Semisonic - Secret Smile (Jayou Dubstep Remix)
Dare I say strings again? This time acoustic guitar. The drop after the vox is a tad harsh on the ear, the bouncy, unchanging bassline seems more reminiscent of electrohouse than dubstep and the repetition of the vox sample blends the lines of genre even moreso by giving the track a slight hip-pop anthem feeling. Something catches my ear though as DJ and makes me thing that while this track couldve used a bit more work on the mixdown, it'll be a dancefloor hit none-the-less.
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Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Dr. Nimble - Make Contact
Strings. Strings. Strings. If you know me personally or are an avid reader of this blog (ha!), you know I'm a sucker for strings. And really, that's what's sucking me into this track. The strings are by no means that of a virtuoso, but they're present and in dubstep's childlike development stage, that's all that counts right now. Put these strings in a breakcore track and I'd throw it out the window (metaphorically, but hell I might burn it onto a CD just to do physically), but with the simplistic nature of most dubstep tracks, they work in this one. The bass packs a solid punch and there's a handful of variations that keep the track interesting. There aren't many layers, but when I heard this I immediately thought "double-drop mashup" so that could play into a DJ's hands for the best. Some people use strings similar to this as a cinematic opening to draw you in (and allow for a mixpoint before the drop) and then throw away, never layering them back in, but Dr. Nimble doesn't tease--he delivers. He throws them back in and that's exactly what I wanted to hear.
Download
Strings. Strings. Strings. If you know me personally or are an avid reader of this blog (ha!), you know I'm a sucker for strings. And really, that's what's sucking me into this track. The strings are by no means that of a virtuoso, but they're present and in dubstep's childlike development stage, that's all that counts right now. Put these strings in a breakcore track and I'd throw it out the window (metaphorically, but hell I might burn it onto a CD just to do physically), but with the simplistic nature of most dubstep tracks, they work in this one. The bass packs a solid punch and there's a handful of variations that keep the track interesting. There aren't many layers, but when I heard this I immediately thought "double-drop mashup" so that could play into a DJ's hands for the best. Some people use strings similar to this as a cinematic opening to draw you in (and allow for a mixpoint before the drop) and then throw away, never layering them back in, but Dr. Nimble doesn't tease--he delivers. He throws them back in and that's exactly what I wanted to hear.
Download
Widdle Me This
I recently got to see The Widdler in Chicago at Smartbar and while I wasn't totally blown away, his set was impressive. Not only was his mixing flawless, but I had never heard any of the tracks he dropped before, which is always a plus in my book. And best of all, while he's still in the process of making a name for himself, he's giving out hot dubs in what seems like every other week. Here's his most recent collab remix with VoodooSteamBoat:
Let me be the first to say, I'm not a fan of psytrance. I got burnt out on it circa 2003 when I listened to it 24/7. There are a few tracks here and there that I dig though, and Infected Mushroom's "Becoming Insane" is one of those. Not for this to become a review of Infected's track, but it sidesteps most of the repetitive sound elements and patterns that typical Psy tracks fall into. The usage of strings is deliciously psychadelic (...bearing reference to the psychadelic nature of the genre, something most "Psy" tracks seem to miss entirely) and while I'm usually repelled by vocals, they're done well in the original.
Widdler and VoodooSteamBoat practically take all of the elements I dislike about Infected's original and cuts them out while using the elements I like at the same time. They keep the "becoming insane" vocal, which without it you're really missing the theme of the original. What's great about the use of this vocal is not only is the original good, but not too many dubstep tracks utilize vocals. A sample here and there, perhaps, but this is becoming more and more common lately (think Nero) and I'm liking it. They're well placed and not overused. The duo also kept the strings but I wish he layered them throughout more of the track rather than dropping them after the intro. The wobbly bass is there for the dancefloor and while theyre a bit repetitive, at least they're not generic in nature.
Download
Let me be the first to say, I'm not a fan of psytrance. I got burnt out on it circa 2003 when I listened to it 24/7. There are a few tracks here and there that I dig though, and Infected Mushroom's "Becoming Insane" is one of those. Not for this to become a review of Infected's track, but it sidesteps most of the repetitive sound elements and patterns that typical Psy tracks fall into. The usage of strings is deliciously psychadelic (...bearing reference to the psychadelic nature of the genre, something most "Psy" tracks seem to miss entirely) and while I'm usually repelled by vocals, they're done well in the original.
Widdler and VoodooSteamBoat practically take all of the elements I dislike about Infected's original and cuts them out while using the elements I like at the same time. They keep the "becoming insane" vocal, which without it you're really missing the theme of the original. What's great about the use of this vocal is not only is the original good, but not too many dubstep tracks utilize vocals. A sample here and there, perhaps, but this is becoming more and more common lately (think Nero) and I'm liking it. They're well placed and not overused. The duo also kept the strings but I wish he layered them throughout more of the track rather than dropping them after the intro. The wobbly bass is there for the dancefloor and while theyre a bit repetitive, at least they're not generic in nature.
Download
To the Louvre! er, the Content!
Alright, finally getting some time to upload and talk about some content.
Portishead - Roads (HavocNdeeD Remix)
HavocNdeeD recently dropped a boatload (okay, 8) fresh tracks and let me say--they're all solid. His remix of Portishead's Roads wasn't the best of the lot, but I'd like to give it mention here simply because due it being a remix of a popular track, it's most likely to get played out (and because it's done fairly well, get good response).
This one is by no means a big bass wobbler. It has the elements to make a good, chill dubstep track without all the dub reggae influence that they typically come with. Portishead's triphop style provides all "chill" this track needs. No fake rasta accent necessary, hear? While he didn't massively rearrange the track, I find this to be on the more positive side than anything because the original speaks for itself. Perhaps couldve used a tad bit more on HavocNdeeD's part, but I'd much rather the track be underproduced than over.
Download
Portishead - Roads (HavocNdeeD Remix)
HavocNdeeD recently dropped a boatload (okay, 8) fresh tracks and let me say--they're all solid. His remix of Portishead's Roads wasn't the best of the lot, but I'd like to give it mention here simply because due it being a remix of a popular track, it's most likely to get played out (and because it's done fairly well, get good response).
This one is by no means a big bass wobbler. It has the elements to make a good, chill dubstep track without all the dub reggae influence that they typically come with. Portishead's triphop style provides all "chill" this track needs. No fake rasta accent necessary, hear? While he didn't massively rearrange the track, I find this to be on the more positive side than anything because the original speaks for itself. Perhaps couldve used a tad bit more on HavocNdeeD's part, but I'd much rather the track be underproduced than over.
Download
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