this piece are inspired by some grass and ground areas on a page of a Sonic The Hedgehog calender, which I discovered courtesy of Black Squirrel on Sonic Retro here: forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=25575&st=525&p=936448&#entry936448. BIC blue médium biro pen on Ryman Bright white card. Art #99 -- Dilampidated A drawing that I have done on page 14 in my Daler-Rowney A4 Optima Spiral Pad. HB Led Pencil (From a Grafix 45 Artist Assorted pencils set.) on cartridge paper. Art #100 -- Fancy Fox Face A drawing that I have done on page 15 in my Daler-Rowney A4 Optima Spiral Pad. This piece is inspired by the Fennekin character from the Pokémon series, and the Miles "Tails" Prower character. Additionally, this piece is quite heavily inspired by one of my previous pieces, "Curly Bloboy", and is partially inspired by another one of my previous pieces, "Rustic Tribal Cyclops Insignia". Furthermore, this piece is inspired by the styles of one-tone/one-colour tattoos. This piece also contains some elements inspired by leaves. Berol Colourbrush Fibre tipped pen on cartridge paper.

Thank you very much! 🙂 How long it takes me to complete drawings varies from piece to piece. Some art pieces are finished within about an hour, while others can take around a month to complete. It depends on a variety of factors, such as level of detail, scope of each drawing, quantity of different mediums used, etcetera. The dates alongside my drawings provide an approximate idea of time spent, but they're not time specific. Intricately detailed drawings aren't for everyone, but you may find it interesting to try at least once. Personally, the intricate biro pen (And also more recently led pencil.) drawings remain my favourite kind of art to create, as it aligns with my general interests of fine attention to detail. :-3

Art #95 -- Marblava Volcanicity A drawing that I have done on page 12 in my Daler-Rowney A4 Optima Spiral Pad. This piece is inspired by Marble Zone from Sonic The Hedgehog, Lava Reef Zone from Sonic Mania and Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, and Volcano Valley Zone from the SEGA Saturn iteration of Sonic 3D Blast: Flickies' Island. HB Led Pencil (From a Grafix 45 Artist Assorted pencils set.) on cartridge paper.

I too am sick to death of SEGA rehashing Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone time and time again. What was exciting for me to see re-imagined back in 2011 with Sonic Generations, has now become increasing frustration as I see them churning out these levels repeatedly to the point of utter exhaustion. What I don't want to see go away, however, is the gameplay formula itself from Classic Sonic's retro games and Sonic Mania. I want to see that gameplay formula maintained (And expanded on appropriately, if done with careful consideration.) for future 2D. Sonic games, which should have new Zones, all with their own identity. We get to see a glimpse of originality through Sonic Mania's 4 more original Zones, and I'm very eager to see if SEGA will follow-up Sonic Mania with a successor, containing only fresh Zones and a more cohesive narrative ala Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I don't fully agree that the "Mania series"/2D. Sonic game series is "all about living in the past", or at least, it shouldn't be. Rather, it ought to be a respectful continuation of the style of Classic Sonic's retro games, and continue using its valuable physics and collision gameplay, while bringing new Zones to the table.

I don't entirely agree. Yes, it's about doing stuff well in general, but when it comes to a specific series, like Sonic, it is important to identify what makes a Sonic game a Sonic game. For example, one of the primary reasons why I do not find Sonic Lost World appealing is because it does not feel like a Sonic game, it comes off as an unfocused, lesser Mario game, with a Sonic coat of paint slapped on. Sonic Lost World is very unappealing to me for 2 key reasons, A: the gameplay doesn't feel like a Sonic game, and B: hardly any of its ideas are ever fleshed out or realised well, and it spitballs with too many gameplay styles, mastering none of them in the process. Sonic Lost World is a prime example of a game that lacks any identity, and most crucially in that game's specific case, it lacks the core identity of being a Sonic game.

Art #93 -- Rural Decadence 2 A drawing that I have done on page 10 in my Daler-Rowney A4 Optima Spiral Pad. This piece is primarily inspired by "Rural decadence.", one of my other pieces, which is mainly inspired by the various nature oriented pieces that were painted by Bob Ross in his television show The Joy of Painting. Additionally, I felt inspired to draw another nature-based piece after recently watching footage of the Red Dead Redemption 2 video game. Charcoal Pencil and HB Led Pencil (From a Grafix 45 Artist Assorted pencils set.) on cartridge paper.

Art #92 -- Gloopow A drawing that I have done on an individual A4 sheet. The cracked and broken elements at the bottom of this piece are inspired by similar elements in "Asteroidestroya", one of my other pieces. BIC blue médium biro pen on Ryman Bright white card.

Art #91 -- Stiltorch A drawing that I have done on an individual A4 sheet. This piece is inspired by castle-themed and spooky-themed levels in the Gothic Gardens area of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice. BIC blue médium biro pen on Ryman Bright white card.

Rough doodles and sketches that I have done on individual A4 sheets. BIC black médium biro pen on regular paper. Art #89 -- Scraps - 16 October 2018: 1 Of 2 Quick drawings of various different heads and facial expressions, among bits of somewhat random scribbly stuff. :-3 Art #90 -- Scraps - 16 October 2018: 2 Of 2 Quick drawings of a revolver, some sort of ramp structure, a weird head attached to a leg and foot, and some level design scribbles inspired by the Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and classic Sonic The Hedgehog video games. :-3