Battle of the beats 2005 - IV: reviews by DJRiDDLeMaRK

phiuta by source: Love this intro, very

Submitted by DJRiDDLeMaRK on Sat, 2005-12-03 18:13.

Love this intro, very promising.  The distorted bassline rising with the drums slowly falling, I like that.  Really groovey once it gets going.  The little lazerish sounds used are a nice touch too.  Love those thick sounding hi hats.  I love the growling bassline combined with harpish sound used every so often.  Cool contrast.  Especially when they're used a lot during the breakdown.  I like how you use the glitches only so often.  A lot of dnb can over use the hell out of the glitch effect because (I believe) they can't think of any other variations for the song.  But the glitches used here just compliment the song in my opinion.  I like the lead out too, good to mix with.  You can bring the over song in, and the track you're coming out hasn't lost it's identity yet.  Awesome track all around.

Red Rum by kompressah: After the song progresses

Submitted by DJRiDDLeMaRK on Sat, 2005-12-03 17:58.

After the song progresses for a little bit, it's not as dark as I thought it would be from the very beginning... except for that bass!  That's quite the build!  I love that twist.  That's some slamming kick to knock your teeth out.  Listen to much Evol Intent do you?  Agressive and powerful.  I like the panning on the stuttered snare during the breakdown where the pads come back in.  Really confusing, in a good way, how this will be dark and hateful at one moment, and then warm and accepting the next.  Love the vocal sample.  Love all the basslines and the feel.  Really sharp and dangerous to handel.  That's a cool build around 6:10 and on that leads out to the warmer feel again.  This would definitely be a fun track to spin with.  Lots of exciting turns and good show of both ends of the spectrum.

by : I like how the song starts

Submitted by DJRiDDLeMaRK on Sat, 2005-12-03 17:47.

I like how the song starts of with the pad synth from hell and the drums of doom, haha.  Now that's a heavy beat!  Very dark, I love that delayed synth.  This is reminiscent of SPL, Limewax, Audio, and Enduser type tracks.  Which I like.  Heavy, dark, and punishing.  I really like that new synth that comes in after the break around 3 minutes.  Something to get the crowd going all out.  This would fit right into a set that all the DJs like to play out here at the raves.  I like the really hollow bell like sound used.  Really busy track, dark feel, and brutal beats to boot!

Metro Lights by Screamheads: Those strings are awesome. 

Submitted by DJRiDDLeMaRK on Sat, 2005-12-03 17:39.

Those strings are awesome.  Really 40's 50's feel to them.  I like how the beat is pieced together.  Also the synths that get added along as the track progresses is nice too.  And the brass stabs are almost like a throwback to jazz from that era too.  This track really changed from where it started out.  I like that, but it wasn't random or too quick.  It's a good ease in and out.  The garbbling bass is really cool.  The vocal clippng makes me think of house music.  Love the stuttering on that.  But after the breakdown at about 3:40 I would like to see something new added after the build.  Maybe a different arrangment to the vocal stuttering, or quicker stuttering.  Which you do employ later.  Ending is cool.  Interesting how you change the mood on the last little bit with the string change up.  Only thing I can say needs improvement is just a little something to keep it from getting to repetative after the previous breakdown mentioned.

Even my heart cries by Forearm: Rich intro, really warm. 

Submitted by DJRiDDLeMaRK on Sat, 2005-12-03 17:28.

Rich intro, really warm.  Like the synths, a very abstract feel to them.  Nice steppy beat.  I love the way the beat really picks up.  But I would like to see even a really simple bassline that had sustained notes to come in with the new heavier beat to give a really strong standing ground.  Love the beat change ups once almost all the synths drop out.  Nice use of delays and reverbs all throughout the song.  Nice depth, and gives a feeling of room to breathe.  The way the track is structured is really nice.  Just like the synths, its really streamline all around.
All it needs is a new bassline to give a backbone.  With the way the song is, really dreamy, and good depth to the atmosphere, with a deep bassline it would add to the encompassing feeling.

Fallen Warrior by DMJ AkA Jossi: I like the intro, that'd be

Submitted by DJRiDDLeMaRK on Sat, 2005-12-03 17:18.

I like the intro, that'd be fun to mix into a song.  Not a lot of bass so it could slide in nice.  When the bass does come in it's nice, just a little bubbling type.  The trumpets give a really epic feel.  During the trumpet sections you get the feeling of big cities, and lots of smoke.  The sections without the trumpets give of a feeling of the dark woods on your way the big city.  I would like a bassline that would really come in and fill the space that seems to be left there.  That's basically the only thing the song is missing, some good rumbling low tones.  But I do really like the idea of using the trumpets.  Short, but not too short.
Basically what I would like to see is some really good low tones to drive the tune once the added drums come in.  The kick is kinda week too, and I was expecting a heavier kick to drop in as well.

Natural Violence by Virus + Glitch: Love the way this song just

Submitted by DJRiDDLeMaRK on Sat, 2005-12-03 17:00.

Love the way this song just picks up.  The way the bass gurgles right from the start makes you wanna hop up.  The synth sounds mean and gritty and is used well.  Like how the transition of energy is brought about by bringing in a ride hi-hat and then cutting the ride hi hat out later.  I like the blunt bass hit synth used during the breakdown.  After the build up there's a trancey synth I would like to here a little bit better.  It's almost inaudible.  Also, you can't really get a good grip on any synths right after the breakdown.  The beat is almost all you hear.  It's almost like that for the rest of the track.  I would like the synths to be more in your face right after the breakdown, because from what I hear they're doing, they sound sick, just can't get a grip on them.
Cool beats that just get into your head and make you groove, good synths (from what you can hear), and an awesome energy all throughout.  Good to use near the beginning of your set after your a few tracks in.  Just turn up those synths after the breakdown, so it's not just beat driven for a while.

seven samurai by 822: The intro really catches

Submitted by DJRiDDLeMaRK on Sat, 2005-12-03 16:52.

The intro really catches your attention with the synth that speeds up.  The whole beginning makes me think of a lot of the ambient that I love to listen to.  Clever way to bring the beat in with a very quick peak of a dnb beat.  I also like how that trick is used throughout the ambient sections.  The main melody is very free floating and gives me the feeling of improv, which I like.  The beat is also un-repetative.  Which makes it very easy for the melody and the beat to clash and sound like just a mesh.  But because the song is so minimal is works very well.  But not so minimal that you want more to happen, or more synths.  I like the movement back to the ambient intro with the beat.
Over all, very intriguing tune, nice minimalism factor and good drum play.  Good free floating melody with an almost oriental feel, and loads of atmosphere for your mind to wander to.  But one big draw back for me, is how the long the ambient sections are compared to the dnb segments.  I would have liked the dnb section to be longer.

Drax.mp3 by King_Louis: Nice use of the quote, I

Submitted by DJRiDDLeMaRK on Sat, 2005-12-03 17:11.

Nice use of the quote, I can't catch everything the man is saying, so that kinda bugs.  But I could at least catch the part about law and order.  Once we get rolling along here, I want that bassline to be just a little bit louder.  It's cool, and it just needs to rumble a little bit more.  The main melody I can't really get into because it's not exactly on beat.  It's cool, but little things like that kinda bug me from a DJ point of view of wanting everything beatmatched.  I do like the breakdown, but once again, turn up that voice.  There's a nice bit of pan a little kilnda scratchy noise, I like that.  The way this song is structered and the bassline reminds me of Juju's style.  And it just ends....  Once again, another thing that bugs me from a DJ point of view.  No opportunity to mix out or anything.
Cool melodies, good rolling bass, and picks up quick, and I love panning.  Would like to see a louder bass, or a more growly synth added in with the bass after the breakdown.  And that ending, in my opinion, could have been done much better.  Also the chior and symphony could probably benefit the track from being louder when added along with rolling beats and bass.  Because you can barely hear it, so it doesn't really do much for the song when not used in the breakdowns.

something wonderful by crank: Good beginning, with some

Submitted by DJRiDDLeMaRK on Thu, 2005-12-01 19:12.

Good beginning, with some nice percussion to ease the energy rise from complete ambience.  Nice start on the beat.  Really steppy, with good quirks.  Really tribal, reminds me of the progressive house I love.  A little dissapointing after the breakdown.  Doesn't seem like anything changed, it almost lost energy.  The reason why I don't like that, because if you mixed this track in, and ended on the breakdown, and then the beat came in and nothing much changed, the energy would drop at the place you're playing.  I was expecting a melody or something new to come in.  The girl orgasming is so cliche.  It's been used in mega trance songs for 5 years.  Now after that breakdown the sweet little melody appears, which is awesome.  I think you should have brought that in after the first breakdown.  The new percussion which comes in after yet-another breakdown is really sick.  The breakdowns seem to be used to much, and don't exactly lead anywhere.  The "HAH" used in another breakdown is kinda loud, and doesn't seem to have much relevance.
To make this better, I would get rid of so many of the breakdowns.  I would lengthen the time between breakdowns.  Bring the melody in sooner, and use the "HAH" more often.  It's cool, and does add to the tribal feel, but I think could have really helped the track if used more out.  But the positives are good beats, nice atmosphere all around, good pad synths to contribute to that.  And when the melodies do come in they're sweet. 

The League Of Shadows by Bobby Dangerous: Look, it's Liam Neeson as

Submitted by DJRiDDLeMaRK on Sat, 2005-12-03 18:05.

Look, it's Liam Neeson as Ra's Aghul from Batman!  Love the beginning beat and the quotes and the way they play with each other.  I like how you use the bats fluttering  and the cape and stuff as added effects.  Love how the track's feeling really complies to the quotes being used.  OK I love what you have so far, but you only have 2 1/2 minutes.  That's the worste tease I've ever had in my life.  I don't know if that's intentional or what, but I wanted to hear the whole song.