ValveDriver

One of the things I've always admired about your work is how you exceed at creating the music to have a parallel voice to the lyrical content. To me, it's more like the music is actually speaking, and your vocals are only there to translate the message into words for the rest of us to understand.
I see people frequently comment on the quality of your vocals, or the quality of the music. I don't think enough people give you credit for your lyrical content. It always seems very deeply personal and hidden behind a cryptic message. There is never anything cliche about it. Very poetic. Generally, it's brilliantly written, even in all of it's own darkness. Which I assume, is why the music and the lyrics are so tightly knit, and why you have such a unique style here. Granted, it's influenced by some of the greats, (show me one person who's ever created anything that wasn't influenced by someone before them...), but it's not a ripoff. What you do is all you, man. That's why it works.

Take care.
V.

This comes across as very simple, but it's effective. I like it.
I think maybe it would fit better in the Ambient genre, though.

Take care.
V.

##### yes, man! Now that I've had a chance to sit down with headphones and no distractions, I'm diggin' the hell out of this.

It's an appropriate title. There does seem to be a certain bit of madness to it. I know the style of music is nothing like anything he's used, but there's a certain David Lynch quality to it. Kind of a subdued static that makes you think, "what the hell is happening here? I freakin' love it!" I think because it's so bouncy, it sounds like it should be happy, but the synths are actually very aggressive and kind of relentlessly in your face. That's a good thing. Ya know, it kind of reminds me of the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, too. You know, when they all start taunting Alice to the point where she's almost confused. But instead of being set in Wonderland, it was in a post-apocalyptic institution of some sort heavy with flickering fluorescent lights. Of course, that's just my interpretation, anyhow.
As far as the length goes, anyone who complains about it being too long, doesn't know how to enjoy music. Or read, apparently. I say keep doing the mini-mixes if that's what you like to do. Don't change your style for some impatient #####. Somewhere over the years I picked up this little gem, "If you make it the way you like it, others will like it too." That's no joke there, mister. Coincidentally enough, I happen to be one of the "others" who like it.

Keep it up, man.
Take care.
Aaron.

Here's my take, for what it's worth.

1:52 to the end, needs to be cut. Then, take it and use it as an intro to a song that can be built entirely around it. That part is a nice, dark groove that could take on a slow building, epic life of it's own. Honestly, of everything I've heard come from you, that one minute is without a doubt my favorite. You could take that to some amazing places. I don't want to lessen the rest of this track by any means, though. There is serious potential here. I can see what you mean about it sounding "happier." I think mostly what it needs is some drum-love. I think you could get away with some fancy snare work on this one. (Think Brann Dailor).
I'm curious to see where you take this one. As it sits, there is, like I said, a lot of potential for this badboy!
Take care, man.
Aaron.

Evan. How are you?

The ending to this track was executed exactly the way I was trying to describe to you in "The Meandering Somnambulist."
With that being said, I'm not doing any more of a technical review on this one. I don't really need to.

It's clear that this track has purpose. At first I wasn't too sure about the synths, but after a second listen, and reading your description and your response to Crucethus, they made perfect sense, and absolutely worked. At least, in my own interpretation of the track, anyhow.

I like it, man. Good work.
Take care.
Aaron.

This is a pretty cool little piece. I love the chill beginning, the guitars that come in at 2:03 are a nice touch and introduce themselves at the right time. They mix well with the funky-ass drums that come in at 3:27. It's a good way to start building tension for the end.
Now, about that...
If I may make a suggestion, or two.
At 4:44, the transition to the metal drums is a bit harsh. It's like they weren't invited and just stepped on the party. Granted, that's the entire nature of metal, but I don't think that was the intended purpose in this track.
What I would do, and this is just me, so take it or leave it, but I would completely cut out 4:44-5:07 and replace it with a copy of what you have at 1:24-1:47. That way it drops out and has room to breath, and also serves as a separation from the funky-ass drums, as well as a good build back up to the metal riff that starts at 5:07. Immediately drop in some of the male vocals at that point to keep it tied to the beginning, and flowing nicely. Keep those vocals going in the background until the end of the track. They have a great rhythmic value to them that can serve as a glue to hold the two contrasting dynamics together. Utilize them for all they're worth!
Again, I'm just some dude and that's just my opinion and what I would do with it. Take it for what it's worth!

None the less, I still enjoyed it as it is!
Take care.
V.

Topvega, what's happnin', man?

I've been a fan of rock and metal since the 70's. (because I wasn't alive before then) And, when I say rock and metal, I mean everything from the Beatles to Cannibal Corpse, and Rush to Ministry.
With that being said, I have to agree with Danke. I don't really hear the Static-x, even in the drums, other than they are programmed like a lot of theirs are. I definitely hear it from more along the lines of where Crucethus is coming from.
This bad boy is straight up Rock! Drums aside,(even then, you could pretty much leave it, if it were on an acoustic set.), if you dropped this bad boy in the mix with Foghat, Mountain, and maybe a little Montrose, it would fit right in, brother.
As far as vocals go, nah. Too many people rely on vocals to make a tune. I think letting the music speak for its self is voice enough. If the music is good, it doesn't need someone warbling over the top of it.
Overall, man, this is a rockin' tune. It's right where it needs to be as far as genres go. Awesome work!

Take care.
V.

Along with the message in the lyrics, (which I really liked), the birds, and the general flow of the song, it was very tidal. Like a coastal rhythm of waves on the shore. Actually, it kind of reminds me of some of Enya's work. That's a good thing.
Good work, man. I really enjoyed this. It's definitely a chillout track. Because I totally chilled to it!

Take care.
V.

Damn, man. This IS chill. It's about as far off to the opposite end of the spectrum from my usual tastes, but, even so, it's not out of my realm of enjoyment. I mean, I listen to Sade. Sometimes. As luck would have it, I'm in kind of a chill mood tonight, so this goes well with the mood.

Thanks for sharing this with us. It's a quality piece, that I'm sure I'll be listening to again sometime, mister!
Take care.
V.

This is a cool track. I can definitely see how it's a construction based theme. Working in a steel mill, I can testify that this pretty much sums up the overall aura. It's repetitive and monotonous, but still never reaches boring. There are element's moving around that keep it from being stale. Excellent work.
Billydragon made a great suggestion. Pneumatic drills work great in this kind of music. I use all kinds of actual industrial sounds in my tracks. Mostly from my job. If you incorporate them just right, they're super effective.

This is one of the more recent ones I did that's filled with them.
https://www.looperman.com/tracks/detail/154078
Check it out if you feel like it. Don't if you don't.

Anyhow, I dig the track.
Take care.
V.

How has this track seen no love?

This is good, solid industrial with all the classic elements. It's a nice, high energy mix. You should put your tracks in the "featured" list. Get them some more love, man!

Take care.
V.

There's not much more that I can say that Static hasn't already covered, so I'll keep it short at sweet. This ending is a solid improvement. It doesn't seem as rushed. It's obviously more deliberate and steady. Like stairsteps to the void.
Good work, man.

Take care.
Aaron.

I think the general consensus here is the fade out ending. I don't think it was a bad choice. The overall energy of this track seems to be one that constantly pushes forward. I think any other kind of ending would kill that momentum. But, I do believe that it sounded rushed. I think if you were to have created a final transition just for the sake of fading it out, one that varied a little more from the main body, it may have flowed more naturally. OR, alternately, if you were to do a more abrupt ending, finish it off with the snares like you already have, but have them accompanied by just the piano playing the main bass riff to a good closing point.
Those are just my own personal opinions, though. Take them for what they're worth.
As far as the overall track goes, I like it. I think your incorporation of synths are getting better. Awesome work, man.
Take care.
Aaron.

When I first started getting into dubstep, I also listened to Datsik, Excision, Noisia, and Dubba Johnny. They had a good thing going. When Skrillex exploded, I thought his drops were frickin' awesome, but the song formulas were all exactly the same. Granted, most songs are the same formula. That's why they work. But in his case it was all exactly the same. That's the main reason I quit listening. But, as far as his contribution to the genre...totally game changing, and you gotta respect that!
I'll have to check out his new one. I'm curious to see how he's grown as an artist.

As far as my tracks go, sloooow movin'! I don't always have much time to work on them. And I have about 4 in the process that I jump back and forth on. I just put up a new one. It's a bit different.

Anyhow, now I'm the one rambling!

Take care, Johnny.
V.

Yeah, man. This is good and dark. It's got a good trance quality to it, and by that, I don't mean trance like the music, as much as the state of mind. You can easily just sit and zone out to this.
I agree with Spivkurl, too. It does have a great early 90's industrial sound to it. I think your best bet as far as finding a genre to put it in would be "industrial".
Great work, man.
Take care.
V.

Nice. I like what you did with the panning. Especially on that big chorus pad. The drums sound better too!
I don't know if you're still working with one speaker, but if you are, it's pretty impressive to get that done with one ear!
That little voice is a neat one. It stays with you after the track is finished. It definitely adds to the whole dreamy-chill factor.
Again, excellent work. Keep 'em comin'!
Take care.
V.

Nice!
It starts big. That's the way it should be. I like the way you go straight into that liquid bass instead of some cheesy-ass chorus pad.
Normally I'm not a fan of Veela's vocals, (I think that's who that is), but this was good use. You kept them as accent, not the star of the show.
Yeah, this darker dubstep is good. When I was listening to dubstep, this was what I would look for. Unfortunately, too many people jumped on the Skrillex bandwagon and it got cheesy. I applaud you for keeping this side alive. Keep it up, man. You're definitely good at what you do.

Take care.
V.

Not a bad little track you got here.

Dreams move laterally and have transfinite perimeters. Which means they're all over the place and seemingly infinite in size.
Keeping that in mind, the little vocal thing you have going through this is on a linear track. It doesn't move anywhere but front to back. Try some panning and volume automation. Maybe a little delay. Give it freedom to roam. Same with the gated chorus. It's effective, but some creative panning would really bring it to life. The only other suggestion I have is maybe add a little more variation to the drums. Maybe some hats and a couple rides to help fill in some of the spaces.
The use of Allan Watts was an excellent choice. You just can't go wrong with that. The whole atmosphere of the track is a good one and I can see, or hear, rather, how it's a dreamy one. I really like the concept and, honestly, it's good as it is, I just think it could be better with some super easy adjustments.

Take care.
V.

When I was in the 80's, I didn't care too much for the whole synth-pop. But, the older I get, the more I love it. Mainly, because I listen back and I can hear the innocence and simplicity of a musical era that hadn't quite found it's running legs yet.
Everything about this is 80's. Right down to the title. I've always felt that in order to capture the essence of a particular musical era, you either had to have been there, or you have to have an intimate understanding of the mindset of the general mentality through lot's of observation or a brushing up on your historical knowledge. I'm not sure which it is for you, but either way, You've nailed this one spot on.

Excellent work. Or, in 80's speak, "Totally rad, dude!"
Take care.
V.

For it being in an unfinished state, it's a fairly solid track. One of the things I like about it is how almost whimsical and floaty the vibe is, but how dark the lyrics are. I've always like that kind of contrast. I'm curious to see how it turns out when it's finished.

Take care.
V.

You've definitely got the whole D&B thing down. I really like how chill this one is. With that bass line and the lead synths/pads it's an easy one to fall into and just flow with the current.
The break starting at 1:50 was nice. I like the way you didn't completely drop out the, well....drum and bass. It was like a floating leap across the gap.
I can't exactly pinpoint it, but there's something about it that takes me back to the 90's. I think it's the Phasing. The 90's used a lot of Phasing for that darker, dreamier effect. That's a good thing in my eye. Or, ear, I guess.
Anyhow, like I said, you've got the D's and the B's all figured out, man. And we're all just a little bit luckier for it.
Take care.
V.

I do like this. It's a pretty mellow track. I suppose in going with the theme, "contemplative" would be a better term.
It's quite fluid within itself. The production quality is very clean. Nothing drowns out anything else.
I think the only suggestion I would have is to do some dynamic panning / automation on the vocals. With that sample being the only one, it's kind of the star of the show. Give it a bigger role. Maybe play with the tail of the delay. Move it around within the track a little. Weave it in and out of the pads. As it is, it's alright, but it gets to be a little repetitive, and has potential to be much more.
Check out FreeRadical's "Bad Boy Sound." It's a completely different beast than this, but the vocals in it are a perfect example of vocal automation within the track.

That aside, I dig the mellow nature of this, and could listen to a complete album full of tracks just like it.
Keep up the D&B trials, man. They're sounding good.
Take care.
V.

This is a nice little track man. It retains melody in the drops. It isn't just a bunch of regurgitated, chopped Skrillex growls. (those are the drops that made me quit listening to dubstep). For as high energy as the main synth sequence is, the overall track is kind of a mellow, dreamy thing. I really like this. The only suggestion I have is to match levels on the sub and the percussion. Other than that, everything sounds great!

Take care.
V.

There are a couple of things I liked about this. First, it sounds like it came straight out of 1972. This could easily be put in a line-up next to Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Iron Butterfly, etc. It's got a great pre-metal classic rock vibe. In my opinion, one of the most important movements in rock and roll. (But that's only because without bands like that, the heavy metal that I love would never have come along.)
Second, I love that driving rhythm. It keeps you under it's wheel the whole time without ever running you over. The vocals are great. Again, adding to that whole early 70's thing. If this is the style you wanted to do, not only can I see why, but I'm glad you finally got to do it!
Take care.
V.

I'm not a fan of this particular style. But, I have really enjoyed watching, or listening, rather, to your progression as a producer. As a fellow FL user, it's always interesting to hear what other people can do with it.
As far as this track goes, I really like the contrast between the soft and almost caressing piano, and the hard and aggressive percussion.
Nice work!
Take care.
V.