Battle of the beatz 2007 - II: reviews by Contayjen

London Bridge ( Bluntman Remix ) by Bluntman: 218 - Straight off the bat

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Submitted by Contayjen on Sat, 2007-06-16 13:02.

218 - Straight off the bat this one sounded like it was meant for a nightclub dancefloor.  Slightly cheesy but phat bass sounds and the vocals work well.  The arrangment is excellent, with stuff always going on.  Its mostly mixed well but the snare is a bit thin, and the kick is a bit thuddy.  They work well enough as is I guess for this track, but I'd like to hear them balanced a bit better.  Probably not to everyone's taste, but a good sense of 'songwriting' to this, as much as you get in a dnb remix really.  Great vibe, nice work.


the bass episode by synrgy: 210 - the bass episode. 

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Submitted by Contayjen on Sat, 2007-06-16 13:02.

210 - the bass episode.  Now this track has some quality samples in it, which work well for it, and it has a good vibe as a result.  Breakdown and buildup to 2nd drop is really good too.  I think that whomping bass synth might be too loud.  Great choice of vocal samples.


Necrophobia by Harikiri: track 219 - NecrophobiaFrom

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Submitted by Contayjen on Sat, 2007-06-16 13:03.

track 219 - Necrophobia
From the dark vibe and name, I'd hazard a guess at our quickly rising star Ruffian.  Some eeevil sounds being hinted at in the intro.  American metal-dnb vibe going on, including metal samples.  Some good choices for samples I especially the scream.  And that snare is meaty as hell.  Ultimately for me, this track has a great mix, but lacks progression because it focuses too much on the same riff/loop.


Krank It by King Louis: 213 - Some good vibes to

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Submitted by Contayjen on Sat, 2007-06-16 12:57.

213 - Some good vibes to this one. The arrangement and the mix are both pretty professional.  Good sound and sample selection but the voice is maybe overused slightly.  Solid beats.  Arrangement keeps moving along.  All in all, no massive complaints.  Probably not the winner imo but a strong entry.


Feeling Blue by DJ Scape: 215 - Feeling BlueThis track

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Submitted by Contayjen on Sat, 2007-06-16 13:03.

215 - Feeling Blue
This track started well, and I was getting into it until the pitched amen and reece action started, lol.  But even then, the overlaid chilled vibe is nice, with smooth pads, vocal samples, atmospheres and jazzy tones.  The jazzy piano breakdown is a bit different too.


casim by UNDERSIDE: 214 - What is that sample

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Submitted by Contayjen on Sat, 2007-06-16 13:04.

214 - What is that sample saying in the intro, something about Jesus?  Its possibly oversused there, not a big problem though.  When it drops, the sub bass and beats are solid, nice squelchs from the mid-bass. Although the mixing is pretty good on this track, the groove doesn't rock it enough for my liking and the arrangement could do with some more things happening.


Rehab by Golem AKA Pyre: 221 - The standard is

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Submitted by Contayjen on Sat, 2007-06-16 12:58.

221 - The standard is consistently high in this round so far, and this track is no exception.  Good mix again, with solid sub and beats.  Arrangement is laid out well, but I feel this track lacks a distinctive theme.


Massive by Noctuary: 212 - Nice atmospheres,

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Submitted by Contayjen on Sat, 2007-06-16 13:04.

212 - Nice atmospheres, tasty filtering on the reece, good arrangement.  Mix was okay, nothing to complain about really.   The breakdown at the end was interesting.  Possibly room for a bit more going on in the track in places.


losing sleep by obscure: 217 - dj obscure losing

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Submitted by Contayjen on Sat, 2007-06-16 12:59.

217 - dj obscure losing sleep.  Tsk, another regular forgetting to remove mp3 tags ;-p
Now this track could go somewhere but there is a lot of empty space in it, with that guitar riff making most of the music.  Its a nice sample, but it gets old quickly without much variation.  Mix isn't too bad but the arrangment needs some more work.