Ask and ye shall receive...
"
Ownlife" ~ What?! Someone had the nerve to go and actually
write a
tune? HOW DARE THEY! Seriously though, got my interest right away - producer has excellent restraint, sense of progression, overall economy, and though it's not overproduced you get the idea pretty clearly. And that drop around 2:00? Straightforward, tuneful, has its own vibe. If there's anything I might even begin to suggest it's maybe to de-quantize some drums... but that's ultimately minor and just my subjective taste. Good start for DSF20.
"
Perpetual" ~ Another fairly fresh sound for this competition. Interesting atmostexture in the background, although the drum mix needs more love (given the short deadline it's understandable.) Overall this tune sounds almost like a live jam in that there's parts, but no discernable structure. This could be the start of a pretty interesting song if production continued.
"
Afrece" ~ OK, so it's a big tune. No - I mean big, like physically kind of BRICKWALLED. Again, given that there's a short deadline it's a given that time to mix down too much isn't gonna happen (if it were I'd also recommend turning down the mid highs and highs for more mids, which lack some beef...Reason?). OK, that said... It's a pretty big tune with a slightly chaotic vibe that could probably hold its own on the dancefloor. There's something missing for me - some kind of finesse you could call it - that could take this tune from being simply big to really, really massive. Arguably the most "du jour" of the tracks.
"
Chillstep" ~ Another one with a meandering jam feel to it. This one reminds me that I think it'd be interesting if people also provided their DAW and plug/DSP info, 'cause if I had to guess I'd say this was done with either a midi controller in a single take or maybe in Ableton. There's a wooziness to this that's kind of interesting for a while, then becomes distracting and makes me anxious for the song to find a place to go. Thing is, all of the sounds are there for something interesting to happen, so the producer doing an Annie Hall on it is always an option.
"
Late Calls" ~ Weirdly manages to capture the vibe of the 'Promised Land' DnB mixes from waaay back inna day, just slowed down a bit. The mix is balanced but weak, lacking oomph - however the definition on the high end is great so that's probably a simple fix in the mix (something to 'hot up' the lows & mids just a little more, perhaps analog outboard gear?) Also an interesting illustration of just how different most contest tunes wind up being from each other. 5 songs down, 5 very different stylistic approaches.
"
Spray of Leaves" ~ I think this one would be popular with the ladies: it's got a jazzy, abstract garage ting that's not trying to kick your teeth in, just shake some ärsch. Always give props for restraint and it's in the mix here, plus extra points for the false break 2/3 of the way through. If the progression, transitions, and "frosting" on the proverbial cake were worked on this is easily release-quality.
"
Homeland Security" ~ So by now you're like "what the fuck is he talking about, 'restraint?' This is dubstep, yo! I be here 4 de bangerz!" This tune illustrates the danger of too much restraint perhaps: it starts off at a cautious, measured pace (sometimes this is done to build tension before they smack you upside the dome from behind with re-bar) and you're thinking, "the stage is being set for something to come in here and kick my ass. Oh goody!" But the asskicker, he never arrives.
I WANT YOU... TO KICK... MY ASS!!! That doesn't have to mean throwing in some generic ________-style (insert whatever people are hating on this week...), big ripping cyberdigital donkey heehaw bass. But at some point, you can only hold the listener's attention with a solid/conventional arrangement and a repetitive lead line for so long. Or at least this listener. In your defense I was diagnosed with ADD when younger though.
"
Twenty" ~ Best use of the 'death' sample. Otherwise just lacking development: felt like listening to someone's quick sketch idea for a tune. Title refers to how many minutes spent on track?
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It Began In Africa" ~ Well, the producer doesn't waste time, that's for sure. I can tell the anti-wobble faction will probably freak out on this one, but once you get past the serious oscillation overdose there's some kind of interesting things going on here, at least initially. Drum mix needs work (louder snare, bigger kick, quieter hats). More variation and progression needed. In fact, this one could wind up worth working on more as well. Just try to turn off/down the LFO once in a while. You'll break that thing if you keep playing with it so hard!
"
Mechanicalyx" ~ Interesting intro, hope you didn't stretch it out to fill space though. The subtle beat drop has potential but the lead line attempt (is that supposed to be a bass or a lead, anyway?) needs work. Melodically sort of generic. I like the little change at the end - that stuff should've been used more.
"
Texan Crackmonkey" ~ Good sense of compositional balance (someone with experience?) - it starts to get me funkin' around a little, bit of a London Elektricity feel to it... suggests that there's potential for this tune to go to a very deep place that it's not at yet and should be explored further outside the constraints of the contest. Something tells me, despite the silly name, that this one could wind up with a big sweeping romantic disco soundtrack vibe over solid boogiedown beats. I hear a big string section getting added for starters.
Interested to see the judge's comments on these entries 
