Milky Way Wishes: A Kirby Super Star Tribute / Milky Way Wishes: A Kirby Super Star Tribute / Milky Way Wishes: A Kirby Super Star Tribute

Milky Way Wishes: A Kirby Super Star Tribute
Comments from album directors Niraj Sharma (Arek the Absolute) and Drew Wheeler (halc), and assistant director Stevo Bortz (Level 99)
Album freely available at http://ocremix.org

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And here we are. What an amazing journey this has been.

It is quite a trip looking back through the years of this project, I am not going to lie. Almost 8 years... wow. So many memories and friendships were made during this, and I treasure each and every one of them deeply. This project means so much to me personally. Reflecting on each memory really tugs at the heart strings.

As I was browsing through the art files while listening to the soundtrack, I found myself starting to think about all the memories I have treasured working on this since the day it started. Those memories that I treasured started to just flood my mind all at once: all the laughs and joy shared between all the artists, all the hype that was created when the project first debuted... heck, even the arguments that was had between my younger, dopey self and others about progress and how things should be. That is when I realized something: throughout the years, the project became something more than just a collaboration. It became something that was "real" to me.

Development for this project was very interesting. Throughout the lifespan of this, I have gone through 8 hard drive crashes. This constant data loss set back the project immensely, which explains why the updates came pretty frequently at first, but then came only every so often. Not only that, but I have gone through 9 different Flash artists, probably the biggest setback. Development for the storybook side of things was pretty much in a perpetual state of limbo because of the constant problems I had with artists, either with pay (learning experience for sure here), commitment problems, or just straight communication. Suffice to say, the production of this was definitely a unique experience. Definitely stressful, but memories I would not trade for the world.

I want to thank every single person who was involved during the development of this project. The whole thing wouldn't have even reached this far if it wasn't for the staff that I have worked with. Each one of you guys are so amazing and deserve so much praise. I could seriously go on and on, raving about each of you and just how amazing every single contribution you have made to this project was and just how much it meant to me personally, but that would make this far too long (and far too sappy). I will say, at least, that I platonically love each and every one of you and I thank you all. The friendships that I have made with you are bonds that I will cherish forever.

I want to also apologize to every single fan out there who has waited ever so patiently for the release of the project and was hoping to see the Flash storybook I dreamed up come to life. Deciding to release the project as-is was by no means an easy decision for me to make, trust me. I slept very little the night I submitted this because of how much this affected me personally. It felt like a small piece of me left me, but in the end I know it is for the best. It has come to the point in this project's life where I have to just let it go.

And, with all that said, I present you with the fruits of the labor of the most amazing and awesome staff that anyone could have asked for. Some files are unfortunately missing (thank you HD crashes and failures), but a vast majority of everything is still retained and put up on this site.

Thanks for the memories, guys.

- Niraj Sharma (Arek the Absolute)

After a long and arduous, nearly 10-year journey, I'm finally proud to present Milky Way Wishes: A Kirby Super Star Tribute! I'd like to extend a deep, heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to and stuck with the project after all these years, through all the silly delays, project rebirths, and the mind-numbingly long periods of absolute silence. It's all over now, and the result is something very special and dear to my heart. I'm so excited for you all to finally hear it. Please enjoy Milky Way Wishes!

- Drew Wheeler (halc)

If anyone thinks directing an album is easy, I have two words for them: think again.

I came on the album very late in the game. Currently, I'm one of the main OCR staffers who tracks albums and helps directors prepare for their release. I had been in talks with Arek about getting a bundle of the album ready for me to begin album prep for quite a few months, since he had decided that the storybook idea was likely not to get finished within a reasonable time to meet his expectations. I had been poking and prodding him off and on until I got a call one morning that the whole album had been posted on the forums as a bundle. As an artist on the album, this was not the release I was told it would get when I signed on. As a staffer waiting to get my hands on the file, this was not what I had expected either.

This album has more heart in it than most other things I've come across in my life. The art, the music, and the legacy that this album has deserved to be given a proper release. I've had the music since it was submitted for evaluation two years ago. Milky Way Wishes has been inches away from being released for so long, how could I let every bit of hard work reach completion in a minimalist release? After talking with Arek, halc, and the staff, I ended up coming on to take care of the odds and ends to get this ready to roll out.

My experience with administering this album may have been short, but it has been intense. halc and Arek and everyone else involved with it should be proud of what it is, instead of what it could have been, because as it is, this is one amazing tribute to the little pink puffball.

- Stevo Bortz (Level 99)

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1-01. OverCoat - "Kirby no Nozomi"
Source: "Milky Way Wishes"

1-02. Monobrow - "Dream Within Dream"
Source: "File Select"

1-03. halc - "Welcome to the Galaxy"
Source: "Milky Way Wishes Map"

1-04. PROTO·DOME - "THE BEST 2 Minutes 14 Seconds OF YOUR LIFE"
Source: "Peanut Plains"

1-05. halc, PROTO·DOME - "Grape Soda"
Source: "Sea Stage"

1-06. Benjamin Briggs - "Don't Hold My Breath"
Source: "Candy Mountain"

1-07. Mazedude - "Mummy Dance"
Source: "Underground Forest Area"

1-08. Hylian Lemon - "Spelunking in Space"
Source: "Cocoa Cave"

1-09. PROTO·DOME - "Chef Kawasaki's 16-bit Jazz Orchestra - Walkway of Stars"
Source: "The Battleship Halberd: Interior"

1-10. Geoffrey Taucer, Usa - "Victory Festival"
Source: "Continue (Milky Way Wishes)"

1-11. halc - "The Incredible Star Machine"
Source: "Vs. Marx"

1-12. Ergosonic - "A Reminiscence"
Source: "Staff Roll"

2-01. PROTO·DOME - "GO! GO! GO!"
Source: "Grand Opening"

2-02. Insert Rupee - "Bias, Groove"
Source: "Float Islands"

2-03. halc - "Blowing Bubbles in Space"
Source: "Bubbly Clouds"

2-04. Sir_NutS - "A Green Green Dedede"
Sources: "Great King Dedede's Theme," "GREEN GREENS"

2-05. Brandon Strader, halc - "Kirb Your Enthusiasm"
Source: "Mallow Castle"

2-06. halc - "The Ballad of Meta Knight"
Source: "My Friend and the Setting Sun..."

2-07. Brandon Strader - "The Kirb Reich"
Sources: "GREEN GREENS," "Clash! Gourmet Race"

2-08. Sixto Sounds - "The Savior of Dream Land"
Source: "Coliseum Battle"

2-09. Mazedude - "Samurai Kirby"
Source: "Battle with the Boss"

2-10. PrototypeRaptor - "So Easy"
Source: "Great King Dedede's Theme"

2-11. The OverClocked Plaid Muffins (Level 99, PrototypeRaptor, LuIzA, Swann, Xenon Odyssey, Cyril the Wolf, AMT, Avaris) - "Ska Buffet (All You Can Eat - Dirty Version)"
Source: "Clash! Gourmet Race"

Level 99: arrangement, lyrics, guitars, drums, mixing
PrototypeRaptor: brass arrangement, arrangement, trombone
LuIzA: vocals (ALL the vocals)
Swann: trumpets
Xenon Odyssey: tenor saxophone
Cyril the Wolf: alto saxophone
AMT: bass guitar
Avaris: mixing and mastering