critique my EP if you have time, need some help with a few things

TLDR: download my ep and give me a serious, possibly harsh critique, and post your music if you wish to have it inspected

long version which you should read if you feel like helping an unimportant random stranger with delusions of grandeur:

so i've put together a series of tracks that i'm using a sort of tool to getting signed and getting my first "official release." i'm ready to step out from the forums and blogs and into the world of vinyl pressing, signing papers, and playing shows.

the idea is that i've created something that sounds a bit more standard and high tech than the usual things i make - to try and get the labels to sit up and say, "yes, we will release this." i haven't put a whole lot of work into it as of now, but i do have the outlines and main ideas of each track pretty much figured out. things to do include mixing and mastering properly, and fixing up the tracklisting.

there are some things that i'm unsure of, like whether or not i should include the songs "theme," and "tang" on any cds i mail out, because they have the sort of cheesy sound that i like so much, which probably would turn labels off. but it is my sound, so to speak. and it's possible that those tracks could be perceived as being terrible, particularly "theme." do you like the melodies on those tracks enough?

tracks that i'm pretty sure of include "hello," "crampo," "dune," and "scrinch."

so basically i'm posting this here to see which tracks you folks think have potential, which ones are no good, and just basically any harsh criticisms you might have that would make me better equipped to face the challenge of getting my music picked up by a record label.

i'm willing to get signed to just about any established label.

understand that these tracks are drafts. i would really, really appreciate some serious opinions. none of that, "good track!" or "shit track!" i want, "it's nowhere near the level that it needs to be to be released officially," or "you're on the right track," or some kind of guidance, particularly from those in the know.

WISP!

how did you go about getting signed to rephlex? did they come to you, did you mail to them? how long were you established and making music before getting signed? what is the process like?

if you're also trying to get your music out there, feel free to post it in here for some feedback from me and whomever else.

the EP in question:

jantiss - rigponch

http://www.mediafire.com/?d2oddm3mmuv

thanks!

another thing to think about:

can you see yourself purchasing music that sounds like this - that is, imagine you see it on the Planet Mu site and you preview it

Oh my, this thread is going to be wonderful.

*grabs popcorn, reclines*

ambition!

i'm downloading it.

Free musics! *downloads*

dodtro: I loved this track.. no negatives here. Perfect length, intense... good show.

Theme: I actually did like the melody, but I felt it lacked something, perhaps the intensity of the first. Not sure I would keep it.

Hello: I hate the synth line in the beginning of the song... I would like much better if it just started with the drum break, but that's just me. Would definitely flow better after 'dodtro' than 'theme'

Tang: Reminds me a bit of some of the Caustic Window songs, such as Eggy Toast or Mr Jellyfish.. and that's a good thing ;) but I felt that the last minute and a half or so was just kinda tacked-on and bland.

Gonogo: Bland. Entirely bland. The beat was interesting for thirty seconds or so, but I quickly grew tired of it. I would personally throw it out.

Crampo: Solid. Not spectacular, but solid. Bloody weird, and I love weird. The transition from that first part to the second melody was definitely a little rough, but good enough to pass.

Dune: I love this track. It feels really chill, yet it's still complex and has a good level of tension at times that just works. Hell, I could listen to that soft synth/ drum/ bass combo for a good fifteen minutes straight. Definite keeper.

Scrinch: This one was pretty good. Just fast enough. That static-y noise around 1:45 or so was kinda grating though. Otherwise, I dig it.

If I were sending this out, I would absolutely chuck out Gonogo, and probably Theme as well. I'd also probably do Dune as the intro track, but i'm a big fan of slower intros, then being hammered with something more intense.

That's all I got.

thank you kind sir. it really does mean a lot!

i figured that if this thread garnered high praise for theme, gonago or jarone, that i might leave them or fix them up, but i don't think they fit in with the whole over the top breakbeat style that i'm trying to do on this.

anyway, thanks again for the help.

wow that music is strange. i would love to have a set of presets that are from video game machines, in fact thats half the sound i'm going for. lost in polygon hell.

that comment was not dick at all. i find that creating that buildup of tension is one of the most challenging things in making any music, you really have to "pull it off" or you fall flat. squarepusher does it brilliantly on go plastic, i've been listening to a lot of that and hard normal daddy if that isn't clear from my pathetically derivative beatmaking. i see those two albums and drukqs, maybe hangable auto bulb as the holy grails of drum programming.

i don't think it's too bad to take lessons from those two and try to apply it to something new.

are netlabels just labels based on the internet that release music digitally? or do they also have ones that press physical copies, because i really want to have a physical product when this is through, i'm ready for that stage.

  On 3/18/2010 at 3:38 AM, vamos scorcho said:

ti figured that if this thread garnered high praise for theme, gonago or jarone, that i might leave them or fix them up, but i don't think they fit in with the whole over the top breakbeat style that i'm trying to do on this.

 

Definitely don't fit at all, man... I really, really dig dune and dotro tho man, just listened to both of those again... when I find my cable, they're goin' to my ipod. Congrats.

feel free to critique my EP, all the songs are in the link in my sig

you can be honest, I wont cry about it :P

ok, if I was you, I'd take out the non-breakbeat tracks and actually i'd keep

1

6

7

8

as those are the only ones that grabbed me and it seems like a neat little package. Dune and Scrinch are both QUITE good and thinks you should mix everything a tad neater cuz it may be the mp3s but man it sounds like mix wise everything is stepping on everything so when i turn up my speakers, it gets bad, and my speakers now are not terrible so yeah. Your older stuff that I have heard has been a bit too haphazard for my taste atm, but you seem to be learning how to put the bit in the horses mouth, meaning soon the reigns will be held confidently if you keep some of this momentum. The remix you did of my track near moved me to tears. I listen to it fondly. You haven't surpassed it as far as im concerned lol.

  On 3/18/2010 at 4:02 AM, vamos scorcho said:

i've been listening to a lot of that and hard normal daddy if that isn't clear from my pathetically derivative beatmaking. i see those two albums and drukqs, maybe hangable auto bulb as the holy grails of drum programming.

lol yeah i forgot to say YES, it IS derivitive as ALL HELL, but i like that style so whatever. Dune struck me particularly as very plug/hab

  On 3/18/2010 at 4:02 AM, vamos scorcho said:

are netlabels just labels based on the internet that release music digitally? or do they also have ones that press physical copies, because i really want to have a physical product when this is through, i'm ready for that stage.

there are some that do both. hold your fuckin horses man concentrate on the tunes 1st, and keep your options open.

hypmoden - sandscape ep

i'm going to listen through this once and give a pretty straightfoward judgement of each track. remember that you have to differentiate between your intentions as an artist (aka, maybe you disagree with things i say), and also see certain things as part of a whole truth that can help you grow. also i'm crazy for spending this much time on this maybe but i'm quite bored and i owe it to the community!

a mixture of personal opinion and objectivesque critique:

ice world

the beat is part of the problem. if you're going to go for this style of beat you really have to carry it properly, i don't know if i'm one to speak, but that is what i noticed. a little bit too repetitive.

i would have stopped listening to this ep about a minute into ice world was i not doing a critique of it. this is because of the sloppy drum programming.

memory leak

this one is way cooler. variation throughout the track is entertaining. your music sounds like the embodiment of a 90s windows computer, hopefully you'll see that as a compliment.

CLG

cool beat, cool atmosphere. again a lot of the programming sounds a bit amateur, just a little too sloppy. ask yourself if you think those drum sounds are perfect, there are moments when it sounds a little plastic, but maybe you're going for that.

metal kayak

what software are you using? your ideas are what i like about you, hypmoden. there is promise in your style (to me, great promise because i love the avant garde), but your production itself doesn't get what i imagine to be your ideas across to the best they could. it sounds like fruity loops without much if any eqing, compression, etc.

barracat lawnmower

i truly like this track, it has all of your flaws but it also has all of your positives to the max! i love your surreal, random style on this. you go into whatever direction you want, and do crazy things. also wtf are you using for the beat at around 1 minute? that shit is fucking great, that whole section is really just wonderful. great job on that.

then there's that beat at two minutes which drags me down. maybe it's just something that i don't "get," and would "get" were there some "authority" behind the ep, aka a label and reviews telling me that it is an intentional part of the art, and not just a cheap sounding drum machine. (yes that kind of stuff effects me, and if you think it doesn't effect you - you're wrong)

grundle song

really like the guitar on this, really really like the melody, harmony and feel. but that synth line is pretty bad, as are the drums. tbh, it sounds really sloppy. its way out of time, and not in a way that sounds intentional, though it may be.

drunk sand pub

good production right off the bat. whatever you did on this one you should try doing on all the others. its crisper, and doesn't sound as "grey" as the others. cool. i don't much like the style, and i don't ever really care about "outright" humor in music. that is i like goofy sounding melodies, but i don't like samples of people farting. that's just me though - not a ween or zappa fan.

all in all, rather interesting ideas, amateur sounding production, keep it up, keep practicing and you'll be able to portray your vision more. hope this helps a bit.

i've got a lot of time on my hands i'm willing to listen through something else if it's on the shorter side.

Vamos, to be honest I think I'd like your stuff better if it felt like you were just making music instead of trying really hard to get signed to a label or crack the secret code of IDM. I mean, I like some of the stuff you put up just fine, but the way you post sometimes it makes me feel like I'm supposed to have multiple orgasms listening to it. That, and I think you're putting too much stuff on the internet. Over familiarity breeds contempt, as they say.

Keep in mind I haven't actually listened to this EP yet, just making a general statement.

  On 3/18/2010 at 10:54 AM, Cryptowen said:

Vamos, to be honest I think I'd like your stuff better if it felt like you were just making music instead of trying really hard to get signed to a label or crack the secret code of IDM. I mean, I like some of the stuff you put up just fine, but the way you post sometimes it makes me feel like I'm supposed to have multiple orgasms listening to it. That, and I think you're putting too much stuff on the internet. Over familiarity breeds contempt, as they say.

He has a very good point here. Leave people wanting more, not the other way around. To say you have over saturated the boards is a massive understatement.

Yeah, there's a reason why RDJ, BoC, and most of the other big names in weird but groovable electronic music only release a small percent of their material. If they put out everything they ever did they'd quickly go from looking like mysterious masters of sound to looking like just another electronic act with some good songs strewn in.

First off, great shit man. You have some interesting stuff in your head, and I like it.

Now then...

This album needs more control of the viewer's focus. Everything kinda seeps in and drips out, which is cool sometimes, but not all of the time. Sometimes it needs to draw back and then crash down again. Drops, drops, drops. Every musical style has something that I would label a drop. It's the part that makes you go, "Oh shit! This is a song and it has my attention!" In dance music it's what makes you wanna stop talking or rubbing yourself and go dance. In metal/hardcore it's the breakdown that makes you want to slam your face into a wall with fury. It's the flailing breakbeat or the raunchy bass wobble, the clever lyric before the chorus or the telling first note of a solo. It needs that teeth-gritting "umph" reaction you get to the coolest sections of great songs.

TLDR: Needs more emphasis on changes to give more solidity to the structure and bring attention to the new pieces.

A few basic suggestions on how to achieve this:

• Put a beat of silence before a new section.
  
• Cymbal on the change, reverse cymbal before the change.
  
• Filter some of the pieces for a bit before a change.
  
• Drop down to just one instrument for a beat or two.
  

Aside from that, most of these tracks felt rushed. Let them go wherever they want. Let them chill for a while on a groove. Let them go back to a groove from earlier in the song even.

That's about it for critiquing for now (SXSW time!). On a side note, "theme" rocks my fucking world and I may be remixing it. Just so you know. In fact, I would love to get my hands on the source files if possible.

  On 3/18/2010 at 4:40 AM, vamos scorcho said:

maybe it's just something that i don't "get," and would "get" were there some "authority" behind the ep, aka a label and reviews telling me that it is an intentional part of the art, and not just a cheap sounding drum machine. (yes that kind of stuff effects me, and if you think it doesn't effect you - you're wrong)

I'm 99% sure at this point that you're going to die alone.

i would agree with what most of wahrk has said. your tracks feel lacking in any sort of direction or cohesion, and tend to wander a bit. that being said, there are definitely some interesting ideas kicking around here. keep at it.

dude, this is like that last place you wanna ask peoples opinions.

why do you want peoples opinion anyway?

what is it with this thing of people putting stuff on the internet and saying "your feedback please"?

why put something out for people to listen to if your not sure about it?

if you are sure about it then why ask if people like it?

if your unsure about it and people like it then is that some sort of license to make music that doesnt mean anything to you?

if you want my critique either put your tracks out and shut up, or dont put your tracks out, and shut up.

bravado is, also, all part of the package.

the songs are good. just get on with it. dont listen to these people, infact, dont even listen to me.

all the best

:)

Thanks for listening Vamos, I take every grain of salt I can

I know it sounds amateur still because it is, this is my first time trying to actually produce an album after all

basically I decided that the drum tracks were good enough

almost everything is done with Sony Acid, I record samples of stuff I hear with Audacity and some of the melodies are me on the keyboard

but I'm switching to Ableton this weekend so maybe that will help

also there's another project I'm doing with a friend of mine that sounds vastly different

http://www.myspace.com/hyperbolicchamber

Thanks for listening, I have your EP and will return the favor

I'll give you my first impression after each track

1- wild and jarring, seems to go up and down too much, maybe make it more subtle or less frequent, an ok song

2- slower, more melody focused, i dont really care for the synth effect for whatever reason

3- much better, faster, nice fade out on the drum track and transition, I like the radio static, best song so far

4- another synth effect I dont care for, interesting notation though, squeels too much, too shrill, I guess so it sounds sour?

5- I like this one, gritty and mellow at the same time

6- Interesting, I like how this one tends to fluctuate

7- more groovy than the others, I like

8- pretty cool, tends to meander about, maybe it needs voice or more melody?

9- some kind of elevator music maybe? I dunno about this one

so all in all hit and miss for me, some parts could use more some less

i decided to ditch this ep entirely to use about 10 seconds from each song for a separate, more heartfelt work

a sort of preview of where i'm at with the separate work for the 0 people who give a shit

just figured i'd post it because there might be someone who finds this kind of thing interesting, you either love it or could give a fuck about it, i imagine

it's very extreme, experimental avant garde music that i've posted here several times in less finished states, and it's only about 60-75% finished, but like i said someone might find it very interesting.

http://www.mediafire.com/?dglhudzn4zo

Actually listening to the first EP now. There's some tracks I like (like 3 & 5), while others I felt jumped around too much & didn't really develop a theme. I think the problem might be that you have pretty interesting drum beats but a lot of the melodies just sound like random keys being hit.

too many sheep, not enough shepards.

come forth and let us unite

thanks for the advice guys, i'll admit absolutely 0% of the advice given here has been of any benefit to me, apart from winky's post.

lesson learned: just make your god damn music and enjoy it.

  On 3/21/2010 at 7:31 PM, Cryptowen said:

Actually listening to the first EP now. There's some tracks I like (like 3 & 5), while others I felt jumped around too much & didn't really develop a theme. I think the problem might be that you have pretty interesting drum beats but a lot of the melodies just sound like random keys being hit.

yeah the melodies are confusing to me even, but i swear by them.

i dunno. i also swear by john zorn. meaning that i'd rather give a sonic adventure then a track or a song.

thanks for listening sir!