ARTIST: -JARGONIZED- SONG: DON'T BLINK GENRE: ELECTRONIC / HARD HOUSE BREAKTHROUGH!! SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] I could only find one tune on the artist page: "Don't Blink". So I didn't even have to blink to find the track. Ironic isn't it? This is something else, truly. The artist called this trance. But this is far from trance. It is too experimental, and yes, beautiful to be labeled trance. I will call this hard house because it has the beginnings of a hard house track: psychedelic, agressive, housy, and very experimental. The good is that if you want something completely different in music, this is the track for you. If you are fond of electronic music, I think you will find Jargonized's experiment quite nice. It's full of innovative moves, and really breaks some boundaries of the structure and architecture of normal dance tunes. So if you're now convinced, you really don't have to read any further. Download this tune now! The bad is that there are several themes that define an extremely long introduction to what is the main theme of this track. These different themes don't vary a lot from each other, and the BPM is kept the same. So the dance will go on, but to some this will get confusing, since it will sound like several tracks have been mixed together. This portion also lasts a very long time, and therefore, many people will find the track frustrating (i.e not download the track). The great thing about this song though, is that the different themes sound like they have traits from different dance cultures, which to many will have a very symbolic effect. But anyhow, when the main theme finally hits at 3:25, everything will make sense. "Don't Blink" will still be a very weird experience, but the words "weird and beautiful" will find their way together. The main theme is clearly the best, since it is a sort of a sum of all the themes, if you get my drift. If you don't get my drift, I really can't explain it any further, you'll just have to listen to it for yourself to find out. The next bit is something I discovered by chance. The fun thing is that this track is so danceable that it will be, in most minds, the main attraction of any DJ session. I am not kidding. There are so many different moods in this track that it will appeal to all dancers on the dancefloor. Each dancer, will have their own special moment with this track. So in many ways, this track defines personalities: all dancers won't wait for the main theme to start dancing to the max, but individuals will find their own "main" theme which they like best. This again because there are so many different themes in this track. The best part about this, is that all the themes seem like a team of sorts, because even though they are different, all of them have been created using the same instruments and gadgets. The sad thing is when the track ends (meaning, when there is no more music) there is a 30 second portion with nothing at all, before the mp3 file ends. I am not going to give lower scores because of this, but some may find this annoying, so I'd thought I'd mention it. I could have written a book about this track: why it is so special, and why it should be recognized as a hard house breakthrough by every man or woman who knows anything about electronic music. But, I think I'll end it here and give you the reason why you'll find the extremely high score, (which should be given out on rare occasions only) attached to this song. The sum of it all, is this: listen to this track, or you'll regret it. This will without a doubt change the way you look at music in general, and will most certainly make you learn a thing or two about structure. To every dancer, this will be a breath of fresh air. To every listener, this will without a doubt bend an ear time and time again. To every musician, this song should be the blueprint, or bible if you will, on how to make a hard house track. This track isn't structured, and proves that music doesn't have to have the structure cliché to work. This track is great, so the track would get a high score. But the text in the italic explains then the main reason for my extremely high scoring. yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 10.00 Technical Skill: 8.50 Interest: 10.00 Recording Quality: 10.00 Long Term Appeal: 10.00 OVERALL: 9.70 ARTIST: 1000 DEAD SURFERS SONG: MORE THINGS IN HEAVEN AND EARTH GENRE: ELECTRONIC / ELECTRONIC SIMILAR: BOMB THE BASS [ visit this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] "More things in heaven and earth" is a very sample dependent song. Nothing really flows in this tune. Everything seems to be very sample based, because the whole thing sounds like a jigsaw puzzle which has been put together. A whole bunch of voice samples of unknown origin get repeated a lot throughout the whole track. But then it struck me, after about two minutes of listening: It reminds me a whole lot of the first groups we had when the sample technology was born. Groups that used the Amiga 500 games as BETA tests, before going public. R-Type, Blood Money, and some other shooter games were the market it seemed. One of these groups were Bomb the Bass, which made a tune for an old shooter game called Xenon 2. The tune was catchy, and quite good at that time. You really got to hear the true potential of the Amiga 500 back in the day. Bomb the Bass is also the group that made it through, and moved on to an album which believe it or not, sounded exactly the same as it did on the Amiga 500. Bomb the Bass should never, however, be put in the same place as Kraftwerk for instance, since Bomb the Bass were born under the sample theory, and they really believed in sampling. So everything within the tune is sampled, without any thought of making the track smoother, or cutting down on the loop-feel, or even touching a synthesizer. So now, the year is 2002, 10 years after the Amiga 500 reign, and Bomb the Bass's first CD. A group who call themselves "1000 dead surfers" try to regenerate the oldschool feel to techno, and really go back to basics (as in Stone-age basics.) As charmed to hear this retro sound again as I am, I have to point out that this kind of "thing" is far too outdated. The "best before" tag has long since seen its expire date. Even the sound quality, which would have been marvelous back in the day, is a little fuzzy. That said though, the tune is well structured, and has an extremely good build towards the groove, which this sort of music has to have to work. So I can't really throw my axe down all the way. It is marvelous to see people still holding on to old ways, and not changing old technology. It kind of brings a smile to my face also, when I remember the days of Bomb the Bass, KLF, and the Amiga 500. I can't really say that "those were the days", but to say that things have improved much since then, quality-wise, is a total lie. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.50 Technical Skill: 2.50 Structure: 8.50 Interest: 5.50 Recording Quality: 5.00 Long Term Appeal: 4.50 OVERALL: 5.90 ARTIST: A-TOM PROJECT SONG: PARIS GENRE: ELECTRONIC / ANOTHER TRANCE TUNE SIMILAR: TRANCE ARTISTS IN GENERAL [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Paris is yet another trance tune from yet another trance act. It is nice that the actual title has nothing to do with the sample used. This lets you use a little bit of imagination of what might happen. (Spoiler: Sample: "We can make it real." (in) title: "Paris.") The sample "We can make it real" comes booming out my speakers and the trance vibe comes in as an "in your face" experience, telling me that this is it, and there is nothing else. Well, I can respect that. It's nice to see music that has confidence and shows it in a good way. But as we all know, trance is a genre where the word "many" is an understatement. Problem I: is that the sound quality isn't as good as it should be. The tune has a lot of "ticks" in the sound, which can be improved by mere re-recording, so no worries. Problem II: is what I mentioned above. A-tom Project has made a valiant attempt at trance, no worries. But the competition that this tune has will just make it a shove-over, and it won't be all that interesting in the long run. Problem III: is probably the worst problem of all. It has nothing to do with the track at all either. The fact that the artist posts a song for me to review, and then eliminates all chances of me downloading it gets me confused. Doesn't the artist want fans? Many people will want to download A-tom Projects music. That is what mp3.com is for: To download. If a fan doesn't even have a calling card (song) then how is this fan going to find A-tom Project again and appreciate his work (again)? Hmm. In the end I have a tune that I think is far from bad. I even think it has potential, if improved on some areas. But the problems I pointed out sort of tell the story why the score, in the end, turned out to be, this score. yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 5.00 Technical Skill: 7.00 Interest: 4.50 Recording Quality: 2.00 Long Term Appeal: 3.50 OVERALL: 4.40 ARTIST: ACETATE COWBOYS SONG: SYNTHETIC GENRE: ELECTRONIC / ELECTRONICA SIMILAR: CHILL-OUT MUSIC [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] "Synthetic" by acetate cowboys is something of a different sound than what I've heard so far on GOM. I wouldn't call this house, because it doesn't have that housy beat that normal house has. Neither does it have that "pump technology" that makes house what house is today. But still, "synthetic" is a nice piece in the electronica genre I think. I'll explain later why I think this song acts a lot as a chill-out song. At the start of the track, I thought it sounded a bit lo/fi. But the artist quickly corrects this by adding strings, some vocal effects, and a smart cymbal inserted. At 1:40 into this recording I think is probably one of the great things about the track. Everything quickly fades, leaving only the strings, beat, and vocal effect left. Beautiful. After this the track plays on the same theme to 7:31, which is the end. The song ends with a minute or so long fade. You might think this sounds boring, but in fact, the theme tune is very nice to listen to. Even though the same theme is played, it has a twist every once in a while to make it interesting. So, it is not a loop that goes on and on and on. The negative side to this track is probably that it isn't for most people. For people who need a beat, and a track that is more direct, this track does not satisfy. Among the simularities between this track and those in the "chill-out" genre is that it leaves a lot for thought and mind. It doesn't has a specific structure as, for example, "trance" or "house" needs in order to achieve its identity. But, as a stand alone work, this track is great! This track makes you curious, and I guess it's a kind of curiousity that gives this track the added bonus: If you close your eyes, and free your mind a little, this track will give you a relaxing experience through a wonderful soundscape that lasts you a long time. yours: www.mp3.com/Xanitra yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 5.00 Technical Skill: 9.50 Structure: 6.00 Interest: 9.50 Recording Quality: 9.00 Long Term Appeal: 9.00 OVERALL: 8.00 ARTIST: ALEX DJ SONG: BORN TO KARMA (REBIRTH MIX) GENRE: ELECTRONIC / TECHNO, GOA SIMILAR: GOOD, HEARTFELT TRANCE [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Taken from artists own page: "The More You Listen, The More You Learn I'm a progressive and melodic trance/techno artist with a mission to make electronic music with kicks, that hit you in the solar plexus, beats to make you dance, riffs to catch your ear and melodies to reach for your heart. Love is Music." -Alex DJ Born To Karma (Rebirth Mix) is a very nice title don't you think? OK, this trance tune is rather different than other trance tunes from mp3.com because it has some culture in there as well. I think it is safe to say that this tune is highly inspired by the culture of India (if I am totally wrong here, please let me know.) This tune that I am listening to, sounds more smart than trance is. Trance is a genre with a vocal, a build, a main part, and an ending (for most trance tunes this is actually true.) But this tune doesn't have the mathematical curse written all over it, which gives this tune a heart as well as that it just sounds good. If you look to the first paragraph once again, and read what the artists idea of what music is, he ain't too far off. If all his music sounds as good as this tune does, he is on his way in my opinion. To create trance is simple, but to create good trance seems to get harder and harder as the mp3.com charts get filled with more and more crap. But on some occasions, people that I haven't even heard about before manages to impress me. Alex DJ, be proud. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 8.00 Technical Skill: 8.50 Interest: 9.50 Recording Quality: 9.50 Long Term Appeal: 9.00 OVERALL: 8.90 ARTIST: ALEX SWAN SONG: BEYOND ANDROMEDA GENRE: ELECTRONIC / TRANCE SIMILAR: TRANCE [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] This tune starts right off with beats and bass:) No samples or other riff raff. The tune builds. The tune is nothing exceptional. But the melody, is still very catchy, and gives the trance tune it's own identity which it so desperately needs in the mp3.com money-world. So, yeah, there is nothing wrong with this trance tune. It is well produced, has a nifty melody, and knows when to shut down (end.) I went to the artists site, and the first thing I noticed was this: EVERYBODY, can make some sort of music these days. It suddenly hit me when I saw the artist picture. This guy is very young, still he manages to make grooves such as this? Wow, I am impressed. This guy has amazed me more than the 4 or so other trance artists I've listened to today. All I can say is that if this is Alex Swans so called "first attempt at trance" as he said on his website, his future compositions will seriusly kick some speakers*! Yours: http://www.mp3.com/xanitra yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 8.00 Technical Skill: 8.50 Interest: 8.50 Recording Quality: 9.00 Long Term Appeal: 8.50 OVERALL: 8.50 ARTIST: ANGIE´S SPIRAL SONG: INTIMATE SPACES GENRE: ELECTRONIC / ELECTRONIC SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ visit this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] This song starts extremely originally with some nice voice samples panning from left and right, then enters an electronic theme of sorts. Angie´s Spiral IS original. There is no doubt about that. Their sound is different from anything else I've heard. Where other artists choose the most used samples for their music, Angie´s Spiral have picked some rhythm samples that I've never come across before. This experience alone is worth downloading intimate spaces for. Sound quality is top notch as it should be in electronic music heaven, and the structure is simple, understandable, and works fine with the given theme. I wouldn't call this New Age, since it's not that far out, as most New Age music is, but it is electronic music with a ambient touch. I recommend this song to anybody who wants to add some spice to their boring playlist, and something new to their mind. This material will not be popular with everyone, but not everybody likes spice, do they? yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.50 Technical Skill: 8.00 Structure: 7.00 Interest: 7.50 Recording Quality: 9.00 Long Term Appeal: 7.00 OVERALL: 8.00 ARTIST: ANUBISTONE SONG: COALITION GENRE: ELECTRONIC / DRUM N'BASS SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Artists own words: "Man, I love this song!!!!! Not too much to it, but it grooves sumthin fierce. It's hard to classify. Definitely between Jungle and Ambient Drum-n-Bass. This song s fun to dance to and also, just to sit back and ZONE OUT!!!!. With this one you just have to let it play......like a coalition for serene grooves......" My words: Yes, indeed. This song does groove a whole lot. I actually enjoyed this song quite a bit too:) But lets get back to the "groove." This song does groove. So much so that my speaker has problems getting all the bass sounds out at any one time. I even tried this tune on my headphones, which don't have so many bass elements as my speaker has. Still, the same result, only here, the melody gave room for the bass, meaning bass only, no melody. Some further focus on the engineering of the bass would be a great idea, since it would then be more tolerated by the general audiences of speakers and sound systems. But enough with the technical talk. I like this tune very much. Its structure is unquestionable: Exciting! Far from the usual start to finish, by the book structure, this is really a nice change. As a consequence the tune is very interesting, and with a new twist that should be looked to with respect. This tune also has a certain "sparkle" that other drum n' bass tunes lack. It certainly is experimental, and there are elements that make it a real screamer for reasons more than one. I love it in the way the atmosphere just fades out, to give way for the more random pad playing, which is mysterious to some effect. Then, suddenly, "whoa", back is the atmospheric beats, and "whooom" sound once again. I actually love (what is in my opinion) the main attraction at 1:56 when the tune completely stops for a wonderfully reverbed ambient harp like effect. Excellent for random thinking, marvel, and dance excel. The problems with this tune isn't its behavior, but more its form. If the bass could have been tuned down somewhat for the weaker speaker, it would receive my hailing. Also, the ending is somewhat difficult to understand. I know it has some symbolic meaning to end a track like that, but if I wanted to end this track like the ending here, all I would need to do was press the stop button. Great song! If you turn down the bass, crank up the volume, and ignore the ending: Download and don't think twice. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.00 Technical Skill: 7.00 Structure: 9.00 Interest: 8.00 Recording Quality: 5.00 Long Term Appeal: 8.00 OVERALL: 7.60 ARTIST: APATHEIA SONG: THE DUST HAS SETTLED II GENRE: FOLK / FOLK SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] "The Dust Has Settled II" is a wonderful folk hymn of various influences and instruments. It also has a military march drum as a main attraction. I can say it right away, the sound quality could have been better. But this isn't really an issue, since I think the material really has no problem charismatically. This song oozes with charm, as the theme is powerful, and straight to the point in its texture. So if you can overlook a small issue, you'll be happy downloading this song. Its structure is nice, as it builds itself slowly up, to include some faint vocals in the background. It really sounds like a bunch of people have sung this song together, which to me is a nice touch; there is most often only one person singing. Besides, if a bunch of people are telling you that the "The Dust Has Settled", you'll believe them. There is nothing humongous about this track though. It won't blow you away, or anything. But it is a nice touch, humble as it may be. It should belong on anybody's playlist, either as a break from all ordinary music, or a start in the collection of many songs like it. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.00 Technical Skill: 7.00 Structure: 8.00 Interest: 8.00 Recording Quality: 5.50 Long Term Appeal: 8.50 OVERALL: 7.60 ARTIST: AUTUMN WIND SONG: AWAKE (DEMO) GENRE: ALTERNATIVE / ALTERNATIVE SIMILAR: SADLY, NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] "Awake" has to be forgiven for its sound quality. The mp3 file has "demo" written on it, so it's not the finished recorded product. But believe me, even without a studio, this tune could have been recorded with more care. Firstly, there is a large "tick" sound at the very start of the track. To have a "tick" in between beats can be forgiven, but to have it where the track actually begins to start... Also, everything seems to be too blended amongst a studio / room reverb, and recorded too low. I don't want the song at too high volumes either, because then it will ruin the beauty that I'm about to mention. But still, crank it up man! I'll stop my criticism there, because there really isn't any need for it anymore. This song ladies and gentlemen has tremendous potential: What we have here is a female vocal, guitars and a light drum, and to round it all down some heavy strings, and some sound effects to give this track a cold flavor. Furthermore, the tune flows almost like a new-age piece. It’s very relaxing and soothing. I can't tell you to download the track since the sound quality is just way below standard. But please, check the artist out, and stay tuned for what I hope is an improved recording of this beautiful song. Wow! Hey, by the way, ask the artist, maybe the better version is on the CD? yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.00 Technical Skill: 8.50 Interest: 10.00 Recording Quality: 1.00 Long Term Appeal: 10.00 OVERALL: 7.70 ARTIST: BEDNJANEC SONG: MIRACLE GENRE: FOLK / INSTRUMENTAL SIMILAR: STATE4 (MP3.COM) [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Miracle is a charming mood music piece, which is best listened to with a sub-woofer as it then produced a very warm, and friendly sound to anybody lucky enough to be listening. The whole melody is very well arranged, and extremely well structured. As you might have guessed, the sound quality is wonderful, and could very well been recorded in a studio since it sounds so neat. Although I prefer more experimental material, I must say I am very impressed by this performance, which is a rare achievement by all standards. If you are indeed a fan of this type of relaxing music, with guitar being the main instrument, you would do well in picking this song up, and maybe even some more tracks from the artist page. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.00 Technical Skill: 9.00 Structure: 9.00 Interest: 9.00 Recording Quality: 9.00 Long Term Appeal: 9.00 OVERALL: 9.00 ARTIST: BLUE ATTITUDE SONG: SONG FOR KATHY GENRE: INSTRUMENTAL / BLUES SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ visit this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] I'll let the artist present himself first: "I'm a guitarist who spent many years playing in Blues and Blues/Rock bands at the semi-pro level, doing weekend gigs in clubs. Finally got tired of that and am now having a blast writing and recording original instrumental music. Most of the stuff I do is blues and blues/rock based music, but I have some other genres that I'm also working on. Please listen to my tunes, and feel free to download them if you wish. If you like what you hear, please take the time to rate the song. Being a solo project I get very little in the way of feedback, so all comments are welcome. Cheers, -Dave" Me: Well, you've come to the right place for feedback Dave. Remember, I am one person, and not a crowd. So don't take what I say as "the judgment in black and white.[/]" But I am honest, and hope that you'll find what I write useful. Blue Attitude has produced an instrumental blues tune with a nice theme to it. The recording quality is surprisingly good, so most people who love the electric guitar with have a ball with this tune, since it sounds clean and untouched by hissing, crackling, or other riff raff. The tune moves smoothly along as blues should, and it has a fairly decent structure, which keeps the tune at the sort of "easy listening" style that the tune intends to have. What really makes this tune excellent is exactly this easy listening atmosphere that travels through the tune, and comes out in any room through a speaker when played. It will relax you, and if you preferably like this kind of music, you'll even be tempted to listening to the music in the background while browsing the artist page of Blue Attitude for more decent tunes to add to your listening pleasure. What I can't help say though, is that I wish this tune had vocals. No, not somebody else's vocals. Blues gets so much more atmosphere if the artist who plays actually sings as well. Blues is not my main genre, so you might correct me on this one, but in all my time I've always enjoyed people who can play, and tell their own story through their own voice. Blues is all about stories expressed through music, and an emotional vocalist with a guitar, or other instrument at hand. Emotions can be a lot of things: Anger, frustration, love, sadness, hopefulness, or seeing an artist looking just way bummed out. These are all emotions, helping the song move at a much faster pace. Not all music needs this, but blues, to me, isn't blues without the vocals. Blue Attitude isn't doing anything wrong with "Song for Kathy." In fact, the I would imagine that the song doesn't need vocals. If I was Kathy, sitting there listening, the music, and the artist's look, would be enough for me. But if the song was called perhaps "One day at Kentucky" the vocals would help a lot. If you like blues as easy listening, I urge you to download the track and listen to it yourself. The song doesn't tell so much a story, but maybe a song like "Song for Kathy" really doesn't need a story, since the music pretty much speaks for itself. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 6.50 Technical Skill: 7.50 Structure: 7.50 Interest: 6.00 Recording Quality: 9.00 Long Term Appeal: 6.00 OVERALL: 7.00 ARTIST: BLUE GROOVE SONG: SHE'S LOVING SOMEONE ELSE GENRE: ROCK / EXPERIMENTAL SIMILAR: MOBY [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] She's Loving Someone Else is a feel good track about a little more gloomy subject. There is some awesome guitar playing in the tune, if this is the artists own, or sampled I really don't know. But everything is very well mastered with piano, guitar, drums, and bass well coordinated into each other. The only thing I don't like is the voice sample, which is way too high. The sample is so high, that it actually produces its own clicks, and some unwanted noise as well. This is really sad, because a technicality is going to rob this tune of a better score. The structure of this tune works fine. You come to understand the tune the first time you hear it through (i.e. the tune has a good, and simple structure.) It starts as suddenly as it ends, and the whole thing only lasts a refreshing 3:35, which means it will fit well with people who don't favour the genre, but just want something else in their playlist. This tune is very nice, because it is very "light", and will lighten many a soul from dominating tunes that carry a heavy message. The title of the track is "She's Loving Someone Else", and the tune really answers its own title with "but I'm doing alright." Yes, the tune is that positive, and energetic. I only wish the sound quality could have been better. The tune sounds great, but it's that voice sample that is pressed too high which really is the downer. It is annoying, because I really wish that voice sample could have been perfected. If you are of the forgiving kind, download. The tune will instantly fill you with a more happy vibe. If you in fact are in love with someone who loves someone else, I believe that this tune may be one of your cures. Too bad about the voice sample sound peak though, because this tune was on a roll. As for me, I'm downloading, and turning down the middle equalizer on my winamp player. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 6.00 Technical Skill: 6.00 Structure: 9.00 Interest: 9.00 Recording Quality: 0.50 Long Term Appeal: 8.00 OVERALL: 6.40 ARTIST: BLUE GROOVE SONG: SHE'S LOVING SOMEONE ELSE GENRE: ROCK / EXPERIMENTAL SIMILAR: MOBY [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] She's Loving Someone Else is a feel good track about a little more gloomy subject. There is some awesome guitar playing in the tune, if this is the artists own, or sampled I really don't know. But everything is very well mastered with piano, guitar, drums, and bass well coordinated into each other. The only thing I don't like is the voice sample, which is way too high. The sample is so high, that it actually produces its own clicks, and some unwanted noise as well. This is really sad, because a technicality is going to rob this tune of a better score. The structure of this tune works fine. You come to understand the tune the first time you hear it through (i.e. the tune has a good, and simple structure.) It starts as suddenly as it ends, and the whole thing only lasts a refreshing 3:35, which means it will fit well with people who don't favour the genre, but just want something else in their playlist. This tune is very nice, because it is very "light", and will lighten many a soul from dominating tunes that carry a heavy message. The title of the track is "She's Loving Someone Else", and the tune really answers its own title with "but I'm doing alright." Yes, the tune is that positive, and energetic. I only wish the sound quality could have been better. The tune sounds great, but it's that voice sample that is pressed too high which really is the downer. It is annoying, because I really wish that voice sample could have been perfected. If you are of the forgiving kind, download. The tune will instantly fill you with a more happy vibe. If you in fact are in love with someone who loves someone else, I believe that this tune may be one of your cures. Too bad about the voice sample sound peak though, because this tune was on a roll. As for me, I'm downloading, and turning down the middle equalizer on my winamp player. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 6.00 Technical Skill: 6.00 Structure: 9.00 Interest: 9.00 Recording Quality: 0.50 Long Term Appeal: 8.00 OVERALL: 6.40 ARTIST: BRAD CURTIS SONG: BRAVE GENRE: COUNTRY / COUNTRY SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Part of lyrics: "A father runs into a house that's burnin' it's three kids inside, he brings 'em out, as the house crashes down. Call him brave..." This is a song about brave people, and who the artist sees as brave people. Not who you see as brave people, nor I see as brave people, but the artist's own thoughts on who the brave "really" are. The song is nice, and although I doubt that this has been recorded with a real guitar at hand, it sounds nice with the (easy to listen to) keyboard-type background country sounds. It is easy to like this tune, because it is quite personal with a not-too-complicated structure and lyrics that aren't as long as a book. Nope, your ordinary country type song, that sounds like it really comes from the heart. The sound quality could have been better. For starters, if this really was recorded from a real guitar, this has to be the worst guitar recording I've ever heard! It has to be keyboard guitar sounds, man, it just had to be! Ears don't quit on me now!! The second thing I noticed is that the vocals are much higher in the mix than the background music. But that is just a minor problem. It is worse when you actually can't hear the singer at all, so at least here you hear the man singing for crying out loud! You don't have to check out the artist page for lyrics, because you can just listen. Brilliant, an artist without a phobia for his own voice! Bravo! The artist is a good singer as well, and I really liked Brad Curtis's voice. It gives the song that extra warmth to make the title "brave" more understandable than if for instance Axl Rose of Guns'N Roses sang the same song. The bottom line is it's a nice meal that can be easily swallowed down by many who want to try out a sort of humble country sound. I recommend this tune for the warm hearted nature that it carries, and the fact that it will even create new fans of country music. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 8.00 Technical Skill: 6.50 Structure: 8.00 Interest: 6.50 Lyrics: 7.00 Performance: 7.50 Recording Quality: 3.50 Long Term Appeal: 8.00 OVERALL: 6.80 ARTIST: BRAVO & PRIEST SONG: STRUCTURE GENRE: ELECTRONIC / ELECTRONIC SIMILAR: BEST IF TRANCE [ visit this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Taken from artist site: This track was originally meant to be a remix of DJ Argon's tune also called "Structure". But because the remix was so different from the original it became a rework... :-) The artist mentions here that this tune actually is a remix of a tune by DJ Argon. But I'm here to review THIS track, not also listen to the original. That's not in my "contract" so to speak, so I won't bother. I only work here, so any relations between Bravo & Priest, & DJ Argon, is none of my business. Review The tune starts off rather funky, with a solid blend of beats and bass grinds. Finally at 1:53 a melody starts to appear, and it all kind of blends in quite smoothly. This tune is extremely well structured. Everything is calculated quite right, when it comes to intro, build up (which I might add is very well done), and the actual main event - which occurs at 03:44. By this point the song will most certainly have everyone dancing. If you're sitting down, you'll be waving your mug of beer back and forth; if you're on the dancefloor, you'll be out of control; and if you're just hanging around checking out people of the opposite sex, you'll most certainly have the right soundtrack going for you. Yes, this tune has it all. It's not that the theme is so super-original, or even that it is so nice to listen to. We've heard it before. But what Bravo & Priest has accomplished here sounds extremely well coordinated, and yes, again I mention structure. This tune is as essential to any dancer as coffee is in the morning, because it is so well produced both in terms of structure, and the tremendous sound quality that bas been exercised. The tune is not far from accomplishing my chart for best trance song of 2002 thus far. The tune seems to make it sound so easy to make trance. But believe me, it's not. It is as hard as ever to get recognized in trance these days, because there is so much crap to choose from. So when I say "choose this tune", I know what I'm talking about, because dance tested, I have been. Sound? Oh yes, it's there. Party? Sure, got a beer? yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 8.50 Technical Skill: 9.00 Structure: 10.00 Interest: 9.50 Recording Quality: 8.00 Long Term Appeal: 9.00 OVERALL: 9.00 ARTIST: CANNON PROJECT SONG: STARWAY (PROMO) GENRE: ELECTRONIC / TRANCE (YES, THEY KEEP COMING DON'T THEY....) SIMILAR: READ ARTIST BIO FOR INFO ON THIS [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Taken from artist page: "Wow! Lots of WIDE pads, groovy sequences... One of the best tracks we ever made! Download it NOW!" DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO GOD DAMN IT!! Ok, now I can start reviewing. Yes, there seems to be a WIDE arrange of pads on this one. Cannon Project is a loud and proud trance artist on mp3.com, with a wide arrange of songs. The songs range from titles like "Ibiza" to "Dreams." The most intelligent title I found was "Sun Spirit." But I am here to review "StarWay (Promo)", not the titles. Why they've put the "promo" in there, I don't know. Either the song is unfinished, or it needs some retuning, or, uhm I don't know... I am not going to tell you anything about the tune. It's trance, that's it, there you have it, no more explanation needed. But there still are a few things that make this tune special. I do like the cymbal that hits in at 0:45 somewhere though, because it is simple. Some artists tell the world that they are best, because they have the most complicated cymbal structure. A simple 1, 2, 3, helping the beat along is an effect that many underestimate, and should use more often. Well done Cannon Project. Another good thing is the structure. The mathematical piece that this is, is correct, when the answer appears. What I mean by this is that you know when it is going to start rocking, and basically when it will end. The problem with this tune though, if I may be so blunt, is that the sound production itself is a dilemma in itself. Some artists think they get the best produced songs by pitching everything that has to do with tone way above normal. In this case too, the tones have been pitched WAY too high. It all sounds very great in the start since there isn't so many characters (instruments) in the song. But when the song starts to build is when the problem starts to show itself proud and smiling large: If you have too many of these tones (all of course pitched on the same level) striking in all at once, trying to be on the scene, everything gets way too crowded. Whatever happened to the tunes with less of the kick, and more of that warm sound? Ah well, anyway.. When 2:55 finally kicks in, what we basically have is a monstrous crowd of sounding nightmare mayhem that will only hurt ears, and eardrums. No dancing no, because the DJ has to turn down the volume each time the 2:55 comes along. Since most CD players and amplifiers don't have equalizers anymore, it all gets a little awkward. The tune is a valiant attempt, and the melody is (even though I know the score) a-ok. If only the tone could have been a little lower, things could have been just great! Try to re-record this baby, making room for the bass in the climax some more, and lower the overall tone of "StarWay (promo)". Then maybe removing of the "(promo)" in the title will be a good thing, no? yours:Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 6.50 Technical Skill: 8.00 Interest: 5.50 Recording Quality: 0.50 Long Term Appeal: 8.50 OVERALL: 5.80 ARTIST: CAUTION MC SONG: RAIN GENRE: RAP / SKA SIMILAR: (NORWEGIAN:) WARLOCKS [ visit this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] "ORIGINAL" is the first thing that runs through my mind when listening to Caution MC. The sound quality is quite good. The song has been recorded upon a rain sample. Although you can actually hear that this hasn't been recorded in a studio, I must say I was mighty impressed by both lyrics, and the vocal with rap insignia. The vocalist sings / raps well, and gives the final touch to this tune. The structure is nice. It leaves breaks for you to hear the rain splatter down, and the extremely melancholic electronic piano gives a nice atmosphere to dwell under. To top it all off the structure gives room for the vocalist's ramblings about his pain. The vocalist's frustration sounds like it comes from a relationship that is over. I'm not saying any more, but the lyrics are very well written. Simple, but VERY powerful. The thing that will split those who download this tune though, from those who really don't is the following. There really is no melody other than the electronic piano, and a constant bass playing. The vocalist actually stands for most of the instrumentation in the track. And while I think this is genius, some will be turned away, and walk to the more melodic ska tunes. Everybody should however agree, Caution MC has here made a track with good emotional lyrics, and powerful atmosphere. The track is recommendable to all who listen to music, because this is new, with a slight personal touch, and very original. This alone, should be enough to earn Caution MC some respect. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 8.00 Technical Skill: 6.50 Structure: 8.00 Interest: 8.00 Lyrics: 9.00 Recording Quality: 7.50 Long Term Appeal: 8.50 OVERALL: 7.90 ARTIST: CENSUS OF THE MIND SONG: GENERATED EMOTION GENRE: ELECTRONIC / EXPERIMENTAL TECHNO SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Once in a while there comes a tune that is quite original. This can be either good, or bad given how you see things. The thing with this track is that it uses stereo effects to full force. Panning sounds to the left and right of the speaker. This in return, gives a very spacey experience, while others, who like things head on, may find the left / right experience extremely annoying. The track starts off extremely nice, but don't think it will stay like the intro throughout the track. For some reason it goes into a sort of "can't decide what to do next" state, where beats, the panning from left to right theme, and a lone cymbal all come into practice at random. The positive about this, is that it will to many sound like something, if not totally new, different and daring. And yes, this is a twist to electronic music. In some parts, the randomization of it all leaves the track completely silent, this is also quite special, and in my opinion an under appreciated tool in electronic music. But in the end, it is more the technical sides to this track that gives the track a worse score than it could have gotten for its originality alone. The random feel of this track, destroys any means of structure. The intro is intact, but other than that you'll be guessing when the track will ever get to the point, or even look at the clock on your Winamp to see how far out in the track you've gone. The sound quality is also something to think about: Firstly, the sound is kind of "wobbly", like the wav file was drowned in water before turned into an mp3 file. I don't know, but this can especially by heard when the cymbal, and some of the beat kicks in. Also, on another note, the ending, is it supposed to sound like that? I listened to it in hifi, and thought it was my connection. So I downloaded the tune just in case. But, yes. The same problem proceeds to encounter me: The ending: There is none. The tune has for some reason just been cut off. No fade, no hint at the song ending, nothing. Where the tune ends, it makes sense, but I just wish the artist would have spent more time making a descent ending for a track he undoubtedly spent a long time making. I recommend this track to anybody wanting to explore the unknown regions of electronic music. As highly unstructured as this piece is, tread carefully. I like the atmosphere in the track, but too many things get in the way of the tune getting a really good score. yours:Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 8.50 Technical Skill: 6.00 Structure: 3.00 Interest: 7.50 Recording Quality: 5.00 Long Term Appeal: 7.00 OVERALL: 6.10 ARTIST: CHRIS BRADSTREET SONG: WHITE HEAT [EXTENDED MIX] GENRE: ELECTRONIC / TRANCE SIMILAR: TRANCE GARBAGE [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] This tune is another take on trance. With beats, cymbal, and all clichés intact. The structure is ok, as in "it works." The sound quality isn't too bad either, since you can hear the tune clearly, and there is no low, or high volume nonsense. But can we really tell to people that this is something new and improved, and tell people to download this tune or die trying? No, I am sorry, we can not. Several other elements have to be intact as well in a trance tune. Soul!! Yes, the trance-engine that this is works really well in the mix, but does it qualify for the "king of the hill" trophy? Well.... It has nothing unique about it, that makes this tune special. It doesn't have a theme which the listener can remember it by. Since I'm not the "audience", I can not speak for everybody. Sure! Maybe you'll like it:) I'm just saying that it didn't move me (as in me only) as much as many other trance formulas I've heard. I guess this tune turns to the listener for advice. I didn't like it as much as I should have. But the sound quallity, and the structure of the tune, both works quite well, and tells the all so familar story of trance. That alone, is something to admire I think:) yours:Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 4.50 Technical Skill: 6.00 Structure: 5.00 Interest: 4.50 Recording Quality: 8.00 Long Term Appeal: 2.50 OVERALL: 5.00 ARTIST: CORE SONG: TELL ME GENRE: ELECTRONIC / TRANCE SIMILAR: LOTS [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Yes, another trance artist. At least his page is fairly good looking compared to some other artist sites I've ventured to. One important thing about mp3.com is that they let you personalize your artist page, which is a good thing. The first thing that comes to mind when I listen to "Tell Me" by Core is that it is fairly simplistic. The melody doesn't go to new heights in originality, nor does it excel at being the "mother of all." No, this one tends to be one in the crowd, with a spectacular advantage: this song has probably some of the best engineering I've come across. I ran the song through different sound experiments were I increased the bass and then tone of the tune. The artist has managed to get a 100% pure recording, and the song still makes it possible for me to use my equalizer for my preferred settings. Wonderful:) Some tunes come pre- equalized, whereas this tune is clear and fine without so much of one use of that annoying tool. Brilliant work. DJ's will love this track. The tune stays to the theme and never leaves it. Maybe this is what the artist wanted to achieve, or perhaps there is another reason for keeping the same theme throughout the song. Dancers will also love this tune. If mixed correctly, this tune will blend in with the sets of the finest of DJs that the artist himself so proudly links to on his artist site. However for those of us who just want a decent tune to listen to, or something to add to our mp3 collection, I have to withdraw my support a little. While this tune has what it takes for any dance floor it won't appeal as much to listeners who want cream of the crop originality. Many of us are tired of the bleeding trance, and the blown techno. If it were up to us, "unique" would be the word to save both genres. Alas, core has not taken a very unique approach to this type of music. The quality of the tune falls short when it comes to being "something to be remembered." It may be memorable on the dance floor but on a Winamp play list it will fall short compared to a normal person's favorite tunes. So far -Sound quality wise, this tune is a god. -Structure wise, the tune never leaves the theme. -Originality, is lacking This means you have a 50/50 chance of falling into one of two groups: Either you belong to first 50%, which thinks the quality of the tune sounds nice but lacks individuality. The lacks of originality will make you forget the artist's name which is a shame because somebody out there worked hard on this material, and without any attention what was the reason for making it? Or you belong to the other 50% and download the tune right away. You'll certainly fall in love with the tune, even though it could have been more original. This tune has plenty of adrenaline to keep the blood flowing, and the dance will certainly start, even without the DJ. I'll leave it up to you to decide which side you will take. Yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 6.50 Technical Skill: 10.00 Structure: 8.00 Interest: 6.00 Recording Quality: 10.00 Long Term Appeal: 5.00 OVERALL: 7.50 ARTIST: DARKUFO II SONG: PARTICLE ACCELERATOR GENRE: ELECTRONIC / TRANCE SIMILAR: BELOW AVARAGE TRANCE [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Taken from artist page: "A two man techno band whose music is inspired by his Research into UFO's, Aliens and Alien Abductions." $23,647.09 in MP3.com Earnings What is trance? What is (psy)trance? Is there really a difference? Psychedelic trance was the magnificent era when trance was even more trancy. The theme, playing over and over again, would "put people on the dance floor in a trance." (Hence, the trance genre was born.) DarkUFO II as they call themselves are filthy rich due to mp3.com earnings. Many mp3.com artists have struggled hard to get where DarkUFO II are now. I haven't the faintest idea of how an artist can earn this money, either if it's hard work or good promotion tactics involved; I don't really understand it. In some cases it will have NOTHING to do with the music AT ALL. What I can understand however is the music that I review and my opinion about it - in this case: DarkUFO IIs music. Excuse me one minute, I’ve just got to check this one more time. "$23,647.09 in MP3.com Earnings." Yes, that is the text all right. Particle Accelerator is a trance tune, no less, no more. The "Psy", in the trance should be ignored. This is trance, plain and simple. What makes this even more interesting when you think about the $$$ is that the tune isn’t original at all. I've heard a zillion trance tunes that sound exactly like this one and I have heard trance tunes that are brilliant with a big 0$ attached to the artist. (So don't let the $$$ fool you.) It doesn't help it much that the theme of the tune is played throughout the whole track either. There is a slight change in melody at 3:35, but changing the melody one time in the track won't make a genius. The theme, the rhythm, the "beautiful" piano, and the bass don’t appeal to me at all. Sure, the thing sounds good, not great, but surely A-ok quality wise. But, those are alas my only words in the positive direction. Everything else in the track says nothing about talent, or musical experience. This track only says a whole lot about how to create it, what is "beautiful" to people in general, and how to make it sound good. The track is dull, the name of the track is even duller, and the price tag of this artist is $23,647.09. Go figure. But, I guess I'm not a fan (or backer as they say on mp3.com) MIKE supports DarkUFO! see all "backers" ? Yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 2.50 Technical Skill: 6.50 Interest: 0.50 Recording Quality: 8.00 Long Term Appeal: 1.00 OVERALL: 3.70 ARTIST: DIGICRYSTAL SONG: THE LAST SNOW GENRE: ELECTRONIC / GAME MUSIC SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] It is weird, but this sounds exactly the same as the sound my computer produces for some of the games I play, all midi files of course. Well enough of that. The Last Snow is a nice touch by DigiCrystal; I'm just not sure if it is all that authentic. I mean, sure, sure, it is beautiful and all, with snow and everything, but it all gets too sweet for me. The sound quality is unquestionable! But, still. there is no substance to the music. It's just a sappy tune to me, that I think belongs more in a game than being made by a musician. But I guess this is music too, so here goes. The Last Snow's main fault is that it changes too suddenly, and doesn't let the listener relax. Even if I listened to this piece six times, I still couldn't make much sense of it. I lastly figured it out: The structure in this tune is complicated. In fact so complicated that the only things I recognized in the entire tune were the intro, with the outro. Between these two, there was no structure. Not at all! It seems as though this tune should have been longer. I have never encountered it before, or encouraged it, but this tune needs more verses to actually feel right. This tune lasts for about two minutes, not being repetive at all. If it lasted four minutes instead, just by playing the exact same two minutes twice, the tune would make more sense, because then the listener would travel back to that beautiful place which he or her just listened to after two minutes. Yup, more understandable already. As it is now, I get lost, and can't put my finger on where to relax in the hellish, bittersweet snow storm that this is. The artist shows talent, but sometimes less is more. Yes, "loop" is a dreaded word, and should be used with caution. But still, having a loop or two doesn't hurt one bit. Every type of music, uses the "loop" philosophy to its advantage: to engage, encourage, and to state a point more than once. Simply put, get the track into your head. This song has so much to say, that it is hard to follow, and so the message gets lost in all the beauty that the song tries to show off. If you want a break in your winamp collection with just some ambient garbage, this is the song for you. But if you want an ambient tune with a clear theme, look elsewhere. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 5.00 Technical Skill: 6.00 Structure: 1.50 Interest: 4.00 Recording Quality: 9.00 Long Term Appeal: 3.00 OVERALL: 4.70 ARTIST: DIGITAL DISTRACTION SONG: LET IT SLIDE GENRE: ELECTRONIC / EXPERIMENTAL, JAZZY SIMILAR: NO SIMILARITIES [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] YESS!!! Wow! What a ride! I've heard the whole tune a few times before starting to write this review, and I can only say one thing: "Wow!" There is true excellence behind this piece of work. Drum rhythm, guitar playful goodness!! I really enjoyed this one. This tune is a mix of jazz elements, beats that are wild, but still manages to give the tune a lot of personality. The tune never builds up to anything, or never really climaxes. It just begins and ends right where it began with jazzy, musically wonderful goodness. "Happy jazz" is probably the best way to describe this tune. "Let It Slide" by Digital Distraction is actually something fairly new and exciting when I start to think about it. I have never heard a similar tune on mp3.com, or in the music industry for that matter. If this is "Digital Distraction"s main single they are going to do well. Because this tune is not only a breakthrough as a new style, or form of music. But the tune boasts so much personality and energy, that it will appeal even after quite a few listens. The tune is short, and to the point. No intro or ending, it just starts and stops right in the middle of the jazzy beats and great atmosphere. As a more unprofessional note for myself, I am adding this song to my collection, and looking forward to any productions I hear from these guys in the future. You should all visit these guys, NOW. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.50 Technical Skill: 9.50 Structure: 9.00 Interest: 9.00 Recording Quality: 9.00 Long Term Appeal: 8.50 OVERALL: 9.00 ARTIST: DIRTY LIGHT SWITCHES SONG: DRIPPING ROSES GENRE: ELECTRONIC / ELECTRONIC SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] The first thing I'd like to say is that you have to have good equipment and maybe some knowledge on what software to get when deciding to start making electronic music. The sound quality of this tune is okay, but the sounds themselves are extremely below average. Besides the beat and the cymbal, everything sounds lo/fi, and really sounds like it was made on an old Amiga 500 sampler. The structure seems all right, as the tune makes a whole lot of sense and flows accordingly. But, given how it sounds, that doesn't help much. The artist seems fairly honest, and fairly humble, which I think tilts everything in a positive direction. He really has the structure just right in his music, which is a good start for anybody working with electronic music. So I really have no complaints on structure. Besides good instruments and sound, electronic music you REALLY needs a good structure to make everything work properly. Heck, come to think of it the structure is probably the most important of all actually. So with a little bit of scientific research on the instrument department, and some better equipment, Dirty Light Switches is something to look for in the future. If you need a good example of a good structured electronic piece by the way, I really do recommend "Dripping Roses" to the lot of you. If you nevermind the lo/fi, it is kind of funky in a corny kind of way, and that can only be a good thing, right? yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 2.50 Technical Skill: 5.00 Structure: 9.50 Interest: 5.00 Recording Quality: 8.00 Long Term Appeal: 5.00 OVERALL: 5.80 ARTIST: DJ BLUEFEVER SONG: LEGENDARY TRANCE GENRE: ELECTRONIC / RAUNCHY TRANCE SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] There are some moments in my time here at godsofmusic.com when I wish I could give out an award, not merely the simple scores at the bottom of the page. If it was up to me, this track would get a "special achievement" award. Why? If you listen closely to this track, you will discover that this track has extremely high potential, both on the dancefloor, and as a listen. I would normally complain when the bassline doesn't change throughout the track, and when the (what I have chosen to call) string section is the same thing the whole time. But do you hear me complaining? Nope. The theme is very gung ho, Billy-the-Kid western-like, and will definitely wake the cowboy in every dancing heart. The song doesn't waste any time. When the beat starts off at the very beginning, I know I'll be in for a treat. But it's the string section building that Dj Bluefever has inserted at 0:55 that convinces me: This track is something very special. I've mentioned this all before. Trance needs something new. Of course, this trance tune has almost all the means of regular trance. Almost. The idea to have the strings that don't change in the background give a very, ummm, how should I put this best...ummm...oh yeah: Ay, ooh Silver, away! feeling. The only thing that annoys me is the ending. A tune as adrenaline spiced as this one, will need a better ending than a fade, don't you agree? I'm sure you'll agree with me if you'll just listen to "Legendary Trance." Because not only will this tune get the blood flowing of any dancer at any lucky dancefloor, it will also be to blame for people wearing cowboy boots at the local disco, carrying water guns, bringing in their horses named "Whiskey", and shouting at the bartender: "Whiskey!" If this tune doesn't get you going, go to your local police department. I hear they are in need of some cowboys anytime soon. yours: Christian Lowensprung on his proud black horse. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.50 Technical Skill: 9.00 Interest: 8.00 Recording Quality: 7.50 Long Term Appeal: 9.00 OVERALL: 8.60 ARTIST: DJ DACH SONG: THE MAGIC OF THE CLOVERS GENRE: ELECTRONIC / EXPERIMENTAL SIMILAR: CERTAINLY NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] When I started up this tune, I suddenly felt I had a sub-role in "The Matrix." Have you seen those dancers who stand still, look like zombies, and just move their hands around in a robot kind of fashion? Yes, we've all seen them, haven't we? Well, here is their song. I'm positive about this folks, this is what they listen to. Those people can finally rejoice, because I have just the tune for them. As for myself, who never dances like that, I really don't know what to say about this song. Am I at the Nokia mobile phone ringing song contest, or maybe I just have a robot in my house? Hmmmm, I better go check ... nope only my toaster making that terrible "flip flop" noise again. As I enter my room again, and found out that there was no robot in my living room, I'm practically stunned as I sit and hear these strange sensations coming through my speaker: a constant chaos of weird random sounds! What the heck! Yes, it actually does sound like the more high tech mobile phones of today. What bungles me though is that these sounds really don't interact with each other at all, but more or less pay no attention to anything except that they play on the same BPM as the song. They are on their own, playing around in the community of mobile sounding brethren, making chaos to everything that is structured themes, and more calm musical atmospheres. It's a riot of mobile phones. Our apocalypse is here. The Magic of The Clovers will to some be a total masterpiece, and to others be a constant technical blur of various mobile phone sensations (in other words: Not so good...) The chaotic nature of this tune doesn't produce a very good structure. Chaotic sounds come and go, and it almost seems like this tune could have been produced in more parts than one. Like some do: The Magic of The Clovers [part 1], The Magic of The Clovers [part 2], etc... I can just sit and be amazed and annoyed at the same time, because I don't get this tune. Maybe my IQ level has dropped, or maybe it was too low in the first place. If you feel up to random chaos of sounds, to something that I think was a big-beat type beat, than you are more than welcome to try this out. But as for me, I'm returning to the place I like to call Earth. I'm not saying the artist isn't from Earth, I just like to draw some boarders to the places of Earth I don't want to visit. It's not that I hate these places, I'm just not ready for the robotic world. Not just yet. Taken from the Matrix 2 Morpheus looks down at the new chosen one who is to take over Neo's role over the information highway. With a sceptical look on his face he says: Morpheus: Do you believe that's air your breathing now? The new chosen one looks about, and hears a lot of mobile phones in the distance, creating a chaotic sence of distortion in the room. Then he turns to Morpheus with a confused, but sturdy look upon his face: Ino (played by Christian Lowensprung): I sure hope so. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 5.00 Technical Skill: 7.50 Structure: 3.50 Interest: 5.00 Recording Quality: 8.00 Long Term Appeal: 5.00 OVERALL: 5.60 ARTIST: DJ DUSTBUNNY II SONG: ITS ALL THE RAVE GENRE: ELECTRONIC / EXPERIMENTAL TECHNO SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] DJ DUSTBUNNY II is the name of the artist I'm about to review. I wonder who DJ DUSTBUNNY I is? Ah well... This is a techno song made from loops. I'm going to explain a simple way to create a song. I'm not saying that this is how DJ DUSTBUNNY II did it, but be patient with me on this one: If you have these so called loops in wav files, and use a program to copy/paste these loops together, you will of course get some sort of tune. The result may vary from time to time, depending on the program you use. But that is a very simple way to make music. So you might say that artists in the electronic genre have it a little easier creating "music" than artists of the acoustic genre do. If you press play on this tune, you will discover a tune that there really isn't much experience behind. I am not saying that DJ DUSTBUNNY II hasn't got any talent; there are some fascinating and unique new twists to electronic music in this tune. This is not the worst tune I've heard in my time. But, alas, it's by far not the best. There are two things which hurt this tune. 1. I'll mention this first, because I too have been on this level, and there really isn't anything bad about it. As they say: Practice makes perfect, so DJ DUSTBUNNY II just needs some more practice. Here is why: The structure is as structured as your normal raw-footage loop tune. This is the kind of material some electronic artists would consider "unfinished" because the loops are melted together at random. It's not really structured at all. If a tune isn't structured, the tune isn't going to charm many people either. "It’s all the rave" will surely appeal to some people though. I am sure that this is a nice tune for electronic fans wanting a laugh, and dancing all freaky. But for serious actors on the dance floor, this isn't it. It just sounds too homemade to even hint at talent. I am not dissin’ anybody here. I think DJ DUSTBUNNY II has something going with this, for real. As said before, I see potential in what has been done. Some more work, some practice, and DJ DUSTBUNNY II has a hit! I promise you. 2. The thing that is a little more frustrating and that can not be excused in any way is this: DJ DUSTBUNNY II has used the funky base sample used in "Prodigy: poison"! DJ DUSTBUNNY II, if you are going to use a sample from such a highly acclaimed group, please do us, and yourself a favour: Do with the sample so it can not be recognized by the copyright holder. If you don't, you will be in a lot of trouble. Again, I am not dissin’ anybody. This is said to help you (DJ DUSTBUNNY II and anybody reading this) with your musical career. If this is just a hobby for you, than the second point still goes. Samples that sound exactly as their originals (i.e. sounds like a portion of the original song), if it isn't a remix of the original with the authors of the originals permission, it will become distasteful. So please, in your next tune, make your own samples, and if you can't do that, disfigure the samples you do use. This way you’ll avoid being sued. In the end, this is a nice little project, and I urge all you readers to listen to it, just to understand where I and DJ DUSTBUNNY II are coming from. But as far as the score goes, I'm going to have to practice some tough love. Keep up the hard work DJ DUSTBUNNY II because I know you'll get there if hard work is what it takes. Yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 1.50 Technical Skill: 0.50 Structure: 0.00 Interest: 7.50 Recording Quality: 6.00 Long Term Appeal: 3.50 OVERALL: 3.10 ARTIST: DJ JADEMAN SONG: BASS GROOVE 2001 GENRE: ELECTRONIC / HARD HOUSE SIMILAR: THE HARTHOUSE LABEL [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Yes! This is the second DJ Jademan song I've reviewed. Just to tell you already, if you don't listen to this, you've missed out. What this is, is oldschool hard trance the way it was made some years ago. This is the way the gods made music, back in the day when mp3.com wasn't even born. When labels like Warp, HartHouse, XS2 the RaveZone (Norway), and ID&T (famous for housy part of Thunderdome) flourished throughout Europe. DJ Jademan proves here that he has either not forgotten this time, or he has just gotten lucky and hit the right specification for a great hard house tune by pure coincidence. The sound is loud people. The main sound of this track will boom out on most speakers, and it is advisable to turn the bass down somewhat so you're prepared for the loudness that comes without warning (yes, you guessed it: No intro.) Hard house of the early 90s was hard, to the point, and had few, if any, voice samples whatsoever. Today, it seems that if a track doesn't have singing it is bound to failure, and most hard house songs really aren't all that hard with female vocals. DJ Jademan has made a short, head-ravers ball tune, that should be played live by all serious DJ's who want to personalize their dancefloor, or serious normal folk who need to test the bass elements of their speakers. It is a shame that the track isn’t downloadable, but most of DJ Jademans other tunes are downloadable, so I'll let it pass. But as a DJ, you'll have to buy the CD to get the good stuff. Another downer is that the sound "peaks" slightly at the start. What this means is that the sound volume of the track is slightly over the allowed maximum. But these are just minor problems, that only personalizes the track even more: A track ain't a person, without some sort of character flaw. All in all, this is a hit. It should be cherished, honored, and played by all who know to appreciate great and real hard house when they hear it. Yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 10.00 Technical Skill: 7.50 Interest: 10.00 Recording Quality: 5.50 Long Term Appeal: 8.00 OVERALL: 8.20 ARTIST: DJ JADEMAN SONG: CHILLOUT GENRE: ELECTRONIC / SOUNDTRACK, AMBIENT SIMILAR: CASTLEVANIA GAME? [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] This is a nice atmospheric piece. Dark, gloomy. Almost reminds me of a castlevania game. It doesn't stand out as something completely outstanding, but has enough diversity to make it interesting. The tune will last, I have listened to this tune quite a few times now, and I haven't gotten bored of it yet. So I guess that is a positive sign. The tune may be a bit too dark for some, but I love this kind of music, and wish more artists would produce this type of material. Probably the only problem with this tune not getting a perfect score is that it really does nothing new for the genre. It is a great tune, but it ain't fantastic. Still, it would fit greatly in with a movie or a soundtrack for a game. Especially a "survival horror" game such as Resident Evil, or Silent Hill. Yes, this tune is definetly scary but it is musicly outstanding:) So, I like it. I only hope to hear more from DJ Jademan in the future. Yours: http://www.mp3.com/xanitra yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 8.50 Technical Skill: 9.00 Structure: 8.50 Interest: 9.00 Recording Quality: 7.00 Long Term Appeal: 8.00 OVERALL: 8.30 ARTIST: DJ JOE SONG: THE NOTORIOUS GENRE: ELECTRONIC / ELECTRONICA WITH BREAKS INSERTED SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ visit this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Normally I do not jump to conclusions, but since this song does, I really have no choice. The conclusion that the song jumps to, is that it really sounds unfinished in many ways. It sounds more like the demo cut to the soon to come song which has been tweaked for max performance. The sound recording is good, but could have been much better. To be a breakbeat tune, the song doesn't seem to have enough bass. Even when I turned my bass equalizer all the way up, it sounds weird. The best quality is when you turn the bass off, because then the breaks become the center of attention. Since the breaks sound better than the bass, you will get some enjoyment out of it all if you do some equalizer work on your winamp, or whatever you have. But, sound quality alone does not fall a tune. This though, most certainly does: the tune just is too plain. It has nothing unique about it, and really goes in no new direction that hasn't already been wandered, time, and time again. The break at 1:30 does manage to muster some hope in this listener, but when the same voice sample, and boring theme hits in 15 seconds later, I cannot do other than breathe a helpless sigh. The tune does show some form of attitude, in the distance. But that distance is far too great for me to try to give this attitude a helping hand. So it has to be up to the artist to make a remix, or maybe re-record the tune and do something about the way the tune is structured. The structure you see, is extremely boring: 0:00 Breakbeat theme - 1:30 exciting part - breakbeat theme again - end. There is the structure for ya. The voting system on soundclick.com seems a bit harsh. Either you give the tune a hot, or a flop. Seems a bit awkward and childish to me, so I am glad DJ Joe came here to get his music reviewed. This is far from a flop! But it just lacks that extra cash to make this a hit. If this involves some work, maybe. But it will be worth it to get this baby updated, and flying high. Because it sounds unfinished as it is. Maybe just some equalizer work on the final cut will do the trick? To you as a listener, I would say that this is a tune if you like smart breakbeat tunes, that have a "in between the lines" groove. If this doesn't fit your taste description, continue on your journey. yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 3.00 Technical Skill: 7.00 Structure: 2.00 Interest: 7.00 Recording Quality: 3.00 Long Term Appeal: 6.00 OVERALL: 4.60 ARTIST: DJ M.B. SONG: THE SPIRIT OF LOVE GENRE: ELECTRONIC / TRANCE REVIVED. SIMILAR: THE GODS OF TRANCE [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] What we have here is DJ M.B. He has produced a track that is a very happy testament to what love is all about, and that we should celebrate it in all its forms. OK, before I continue talking, I know what you are thinking: "That is nothing new, well, just bare with me for a few moments, because I will try to make this as short as possible." DJ M.B. is an artist who is about to hit the 300,000 listens mark. Thank God I can tell you why. "The spirit of love" is the overall experience you'll get when listening to DJ M.B. and also serves as an introduction to all of his tracks. So, if you do what I did, and like what I like you'll find that many of his tunes get you in a better mood:) Its structure is not completely new. DJ M.B.'s style in electronic music mostly resembles the structured electronic music you hear on the radio, and there isn't much originality about their structures. But still, I will forgive this, since if the structure had been more complicated, it would probably not have had that same "innocent playfulness" about it that makes this the cute love theme that it is. Sound quality wise: Most tracks today don't have any hissing at all, but that is the least the first thing on my check list. This one didn't have any of it though:) The second thing to check is the beat. No bass swimming in water sequences. Good, this tune didn't have a beat with water in its mouth. But what makes this tune special, and why it gets a perfect score in recording quality is this: If you see all the bars on your winamp is moving, and you can still tweak the winamp equalizer without the sound getting all messed up, is when a tune deserves a 10 in sound quality. He is not the most original electronic artist out there, and his structure could be a bit more on the experimental side for my tastes. But, if you are used to the radio, then you should check DJ M.B out. He has a new twist to what I'd like to call conventional pop-techno, and he is a talent you would want to keep book marked if you like The spirit of love, like I did. yours:Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 8.00 Technical Skill: 9.00 Structure: 7.50 Interest: 9.00 Recording Quality: 10.00 Long Term Appeal: 10.00 OVERALL: 8.90 ARTIST: DJ N.R.G. SONG: I'M GONNA ROLL A FAT ONE! GENRE: ELECTRONIC / TECHNO SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Taken from artist page: "The wildest and wackiest song I've ever done! A celebration of spliffs and partying! You'll laugh at the tongue-in-cheek lyrics sung by yours truly, get hooked on the addictive bassline and groove to the down tempo, & catchy R&B style beat! Not to be taken seriously! So...just sit back, roll a fat one, get totally spaced out and groove to this totally crazy song! Oh, maaaaan! It's good ****!" That was almost the whole artist text, except for the last word. I put it there so you can understand what this track is all about. This is a track where the artist puts away his talent for a while and decides to make a track that is more about fun than artistry. I can understand this, since as an artist, I have also had that urge. However, an artist should also practice a little self-criticism. At what point is enough enough? When is the joke that the song once was really not that funny any more? Well, it seems DJ N.R.G. never got this train of thought running, and actually made this track, submitting it to mp3.com. Not only that, but he thinks he will make some reviewer at godsofmusic.com laugh his head off. Yes, ok, I did smile, once or twice during this track......... But no, I did not find it funny. This is not my kind of humour, nor did the lyrics, or any of the "8 year old electronic music" content appeal to me. It just sounds extremely unprofessional. Heck, I don't really even have to speak, listen to the artist for yourself! "Not to be taken seriously!" So, was Dj N.R.G.'s submission of this song itself a joke? Where is the real song I was supposed to review??! Oh, no answer. The sound quality is actually quite good and the structure of the track really isn't that bad either. And if that doesn't prove Dj N.R.G.'s talent, just listen to some of his other tunes. When we submit ourselves as artists on mp3.com, we all have our specific goal, or "vision". We also want to ask ourselves if we're really serious, or if this is just going to be a part time exercise, no big deal. Well, not only is he serious on his website, he has actually gone through the time and effort, AND money to make a service for other artists as well! Wow.... I all people were like him, contributing to musical society. mp3unsignedartists is run by him! So it's pretty impressive, and serious stuff. Thus, why DJ N.R.G. would degrade himself by posting this track as a joke on any site is beyond my comprehension. I sincerely believe that DJ N.R.G. deserves better for himself than to post this here. If this was www.jokersmusic.com I would probably forgive DJ N.R.G, and laughed along with him. But since the name on my browser says godsofmusic.com, I can only be sad on his behalf. I can recommend all his other tracks to you though! He does have talent, and he deserves some attention because of it. Actually it won't kill you to listen to this track either. Maybe I'm just a lamer, and this is really quality material comedy at its finest. But if you have roughly the same humour I do don't listen to this track. It will just ruin your first impression of what I thought was a joke in the first place. yours:Christian Lowensprung Download this song at: http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/161/dj_nrg.html (The link below doesn't work) yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 5.00 Technical Skill: 1.00 Structure: 7.00 Interest: 0.00 Recording Quality: 6.50 Long Term Appeal: 0.50 OVERALL: 3.30 ARTIST: DJ PEE SONG: LETS GO GENRE: ELECTRONIC / HI-TECH TRANCE SIMILAR: FRUITYLOOPS [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] ok ok... Eeeh, what can I say: Hurraaah for Fruityloops. DJ Pee credits Fruityloops very clearly on his page. Hurraah, hurraaah, hurraaaaah to Fruityloops I say. With this last note, everybody who makes trance the decent way today, are either doing the lost cause, or plain losing it. This is DJ Pee, an artist focusing his energy and cash on software. Each Music making firm like Fruityloops, Magix, or any other corrupt firm has a basic principle in which they make money: Hey, today’s music industry has many listeners who've forgotten what quality trance is, lets make some software so that trance gets more quantity, instead of the quality. So gullible people download the demo, try it out, but to get the full version one has to cough up some money to make music. This is probably what DJ Pee along with the rest of the Fruityloops fans, did. With Fruityloops you can do almost anything, and have all the tools available that professional DJs have. Or, are they that professional? After listening to DJ Pee, I am amazed at the sound of this tune. It really does define modern trance at its most crisp form. DJ Pee could easily be mistaken for Darudes newest tune, or maybe ATBs comeback as a trance artist. Why? Because did anybody hear DJ Pees tune on the radio? No. Radio has a lot to learn these days. Once the Radio stations just play what sound good, instead of who pays the most, the music industry will be revolutionized I tell you. Because here DJ Pee has produced a fine song which in many ways puts everything in perspective, if you will. If I were to define where the trance genre has gone to, I would have to pick out this tune as an example of exactly this. Trance is no longer produced with synths, or gadgets. The sounds are sometimes made from these tools still, but computers are today what it's all about. A very cost effective way to produce a track, yes? Instead of doing it the old fashioned way, were you had to buy an entire studio to actually just make a trance song. So, were does everything that I've just mentioned fit in with DJ Pee. Well, quite frankly, everything! There is no such thing anymore as talent in the trance genre. The word "talent" is a joke to me. Many of the experts of trance have been doing the trance genre for years, and years. Still, they've been beaten by the computerized world. Now though, it is even worse. Now, for a small buck, or maybe nothing at all, amateurs can get their hands on high tech software. Equipment? Who needs it. The fruityloops software can let everybody make the music they want, with the click of the mouse. Click, click, click, click Click, click, click, click Click, click, click, click Click, click, click, click... there you go.. the tune is ready. Very much like a 3D jigsaw puzzle. What is the problem with this? The trance world of today very rarely gets "new blood." Well, of course the trance genre gets new blood. New artists appear all the time! But, do we sometimes get something unique? Nope. All these trance tunes, that now sound like clones of each other with minor adjustments, are a curse to trance. Trance isn't a genre anymore, it is a disease. The words experimental trance, where have those words gone? Hmm.. It is a nice thing that people like DJ Pee who don't have much of a career in music, can just head to http://www.fruityloops.com and download whatever he needs to get where he wants to be. But believe me when I say this people: mp3.com knew that many made music, when launching. They did not know that fruityloops was just on the BETA process. People who've spent all their lives trying to create the perfect tune are angry. Really angry. That long road doesn't seem so hard anymore since now you can download Fruityloops, Magix, Ejays, or whatever it's called to make music as fresh as the electronic music you get in the store. A Very good example of this is playing the first Enigma CD, and then playing Enigmas latest. Can you hear the difference? This tune would either get a great score, or get slaughtered by me as DJ Pees reviewer this time around. (DJ Pee has been on godsofmusic.com often. Check out his other reviews for the scoop on that.) "Lets Go" is nothing new. But it does have high tech sounding, which means that with the help of some tweaking of the fruityloops gadgets, has made an excellent sound experience. The other good thing is that it will most likely rock any dancefloor, because of its clear and rich base. The theme is also somewhat interesting, and is actually quite nice at 2:00. But the theme never gets any more interesting, since it is on a loop, and soon gets extremely boring. ("Loop" is when you take some 10 second musical piece, and play it over, and over, and over again.) As said, we have heard it all before, except for the extremely high quality of the sound production. There is nothing wrong with new fans of trance downloading this piece. It has clear sound, and will be ok as an all rounder play at any conventional dancefloor. To us more frequent listeners, it will sound extremely dry with no soul whatsoever, very fitting for today’s trance tunes. Understand me when I say the next words (which will sound a bit harsh): I don't think this tune is bad. Actually, "Lets Go" is far from awful. But it is the number of trance tunes out there that makes for the aftertaste of this tune. Fruityloops doesn't make matters better. It is great that Fruityloops is yet another "thing" for people to be doing. But I've heard my share of rubbish with the name "Fruityloops" on it. If Fruityloops had never existed, we would loose a lot of electronic music on mp3.com, yes. But would we really miss it? Don't get me wrong, I welcome the day guys like DJ Pee take over the charts on the radio stations. Because the trance on today’s stations is bought to fame and fortune, something I dislike. But still, mark my words: The day I sit down, listen to a piece like this, and call this quality trance, is the day I finally stick my head in the plastic blender, and press the "3" button. yours:Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 2.50 Technical Skill: 0.50 Structure: 9.00 Interest: 1.00 Recording Quality: 9.50 Long Term Appeal: 5.00 OVERALL: 4.50 ARTIST: DJ SKY SONG: EKG - GENRE: ELECTRONIC / 1 SIMILAR: T-R-A-N-C-E C-O-N-T-R-O-L [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] I'll make this short and sweet. This is YET ANOTHER trance stomper with a (used a 1000 times before) sample in the beginning. WHOOHOOOO!!!!! (eeeh) I can say that if you play this song, you WILL enter loop heaven. If this ain't loops, then the artist really needs to rethink his musical skills, because the technique used here gives away too much: There is a difference between being serious with your music, and just having a hobby. Well, I am not going to tell anybody to get a new hobby, because making music is a lot of fun. But the programming of this tune, is not intelligent at all, and just plain dull if you ask me. Take a listen for yourself why don't you.. As far as the recording quality goes, I have to explain something to you. EVERYBODY now knows how to get the recording quality above avarage. With all the great software out here, it is hard to do anything else. But in THIS song, the cymbals sound double the volume as everything else. So it is a bit embarrassing for the DJ to turn down the volume each time the cymbal comes into practice... To the artist who made this song: Don't feel too bad. yours: http://www.mp3.com/xanitra (not a trance act) yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 5.00 Technical Skill: 1.00 Structure: 10.00 Interest: 0.50 Recording Quality: 1.50 Long Term Appeal: 0.50 OVERALL: 3.00 ARTIST: DJ SVENSK SONG: DOWN BENEATH GENRE: ELECTRONIC / TRANCE SIMILAR: UHM, [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] This trance tune starts off rather nicely, in my opinion. If mp3.com released a trance compilation, this tune would be on it. Why can I say this already, when I have only heard one minute of it so far? Well, the answer is simple. The melody is -- simply said -- beautiful. The beat is exactly right; it's not too loud, but it manages to stomp it out on its own. There is a little cymbal in there that helps the beat go along, and there are echo effects to give even more depth to what is an already beautiful theme. If every trance tune was as good as this, I would have no problem with the genre. But "trance" as a genre is well overused now. I think that music such as this is the only thing keeping me from skipping the genre altogether. DJ Svensk has created a formula that everyone in their right mind will enjoy. Even trance haters will love this tune. It is simple, short, to the point, and just very extremely well done. My last thought concerning this song: Trance is probably the most crowded genre in electronic music these days. So why do we need another trance tune? Well, if you visit DJ Svensk's site, I think you will see why you should make room for "Down Beneath." Download right away, or regret you did... this is a trance genre breakthrough! yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.50 Technical Skill: 8.00 Interest: 8.50 Recording Quality: 9.00 Long Term Appeal: 9.00 OVERALL: 8.80 ARTIST: DJ TAO SONG: METHYLRAVER GENRE: ELECTRONIC / TRANCE SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ visit this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Here we have another trance machine at hand. A nice synth loop starts off the 6:33 long ride which DJ Tao calls Methylraver. Methylraver is a very straightforward experience, where the 1, 2, 3 beat is backed up by the cymbal in between the beats. Very unoriginal, but still, even today very effective. The theme, a sort of progressive psychedelic combination, is actually played a staggering 3 minutes with no break, or hint at stopping. It works well for the first 30 seconds and manages, in fact, to be quite impressive. This since the pads do sound very well recorded and manage to give away to a nice crisp sound when the equalizer is tweaked a bit. But the continuously pounding away till the very 3:11, when the beat and everything else suddenly stops, is a bit too long if you ask me. But, when it stops, everything changes. Phew. This is when the tune gets a facelift. With a mood resembling that of the great Grieg himself builds, builds, and drops to the full effect. A mood change for the better, because it relieves dancers, and listeners. But when the basic beat comes back, my sigh of relief, gets a turnover: Turned into a yawn. But lets sum things up, since I now heard the "Methylraver" sample at 4:32. I sort of know now how the whole thing is going to continue anyway. This is your usual trance tune without question. There are some high-tech advantages to DJ Tao, but other than that, this IS trance. The beat is standard, the cymbal is nothing but standard, and this makes for a very yawning experience indeed. Even though the artist surely does intend for this to be the "new thing", it truly isn't. But, it is a nice try at what is a drowning sea of waves. Yes, those waves are very much building up a storm at sea; now aren't they. What I am trying to say is, I have heard this sound before, and I have heard this style before. I have heard that sample before (not in those words ("Methylraver"), but pretty close.) Trust me, I have heard the beat before, I really have. There really isn't anything more annoying in today’s trance tunes than a cymbal, created to such a frightening extent that it only copies the behavior of the beat. However, if we take away the sea of other trance tunes, and just look at this one: A fairly average tune. It's not groundbreaking. It is just somebody else’s way of telling everybody that he or she knows how to record a tune that sounds something like a trance tune. If this was a different genre, I would probably not jump to that conclusion, but since this is trance, I have no other alternative. Sorry. There are several elements in this tune that make it interesting, like the progressive touches, and the fact that it is very much made for any dance floor. But Winampers should avoid this track. It does get old, pretty fast. So unless you are a DJ, and have the option to mix this tune in with other tunes, I would seriously consider skipping the idea altogether. Said in short words: If you are an absolute trance "must have" this is the tune for you. PS: To artist: There is a slight skip in between 05:04, and 05:05. I didn't mind it much, but I just thought I'd mention it, since some people are perfectionists. yours:Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 5.00 Technical Skill: 3.50 Interest: 4.50 Recording Quality: 6.50 Long Term Appeal: 5.00 OVERALL: 4.90 ARTIST: DJ TRANCENDANCE SONG: DREAMNASTIX_ GENRE: ELECTRONIC / DANCE, SOUNDTRACK, SIMILAR: EARWAX, WESTBAM, MOBY [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Before I start reviewing the song I would just like to make a note about the song lo/fi button on mp3.com: I found a huge difference between the sound quality in the lofi version and the hifi version of this song. On the lofi version, some instruments are in fact missing. This is important to inform you of, because without the cymbal in the tune, the music loses a lot of its dynamicism, and sounds in fact incomplete! I highly urge all of you to consider playing this song in hifi if you want to check this song out before downloading it. "Dreamnastix_" by DJ TRANCEnDANCE (as he calls himself) has no introduction at all. The tune starts off with the theme, cymbal, and heavy beat right on. I feel that the introduction should have been there to give listeners a feel of the personality of this track. But that is just a minor problem. The track is extremely powerful when it comes to melody. The soundscape in between the rhythms and cymbal is quite impressive, and gives a sort of dreamy surround sound feel. The artist, I think, has picked just the right genre for this tune. It's dreamy, progressive, and danceable. The great thing about this track is that the beat is not too dominant. You can jump up and down to this one, as well as sit down and listen to it without getting a headache. It is not something that acts just as a dance act, or as a musical breakthrough. The tune is just a plain simple ride through 3:15 of a dreamy atmosphere, with fantastic accurate beat and cymbal. There is a problem that may occur with some listeners which I have to point out, though. The tune sometimes seems to not go anywhere, and some listeners will tend to think "what does this tune want from me?" There is no real theme to this tune, but a soundscape that acts as some of the atmosphere that this tune creates. So theme enthusiasts -- and people who need things to sing along with -- should stay clear away from this one. But as a relaxation, and jump up and down experience this tune is just right. So what I think is that we actually need more of this kind of music. The atmospheric melody (without a theme) with the intelligent beat inserted is just the spark of innovation that the electronic genre needs. Artists do tend to tell the world too much: "This is my music, and this is who I am." DJ TRANCEnDANCE would make a nice addition to any mp3 collection, because his music is something new, danceable, relaxing, and doesn't throw too much personality in your face (because that also can be too much.) Dreamnastix_ is nice to chill out to on the beach, and also works for any beachball party (if any.) I guess this makes the extra hidden message for this track become clear: "Just chill out, and listen to the music." Nice piece of work:)! Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.50 Technical Skill: 8.50 Structure: 0.50 Interest: 8.50 Recording Quality: 9.50 Long Term Appeal: 9.00 OVERALL: 7.50 ARTIST: DJ ULTRAFUNKADELIC SHITPOODLE SONG: TRIPPING THE PSYCHEDELIC LIMBURGER GENRE: ELECTRONIC / EXPERIMENTAL ELECTRONICA SIMILAR: UHM? [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] For once, I am going to let the artist’s description do the talking: " I hate trance. You hate trance. We all hate trance. I mean, c'mon, how creative can you get? How many snare rolls climaxing in a cymbal crash and the resumption of the same ole' 4/4 drumbeat. Buuut, once in awhile, I like to place my tongue firmly in cheek, break out the good ole' kick-hat kick-hat, and bust out some wicked filtering on my 303 and 404. I never spend more than an hour or two on a track. I don't know why I do it. I'm sick, really. Sick." Do I really have to review this song to tell you that this isn't a very accomplished piece of work? Ok, maybe I do. This is a sort of an experiment (if I can call it that) where the production is a mixture of layers put together in a chaotic mix and a cymbal that plays on a frequent basis. To call this trance, is wrong. This isn't trance at all, but more some sort of scientific music experiment made to see who likes it … and who doesn't. I actually think it has some potential in a more symbolic sense; however this will come across as noise to most people so I won't linger too much on my personal taste in electronic music here. Besides, the artists own words really tell the whole story. Trance is an overcrowded genre these days, yes, but the trance genre would be NOTHING if it weren't for the people that made good trance back in the day. The trance back in the day did not suck, and many songs were masterpieces in their own right. Even though the Trance of today is a bit below the standard that the gods of the first half of the 90s set, Trance would be dead now if it weren't for the few goodies of today. So I refuse to agree with the statement which the artists burps out at us (that him, and we, and you hate trance). I don't hate trance, I just recognize the fact that on-line services like mp3.com help exhaust this genre in a great way. But sometimes something happens, and one tune jumps out of the crowd to becomes a classic. This tune isn't one of them. As an experimental tune, however, this isn't too bad in my opinion. You'll have to decide whether I’m right or wrong on that one though. What goes without saying is that trance is something that has to be believed in to work. Like all things, if a genre doesn't get enough attention it will die. It will take a long time for trance to die because of its huge body of releases these days, but if artists come up with statements such as the one DJ Ultrafunkadelic Shitpoodle produced then the trance genre will surely perish in its own (now) polluted body fluid. yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 5.50 Technical Skill: 1.00 Interest: 6.50 Recording Quality: 7.50 Long Term Appeal: 1.50 OVERALL: 4.40 ARTIST: DRIFT UK SONG: THESE DAYS GENRE: POP / ROCK /POP SIMILAR: PINK FLOYD [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] It is good to know that some people still produce music with vocals, and normal instruments. This pop / rock tune is very relaxing, as the artist said on his homepage at mp3.com, and it does remind me of Pink Floyd somewhat. The guitar playing is without question exceptional, and the little synth in the background is great for the mood of this tune. The bass, and low drum also does it's job. What I really found interesting is the vocal. It is seldom that the vocal is as crisp and as clear as it is in this tune. Not too low, not too loud. It perfectly fits in with the tune, and this guy knows how to sing! He doesn't only sing, but he sounds like he's really putting his heart into every sentence. I have heard people who know how to sing, but aren't really putting much effort in acting out their singing. Can't say it enough, the vocal here is both, crisp, nice, and heartfelt! When I listened to this tune, I felt totally at ease, because the music filled my soul in such a way. This tune has soul, man! I mean it! It ain't only lyrics, but I felt that this was a part of the artists life that went out in this tune. A lot of work went into making this material, I am sure of it. I think there is too little of such music anymore. There is too much commercialisation behind each product, and it ends up lost. This song however, comes straight from the heart, and has real people behind it. I urge you just listen to drift uk, just to get what I am talking about. When music gets as heartfelt as "these days" I have trouble describing what I hear in exact words. But the only thing I can say is "wow", there is true talent behind this work. I know that getting famous with music today is hard, but if I don't hear anything at all from these guys in the future there is something seriously wrong with the music industry today. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.50 Technical Skill: 10.00 Structure: 7.50 Interest: 9.00 Lyrics: 8.00 Recording Quality: 9.00 Long Term Appeal: 9.00 OVERALL: 8.80 ARTIST: DUALSCAPE SONG: SUNBEAM GENRE: ELECTRONIC / TRANCE SIMILAR: ZZZZZZZ [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Taken from mp3.com: "Sunbeam 5:56 Melodic dutch trance track with emotional synth build-ups. Ranked #1 in www.beatmaka.com top 40. This track has got lots of positive feedback from fans. (bpm 144)" This is a trance tune that makes you wait 80 seconds before it starts to develop into something a little below average. At 2:15, the tune really shines actually, with a nice little electronic trumpet sound, and low strings in the background. But I am going to make this review short and simple, as you'll have to understand this quickly to get my drift. There is one simple problem with this song: ||||| Imagine if you will, the equalizer that I have drawn. The one to the far left controls the kick of the bass, the next one controls the depth of the base, the one after that (the middle one) is usually for the vocal or "whoomp" in the actual sound, the next one is for the depth of the tone, and the last one to the right gives the tone more sharpness (or kick.) There are of course more advanced equalizers, and a 3 bar version, but this is the basic one. It seems that the artist has pitched |||TT the two on the right a little bit too high. This results in a tune that sounds plastic, and not so humane as it should. When creating trance, one should be careful to give a tune too much "sparkle" as it were. The tune will just get an even more electronic feel, or as we norwegians call it: a ‘Plastic’ feel. This is the main problem with the song as a stand-alone effort. If this problem were to be cleared up, the tune would probably fill some dance floors or... As we all know, trance is huge, and this tune had little effect on my further belief that trance will flourish in the years to come. It is just another run of the mill trance tune, with a beautiful string section in the middle. But of course, tuning down the plastic feel to it would give the song a little bit more personality. If the artist doesn't plan to do this, you can. Just tune down the equalizer somewhat, go to the "preset" section of winamp (the player I usually use) and save the config for this tune, and you'll actually have a great result! Trancefan: Check it out, no problem. You'll like it, I'm sure. Electronic fan in general: Avoid. yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 3.00 Technical Skill: 6.00 Interest: 2.50 Recording Quality: 0.50 Long Term Appeal: 5.00 OVERALL: 3.40 ARTIST: DYSMUSAX SONG: ATLANTIS GENRE: ELECTRONIC / INNOVATIVE DRUM N' BASS SIMILAR: SOURCE DIRECT [ visit this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] When I pressed the link, I got a download request automatically for a song called "Atlantis. I downloaded the track and gave it one or five listens. The track in itself is extremely experimental. It's a sort of an attempt at drum & bass with a whole lot of reverb. The reverb is so immense, that it actually gives the track a very washed out feel. When recording an electronic track such as this, of course, reverb is essential! It will get dull with just flat sounds when making an aggressor such as this track. But still, add just a pinch. Don't throw the whole sack of flour in the dough! Other than that, I have few complaints. The sound quality otherwise is outstanding. The theme is there, the sound is original, and the structure does what it should: it is born for dance, so it hints at when to groove, without having annoying "go, dance now, hey ho" or any other annoying sample in there to tell us when to start moving our feet. There is a "come on" sample in the track, but that is in between the four beat successions that the track produces, so no worries. This music is for electronic people only. Acoustic folk stay away! You will only bash at the talent which you don't see. Yes, there is use of loop structuring evident, but who cares, this is electronic music made for the dancefloor. No more, no less. The truly delicious thing about this track (and the thing that makes me almost forgive the overflow reverb use) is that the bass isn't actually the beat, but in fact it's the theme that is making the bass! Can you believe that! The theme! Wow, my god, genius! I don't know if it's intentional or not, but that is a stroke of brilliance which every dancefloor deserves to taste. That said if you are a drum & bass freak, you'll love this song. It has what it takes to be innovative, and it will innovate wherever played. Just bring a burnt copy of Dysmusax's Atlantis to any Drum & Base gig, and watch the show. Just make sure you turn your surround option all the way down first. THEN the volume all the way up - and start the clubbing people. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.50 Technical Skill: 8.00 Structure: 7.50 Interest: 8.50 Recording Quality: 5.00 Long Term Appeal: 10.00 OVERALL: 8.00 ARTIST: EAJAE SONG: THE ANTHEM GENRE: RAP / RAP SIMILAR: 2PAC ON A BAD DAY, USING EJAY [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Well, eeh. Here we have an artist, who either has a bad artist name, or uses Ejay. Yes sure, I'd agree that all rap artists, sound like they use Ejay. There isn't much melody in the background on any rap track, only a loop going over and over, and over again....(and again.) There are exceptions of rap artists who actually can produce good music behind their rap antics. But no, this artist isn't one of them. Sure, the guy can rap, but you'd have to be a very hardcore member of the rap society to actually swallow this song whole. Sure, the artist can sing, but the track itself is pretty dull, and has a very dull and flat structure. To start with, there really isn't anything more intelligent behind this track than instrument loops, a dull beat, and some very poor orchestra attacks every once and a while. The artist too has to loosen up. Yes, yes, sure, he does know how to rap. He would have knocked me off my slippers that's for sure. Lets try it: "I'm Christian Løwensprung, reviewing this song, yeah, looking at my body I'm not wearing a thong! Yeah, artists hate me; I'm just doing my thing, hell yeah, you want a fight, come on over, ding ding!" Hehehe, ok, maybe I have a carreer in rap after all. But, eeh. Seriously. A rap act is sometimes sad, or aggressive, whatever the lyrics are about. The rap here doesn't change in volume, tone, or behavior. It is just bla, bla, blah, blah, blaah, blaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... I don't have much knowledge on rap, gangsta rap, or any other genre. I usually tend to curve past all the rap that sounds like this thing, no matter how much more emotional the artist's rapping is (2Pac, (supposed to be God of this genre.)) But I've certainly heard rap, with more instrumentation than what is displayed here. I've played Grand Theft Auto 3, I've heard ICE-T, and loved Coolio when he was around. You can be all the rap fan you want, but hear this: If I loved this rap style where the loop is tolerated, and I actually loved 2Pac more, I would have given this track a much higher score. But since I come from where I come from, I need rap with a song, not a loop. I need something that isn't as dull as this. Period. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 1.00 Technical Skill: 2.50 Structure: 3.50 Interest: 2.00 Lyrics: 5.00 Recording Quality: 7.00 Long Term Appeal: 5.00 OVERALL: 3.70 ARTIST: EDGEMERE SONG: OBLIVION GENRE: ELECTRONIC / GOTH SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ visit this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] For various reasons, I have had to split the objectivity of this review, with the more personal opinion later on. I have never done this, but found it necessary this time for reasons the reader of this review will have to guess at. THE OBJECTIVE Edgemere has an original take on a sort of dark style of electronic music. I have to warn consumers that this song contains explicit lyrics (as they like to call them on mp3.com). This is a type of electronic mood music. While there is a bass drum evident in the tune, it is quite intelligent, and is supported by another drum, a soft cymbal, and some other more unknown gadgets. The structure of this track is a bit twisted, since all "breathers" in the track come suddenly and unexpectedly. Even though some parts of the song makes perfect sense, other parts and a BPM change (at 04:44) make the structure disfigured in some places. But this is hardly a huge error, since the overall product really relies little on structuring. The sound quality is all top notch though, and the just-so-slightly distorted vocals are a nice touch, and help give the tune personality. The aggressive vocals also help tell us all where Edgemere want to be with their music: dark and gothic. Original, and nice. THE SUBJECTIVE The song starts exactly at 0:000 seconds. To actually start the song like this is quite effective, but I think that it deletes the humanity in the production somewhat. There is little doubt that this is a huge track. It oozes with originality, and that extra-cunning edge moves it forward. It isn't just an electronic tune; it is a bridge to those who've listened to gothic heavy metal music long enough, and want to make A LITTLE step in another direction. My personal opinions about this kind of music, either electronic, or acoustic, won't matter much. So I will not utter them here. Just take my word for it that listening to this track, whatever place you come from, will give you something new, and probably exciting too. yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 6.50 Technical Skill: 7.50 Structure: 6.50 Interest: 8.00 Lyrics: 7.50 Recording Quality: 9.00 Long Term Appeal: 10.00 OVERALL: 7.80 ARTIST: ETIKEMIC SONG: JUST DROP IT GENRE: ELECTRONIC / ENERGENIC 70S DISCO SIMILAR: 70S /EARLY 80S DANCE ARTISTS [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Etikemic sure knows how to produce a tune with fine sound. Right from the start I had to turn the volume down. I wondered what was wrong, and if I had turned up the volume. No. It was Etikemic who had just produced a tune, crisp to the core. Of course, the bass could have been turned up slightly. But I'll choose crisp over "whoomp" any day. So I turned up the bass on my own system, to solve the problem. This is dance music, and there is no doubt about it. Energenic dance music, with great vocals. Just Drop It has a sort of 70s, early 80s feel to it, since it seems that some of it has been taken straight off the local disco of that time. I must say that I am enjoying the style of this track. It isn't "one of the crowd," but shouts out strong vibrations that many techno, and trance vibes would drool over: Its drum precession is tuned to perfection, the instruments used bring me back to the good old days (when people knew how to make dance music), and, eh, what else is there to say? "This track make me want to dance, MAN!" A new feeling will make many smile. This one tastes good old disco music, and it’s this that helps this track oh so much. From start to finish this is a fast ridden experience with beats sometimes teasing at big-beat qualifications, but then suddenly, we're back at the dance beat again, ready to tap our feet, and wiggle whatever we’ve got going for us. If you're feeling funky, this is the track for you. Great for going out, and putting on those clothes that you only thought you'd wear at a bad-taste party. Just make sure you tell your friends: Your going to the disco. "What?!!" I hear your friends say. "The disco??!! What ever happened to the rave yo??!" Ok, just listen to this great tune, and you'll agree with me on this reply to your friends: "I'm going to the disco, with these clothes on, this tune pumping, and hey, y-you know what? I'M PROUD OF IT!!! yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 10.00 Technical Skill: 10.00 Interest: 9.00 Recording Quality: 9.00 Long Term Appeal: 8.00 OVERALL: 9.20 ARTIST: EVIL DEATH MOTHS SONG: BRIGHT WHITE XENON GENRE: ELECTRONIC / STONE-AGE TECHNO SIMILAR: ATARI / AMIGA SAMPLED MUSIC [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Here is the information I found about this song on the artist page: "***Top 6 Song***" Yup, that's all the information I found about "Bright White Xenon". I don't really know what a "Xenon" is, but it sounded cool, so I had to give the track a whirl. Message before the review: As you will soon find out, I've been quite harsh on this one. I usually don't draw conclusions this fast, but this time I am going to make an exception. I hope that if you read through the whole thing, you find my comments fair. There is one simple but effective error with this track. Right from the start, I can hear that this track is extremely low-tech as far as the instruments that were used. In fact, the tune I hear is the same music I was impressed with on my Amiga 500 music tracker years back. Believe me, that was a long time ago. It really doesn't help the track much that it starts improving a pinch after 1:20 minutes, because most people will have slaughtered the track by then anyway. The few people that do remain though, won't be that much impressed till about 2:34, when some strings enter the scene. These strings sound extremely synthetic, yes, but the track gets a lot better, and sounds more neat with the strings attached. The strings should probably have started the track, since this would have made the first impression a lot better. The real problem with this track though is that I really can't tell if there is some real talent behind it. I did not find any info on the artist page, so I turned to the "artist-info" section. What I found there was even more depressing: I found absolutely nothing. OK, so then I checked out the artist's other tunes... wow. What I listened to still had the loopy loop, but the sound really improved. "Ambient Corona" and "Hard Lime Cider" are both beautiful, so if you're curious, check these out. But alas, I have a mission, which was not to review "Ambient Corona" or "Hard lime Cider." No. I took the assignment to review "Bright White Xenon." Since I took the mission, and ventured through the track with confusion and denial, I must ask myself why an artist with obvious talent chose this tune for a review. yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 2.50 Technical Skill: 0.00 Interest: 1.50 Recording Quality: 5.50 Long Term Appeal: 1.50 OVERALL: 2.20 ARTIST: FACTION OF HATE SONG: TONITE.THE.FUTURE.DIES (DIFFICULT MIX) GENRE: ELECTRONIC / CHILL OUT SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ visit this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] When I first went to listen to this track, I found no less than three versions, and it was unclear which I should choose. So I picked the "difficult mix". If someone gets angry at me by doing this I must apologize, but I could not find the "tonite.the.future.dies (original)" anywhere on the page. But no matter, the version I chose is quite excellent indeed. This track is an extremely abstract experience. I would guess that this is a remix of the original, where the sounds have been twisted, misplaced, played with, and in some cases played backwards. The overall product seems more like an experiment than anything else, but I like experiments! "Faction of hate", as they call themselves (cool name), have the whole single "tonite.the.future.dies" on their site. Even though I couldn't find the original cut, I must say that the version I heard would most likely be the version which I would appreciate the most. "Electronica/trance" as the artist called their original song, doesn't sound so much my style anyway. This is an abstract chill-out experience like no other. It carefully projects sounds out your speaker: some synth, some piano, and some atmosphere. But all the sounds mix for a fantastic dream experience. I would recommend this tune to everyone that needs a nice experience in their mp3 collection. Throughout the fantastic splendor of the effects, a theme comes into play. This is the only time when the piano doesn't sound all distorted, and many will hum along to this part. Beautiful. Wonderful. Outstanding. I think that if I give you the exact time when this theme plays, it will ruin the surprise! Experimental, yes; but wow, experiments can really amaze sometimes. Faction of hate, you'll have to excuse me if I picked the wrong version to review. I hope that you continue to produce a few more songs in this beautiful chill-out style. I can't say anything about your trance tune, I really can't. But I can say that you really pull off the chill-out genre quite nicely. yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 9.00 Technical Skill: 7.50 Interest: 9.00 Recording Quality: 8.00 Long Term Appeal: 7.00 OVERALL: 8.10 ARTIST: FARRELL QUINN SONG: LOOKING FOR HOME GENRE: COUNTRY / COUNTRY SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Farrell Quinn has here produced a fairly average country tune. A strong voice, with a confusing, but firm message attached, gets ruined by a dull structure, and the naked fact that it isn't very original. Firstly, if the reader has heard of the Eurovision Song Contest which mainly consists of European contestants, you can probably guess at the originality of this track. "Looking For Home" is far from bad! Don't get me wrong. In a Eurovision Song Contest, I would have given this song my vote for sure. But, sigh. Since this song has so many other contestants to compete with, other than those European Blah Blah Blah, I guess there isn't much more to say. Farrell Quinn is a promising artist, with weird stats. Great voice, promising lyrics. With some more structure resurrection, and some fresh new thinking in the spirit of "originality" Farrell Quinn should be a name to look for, in the country, in the future. Eeh. Lyrics Sitting in the darkness looking at the sunrise orange and grey on this cool misty morning. I got my jeans and my coffee this ol' place has been my haven thought to be a friend of mine when did the emptyness steal it away? The rivers run blue to the valley I realize, A familiar voice I should know. That I'd almost forgotten. Just trying to exist on this pain, someone elses scenerio... Life is lost in the aching for the strains of the tune that are gone. But someday I'll be there, the reflection in my eyes and a peace inside, that I'd almost forgotten. So I'll keep on looking to put these chains aside, where the water runs clean and high... giving me a new life... (bridge) Oh Lord, take me back, so I never feel I have to roam... Looking for home, looking for home... Looking for home, I've been looking for home... yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 6.00 Technical Skill: 5.00 Structure: 3.00 Interest: 5.00 Lyrics: 7.50 Recording Quality: 8.00 Long Term Appeal: 7.00 OVERALL: 5.90 ARTIST: FLUFFY STARR SONG: CONTROL FREAK GENRE: ELECTRONIC / VOCOLIZED INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICA SIMILAR: NONE THAT I KNOW OF [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Fluffy Starr is a very unique experience indeed. Heavy female vocals affixed to electronic music is something we've all heard before; but the way that she sings that is quite unique. Fluffy Starr shouts out the message "control freak", and asks the listener if he or she IS one. This type of music is very interesting, because it lets me, as a listener, give a reply without getting an answer. There is something wrong with the way this tune has been recorded. The beats and vocals are very dominant, while the tones which help define the tune are recorded at extremely low volumes. The bass is the only thing that carries the melody of this tune. So you are left with a bunch of beats going off in a structured pattern and a vocal that is so loud it only reflects on someone with an attitude problem, rather than talent. I am sure that this was not what the artist intended, because the tune is quite unique in every way. It actually has high potential. But the recording as it is now, seems like the "demo" version, not (I hope) the final product. I do however highly recommend this tune to you if you are in a relationship right now, with a partner that is a "control freak." If you do not know what to do about the problem, or just want to let off some steam, this is the tune for you. Other than that, I didn't get much out of this tune. The track does not appeal to me at all, and I have little interest in it whatsoever. If only the melody of the track had a little more spice and the vocal a little less volume. If only. "If only" is something we should all ask ourselves every once in a while now isn't it. "If only I wasn't such a control freak." We have to ask ourselves these "if only" questions to get to know our faults, and maybe try to correct them. I say this because: if this song was re-recorded, equalizing the music with the vocal, I think I wouldn't be complaining as much. This tune has brilliance, there is no doubt about that. But if the recording stands in the way of any song's performance, there should be a re-recording. Not only to improve the track, but to honour the whole project. There. I've had my say about this matter. There is nothing more to say. You are probably thinking as of this moment: "If only Christian Lowensprung wasn't such a control freak. You are probably right. (If only) yours: Christian Lowensprung yours truly: Christian Lowensprung My music My Homepage Charisma: 6.00 Technical Skill: 4.00 Interest: 2.00 Recording Quality: 2.50 Long Term Appeal: 6.50 OVERALL: 4.20 ARTIST: FRED JONNY BERG SONG: PEOPLE OF BLUE DIMENSION OP.4A (SOLO PIANO) GENRE: CLASSICAL / CLASSICAL GENIOUS SIMILAR: YOU NAME EM, [ "Google" this artist ] [ more by this artist ] [ more in this genre ] [ more by this reviewer ] Taken from artist page: "Op.4a consists of 8 short movements for solo piano, starting with "Waltz of the Queen op.4a no.1", which also is featured at this page as a single movement. The movements are named :"Waltz of the Queen", Absent Brain", "Nudification","Unsteady Course", "Intermezzo", "Persecution Mania", "Crushing the Giant" and "Resignation". Please read the "Song Story" for further details." I just now had the honour to listen to some of Fred Jonny Bergs finest work. He has been reviewed at godsofmusic.com before, and has gotten a 10 on one occasion. I just thought I should mention it, because this history clarifies a lot of who Fred Jonny Berg is. He has a lot of talent. You can just press the url down below, listen, and find this out for yourself. The sound quallity is extremely good to be a classical piece! Even though the sound quallity isn't picture perfect, one has to remember that this isn't electronic music. In electronic music one can twist and turn the sound quallity, since its all very mechanic, not organic. In an aquestic piece like this, getting sound quality good is also important, but it is more difficult since the music doesn't come from a machine. Background noise, and the like will mostly affect the tune. So I'm surprised there isn't more background noise in this one. Maybe the artist used a studio, or maybe the artist has pretty nice kids living at home? The structure of this piece, is one of the main things that attracts me. Because it isn't just a build of a song. You see, the structure in its own way, defines the emotions being displayed, it isn't just the architecture of the track alone. But I'm not going to go into that, you'll have to listen for yourself to understand this. But I'll try to explain on a more technical term: This tune is set up of different movements, but it really sounds like one song since it is structured, and well organized. Brilliant Work! People of Blue Dimension op.4a (solo piano) starts off with a beautiful theme, that is relaxing, has an undertonal sadness about it, but still is "hopeful," in its fullness. Then, comes a lot of different themes, all with their own personality and displaying their own emotion. But at 5:55, the same theme as on the intro (if I may call it that) comes back into play. This acts as a sort of a light at the end of the tunnel for me. Because there were so many different themes in this piece, I can't pinpoint them all. In fact, sometimes, this music gets so rich in texture, that I have a hard time following what is going on. Fred Jonny Berg plays the piano beautifully. Not too hard, and not too soft either, but firm, and calm as due. I don't think I've heard similar in all my classical experience. Yes, I've heard some pieces from Ravel, displaying the same type of playfulness being showed off here. But still, this was an extremely thrilling experience. This music touched something within me, and that is what makes this music so unique. It does to me, what music should be doing. Music should grip something inside, and cleanse whatever is there. People of Blue Dimension op.4a (solo piano) is something truly special. There are several elements in this piece which makes classical music shine throughout! Not only does this music make the genre itself more exciting, but it will surely prove to electronic-only fans that classical is a genre to behold for its honesty, richness, and imaginative nature. All this, with just a piano!! It is amazing that so much emotion can be thrown into one piece of music. With all this emotion in there I find it hard to believe that a track of any kind would make any sence. But it seems that here too Fred Jonny Berg scores. He has managed to keep the structure intact, and the whole thing flows very nicely. I am surprised I haven't heard of this man before, seeing as though we come from the same country. Many people look to classical music, and think about the "good old days" and with good right. Most people who know how to play a violin, or a piano, don't really compose their own music, but play the pieces that have already been made. You know, those made by Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, and of course Norway's very own Grieg. Very few people talk about the classical music of today, and that also with good right. Bec