Score: 4

"bass gets a bit dull."

submission: Bob-Lucid

date: August 1, 2008

Overall, this was just straddling an uncomfortable position - it wasn't quite engaging or intricate enough for me to enjoy sitting, listening and wasn't furious or 'passionate' enough to inspire me to get up and dance.

I love the slow synths at the start.

The bass that pops in at :24 and continues on throughout the entire piece is a bit overpowering - specially when it gets to 1:20-2:00. It just sorta made that part seem really repetitive to me and didn't sound passionate enough to be repeated so many times. I'd rather have been able to hear the synths and whatnot you've got on top.

The :30 - :50 part is way cool though. Love the sorta semi-staccato break-beat-y sound.

Ending was cool too.

but maybe either add more fury or more intricacy and a touch more gentleness - with this tune straddling the 2 sides, it currently fails at both imo.

Score: 8

"Perfect for a time-challenge abstract puzzle game."

submission: Enigmatic Automatic

date: July 6, 2008

Does indeed loop pretty well.

The melody that rides through the whole thing makes me think of a puzzle game where you're trying to work out the puzzle in the fastest time you can. There wouldn't be a time limit. The graphics would only be basic shapes - lines and perhaps squares and circles, as well as corner curves and equilateral triangles. There'd be an awful lot of black. Maybe cogs?

The long drawn out notes work well and I like the quickly played melody that starts at 0:19.

I don't have much to criticise. The beats and melody seem oppressive and it could get too much for some folk after 10 minutes or so. But without it there wouldn't be that same tension.

Maybe lowering the volume of them by a tad?

My other criticism is that the start and end feel a bit vacant - specially in comparison to the middle.

Score: 7

"Eclectic track. Ending is the best part."

submission: HIT ME Organ Donor

date: July 6, 2008

There's really a lot of stuff going on here - a lot of 'sections' - and it makes for an eclectic mix. Hiowever, from the 1:00 to 3:27 mark, I feel like there could be a bit more variation.

Remains awesome, but that turns it from something I'd maybe listen to 20 times over and over into something that I've enjoyed but aren't in a rush to hear it again within the next wee while.

The intro sounds like a hip-hop track and around 1:33 it mutates into something more like a rendition of a film track or a classical tune performed digitally.

My favourite part is probably the noise just before the drums come in at 2:15, as well as the drums that come in.

I do feel though that whilst I can hear some sorta varied melody going in the background from there-3:27, the beats and foreground melody drown it out too much and make it sound more repetitive than it perhaps actually is.

Conversely, from there onwards, the song is constantly mutating, twisting and metamorphosing into a new beast. So much going on and I can't really criticise any of that part.

Suffice to say that if every part had as much variety as the ending, this would be one of my favourite tracks.

Score: 8

"A professional-sounding dance tune. Increase varie"

submission: -rT- Nexus

date: July 6, 2008

At the start, the main melody sounds like it's underwater. Then you bring the volume up, bring in the drums and turn on the beats at just the right moment.

After a few repetitions of the loop, you hit a few cymbals and bring in a new synth melody.

It's all pretty formulaic to be honest and continues as such, feeling like I've heard it a thousand times before, but it's all timed and delivered with such mastery that I can't help but smile. It definitely got me moving! I wish I had a tidier room and more floorspace!

The synths you use and the whole intro is delivered like a professional track and the melody you hit us with at 0:55 is perfect for this kinda tune as are the synths you switch to shortly after.

You've certainly proven you can deliver this kind of track and hit all the right moments and pitch the melody perfectly.

I'm not sure the drum roll before the fade-out is a great idea and generally, it did feel repetitive but no more than all but the most masterful dance tunes.

Maybe some drum variation would help with that?

Score: 3

"An uninteresting experiment"

submission: just rock on

date: July 6, 2008

With a 3s pause at the end, it's not a loop. Not enough happens for it to be a song.

The first 7s doesn't seem to have much to do with the remainder of the track. It is full of slightly dud-sounding notes. Could have worked in a different context, but not here.

I think the 8s-16s part would make a decent loop for a fuller song.

It just seems like an experiment - an unfinished WIP. I suggest you keep going and resubmit when it sounds more like a whole song.

- Review Request Club -

Score: 7

"I didn't dance. Fun but kinda generic/predictable."

submission: .:Sweeping Through Life:.

date: July 6, 2008

Cool tune. I specially like the variety of melodies on offer here. A few are kinda generic though and the tune is largely predictable.

At the start, we've got some fast melodies providing a fast rhythm and when the drums come in, it all sounds excellent. Loads of layers going on and a simple but effect melody.

I like the short drops in the fast melody at 0:46 and 0:59. When the melody comes back for the 2nd time though, it could do so in a more interesting way and when it drops off again for the 3rd time, it seemed predictable.

At 1:40. I liked the new rhythm that was taking centre-stage.

I wasn't too keen on the drop-off at 2:10 (seemed like there had already been enough drops in tempo), but I loved the way you brought it back from 2:20 onwards.

I enjoyed the track overall, but can't help feeling that the volume of the main fast melody could be lowered a bit.

Fun to listen to and seemed rather accomplished. I specially liked your drum loop.

Score: 7

"Another great dance tune."

submission: Carbon Baby (part 2)

date: June 22, 2008

What I like most about this piece is the energy.

The drum loop is a great one and by holding it back for a few seconds at the start, you help it get jumping straight away.

0:57 is a cool little melody shift.

1:18 drops the tempo drastically and it's kinda hard to keep dancing here. but the payoff is when it picks up - by dropping a bunch of layers, we can find the underlying beat then go wilder than before when it resumes the previous levels of energy.

At the same time, I feel it would have maybe been helped by more of an 'announcement' of the beat being about to be dropped. And maybe one more layer being held onto during that chill?

At 1:41, when the music picks up again, the melody sounds like something I've heard. Something famous, maybe a theme tune...

Anyways, there's more variety in the melodies here than I would have guessed when listening to it in the background last week - only when I got up and danced or sat and listened just now did I appreciate all that's going on.

Suggestions are to vary the beats a bit and also make it longer. Maybe 3-4 minutes? Add more variations of course to keep it interesting throughout that time.

It doesn't loop well enough that we can keep dancing through the fadeout.

Score: 8

"Unique us of glitches. After 4:30, seems retread"

submission: - [This Was Meant To Be] -

date: June 22, 2008

Wonderful music.

Quite a solemn, poignant mood.

The starting sounds are really nicely distorted - I can't make out what you're saying, but it just works really well as starting atmospheric noise that gives way to the solo piano, which is soon joined again.

When the piano and beats come in at 1:30, it's almost beautiful for a moment and when the glitches kick in at 2:00, I can just imagine it saying, "grit your teeth! Now is the time! We've got shit to deal with, but get out and deal with it."

By the time the piano becomes audible again, it's obvious you're using the glitches as an instrument unto themselves - and to great effect.

Deep booming sounds make for good atmosphere.

One criticism I could make is that though the glitches are switched up and sorta meander, the track feels like it needs more variation after the 4:30 mark. Maybe just dropping in a few higher notes with more traditional instruments - like maybe a tinkerbell or a bit of flute - would help make it shine.

The ending (last 10s) is fantastic.

A great tune and one I doubt I'll ever delete, but not quite at the level of the inspiration (though it's nicely different).

I can't wait to hear more from you in this style.

Score: 7

"A brilliant first minute-and-a-half."

submission: Project Part 3 - Omega

date: June 22, 2008

Quite a different style to the other 2.

The more 'realistic' instruments make this sound like a battle-song - something cinematic rather than something you'd hear in a club.

The switches in mood and melody at the 27s, 1minute and 1:15 mark work brilliantly - naturally progressing and keeping it interesting without feeling forced.

The switch at 2:08 into the tune you used at the start of part1 doesn't really fit though - again, I don't like these abrupt switches of yours and the electronic vibe didn't really fit in with the classical melody you had going until then.

Also, from 1:15 to 2:08, I felt like you could have had a tiny bit more progression. Maybe the melody could have meandered, winding down instead of repeating. Maybe some more tinkerbells mirroring the beats that come in at the end...

As I said, I'm not a fan of the last 30s, but the slowing-down effect is cool.

Seems to me though that it might have been stronger had you kept this as a separate piece and had a more fitting ending. It feels forced to fit the others.

Score: 8

"Dance-tastic. Interesting rhythms. Fun."

submission: Project Part 2 - Lambda

date: June 22, 2008

Not as high a tempo or as much energy in here compared to the previous one. Still persuaded me to get up and dance while the song played once through though!

There's a large variety of melodies and moods here, though at points they don't flow so much as switching, sometimes abruptly.

The fast notes from 44s-1:03 sound pretty cool and though the switch

The switch at 1:40 sound slightly disrupting - seems to me you could have done a better switch and not lost the momentum you do by having that pause/cymbal switch.

After 1:40, the music becomes a lot happier, shifting into a major key and that progression works well. You keep enough themes going on that it does sound connected.

You obviously have a big thing with stopping/starting with a cymbal/reverse-cymbal-type noise. Listening to parts 1-3 after one another (having downloaded and lined them up) I think you may have overused the technique.

There's a lot of cool sounds and this is honestly a brilliant tune for dancing to when it's moving along - really interesting rhythms and som uplifting moments at the end - but I'd recommend you try and have your next tune flow more, maybe changing the layers a few at a time rather than trying to do it all at once and ending with an abrupt switch and a moment of silence like you so often have here.