Battle of the beatz 2007 - I: reviews by ruffian

Nightmares by Noctuary: oh yeah, a creepy one... heh

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Submitted by ruffian on Fri, 2007-04-20 02:24.

oh yeah, a creepy one... heh that vox is awesome. this one strikes me as very dj-hidden-esque (one of my fave producers). maybe bring up the background pads in the intro a bit? nice rolling drums... GREAT mixdown too. Everything is defined, crisp. "Nightmares finished", left that bit in the tag... but an accurate title. With a tune this style, i would like to hear a hard drop with another layer of kick/snare, maybe a reeced out hook line or hit here and there. what is there sounds fucking great, just needs another layer of nastiness on top Eye-wink I do like that creepy organ around 4:30, the tune really builds momentum from that point... maybe do that sooner. nice one tho, another contender for the win in my book.


Cho Re-Interpretation by Decklyn: nice break in the intro,

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Submitted by ruffian on Fri, 2007-04-20 02:15.

nice break in the intro, sounds good and punchy to me. maybe needs a little more choppin for my tastes. love the panned delays too, good sounds. the organ chords kinda ruin it for me tho Eye-wink would like a creepier sound/(dis)chord to kick in there. sounds tight tho, that square bass is awesome. nice modulation on it. man, your background fx/pads and such simply kick ass. overall, this one may be my pick for the winner...


Ultrafunkiller by DJ Ruffneck: sounds hot in the mids thru

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Submitted by ruffian on Fri, 2007-04-20 02:18.

sounds hot in the mids thru my phones... nice arrangement/sound choices in the intro tho, great panning and highs goin. crisp. kick thumps good! ahh yeah, i think i know who made this one. "ultrafunkula"... good distorted square lead, good sample use, good background fx. perhaps needs some more elements for variation/changeups, but what is there goes together well.


Control by Harikiri: ooh mixdown strikes me as

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Submitted by ruffian on Fri, 2007-04-20 02:11.

ooh mixdown strikes me as good right off the bat. not sure on the subs, but everything else feels nice. maybe a hair hot on the mids of that whale-song-like lead, and maybe i'd like a harder kick/snare (surprise)... or a bit of verb on the snare? but i like this one alot. NICE on the scream vox starting every measure... yeah, nice use of vox fx here for sure. damn i wish i had that sample to play with Eye-wink maybe some bars without the background droning synth would be cool... heh, and there they are Eye-wink we think alike. "we have everything under control"


Anger Management by Contayjen: "anger management"... dude

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Submitted by ruffian on Fri, 2007-04-20 02:05.

"anger management"... dude you left an mp3 tag in Eye-wink yeah like i can talk, i think we've all done that one before Eye-wink
anyway, i like the style and flow on this one alot. nice background pad, drums definitely need more punch tho. nice reeceline, can't really hear the sub thru my phones. maybe needs some more eq-work to further separate some elements when there's alot goin on. i definitely like the ideas and harmonies going on with the synths, my kind of synthesis.
weakest link is the percussion. i would like to hear a harder kick/snare layered over for the drop/main portion of the track.


Future Robot Funk by Bluntman: more of a chill roller this

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Submitted by ruffian on Fri, 2007-04-20 01:05.

more of a chill roller this one, i like the sub and the background pad... bit more mixdown work needed tho, some of the perc/fx levels need to be brought down a hair. breaks could use a tad more oomph ("punchiness" and "crispness"Eye-wink... no real first breakdown, as a dj i like to see those Eye-wink i really like some of the atmos goin on later, nice stereo field on them and the pad. damn, no second breakdown either... i think i just heard a stock fruity sound, a no-no imho Eye-wink

very nice melodies/harmonies and ideas, nice drum patterns too - but needs more overall variation arrangement-wise (breakdowns!)


Human Race by Contact Lost: break is a bit muddy and

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Submitted by ruffian on Fri, 2007-04-20 02:30.

break is a bit muddy and weak, nice synth line but it is hot in the mids. i would build starting from fewer elements to the first breakdown instead of dropping the break and synth at once from the start. there are definitely some nice elements working together here, but alot more eq/mixdown work is needed. nice harmonies happening. the cymbal crashes in the background definitely wear on the ears after awhile, harsh... breaks need some variation/fills. i feel potential here, but damn and it ended at 3 minutes!