Battle of the beats 2005 - IV: reviews by glitch

Metro Lights by Screamheads: Yeah, this is more like it.

Submitted by glitch on Sun, 2005-12-04 18:51.

Yeah, this is more like it.  Wouldn have preferred it to kick off a
little earlier than it does, but by the time it's got going I've
forgotten all about that and my feet are tapping and my head is
nodding.  Samples are well used and the groove of the track is just
about right – funky and highly danceable.  Love the last minute and
half of this track!

Superb effort.  Reminds me of some Cyantific stuff.

Natural Violence by Virus + Glitch: Tight beats, dirty bassline,

Submitted by glitch on Sun, 2005-12-04 18:49.

Tight beats, dirty bassline, catchy melodies, nasty sounds and beats
that really flow and don't overpower the rest of the track.  Sounds so
much louder and harder than some of the other entries, and seems to be
firing on all cylinders.

Criticisms would be that maybe there's just a touch too much going on
at certain points and there's a few sections that would benefit from a
re-jig.

something wonderful by crank: Nice full sounding track

Submitted by glitch on Sun, 2005-12-04 18:47.

Nice full sounding track with a jam-packed stereo spectrum and rich
sounds.  Like the beats but I can't help feeling that they are just
that little too frantic.  Bass isn't hitting hard enough for my liking
and could do with tightening up, and the top end is a bit too sharp.

Use of samples is good and I like the pads swirling around in the
background but I'd lose the tribal chanting and the extended moaning
sample that crop up around the mid-point and and concentrate on the
"something's going to happen, something wonderful" sample as it's this
that defines the track for me.

Overall a decent effort, but not quite 'there' for me.

The League Of Shadows by Bobby Dangerous: Batman sample, eh?  Works

Submitted by glitch on Sun, 2005-12-04 18:52.

Batman sample, eh?  Works well, especially the "ready to begin"
sample, but the first half suffers from seemingly being built around
the sample itself rather than using the sample to enhance the track.
I'll admit that I have a certain affinity to sampled vocals in d'n'b
but I like them to be sparing.  Second half is a lot better and really
works for me, although some of the breaks are a bit too st-st-stuttery
and spoil the flow somewhat.

Even my heart cries by Forearm: Sounds good from the off,

Submitted by glitch on Sun, 2005-12-04 18:50.

Sounds good from the off, reminds me of some ambient stuff I've been
listening to recently but that's not a bad thing.  Good intro, beats
hit at just the right time and everything sounds lovely.  Production
seems tight, beats are driving without being muddled and the sound
throughout is very rich and detailed.  Only major criticism would be
that it's about 2 minutes too long.

Like this one.  Reminds me of Omni Trio.

Fallen Warrior by DMJ AkA Jossi: Starts off well, certainly

Submitted by glitch on Sun, 2005-12-04 18:50.

Starts off well, certainly gets my interest.  Not sure about those
trumpets at the start though.  Good melody there, just needs a
different sound.  Picks up from 1:30 onwards but the bass isn't
pumping enough and there's a slightly hollow feel to the sound.  

A toe tapper but needs some work to become a floor filler.

by : Ouch! Very industrial and

Submitted by glitch on Sun, 2005-12-04 18:51.

Ouch!

Very industrial and too heavy on the effects for my tastes.  Beats are
too crunchy and distorted, but I do like the rhythm and the way the
track evolves.  Unfortunately the break at 1:23 spoils the flow a bit,
but apart from that it's a very respectible effort, although not
something I could listen to repeatedly and a little OTT for my tastes.

Red Rum by kompressah: Takes far too long to get

Submitted by glitch on Sun, 2005-12-04 18:51.

Takes far too long to get going and doesn't really do anything
meaningful once it has.  I'm expecting a really driving, heads down,
dance your tits off d'n'b track, but instead it just meanders along
and never really gets going.  However it does throw up some nasty
sounds and dirty beats, and overall the track is well produced.

There's a lot of potential here and some excellent stuff contained
within, but overall it just doesn't work for me.

phiuta by source: A lot of different

Submitted by glitch on Sun, 2005-12-04 18:52.

A lot of different influuences and a lot of different musical styles
contained within this track, but I don't feel that they work in
harmony.  The meat of the track is a tad too repetitive for my tastes
and the some of the melodies dropping in and out don't really go with
the overall flow of the track.

Good effort.

Drax.mp3 by King_Louis: Like the use of the sample

Submitted by glitch on Sun, 2005-12-04 18:49.

Like the use of the sample (very B Movie) but it almost gets lost
amongst the beats and sounds at the start of the track.  The beats are
pretty tight and drive along nicely, but I found that the melody was a
bit too overpowering for my personal tastes.  There's certainly
potential here though.

PS.  Those gaps at the start and the end of the track need to be
removed.  You've also got a lot of electrical hum, so I'd check out
your wiring to see where the interference is coming from.

seven samurai by 822: Everything in this track

Submitted by glitch on Sun, 2005-12-04 18:48.

Everything in this track seems muddled.  First we get slow, then we
get fast, then we get slow again.  Some of the beats and melodies are
OK, but it's structurally it's all over the show.

I'm sure you can do a lot better than this.