Benjamin Wallfisch – Techno Syndrome 2021 (Mortal Kombat Official Soundtrack)

74%%Overall Score

• An unexpected release
• Mixes of Electro House and Dubstep
• A total hymn for fans

First of all, Mortal Kombat happens to be (with special regards to Doom) my favorite video game saga. Recently, the new film came out (thank goodness, the last one was atrocious) and a week before, Warner Bros. released the official soundtrack titled “Techno Syndrome 2021” (the title is exaggerated to be amusing) as the main star of it. As a total fan of this lore, I took it upon myself to take a good look at this rather unusual experiment.

We must know, before proceeding any further, that Benjamin Wallfisch isn’t a producer but rather a film composer, so this remix is quite surprising as his discography is not EDM. The British musician collaborated with Tom Norris (he did the mastering process) to create this surprisingly satisfying remix.

The remix conjured up the classic melody, with a splash of dub elements to the composition and a classic Big Room structure (Dubstep and big room, damn!). I love how well-used the classic voices from the original game, which have become increasingly popular in the internet culture in the past few years. The drop comes as somewhat elementary and basic, however the melody compensates along with the other things, sounding distinct and less heavier.

Low-end plays a good role in the presentation, as addition of the names from the original characters (we miss you Johnny Cage) and a rhythmical structure with… try to guess it. The original hook repeats several times, however it perhaps adds to the essence overall.

The concluding drop is quite… unanticipated. Benjamin sidelines the Electro House drop idea and decided to put a round of Dubstep instead, which heavily reminded me of a 2015 NCS track, which is appreciable. It is probably a “either love it or hate it” kind of score, and depends on a lot on the listener’s tastes.