Battle of the beatz 2006 - VII: reviews by ruffian

The Storyteller by Noctuary: ID3 info left in by mistake

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Submitted by ruffian on Mon, 2007-01-15 21:04.

ID3 info left in by mistake here Smiling 'Nothingness and Eternity' by Noctuary, from 2005.
Nice crisp intro, good sound selection/variety... kind of a tribal feel. Mixdown sounds pretty pro sofar, no doubt. I feel potential here... Ah yes, nice hard-hitting break. Although the 16th hats at 1:27 may be a bit too loud? I like the vibe on this one for sure, dark and moody. I would like to hear more beat-choppage, I think that would give the whole track more energy and 'roll', but you could say that's just my personal style preference I guess. Overall this is a very nice track, no doubt. I'd prolly spin it out if it were a 320.


Turn It Around by hydrophonic: This one sounds nice right

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Submitted by ruffian on Mon, 2007-01-15 20:55.

This one sounds nice right off the bat... great breaks, great sound selection, sub comes in hard... nice processing on that vox too. I can see myself mixing this one into the beginning of a set, gearing up for the really hard-hitting shit Eye-wink YES there's my favorite old-school sample of all time too! I guess I would like to hear it drop harder after the first breakdown, but that's just me. Again, real nice synthwork here. Sounding pretty pro on mixdown too. I think I know who did this one... good shit, but not hard enough for me Eye-wink I can see this one winning the comp this time tho.


Sweet Coffee Of Your Love by Kondencuotas Pienas: I like the way the

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Submitted by ruffian on Mon, 2007-01-15 20:57.

I like the way the intro-drums sound over the organ/pad. Nice and crisp, production sounds like it's gonna be tight on this one... yeah, definitely nice synthwork, no mudding of freqs at all. Not really my style, this one is more chill and laid-back sounding. Mixdown sounds real nice thru my phones! Nice punchy drums, crisp wide hats, everything filling it's own freq-space nicely. OOOH nice crackling distortion effect at 4:08 in the breakdown. Yeah this shit sounds pro-produced imo, although like I said, not my style. I don't like the reggae-like off beat break after the breakdown, but that's just me. To me the track loses alot of groove because of it.


Ray of Light - Madonna by Contayjen: Nice pads/synths in the

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Submitted by ruffian on Mon, 2007-01-15 20:53.

Nice pads/synths in the intro. Was that Madonna I just heard? I like those drums. Yup, definitely Madonna Smiling Some nice processing here, no doubt. But IMO the vox is way overused, although the processing on it is top notch. Yeah, I really like the synthwork. Drums need more in the steel dept. (hats/cyms), more stereo widening on them too... I think this one would be better overall with less of her vox in there.


my name is decklyn by decklyn: Sounds a little quiet, but I

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Submitted by ruffian on Mon, 2007-01-15 21:02.

Sounds a little quiet, but I love the combination of sounds in the intro. Nice square bass! Definitely needs mixdown work, but I think this one could be a real rocker. Love the saws, and the haunting fem vox. The drums are too quiet throughout, kinda gives it the feeling of never really 'dropping' hard after the intro. Man I would really like to do a remix on this one, really digging the break/sound selection. A little short for my taste...


Un-S3vR by Harikiri: Intro synth sounds nice, but

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Submitted by ruffian on Mon, 2007-01-15 21:01.

Intro synth sounds nice, but I think all the intro elements could use a bit more fx/processing? I really like the low-reece bass that comes in alot, although the notes themselves could be a bit more varied. Drums sound nice, maybe need a little more punch tho. I really like the editing of the drum-patterns themselves, good hard-rolling shit. Needs a abit more sub and highs too maybe? Overall, could definitely benefit from more mixdown.


only the good things by dj scape: Someone left the title in

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Submitted by ruffian on Mon, 2007-01-15 20:59.

Someone left the title in the ID3 tag Eye-wink 'Only the good things'...
Cool sounding guitar-delay-thingie in the intro. I dig the helicopter break too, maybe needs a touch more punch tho. Nice vox in there. Got some nice musical harmonies going on in the various elements. Another chill tune, not my style, but not bad. Perhaps a little too much sub? Breakdown vox needs some mid/high eq'd out of it, overall I think more eq-work is needed. Nice combo of elements working together tho, but I myself may have changed some note-patterns. Title fits nice Eye-wink


chasing butterflies by djobscure: DJ Obscure's entry -

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Submitted by ruffian on Mon, 2007-01-15 20:54.

DJ Obscure's entry - 'Chasing Buterflies'
Cool break, needs a bit more high-end I think. Hits hard tho! I think a bit more mixdown (freq-wise). That kick hits hard! I like it. Bassline sounds weird to me, maybe would be nice to lower it an octave, maybe change the note pattern around a little. Nice pads floating over it tho! I'd have to say the only element I don't like is the sub, seems relatively out of place comnpared to other elements.


Offensive by Logical1: Nice and loud mixdown thru

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Submitted by ruffian on Mon, 2007-01-15 21:01.

Nice and loud mixdown thru my phones - maybe lacking highs a bit. Love that vox. Nice build into the drop, yeah good hard drop too. Could this be the Bluntman? I guess we'll find out. Cool beat edits too, I like the little fx/sounds thrown in at the end of bars. I WOULD like to hear more of that distorted saw sound. This track is definitely too short tho, at 3:45 total!


chaordic age by hanuman tribe: Nice and loud mixdown, maybe

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Submitted by ruffian on Mon, 2007-01-15 21:03.

Nice and loud mixdown, maybe too loud somewhere in the drum frequencies. They do hit nicely tho, love the layered bongos! Nice breaks indeed. Maybe a little too much string action in the background, might sound nicer with a 'cleaner' feel IMO. Great harmonizing here tho, sub sounds nice too. A little too happy for my taste tho Eye-wink Some cool edits spread around, overall the track lacks unity however... too many different melodies/edits for me. Some good stuff in there too tho.


by : Definitely too much

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Submitted by ruffian on Mon, 2007-01-15 20:58.

Definitely too much lower-mid in the vox, break is a bit muddy too. This one definitely needs more mixdown time spent on it, however the arrangement is nice. Cool sounding break, vox would ride nice with more eq'ing like I said. There may be some clippage happening. I really dig the vibe-change around 3:10, but like I said more mixdown needed, maybe a bit more processing here and there too. Also too short, although the way it ends with a fade-out suggests perhaps that this is just a clip?