I liked the theme this month and it brought out some really interesting tracks, very little to separate the top 4 in my mind with a really strong selection of tracks, making the final choice of winner very difficult indeed
Bedlamward
Climb
This is a nice song with some good production ideas – but I’m not sure whether you noted the theme of the month as I didn’t get any sense of Big Beat in the style
Anyway – I liked the piano line and the impressive use of vocal echoes gave an interesting sense of space and was for me the strongest part of the production. I would have liked a bit of reverb on the main vocal which was a little dry for my taste although I suspect this may have been to accentuate the echoes, but even a little bit of room reverb would have helped
But unfortunately, strong as the song and production were, it missed the theme of this month by some margin and therefore knocked it out of contention for me
Alex Van Mixland
Reboot
A good strong start with that percussive beat, squelchy bassline and sync synth sound, nice intro
By 0:30 I was expecting a vocal to come in – this would work so well as a vocal track!
Great synth toms leading up to the excellent drop and change at 1:05 after which the track really takes off, this section is really very good – but then it ends at 1:30, shame as it was just getting going!!
A really clear mix and great production, I cannot fault you on either of those aspects – a vocal would have really lifted this up to be a winner, and it was much too short, I really wanted more!!
JILLIAM
Great Destruction
A nice building intro, very ominous, and the trashy beat kicks in at just the right time at 0:28
The slightly atonal sound that comes in around 1:10 really adds to the chaotic atmosphere and the following Fx noises really do give a sense of ‘destruction’
When the break comes at 1:55 I would have liked more of a change, perhaps a different beat or different melody in the synth line
The section from 2:24 is particularly strong with the additional bass and guitars and the distortion sound from is 2:53 to the end of the track is brilliant
A good track, but as I have said elsewhere, the competition was very stiff indeed this month
becsei_gyorgy
The Day After
Nice intro, brooding and dark, almost apocalyptic, great build at 0:53 leading to the main theme and beat, really good mix and nicely balanced low end
The vocals at 1:40 fit well with the feel of the track and the female announcement goes perfectly with the theme
The following section is lovely with nice orchestration with the strings contrasting well with the synth bass, this really does sound like a soundtrack to a Hollywood film. The choral vocal adds to the epic feel of it all
The mix sounds perfect, the big beat drum loop did however become a little repetitive in the second half of the track and a little variation might have enhanced things even more
The build and drop at 4:00 came at the right time, listened through the whole track without feeling bored at any point, it kept my attention throughout, and I really enjoyed it. Well done!
gruskada
Power Cycle
Nice chaotic intro
0:28 Wow!!
Some really nice sounds in the following section and the chaotic guitars work well
Nice clean mix ensuring that even through all the chaos everything remains clear and distinguishable
I like the way you play with tempo around 2:08
The end section brings some order from the chaos, although I think I liked the chaos section better!
Great track
Jack Olentein
Future Rider
Great feel to this track, lovely atmos sounds in the intro with great use of the stereo field and a good clean mix
Following a small build at 0:35 the track really kicks off at 0:38 and boy does it kick off in style, really great production and probably the best drum beat this month, creating a really authentic sounding Big Beat track with a genuine ‘pro’ sound
A little bit of variation coming in at 2:22 helps to hold the interest and keep it sounding fresh throughout the middle section with a further change at 2:50 to a more gentle section (more great use of stereo field) then back to the main theme at 3:20 running through to the end where it all disappears in a sea of filtering and reverb, nice ending!
This has video game soundtrack written all over it and would work equally well as a sci-fi soundtrack
When I finished I went straight back and listened to it all over again, a cracking good track, I cannot find fault with it, well done!!
SimaGT
SoulTribe
Great aggressive sounding track, Big Beat meets metal, I definitely feel this one!
I loved the vocal adlibs, the first ‘Huh!’ at 0:33 really made me smile
When I was putting my track together I was thinking that the aim would be to create a track that could be used as a soundtrack to a fight scene in a movie – and this really fits that description well
The Indian vocals fit in with the feel very well and the scratching sounds are the icing on the cake!
We get a welcome drop to a quieter section at 1:53 and when the louder main theme returns at 2:30 it sounds even better than the first time, the additional vocals at 2.48 really enhance the feel even more
Nice tape stop ending, I love a good tape stop effect!
Great mix, great production, and a great track
OlliH
Reboot
That is one funky beat!!
A fairly sparse arrangement, but works effectively with your vocal
Nice motorcycle effect with your guitar at 0:50
I was less keen on the chorus section at 1:09
I loved the ‘reboot’ beeps at 1:27 and 2:58 with the Windows ‘error’ sound following, I don't know if that was intentional but it's brilliant
A nice track – but competition this month was very stiff indeed
► Show Spoiler
01 Jack Olentein – Future Rider (8 points)
02 SimaGT – Soul Tribe (7 points)
03 becsei_gyorgy – The Day After (6 points)
04 Gruskada – Power Cycle (5 points)
05 Alex Van Mixland – Reboot (4 points)
06 JILLIAM – Great Destruction (3 points)
07 OlliH – Reboot (2 points)
08 bedlamward - Climb (1 point)
How do we go from there?
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