july contest ... GOSSIP

[Ixox]

Hovmod/Last Farewell Tango - Ah fudge. I was thinking of doing a tango, so of course you have my everlasting hatred for beating me to it.

I'm doing a Tango too...
And i hoped i would be the only one...

[Katanaman]

thanks! your first sentence is enough to make me feel good for the rest of the month.

It IS a pretty good song.

it wasn't done in a tribal ritual spirit, tho.

I was aware of that. I think it's mainly the huge drums that give this song a kind of ethnic feel.

and i don't like clichés, particularly when they can only end up sounding cheesy, as the "cliché chants" you evoke.

Same here. I was just kidding

As for the strings programmation, you're invited, please step into my studio:



cheers!

I really should get to know FL studio, then!

[multree]

1 - your track MUST be ...

(c) named in the format yearmonth-artistname-tracktitle

Year (05), Month (07), Year Month = 0507
Year (05), Month (07), Year Month = 0507
Year (05), Month (07), Year Month = 0507
Year (05), Month (07), Year Month = 0507

how off track am I ? you're right

can I change my entry???

[Sascha Franck]

how off track am I ?

Just pretend you're living in the future.

[multree]

Multree - Ubelong2me

Sweet brush drums! Seems a little short because of the long intro, unfortunately. It would be so better with more lyrics. Great job and cool feel, though!

this one WILL be longer... thanks very much

multree/Ubelong2me - I like how you've skewed your sound towards dance without losing that unique Mully flavour. Works nicely, increasing the energy levels in stages throughout the song. I reckon you could have really let loose at the end though, it felt like there was still plenty of energy in reserve. Nice guitar work and groovy percussion. It's a bit of a tease... Just as people are getting to their feet for a bit of a shuffle, the song's over. And it's half intro! (You realise the time limit's two minutes these days, don't you?)

I've got a Mully flavour.... means much - coming from you thanks

Multree - You belong to me : This is the 2nd great song I hear from you that ends just when I'm really starting to enjoy myself. Do you do this on purpose?! What can I say that I haven't said already for your other track? I really like the direction your music is taking... Oh, yeah, your voice... I always thought you were a good singer, but I never thought your voice could fit more energetic songs such as this. Fortunately, I was dead wrong. One problem, though... it hapened with Lady J and it's about to happen to you... Yes, the dreaded BUT - It's a very good song BUT... the mix may be good for pop, but for dance music, it all sounds too subdued. Otherwise, great effort.

I'll keep working on it and if only for you

[Barnadine]

A few mainstream dance tunes in this batch, so watch me try to bluff my way through, pretending I know the difference between deep progressive goa and a cheese sandwich. The fact is, I'm only really familiar with the weirder backwaters of modern dance music, so keep my ignorance in mind. More informed reviewers will be along at some point with more informed reviews. I'll never be one of those dance Inuits with 57 words for snow.


Shuhzen/Epic Shapes Elapse - Spacious feel. Nice shy synths up the back. The drumwork is varied enough to keep interest going, but what makes this track stand out for me are the small touches, the weird little noises that pop up in the quieter sections, for example around 0:36. The ending's a disappointment, though - the all-too-common 'longer track lazily chopped off at the 2 minute mark' sudden cut.

Katanaman/Dance With Moi - Congrats for not taking the easy path. And you've done a great job mixing together bits of funk, hiphop, lounge jazz, etc. If anything, things blend together too well. Rather than any of the elements holding the attention, it all combines into something which, though enjoyable, is somehow less distinctive than you'd expect from all the ingredients. Now, if it was a little glitchier, or a little funkier... I know you weren't aiming for 'intense' this month, but I wouldn't have minded a harder edge to the beats, or just some small craziness in there somewhere. But now I think about it: a mellow, well-behaved song from Katanaman - that's crazy enough by itself.

Patrick9/Conversation - I'm going to take a wild guess and say that that's an nice 'acid lead' you've got there. There's a strong live feel to the track, partly thanks to the mix, but mainly because of those little snatches of small talk leaking in between the beats. Very interesting effect, reminds me of attempted conversations in too-loud music venues. The kick isn't really prominent enough for a club tune, needs a bit more beef, I reckon. But the voices are what I'll remember. I'm keen to hear the story behind it all.

Kaos Axiom/DanceXT - The synth phrases at the start build up a great sense of anticipation. Then at 0:33, it feels like the song's going to kick into a higher gear. But we slip back into those anticipatory synths, more build-up. Then around the minute mark we switch to a different sort of build-up, which adds to the anticipation, but loses steam when the pattern drops down in the third part of each sequence. And, after 1:52 of edgy anticipation, the song ends. A prolonged frottage session, but no-one gets naked. Which works for some people. Anyway, plenty of potential, some great sounds. But man, this song's frustrating.

Ja.x/Toast Yourself - Relaxing King-Tubby-style dub. While there's a smile to be had from the text-to-speech toasting, I think a human would have been good here. It's not like you'd even have to sing. (One of those kvr fetishes, computer vocals. Great in some contexts, but you do hear them a bit too much around here.) Clean nostalgic vibe, as if you're paying tribute to the dub pioneers, so I found myself looking for a bit more of the experimentalism from that era. That's just my preconceptions getting in the way though. The synths are fairly out of tune, I presume deliberately, and I'm still deciding if I like that. I've always been a sucker for dub, and there's plenty to enjoy here. Nice one.

rockstar_not/Dance Song Serial Number 1 - I'm not sure I would have immediately labelled this as dance music, were it not for the theme. But the song title proves me wrong. A sort of retro vision of the future, clean-cut people wearing sideburns and white jumpsuits, living in domes. Interesting to hear that you came to this via Talking Heads; certainly wouldn't have guessed. Intrigues me. I can see the skill that went into this, and others here will have better responses, but I can't honestly say this kind of music appeals to me on a gut level. A bit antibiotic and smooth for my tastes. I'll see if it grows on me. Still, I get the feeling this era of music formed the mulch from which grew artists like Boards of Canada, so I'm grateful for its existence.

bitcrusher/MyFirstGURU - Again, not sure I can offer much of use here. It's dancy, the sounds are all interesting, but it doesn't really feel inhabited to me. Still a Guru demo tune, not yet a full-blooded song. All the elements are on the table by the half minute mark, it would really benefit from more development and variation. Promising start though. I admire your sound skills - the quiet filtered percussion in the background is a highlight. Sounded a lot better when I turned up the volume. (You might need to re-encode at fixed rate 128kbps as per the rules.)

[multree]

how off track am I ?

Just pretend you're living in the future.

[Barnadine]

Sorry, mate, but I knew I had to post fast to get the first tango. Everlasting hatred?

I've always wanted an archenemy. Pistols at dawn?

The song just sort of just happened, so all the introspective bitterness must be in me...

Or, more likely, me.

[Germ777]

Kaos Axiom/DanceXT - The synth phrases at the start build up a great sense of anticipation. Then at 0:33, it feels like the song's going to kick into a higher gear. But we slip back into those anticipatory synths, more build-up. Then around the minute mark we switch to a different sort of build-up, which adds to the anticipation, but loses steam when the pattern drops down in the third part of each sequence. And, after 1:52 of edgy anticipation, the song ends. A prolonged frottage session, but no-one gets naked. Which works for some people. Anyway, plenty of potential, some great sounds. But man, this song's frustrating.

Aaahhh!!!! Massage!!!!!
Cool review. Thanks

[Ja.x]

Thanks Barnardine. I asked a friend from Trinidad (don't know anyone in Jamaica ) if she could make some vocals for this track but got no reply yet, and I couldn't wait to post it. Use my own voice is out of question.

Anyway I think everyone can have a great fun dubbing on this track .

[Hovmod]

Sorry, mate, but I knew I had to post fast to get the first tango. Everlasting hatred?

I've always wanted an archenemy. Pistols at dawn?

Nah. Banjos after sunset.

[rockstar_not]

rockstar_not/Dance Song Serial Number 1 - I'm not sure I would have immediately labelled this as dance music, were it not for the theme. But the song title proves me wrong. A sort of retro vision of the future, clean-cut people wearing sideburns and white jumpsuits, living in domes. Interesting to hear that you came to this via Talking Heads; certainly wouldn't have guessed. Intrigues me. I can see the skill that went into this, and others here will have better responses, but I can't honestly say this kind of music appeals to me on a gut level. A bit antibiotic and smooth for my tastes. I'll see if it grows on me. Still, I get the feeling this era of music formed the mulch from which grew artists like Boards of Canada, so I'm grateful for its existence.

Barnadine - thanks for the visual image. I'm not so sure it's really dance music either - but it is 120 bpm!!! I really wanted to do that 'Girlfriend is Better' groove, but that's not really dance music either. I couldn't get the 'Heads bassline out of my head so I had to steer a little different. I'm not so sure that there was much skill involved. I tracked the whole thing from about 10:00pm to 1:00AM. The key was programming a drum track so I could slow things down to 80 bpm to record the midi, then put the tempo at 120 to add in the pre-recorded acoustic drums at 120 bpm (didn't want to mess with Acid).

I guess I've got to check out 'Boards of Canada'. My march submission reminded somebody of them as well. Got to be honest I've never heard of them before entering these KVR contests.

-Scott

[You™]

I have a feeling we will break the 100-entries mark this month. Funny, I would have expected that record broken before the 100-pages of Gossip threshold last month. All you reviewers better take care of your wrists... looks like a lot of typing.

I love a lot of what is ostensibly dance music - both modern (even the shamefully-named IDM) and ancient (before James Brown. I like that Sufi mystic stuff too). Anyway, The only times I've really ever been witnessed dancing were when the Slickee Boys played my friend's Sadie Hawkins' dance, an out-of-control house party in college when I played Pig Bag and finally at my wedding (I was forced to do The Electric Slide ). The common thread in all these events (besides me being a lot younger) is of course excessive alcohol consumption, but it should serve as a confession that even the lamest can't-dance-to-save-his-life fool can and will twitch to the music on occasion. It's as natural as sex and almost as hard to perform in public.

[TristezaOrange]

Tristeza Orange - Bipolar Bear : This song has made me certain of the theory I had for some time now... you're the undisputed king of upbeat music. To me, all your songs suggest this fairy tale setting with all kinds of beautiful creatures, green landscapes, clear blue skies... and I always enjoy them. Even if you try to add weird, harsh drums to it, it all sounds just as pleasant. I could have done without the break with the horns at 0:51, to be honest, but other than that, pretty much perfect. One has to admit it's not exactly dance music, though... Kind of reminds me of Mike Paradinas's(Mu-Ziq's) mellower songs.

Thanks Katanaman! When I finished this I wasn't sure if it was dance music either. I did start with the chord progression, then added the drums+bass so I figured that it'd come out pretty dance-y but it did not. But some of those beautiful creatures you mentioned may dance to it.

ps. I have music that is certainly NOT upbeat - listen to 'Dusk Falls on The Wasteland' or 'Black Lawn and Darkest Dreams' on my IUMA site and you won't find a trace of the genial and upbeat Trist Orange But when summer comes, well, you know how it is.

[Barnadine]

The common thread in all these events (besides me being a lot younger) is of course excessive alcohol consumption, but it should serve as a confession that even the lamest can't-dance-to-save-his-life fool can and will twitch to the music on occasion. It's as natural as sex and almost as hard to perform in public.

Yeah, seems to be one of the quirks of being a heterosexual male, unwillingness to dance without chemical encouragement. I rarely dance unboozed, unless it's my girlfriend and I making private, happy twits out of ourselves.

Anyway, you've been coasting too long, George. It's time for a new sig. I had far too much time on my hands today, and finally put together your jigsaw puzzle (even though it's really plunge's job).




64 different signature pics! Did you do it by hand? Incredible. Talent or insanity? You decide.

I have a feeling we will break the 100-entries mark this month... All you reviewers better take care of your wrists... looks like a lot of typing.