july contest ... REVIEWS Thread

[Wopelka]

The Revolution is on the move! The REVIEWS Thread is knocking at your doors... Still not sticky, and without direct mod monitoring, but eh! that's only the first step. Proposed for those who want a convenient way to (re-)read all the reviews of this month.

Reviewers are invited to post directly here. If they don't i'll quote them.

Thanks for keeping this place as clean as possible. Commentaries, replies and trolling should be kept for the GOSSIP Thread.

[Wopelka]

Barnadine wrote:

I never get reviews done unless I start early. So here we go with the usual subjective waffle. Feel free to disregard.

Lady J/Jump and Wind - Grooves along well. In this genre, with drums to the forefront, a bit more variation to individual drum hits would always be welcome, to stop the loop patterns becoming too obvious. Nice cutout at 0:42, and an interesting papery feel to the mix. The vocals are a good idea, but now you've reverted to your previous vocalist, the distracting sibilance problem has returned. I've come across this in maybe three or four of your songs, so I guess it's either an intentional effect, or a problem you can't yet fix, but it distances me a bit. Maybe you could borrow the mic used for Mr Right Now, if it's a mic quality issue. Pleasantly fidgety track. (Disappointingly obvious snippery from a longer song, though.)

jamesb/MooShoo - Has a warm assurance to it. Quality, low-key music-making, but a surprising response to the theme. Doesn't shout for attention, which might actually make it stand out in what will presumably be an energetic month. Nice crusty edge to the rhodes. Obviously not designed for frantic dancefloor activity, more a swaying lovers kind of thing. Dance music for relaxed people who don't want to break a sweat.

Wopelka/Cave Hall Electro Menuet - Wow. Lovely. Feels spontaneous yet composed. Occasionally has a 'found sound' quality that brings to mind one of Matmos's cut-up compositions, or something in that vein. Ixox's flute stands up well in the spotlight. And how did you get those subliminal twisty plucked strings? An amazing range of disparate sounds brought together into an organic whole. Got me twitching in all the right places. I like this very much.

RichieBee/Dance to This - Nice brass build-up at the start. Slightly synthetic samples, but nothing distracting - maybe increasing the attack speed would give the brass a bit more bite. Puts me in mind of those old TV cop shows with funky disco title sequences. Likeable percussion fills. Mixing the kick drum and bass a bit higher mightn't hurt in the dancefloor stakes. Can't quite catch all the lyrics in the 0:55 section. If it's 'Dance to this, I'm broken' then I'm intrigued.

[pHz]

and without direct mod monitoring

says who ???

slainte rob

[Wopelka]

Gregjazz wrote:

Reviews:

Lady J - Jump And Wind

Very energetic piece! I love the part where the vocals come in. It's a bit fast, though, don't you think? Your dancers will get tired fast. Is that all synthesized, or are there some loops thrown in?

Jamesb - Mooshoo

Very groovy tune! Has a nice slow hip-hop feel to it. The drums and bass are good, but I almost wish the drums had a bit more bass to them and were louder. The organ sound is really excellent. I love the Jamiroquai-esque break.

Wopelka - The Cave Hall Electro Menuet

Wow. That's possibly the most different song I've heard. Not sure how one would dance to this. Probably some goofy sort of tribal dance. It's kind of catchy.

Richiebee - Dance To This

Most funky! Is this 137 BPM per chance? Everything was groovy, and then those vocals came and you scared the pants off of me. You may consider slowly introducing the vocals or something, because they gave me quite a fright. All together, pretty cool tune.

Liqih - Tip Tap Stomp

You have some really cool synth drum sounds there. Wow. As soon as those synth horns (or whatever that is) come in, it's almost like a electronic big band tune. The combination works out pretty well, too. My only comment is that some of the rhythms are just a bit strange and lagging...

Armadillo - Panther

Great dance groove you get going there. Though, it seems like the vocals are just a bit too present and could use just a little less chorus/flanger. Keep up the good work!

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!

[Barnadine]

More:

liqih/Tip Tap Stomp - When typewriters learn to dance. Or a robot Fred Astaire. It's a brave move holding off most of the instruments till half a minute in, but makes their entry more impressive. Proudly and interestingly synthetic. I like how the tapping percussion occasionally tries to wrongfoot you when it holds centre stage. Would be fun to watch people trying to dance to this. Dance, dance, embarrassing misstep, dance. People getting 'freaked off'. Fun.

Armadillo/Panther - Not your standard dance voice. I wonder if the stereotypical breathy, wispy-girl vocals in dance music are partly an eq issue - easy just to lob them on top without upsetting the mix. Your vocalist is more earthy than ethereal, though, which is refreshing change, but means she is competing for space with the rest of your mix. Hard to say if it's the volume or the effects applied, but I feel the vocals aren't quite sitting properly yet. Intonation issues with the singing too - maybe something dirtier, more rock'n'roll, would be a better match for this kind of voice. The music itself gets some useful tension and release happening in a short space of time. Not particularly distinctive to my ears, but some nice woody textures, and certainly fits the theme.

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?)

TristezaOrange/Bipolar Bear -
The best thing for me is how many different worlds this conjures up in my head. Vaguely oriental touches, marching bands, forgotten pagan ceremonies, you name it. Or maybe it's too early in the day to be drinking.

[Katanaman]

REVIEWS!!!

Lady J - Jump and Wind : This is one amazing choon!!! The drums sound pretty banal but the melodies, the vocals, the one note strings ... everything falls in place and makes this a unique, great dance song. Of course, there's a BUT... It sounds pretty much like a sound clip from a 6 minute song or whatever. It's definitely a fun song but it doesn't feel right. The songs in the contest may be short, but they should feel complete, and this one doesn't. Sorry...

jamesb - MooShoo : I'd really like to hear an extended version of this. Electric pianos and organs are always good. This is a very good and catchy instrumental for, I presume, slow dancing. When the synth bass with the ressonant saw wave comes in, that's the best part for me. Not necessarily because of the synth. To be honest, that's the one sound I'm not particularly fond of in this song. But I like where the song goes there. For some reason, it manages to make me feel nostalgic(although there's nothing to reminisce). Apart from the nostalgic aspect of it, it makes me visualize some kind of romance in a sci fi setting. Maybe the forbiden romance between Shagalok, the klingon and mashtuvyah, the sith. It's up to you to figure out which of these two is the male/female.

Wopelka - The Cave Hall Electro Menuet : Slightly odd at first but fascinating once you get into the spirit. Sounds like a ritual of some unknown tribe. Ixox Flute works really well for this. It's just lacking a few cliché chants in the background to really work. The strings are very impressive, by the way! How the hell did you manage to program them like that?

RichieBee - Dance to this : Your music always sounds very eighties. It's always irresistible for that very fact. But that doesn't matter. I'm here to talk about this song...
Well, the wind instrument(I'm not sure what it is, a sax? They all sound the same) sounds too loud. It's pretty obvious and it's unpleasantly distracting. Other than that, it's a great song. The vocals really add to it, and I love the little break at around 1:08. It sort of reminds me of the videogames I used to play a few years ago on my sega saturn and sega mega drive. That's always good. I often try to capture that feel in my music but I always fail.

Liquih - Tip Tap Stomp : I like how absolutely synthetic this sounds, yet at the same time makes me think of game show music played by those huge bands they always have. The main melody is pretty catchy and fun but unfortunately the rest of the sections of this song fail to keep my interest. Nice ideas, though. I have never heard this kind of extreme electro sound before, and I had to listen a few times just for the sake of it. Being exposed to new stuff is always good.

Armadillo - Panther : TARNCE?! Oh, dear! Beardedone will slash his wrists if he listens to this. Well, it's very well done but it's not my style at all. Good to see Vitamin D has competition, though...

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.

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.

Damstraversaz - final pépé au bal : Another song that makes me think of videogames... Sounds a bit like the cover Mr. Bungle would do of some street fighter song. I almost always hate accordions(that IS an accordion, isn't it?) but this is one of the few cases I like it. That kind of melody is always fun. Not that it's something I'd listen to on a daily basis, but there's a sinister vibe to it(which I can't really explain) that keeps me listening to the end.

scuzzphut - screamer : I don't really have anything of substance to say... I'd love to see this extended to 10 minutes and played in a rave. It's a nearly perfect dance song. It's not perfect just because the ending is very anticlimatic, although I can understand why you'd do that, with the time limit and all...

[Barnadine]

damstraversaz/Pépé va au bal - Heh. Another impressive entry from damstraversaz. I'm enjoying the diversity of approaches to the theme this month. This one starts with a singing saw, so you're already way ahead. A wonderful, slightly shabby folk dance atmosphere here. Panned grunts as Pépé lurches drunkenly round the room. Has real charm. (You might want to fix up your id3 tag, it shows you as 'Unknown Artist'.)

scuzzphut/screamer - Nice choon. Maybe the first convincing 'banger' this month. Technically assured, so what can I whinge about? Hmm. Mild anticlimax at the end. And I don't think it has as much character as your other songs. "Aha," you say, "danceability's more important than character this month." "Sure," I'd say, "but can't you have both?" Then you'd say "It does have character. You're just looking at things from a non-dance perspective and can't see it." And I'd be all like "Yeah? Well, I'm rubber and you're glue!" And you'd say "That doesn't even make sense." And things would degenerate from there. Nice choon.

farlukar/batium - Great opening. Love the fuzzed up mix. The little solo bits at 0:47, 1:41, etc. tend to lose focus a little. Maybe underscore those bits with some subtle new percussive element to add emphasis and keep the energy from leaking away? And the repeat section feels like it could use just a tiny twist to differentiate it from the opening, maybe even swinging the main synth up an octave, who knows? But I'm quibbling. I like this one.

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. Subdued, gentle approach here, a natural companion piece to your entry from last month. It does have the lingering nostalgia suggested by the title, though the dance element here feels more a suggestion than an invitation, as though remembering some sad, final dance long gone. The strings that come in halfway through never quite tie into the rhythm, and there's an brittle introspective edge to the piano playing (and a slight harshness to the piano samples) that suggests some buried bitterness. A thoughtful entry, and not exactly where I was planning to go with mine, so maybe the tango's big enough for both of us.

[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.)

[Wopelka]

liqih wrote:

as downloaded from kvr radio

votes and comments IMHO,

Make me dance: very subjective, but since the theme you have this
New sounds: sounds and use of them, for my ear anyway
Composition/production: as far as I can reach, also how much I liked the song

0..10 range

disclaimer: techno and trance are usually not my cup of tea.


05-07-Katanaman-Dance.mp3

squeezed funky music

make me dance: 7
new sounds: 7
composition/production: 9


05-07-knockman-wildchurch-harimogura.mp3

very nice to listen to, but not dancing enough

make me dance: 4
new sounds: 6
composition/production: 8


05-07-Wopelka-TheCaveHallElectroMenuet.mp3

best track heard from you, beautiful

make me dance: 6
new sounds: 8
composition/production: 10


0507-aldred-TwinkleToes.mp3

cartoons dancing in a movie?

make me dance: 4
new sounds: 6
composition/production: 9


0507-Armadillo-Panther.mp3

sorry not for me

make me dance: 6
new sounds: 6
composition/production: 4


0507-astanine-halothane.mp3

funny march, some fun from it

make me dance: 7
new sounds: 4
composition/production: 7



0507-bitcrusher-MyFirstGURU.mp3

nice the flute at intro, just too repetitive to me

make me dance: 7
new sounds: 7
composition/production: 7


0507-Hovmod-Last Farewell Tango.mp3

well I don't dance tango, especially with much reverb,
but the tune is nice

make me dance: 4
new sounds: 4
composition/production: 7


0507-jamesb-mooshoo.mp3

a classic somehow, but no quake

make me dance: 6
new sounds: 6
composition/production: 9


0507-richiebee-dancetothis.mp3

good groove programming, nice but deserve a better mix

make me dance: 8
new sounds: 6
composition/production: 6


0507-Rockstar_not-Dance Song Serial Number 1.MP3

cool, but the drums sound weak here,
lead sound is old, a mix between funk and progressive,

make me dance: 7
new sounds: 4
composition/production: 7


0507-Shuzhen-Epic_Shapes_Elapse.mp3

near to quake, good thing, best rhythm so far

make me dance: 8
new sounds: 7
composition/production: 7


05_07_AndreasE_Dance_of_the_Animals.MP3

fun and brilliant, just leave the algo solos alone sometimes

make me dance: 4
new sounds: 8
composition/production: 7


05_07_Patrick9_Konversation.mp3

nice but too full to leave space to dancing

make me dance: 4
new sounds: 8
composition/production: 6


0606-mully---Ubelong2me.mp3

like the all round sound

make me dance: 6
new sounds: 6
composition/production: 8


07-2005-scuzzphut-screamer.mp3

good for Madonna to sing on

make me dance: 8
new sounds: 7
composition/production: 7


0705-wilkoryte-slowdance.mp3

blues!

make me dance: 6
new sounds: 6
composition/production: 9


07_05-TristezaOrange-BipolarBear.mp3

liked this a lot, but no dance for me

make me dance: 4
new sounds: 8
composition/production: 7


Toast Yourself (the UV dub).mp3

very oblique dub, funny, sometime nice, sometimes drunken

make me dance: 6
new sounds: 8
composition/production: 7

[ugo]

lady J - jump and wind
great production, and well done beats. but since this can only be a 2 minute entry, i cant help but feel it needed something else going on too. perhaps bringing in the vocal part in much sooner? the way the fade in/out was done, it sounds like this was an excerpt from a longer piece, which leaves me feeling incomplete. like i didnt hear a song (even though 2 minues makes a short one), but only heard a piece of a song.


jamesb - mooshoo
nice track, i dig the smooth groove and the bassline.


wopelka - The Cave Hall Electro Menuet
lots of odd ball fun. very creative, very cool. i cant help but feel a little captain beefheart with this one. my only criticism is that the flute doesnt sound integrated into the mix well enough to me. it kind of sounds like someone playing overtop a pre-recorded piece, which makes it stand out a bit too much.


richiebee - dance to this
cool 70's vibe! i would have liked to have heard the sax play more of a part, or perhaps be a bit further back in the mix.


liqih - tip tap stomp
robotic alien gnomes do a show on broadway before taking over the world! lots of fun. and very creative.


armadillo - panther
nice dance groove. i agree with wopelka, perhaps the vocals are a bit too present.


multree - Ubelong2me
nicely done! very catchy and the groove is cool. such a shame its only 1:00...i would have liked to have heard another. (so i played it again. ) i was waiting for a point where that cool muffled bass/guitar sound would brighten up and spring forward, perhaps in a chorus.


TristezaOrange - Bipolar Bear
odd but light hearted and catchy. i dig the found object type percussion too.


damstraversaz - Pépé va au bal
major cool points for actually playing a musical saw! i love the way those sound. i like the vibe and style of the track but imho the udu is way too big in the mix. it dominates and distracts me from the rest of the track.


scuzzphut - screamer
engaging intro, well done changes, good products, great high energy track. so far this one has got my head bobbing far more than any of the others. unfortunately that fade out makes it feel like this track was intended to go on much longer, which leaves it feeling incomplete. if you've got a longer arrangement with an ending, i'd love to hear it. (though obviously not as part of the comp. )


farlukar - Batium
cool distorted groove but perhaps too distorted. intreguing musically, particularly that it sounds like it is bass and drums are fighting to take the song darker and the lead part is fighting to keep it more on the lighter side of things.


Hovmod - Last Farewell Tango
nice piece. great feel and i like the piano sound. i feel the drums are a bit too muted though. its like they are in another room compared to the piano.


Katanaman - DANCE WITH MOI
i love vibe of this track. its slippery and robotic at the same time with a great funky vibe. however the kick might be a bit too forward. well done though.


Patrick9 - Konversation
very interesting...it makes me think of someone who's having a bad night with substance abuse at the club. lots of confusion, hearing bits and pieces of everything around them, stumbling into conflict, and yet their existance is still dominated by the grip of the kick and the lead.


Kaos Axiom - DANCEXT
imho, very 80's soundtrack feeling. you may want to tame the super low end a bit. i was getting a lot of excess boom over here.

Ja.x - Toast Yourself (the UV dub)
cool liquidy laid back vibe. i agree with liqih, it sounds kind of drunken.


rockstar_not - Dance Song Serial Number 1
i really dig the clav line. the ep and the lead are very late 70's / early 80's, but i would have liked to have heard something more funky to match that great clav.


bitcrusher - MyFirstGURU
the track has a very cool feel but i would have liked to have heard it do more. i also would have prefered that kick be a bit lower or the rest of the instruments be more upfront. they are running the risk of getting a bit buried.


knockman - harimogura
ok...this is totally groovy. i dont know what else to say except im really enjoying this one. this is right up there among my favories so far


AndreasE - Dance of the Animals
very creative and very goofy.


aldred - Twinkle Toes
wow, jig + film score! this is a total surprise, and well done too!


astanine - halothane
i was hooked right from the beginning. very catchy and in very psudo-early-videogame way. i would have liked to have heard a stronger ending. feels like i couldnt finish the level


wilkoryte - SlowDance
nice slow bluesy number. this is one of those songs where, if played at a blues bar, you'd see a whole bunch of women dragging their reluctant guys out to the floor dance.


pheeleep - Make Music For Fun
cool vibe...it really pulls me in. nice mix of textures too.


Gregjazz - All I Want To Do Is Dance
very early michael jackson esque. great production too. you really nailed the sound and the feel on this one.


Khepira - Ikt Hut Eit ("Dance for Oil")
catchy and rather interesting. i had to listen to it a few times to really pull it in. great mix of feels and nice production.


respirator - waltz
interesting, it feels kind of drunken and exhausted and very human.


vurt - up to you in the end...
an evil insect swarm in a dance. this is what happens to those addled muppets when they go to hell and are told 'dance sucker!'


aieda_cin - aieda_cin-forrage
cool jarre feel. i really like the track but i wish the mix was brighter/clearer.


Shuzhen - Epic Shapes Elapse
excellent feel, great groove, great texture, and great production too. i really dig this track, but that makes it all the more a shame that it cuts off so abruptly. i would have liked to have heard the song reach a natural conclusion, even though the time limit is so short. obviously this was intended to be a longer piece, and i'd love to hear the full track, but the ending makes me feel that whats presented is incomplete. since the track gets quiet in the last 10 seconds, you might even have been able to get away with a gradual fade there and retained a complete feel. the only other criticism i can make is that i feel the occasional snapping accent percussion is too loud in the mix.

[Barnadine]

[Hauling this thread up from the depths of page two.]

Some more:

knockman/harimogura - Has a concentrated, stylised feel to it. Formalised sweeps of the arm, crouching, and such. Made me realise I'd been forgetting about a whole aspect of the theme, dance as ritual. Which gives your song an antique patina that plays nicely with the jazzy inclinations. Though mostly in 5/4, some parts seem to have different plans, and these conflicting meters maintain interest by themselves - simple, emphatic fragments stabbing up as ritual punctuation. I did have a personal taste problem with the brassy synths, which triggered the dreaded 'GM' lobe in my brain: the characterless middle ground between 'real' instruments and interestingly synthetic ones. But one of the most distinctive entries so far. And the lyrics spoke to me.

AndreasE/Dance of the Animals - I'm starting to think of your songs as boat rides - some constant element carries us along while all sorts of strange scenery goes by. You wave the possibility of novelty barnyard song at us to start with, but shift into the first main waltz before patience fails. The theme is always fluctuating, never quite finding a final form it's happy with. The distorted tunnel section at 0:42 is the most sonically pleasing to my ears, very nice. The solo section starting around 1:00 seems prolonged; attention starts to wander despite the tempo fluctuations. And the shifts into and out of the animal sections are sometimes a little awkward. But there's a disneyland-gone-toxic feel to it all that makes me smile.

aldred/Twinkle Toes - All that reverb makes things quite muddy. This feels like it's caught between two worlds - intimate celtic folk and epic soundtrack, which is a fine idea much loved by film composers, but isn't achieved just by slapping on lots of reverb. Probably needs more careful, restrained use of effects to keep the clarity and avoid mushiness. Let the details shine. But mix issues aside, this is a pure-hearted little piece with a lightness of touch about it. And you get extra points in my book for stopping when the piece told you to, rather than padding out a naturally short song to 2 minutes for the sake of it, as many are tempted to do.

astanine/halothane - What can I say about your music that I haven't already said? It's optimistic, it's like a musical balm, it's the sound of someone who's mastered their idiom. Here, like Multree, you've taken your basic sound and teased it out in the dance direction, with a more emphatic kick pulse. But still very much astanine. My only reservation is this - while I love your sound, part of me is increasingly curious to hear you try your hand at something completely different. Even if only for a month. Just for the hell of it. Go on.

wilkoryte/SlowDance - Late night and slow. Nice. You've sensibly stripped things back to the essential elements. Roomy, uncluttered sound gives the guitar plenty of space to bloom. No technical complaints. I've expressed in the past my ambivalence to the whole concept of the guitar solo, but this fits the mood like a glove.

pheeleep/Make Music For Fun - At first listen it seems quite monochrome, but still holds the interest. So it's interesting to relisten and notice all the small things you've done to draw in the listener. Little touches like tightening up the snares for certain sections. Great attention to detail. But surely that horrible mid-bar song cutoff at 1:45 isn't intentional. Must be a faulty download. I'll try downloading again.

Gregjazz/All I Want To Do Is Dance - Others have already made the Michael Jackson comparison. It's quite striking. I was never a particular fan of this kind of music, but your skill here is obvious. Well-balanced mix, apt instrumentation. A relaxed mid-tempo song that never feels hurried, yet feels satisfyingly complete at two minutes. That's an achievement.

[Barnadine]

Even more:

Khepira/Ikt Hut Eit - The chopped up grunts are quite arresting and convey a real sense of urgent discomfort, like someone undergoing a difficult bowel movement. Which is a perfect counterpoint to the spacious female vocals. The song's subtitle suggests a political undercurrent here, but I couldn't really pinpoint it in the music. The kick stabs in the opening are a bit too haphazard to build anticipation, but things gel together when the rest of the percussion joins in. Has a pleasant brooding quality.

respirator/waltz - This appeals to me. The slightly melancholy pacing, the musty lo-fi quality, the chopped-yet-human guitars - all of this is excellent. The only thing I didn't like was the clicking where the samples were chopped. I mean the little clicks at the start of the slice panned right on the third beat of the bar (not the more intentional click on the first beat later on, which actually balances it out well). Or it could possibly just be plectrum noise. I try to tell myself to be more open-minded about it and just accept the clicks as an interesting part of the sound, but I can't quite trick my brain into liking that sound in this context. Stupid stubborn brain. But yes, this is a very nice song.

vurt/dance or die - Do I hear beatboxing in there? The delay patterns set up some interesting evolving beats. The fun here is in the incidental details as the scenery changes. I like how it starts maching-gunning around 1:27 for a few seconds. For alert dancers only. Or for dancers working to a slower, more cosmic beat.

aeida cin/forrage - I love the loping beat here, and the smoky synths that ooze along beside it. The mix is a bit murky, like you've run it all through a low-pass filter. But that tends to suit the dark, late-night quality of the music. It doesn't really develop over the course of two minutes, but for some reason I didn't mind that at all here. Just content to lope along. Unsatisfying ending, though. Even if it's a cut down version of a longer jam, it deserves a real end. Could have ended cleanly on one of the final series of kicks.

ugo/Bonfire - Great intro. I almost wish you'd made a whole song just developing that, but it does set things up well for the big stormburst entry. I find myself drawn particularly to the more stripped-back sections of the song, where you evoke some great moods. The huge anthemic sections are well handled, but less distinctive for me. The mix feels a bit weak on the bass during the climaxes, and the main kick could be louder, I think. But I like what you're doing here. Recognisably a formula dance song, but you've added a personal voice to the formula. Apocalyptic. Nice one.

rsmus7/Poddies Dance - Some nice squelching going on here. A bit over-reliant on those arp patterns. A repeated arpeggio with different base notes isn't quite the same as a developed melody. Without human variation it tends to sap away the forward movement, although I do like it when things become more dissonant towards the end. The synth break is a nice spacious reprieve, though afterwards we fall straight back into the same arp pattern. Nice sounds though, Feels like the sort of dance that involves a lot of giddy whirling round in circles. Your mixing has become so much cleaner since you last used to enter these contests. Leaps and bounds.

[freeztar]

DJ Frozen Star comin' atcha with reviews fo' my peeps!!!
Spinnin' along wid deez great vibes, groovin' to KvR Radio!!!!
Lots o good shit, let's peep it!!!

LadyJ-Dis got dat phat sound, but seriously yo, we can smell a phoney two milez away. Props nonetheless.

Jamesb-My ass stayed planted in this chair the whole way through. Yo, I might dance to this on 3 e, but I'm jonesing at the mo'. Cool groove and good soundz, but doesn't make me move.

Wopelka-This dat shit to tweak out on! All de atonal bitches hit da dancefloor for this vibe. Good shit, just wut I needed at the mo'.

Richiebee-Vintage shit Yo! Funky-groovy disco comin' raw! Great vibes and some kickin' drums to move dat booty! Props!

liqih-Whoah, this got that funky riddim that be bouncin off the wallz! This shit blows up da club! Mix is a little raw, but I beatmatch that shit and boom, drum n bass delight!

Armadillo-This that shit that be bringin all the fly honeys out! Needs more boomBoom, but dancin' my ass off here fo' real! DJ Arm gottem movin'!!

Multree-Groovy little dig yo, but not ripe fo da club. Needs that boomboom to go wit dat groovy groove. Cool song though, props!

TristezaOrange-Yo this crazy fo real! Bitches be going to the bar fo this one, but I be groovin'! Brings out the bear in me fo real!

Damstraversaz-Yo, ufo's be flyin around my head and shit right before I land in da Turkish-Italian villa. Phat soundz to mix wit, definitly got dat boomboom! Send me the 12" and this shit be bumpin' all along the east coast yo!

Scuzzphut-Yo, this shit ripe fo real! Crazy synth lines and boomboom, this shit fire!! Wow, all da hotties gettin down on this shitz! Fo real, super props!

Farlukar-Yo crazy riddem fo shure! Gets me bumpin, but peeps be lookin around on da dancefloor! Needs more limitin yo, bring that shit hardcore!

Hovmod-This be that late night shit! All the fly honeys choosin their bed mates and I be swingin in da booth! But yeah, clears da dancefloor quick yo!

Shuzhen-DJ Shu brings it raw yo! Infectous grooves and great club mix yo! Fo real, this be bringin out da bitches, but why the sudden stop yo!

Katanaman-Funky groovy yo, fo realz! This some new shit that the dancefloor needs to hear fo realz! Groovy drumz yo!

[Armadillo]

(MOD EDIT - reviews only please)

[Katanaman]

(MOD EDIT - reviews only please)