EKT'ers musical shortcomings discussion swap

i try to post as honest as possible, but some of the shit i listen sounds way too derivative, and i don't want to fucking bash it down until its bloody....so usually comment on stuff that i enjoy but feel needs improving....

  Darren said:

Max do you use reason?

yes.

(i'm on the phone up to now... i'm till on the longer text)

stop posting "in progress" tracks

  mrx said:

stop posting "in progress" tracks

I really like your music mrx.. but it seems you don't take it serioulsy (what you post here anyway) your tracks seem like really short skeches or something, dunno. I'd like to hear a collection of finished longer ones

  Promo said:

I'm damn straight with people; I tell them exactly what I think. Sadly there are one or two people here who just don't get the point of 'Your Lastest' and start to tell me and others why mine/their views/criticism is wrong.

 

Down the years I've totally appreciated the views I've gotten from here and otherwise. Its definitely definitely been all to the good because its pushed me to try new things and improve my techniques (least I think). Fact is I know within that I can improve and that is very warmning because I'd hate to think that I couldn't and thats why taking on board crits is so key. :laughing:

you do write properly-thorough reviews. Respect

i would very very much like for my music to be criticised.

i was on p168 parts 1 and 3 as lucid rhythms (or carp dreamer).

i really need some criticism. and i'd be happy to help anyone else out...

should i even dare enter this thread...

  Orubasarot said:

  sinicalypse said:

you all suck because you are not me. i am teh supar electronic music mastermind just without any decent songs yet. however my style emulates guillotines so who want some beeey0tch?

 

This is almost exactly how I feel and I'm not even joking.

you're joking, right?

  Darren said:

  Orubasarot said:

  sinicalypse said:

you all suck because you are not me. i am teh supar electronic music mastermind just without any decent songs yet. however my style emulates guillotines so who want some beeey0tch?

 

This is almost exactly how I feel and I'm not even joking.

you're joking, right?

Though Orubasarot does come off as quite arrogant.....he posted a mix of his music a while back and it was, without a doubt, the best thing I had heard posted in EKT. The sad thing is that it didn't get much recognition at the time, but it was brilliant.

well darren, its really a bit tricky. i don't want to refuse your critic as such. i care for it.

i take it as it is, but i love freeform (jazz, classic. watch my myspace influences...its a lot). the 4o4 project was a try to tell something about that at all. everything else i would add up here would try to protect my position with the form. i think its not the place to do that, right ?

darren - i like your music too. You can crank out good melodies etc, but I don't like some of the sounds you use. I think some of the sounds you use are cheesy.

i already know my musical shortcomings from reviews. too clean/digital and bad progession (or lack of) being the main problems.

Promo is one of the most consistent reviewers. Doesn't have favourites, has his own 'thing' that he likes and is honest and constructive. Some he likes, some he doesn't, regardless of artist.Music wise, i'd say his production is neat enough but the musical style and content is, from what iv'e heard, quite poppy if not slightly derivative - bordering on dare i say it 'fromage'.

Darren, well..most of the criticism i could have laid there has been nullified by the excellent fw Ep and Pre LP. Still, one thing that I could say about it is it still uses very conventional sounds, certainly with the synth work...this was more evident with Pre as FW did have some wicked prodigy flavoured synth acid lines and much more throbbing energy. The whole of Pre though did sound like reason synths (hard to avoid with reason - but not impossible) a bit too clean and glassy sometimes. The only other thing i could say is that parts in a track sometimes come into the mix a bit too quickly and abruptly...rather than gelling the thing together it kind of goes through gates from one part to the other, if that makes sense. An example that sticks in mind for example is where the first synth pad sound comes in early on in York, after the beats have been building up over a few phrases. To be honest, I'm pulling at hairs trying to think of much criticism for New City 16 - I'm such a big fan, great fun even remixing a couple of his tracks.

Max Marlow - not heard too much of your stuff any more than a few times (have heard urzeit 5 or 6 times, sun/moon/me and your remixes of york and vertical hold). I'd say that while your technical ability is good or even great at moments, the overall groove and feel of your music can be cold and regimented. It lacks warmth at times, you know - that touch of emotion that sometimes comes from nowhere. Your sounds are often imaginative and dynamic, but can be almost cranky and ruthless in a mix - often a bit too harsh or metallic...perhaps too techno or minimal. Again though, a lot of this is just opinion - but just to be honest and say what i think. Still though, you are a good musician nevertheless, that much I would reinforce.

anyway. thats enough for now.

anyone heard an ~ism track or enjoyed teh Rubens in der earhole?

  ~ism said:

anyone heard an ~ism track or enjoyed teh Rubens in der earhole?

 

your comment is totally welcome. i still think you should point on not only urzeit (or aero) ,,, sunmoonmestars should be very warm, but yet there's still more to discover. really =)

swap.

first thing about you is... there's way too less. you know you are kind of slow. your abilities in mixing are great, your own content mostly seems to have a lack of ideas (if done too fast regarding your speed) or should have some more progression.

actually your mix of york was way better than all mine - and for that one i can clearly say...yours was warm and all that.

i would really like to see more of what acutally presented that remix. some of the early EKT things i grabbed were indeed boring in a way...because they just didnt kick out.

i realized what you are able to do with that remix. i really want more of that. you just need to put more focus in creating - not that you need to have the same speed like others. luke is a great example for that.

cheers Max. what you say about our work rate (rubens = gump in addition to myself) is very true. far too slow. mainly because gump is a human rolling machine and gets us far too stoned...spend 4 hours tweaking one knob back and forth. the focus is something we definitely need to work on - can lose direction a lot due to the fact tracks are often written over 3,4 or 5 sessions over sometimes a few weeks.

thanks for the swap.

i don't check out tracks that are incomplete or in process of being completed... tell you the truth... i only dl complete eps off of netlabels... i think the only dl i did in the past year off of ekt was some afx remix with a name that looked like an email and one of william s. braintree's tracks. btw... i already know what william s. thinks of my music... i think he is skilled... i don't remember the track name... but it had a too long of a beginning then went into some cool beats... i felt like i needed some rest from the beats though... they were all over the place... but sounded good.

rubens - well, you guys are the kings of 'mixing' but looking at your Fairground Factory EP, I guess the only thing I could say is sometimes the melodies could have slightly more attention, this sort of thing stands out to me because I'm so obsessed with melody (and I need to pay more attention to creating my own sounds). I'd say this is prominant on Bank Holiday - I found it hard to pick up on where the tune was going.. and another fine example would be that acid track you posted a while back, forgot what it's called, the beats and mix were lush, just the way the acid pattern changed it sounded like you were just putting randon notes into the bassline for the sake of a change.. however, in Breaking Into Smile I thought the structure was solid and it really is a lovely track.. the latest one you posted: Winter Broth, is the most solid track I think you've done.. the kind of 'off' chord makes it. So, you're definately improving. I want more!

ps. forgot to mention the remix Jam 188 (Rubens Blue Mix) you guys did.. thought that showed a real understanding of melody.. I was well impressed with that

pps. yes, you guys are too slow.. was dissapointed not to see you in 168

Im too wussy to mention names, but I hear a lot of tracks that have beautiful production and melodies and are really slick, but they sound JUST LIKE BOC*

Some of y'all need to listen to your tracks and ask "but does it sound like ME? How can I make it sound less like them and more like me?"

Feel free to wail on my shit. I can takes it.

* or Snares or AE

mosca's tracks are repetetive, with not a lot going on.

thats the point tho!

that's what i like to listen to!

i'd rather listen to a well produced drone for 20mins than a badly produced 8bit/acid/breacore/BoC tune

it's art dammit - it's not music!

  Analogue Wings said:

Feel free to wail on my shit. I can takes it.

which is your moniker ?

@Darren: is hendrix pointing into nowhere ? lets say "band of gypsys"

@ asymmetrical , mosca: whats it ? do you want comments ? did you want to leave a note you are also here ? i'm not sure what your postings mean.

i'd like some criticism for my music - i haven't really heard enough music from EKT, and i am a horrible reviewer, so i won't give any.

the last thing i made was the disco epilepsy ep but i didn't get many reviews at all for that. direct link is below or in my signature or wherever

http://retropublik.com/player/xspf_player_...f&autoplay=true

im just clearing up something thats been bothering me for a while.

i dont write music, i dont like change, i love repetition.

i have my reasons!

mo

  mosca said:

im just clearing up something thats been bothering me for a while.

 

i dont write music, i dont like change, i love repetition.

 

i have my reasons!

 

mo

word. i love repetitious stuff. i'm in a guitar band that's used the same casiotone drumbeat for 12 years on over 200 tracks

darren, as many said before, your music sounds liek presets, wich doesn´t bother me dat much cause i luv preset sounds, what bothers me is where it goes, i can´t get into your melodies, they sound liek random notes to me.

and the beats are quite liek pop beats but with elektronic samples wich don´t ring ma bell.

it sounds liek u taek what u want from them tought!!

overall, good production but the composition doesn´t please me dat much, itz just liek, there´s lotz of classical music, all of them played with da same intruments, but some melodies maek me feel something, and some others don´t, itz just a matter of "style" methinkz....

i made thiz review having your project168part3 ep in mind...

i dig triky ill start!!!

  mosca said:

im just clearing up something thats been bothering me for a while.

 

i dont write music, i dont like change, i love repetition.

i wonder how you talk about quality control, if you want your music to be respected as art. because i feel we have a lot of art on retropublik. actually discogs has recently added up a oneliner for us:

  Quote

Online audio/visual collective specialising in abstract electronic music and design.

i feel thats a bold statement.

besides that: i totally disagree to anybody that says... music is no art.

and to add it up to the sum: art is something that has been created for someones TRY to understand. you need to respect, that everybody who seriously tries to understand it... will have another vision than everybody else - including the creator.

i feel this thread is a discussion exactly about that... and "quality control" is something that is simplifying, reducing and comparing to elements already given. in fact thats a thing why i don't like to give a review in request, especially in a language not my own. its a good thing we dont give any prepared words on retropublik, and i will love to bring you sam and paul and perhaps some others to understand that quality can be done on every level in production.

@1KB: i know some of the guys visiting retropublik were not quite satisfied with your release. other than DR110 and the pacman mix (which is not a very new idea) the plain mix of the elements you've done here did not reach everybody that in the latest times heard that much things going in sound. one could argue that some ideas get a bit lost, or need additional workaround...

but i want to state, that when i was 15 years old... i wish i had some support from someone that is able to respect and tolerate music as a piece of art... and that i am in a learning progress where i just can't do a work of a 30 years old guy that already got a lot of comments and critics. the netlabel as such is a platform that brings people together that are respecting and learning from each other. we don't lose profit... and the much discussed "CONTROL" of quality also results in respectless fags and a lot of so called netlabels that only held up their names to sell something else.

perhaps you need to verify yourself a little bit... and try to add up things that you hear somewhere else what feel is fine with you. try out things that you've not done yet - but still... when i was fifteen ... i made chiptunes ...and they were worse than for example

i also know that you've had a birthday lately... but i just want to say KEEP ON DOING what you are doing, try to reach new spheres within that. make something you love... try to build visions into it... and sometimes perhaps someone from an art council somewhere on the globe comes to you and asks you to help them around build something up that's not been made already.

peace.

  Max said:

@1KB: i know some of the guys visiting retropublik were not quite satisfied with your release. other than DR110 and the pacman mix (which is not a very new idea) the plain mix of the elements you've done here did not reach everybody that in the latest times heard that much things going in sound. one could argue that some ideas get a bit lost, or need additional workaround...

 

but i want to state, that when i was 15 years old... i wish i had some support from someone that is able to respect and tolerate music as a piece of art... and that i am in a learning progress where i just can't do a work of a 30 years old guy that already got a lot of comments and critics. the netlabel as such is a platform that brings people together that are respecting and learning from each other. we don't lose profit... and the much discussed "CONTROL" of quality also results in respectless fags and a lot of so called netlabels that only held up their names to sell something else.

 

perhaps you need to verify yourself a little bit... and try to add up things that you hear somewhere else what feel is fine with you. try out things that you've not done yet - but still... when i was fifteen ... i made chiptunes ...and they were worse than for example

DR110

 

i also know that you've had a birthday lately... but i just want to say KEEP ON DOING what you are doing, try to reach new spheres within that. make something you love... try to build visions into it... and sometimes perhaps someone from an art council somewhere on the globe comes to you and asks you to help them around build something up that's not been made already.

peace.

this is probably the best advice i've gotten, thanks for that!

(just as a comment on the side, for most of the ep i tried to limit myself to only one synth and a drum machine, as an experiment - i still haven't quite figured out what i'm best at, but i'll certainly keep at it)