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V/A - Work it Out [Digital Distortion Records 2006]
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squirm
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
254
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2638
Posted : May 2, 2007 02:21
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i was kind of surprised that no one reviewd this album, its been out since december of last year. anyways 'work it out', the 2nd compilation of digital distortion records is a pretty solid release. lets get straight to it and check out the track by track break down:
1. dark nebula - time to burn [146 bpm]: here ozzy power house dark nebula presents us with one of my favorites of the cd. the track is raw power and the bassline is mean, aggressive and drop down tight  . i love the use of samples in the beginning, which along with this dark groovy bassline packs a hell of a punch. the leads are pretty twisted, and demented. i think what i like most about the track is its fluid bassline, something i dont iv heard on earlier dark nebula tracks. i hope its a sign of things to come from him. one of the highlights of the track is around the 3rd minute with those demented leads! god damn, just when u think things cant get any freakier those leads kick in . metallic, tweaked and definately not from out world . the track just moves along seamlessly like a massive giant. another killer part is around around 6.30, some really twisted melodies come into the picture. for the first track of a compilation this tracks a blast . 9/10
2. technodrome - star gazer [148 bpm]: israeli artist technodrome comes up with a thunker of a track. the kick bass arrangement is pretty tight and again lots of power . this is a lot faster than the 1st track so it kinds of leaves u with the feeling of, "uh oh? again?" ahahah. lots of chaotic leads coupled with some euphoric effects gives this track a quirky, jumpy feel. i lyke  . as the track evolves its get more n more powerful and the synth work is pretty nifty, i like the melody that comes and goes. around the 3rd minute again some cool vocal effects, 'you need to stop' ahahah. the 5th minute has a cool breather time with again vocal effects and more leads to twist your head into a pretzel. the final melody that comes in the 6th minute is nice, and is tastefully pulled off, and again just gets more more and twisted as the tracks go on. overall another solid track, great stomper . 9/10
3. binary - headbang [146 bpm]: this is the debut release of portugese act binary. starts off with some tweaked out spacy sounds, and with an intense heavy kick bass arrangement. unlike the previous two tracks, the whole mood of the track is darker and harsher i think. lots of cool effects with tweaks blurps and bleeps from all over. the track pushes forward with loads of energy, hardly giving you time to breath, and ur never quite left bored as the track is constantly evolving. just about the time u think the tracks getting a little monotinous, at 3.25 ur hit with a melody out of the blue. though the melody is a little on the cheesy side, its pretty catchy, and is definately going to catch your attention. i can already imagine dancers wondering to themselves where the hell that came from. for all those who prefer harder music and were digging the track pre cheese, the track doesnt stay in this phase too long and gets back to harsher tone around 4.30 or so. lots more squeeks and some cool riffy leads. at 5.12 the track is back in full flow with a cool change to the bassline. at this point the work on the percussions sort of sounds like tickets in one of his harder tracks. at about the 6th minute there are some stereo effects pulled off and the track bumps back to full power in style . all in all, for a first release this is a pretty solid track, though im a little lost at times with that melody that comes in, and the otherwise lacking melody in any other part of the track. none the less the track doesnt disappoint, though a little part of me wishes they had stuck to the melody they used. 7.5/10
4. psyboriginal - mellow ohm [144 bpm]: the 2nd australien project on this cd, psyboriginal, presents a slower track which has a cool tribal feel to it with those tribal drum beats being used. the bassline is pretty phat, but has a certain groove to it, and the melody you can hear coming around 1.25 just adds to the tribal feeling. the track evolves really nicely get groovier with every passing moment. i really like the heavy lead that sticks around. the break in 2nd minute is interesting because it goes completely silent, and the tune that comes out of it is sweet. great panning on the end of the break and the track just comes out of it seamlessly with a monsterous groove. kind of makes you wonder, can things get any better? and response to that the track starts messign around with this phaser like lead playing along with the main melody, and in the 4th minute, there are some hilarious samples of 2 stoned dudes, probably cheech and chong, going 'ohm' ahahahah. as with the break in the 2nd minute, the track comes out groovier than it was before, albeit the tone is kind of gritty now. the track steams along seamlessly and is a really nice breather of a track on this compilation. i wouldnt call this track a stomper but its definately got some dancefloor potential, and when i come to think of it, the style sort of reminds me of mr.peculiar's music. regardless, this is a sweet track on the more melodic side of twilight music. 8/10.
5. stomp - the crescendo [146 bpm]: here we have the master mind behind the compilation, dj brian26 in his stomp avatar. it starts of with a heavy bassline, and soon some interesting leads kick in. one thing i always like about his stomp tracks is that the leads are always something new, and here too the same applies. the track wastes no time evolving into full flow, with drum rolls, and scratchy effects, leading the way. around the 2nd minute theres a new lead introduced, which sort of reminds me of his track ' ego blaster ' off the last digital distortion compilation. though not as cheesy. but wait at 2.40, theres a complete flipped out sample of some pop song playing. what the .. :s. no worries your cd isnt ruined, its another mind game, and the track comes rolling back with a harder tone and a sort of vocoded lead. the track moves along well and around 3.40 theres a new melody, which reminds me anothe track that i just cant remember (perhaps an inner action track not sure). regardless the track goes in with spooky ambiences coming in and going and more freaky leads. around 4.35 theres this lead which sort of sounds like an elephant wailing hehe. over the next minute or so, we can hear stomp experimenting around with lots of ideas and leads, while maintaining a sort of precarious continuity. and finally towards the end a melody from earlier in the track comes in and ends things. you can make out that the artist is playing around with lots of ideas, especially that strange sample in the 2nd minute. overall, id say this track is a pretty good effort though that i didnt like the idea of that strange sample, which invariably would be a cool dj tool, sort of like making sure people are listening hehe. 7/10.
  www.soundcloud.com/ishikawa
www.mechanikrecords.com
www.phonix-records.com
www.mixcloud.com/ishikawa/ |
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squirm
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
254
Posts :
2638
Posted : May 2, 2007 02:23
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6. tickets - good morning to music [146 bpm]: here we have tickets from the timecode crew giving one hell of a track. the track wastes no time into getting a heavy, groovy bassline, with trademark tickets synth work welcoming u into this ride into melodic twilight music . from the very get go you know this is a serious dance floor bomb, and it doesn't disappoint  . with smooth evolution of sounds and tweaks the track finally gets going by 1.50 with the title sample, 'good morning to music'. the synth work is pretty much relentless and is reminscent of older tickets track like babushka. the break around the 3rd minute is nice, with a neat tune being introduced. 'section leader, what is our concept? one man one sound!" hell yeah. the bassline is tight and groovy with some nice work on the highs, and a cool sort of unwind back to break sort of trick around 4.30, which comes back pounding with some nice tribal beats added to the mix. the subsequent pick up by 5.20 is eye candy again, with the leads getting a little more high pitched but the whole tone of the track stays the same, melodic, fast and aggressive. the track just goes on relentlessly getting harder n harder in my opinion. overall this is a wonderful track, and one hell of an awesome ride. a true gem here from tickets - 10/10 .
7. killer buds vs energetic - system action [146 bpm]: here we have the brazilian project killer buds n energetic (who if im not mistaken is ex-killer buds as well). the track starts of with a kind of childish tune, like off a nintendo sort of game. the bassline is pretty heavy and phat. some nice hit hats introduced by 1.20, give the sense of a well rounded build happening, and the track soon starts on a roll, with a whiney wind up sound that unleashes by 2.15, to some twisted leads. though i think the emphasis is more on the percussion work, perhaps the 'power system' sample sort of re-inforces this idea hehe. around the 3rd minute theres a kool build up with tweaks, blurps coming from all over.by the 4th minute there's a hint of the characteristic killer buds leads, and other cool fx keep playing around. around 4.38 theres a cool devious sort of tune introduced which leads the way to the break down in the 5th minute. the break down is pretty long just about the whole 5th minute, with effects and samples, and the track sort of comes out of it with a harder bassline which is nice. the track sort of peaks out around 6.50, with some nice twisted leads, which sounds different from the standard killer buds leads which is a nice change from the regular stuff. the track meanders off to an end soon after. overall this is a pretty ordinary track, compared to the previous tracks on this cd this doesnt stand out very much. 6.5/10.
8. brethren - arcane [145 bpm ]: here we have tickets back, but this time he's got brother phyx along in the form of the brethren project. the track starts off with an eery tone, hard kick bass arrangement, and a sample 'are you damaged?'. the whole track sort of reminds me more of phyx's style. it cruises along effortlessly with some gritty leads coming in around 1.30, with stab like whirls, which i can only guess is ticket's work. it builds up well and gets back to its harsh tone. there's a break before the 5th minute, and the track comes out of it with this groovy lead, really nice stuff. again theres a tribal kind of effect to the track, and it slowly builds itself up. new sounds are introduced which give hints of the melody to come. more synths come making this a pretty groovy track. finally around 4.40, the melody kicks in, which sort of just bubbles its way out hehe only to fall into a well executed build up. what follows is some cool leads which sort of remind me of azax syndrom's work, and some spooky pads. around the 6th minute theres the characteristic brethren sound, powerful and yet melodic. really nice stuff. im not sure this would be qualified as a bomb, but its not bad track. but given the other tracks on this cd, i dont dig this track that much. 7/10.
9. stomp - chronicles of wafisha [146 bpm]: stomp's 2nd track on the cd, starts with some cool pads and spacey effects, which leads to a very phat and groovy bassline. very nice. he also plays around with this sample of a guitar playing. again the track has a dubby feel to it. again there are some rather freaky fx and leads used, but they come together rather nicely. the track moves along well, with lots of sounds and effects coming and going. the track keeps u hooked, and theres never a dull moment. theres this funny sort of lead around 2.25, which is pretty catchy. and it leads the way to some nice sample work about a musician talking about a certain performance with his orchestra, really slick stuff. there are some nice spacey leads at this point, which keep things going. the atmospheric pads are nice and deep and the tune around 4.02 is slick. again it's reminscent of tracks like sleepy ol' goa, and ego blaster. being an indian, it sort of reminds me of melodies from some old hindi movies from some reason hehehe. the tunes pulled off tastefully, with some cool effects added to it, and theres a sort of secondary lead that comes, in very distorted and sort of acidic. i really like the way track evolves so smoothly. towards the end the track slows down with some impressive leads and calm pads, and a last round with the main melody. overall id say this the kind of track u look forward to after a long stomping session, something that keeps grooving along and puts a smile on your face. 8/10.
bigger picture: the artwork is alright though i liked the hilarious artwork on their last compilation. musically, this is a lot better than the first compilation they released, and it offers a nice journey into the realms of twilight music. if your a fan of labels like yabai, nexus, spectral records, your going to like this. the first half of the cd is alot stronger and towards the end there are a couple of mediocre tracks, but in the end this is a fine compilation with loads of great music, and definitely worth the buy.
tracks to look out for: 1!!!,2,4!,6!!,9.
overall - 8/10
www.soundcloud.com/ishikawa
www.mechanikrecords.com
www.phonix-records.com
www.mixcloud.com/ishikawa/ |
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