Ok there is some really good trance with vocals, but a majority of it is TOTAL CHEZ. DJs and producers listen up, cause I want to start a discussion on exactly how to make your songs CHEESE FREE. First off, let us analyze a few examples:

Not cheese:
Coast 2 Coast - Home
Oakenfold - Southern Sun
Chicane - Autumn Tactics, Saltwater
Traveller In Motion - Believe (key south rmx)
Sholan - Can You Feel

Total Cheese:
Solid Sessions - Janeiro
Fragma - Toca Me (vocal mix) - my vote for the absolute worst vocal mix ever. Way to ruin a decent instrumental.
Lange - I Believe
Iio - Rapture
Motorcycle - as the rush comes
ATB - Let You Go

Ok so what do the non-cheesy tracks have in common that makes them not cheesy?

1) Lyrical Integrity
2) Lyrical Integrity
3) Lyrical Integrity - the most important way to make your song not cheesy. Some "professional" tracks have lyrics that sound like something off the notebook of that weird depressed girl in 7th grade who wrote "really deep" poetry (in reality it was just gay).

4) Subtle, non-obvious melodies - it seems like the best trance tunes have rather subtle melodies. They are usually a bit complex as well, not cheesy 3-5 note main melodies repeated ad-nausem. And most of all, DO NOT make your vocal melody exactly match your music main-melody.

5) Non-repetitive - a lot of vocal samples and melody lines are repeated WAY TOO MUCH. Break that cheesy verse-chorus-verse formula too. The most interesting songs usually do this.

6) Lyrics that can be interpreted in a variety of ways - the lyrics of the best songs (of any genre) can usually be interpreted in many ways. They dont really make any specific statement or message.

Anyway, anyone care to add more way to make songs not cheesy? Or to elaborate on the list of CHEESE and NON-CHEESE tracks?

Last edited by Froofy-D on May-13-2004 at 23:19

The KLF- Justified And Ancient

Now that's totally cheesy. Stop complaining.

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Yeah, the lyrics to IIO - Rapture are very chees3h, BUT, the singer's voice makes it so fucking good. The instrumental part is also very different from other cheesy tracks. (none of that stereotypical supersaw etc.)

i think the lange is a non cheese classic...from isos 1. love that track...

add grace - not over yet for non cheesy imo

Take the whiny "Baaaaby" out of Oceanlab - Satellite

quote:

Originally posted by Ory Yeah, the lyrics to IIO - Rapture are very chees3h, BUT, the singer's voice makes it so fucking good. The instrumental part is also very different from other cheesy tracks. (none of that stereotypical supersaw etc.)

+1 Definitely agreeing with that. IMO, same can be said with Svenson and Gielen's remix of Delerium's After All. The lyrics in that song are really cheesy/sentimental, but the production is a masterpiece, and the effects on the vocals really touch it up. I love the bass in that song (even if it is kinda simple)... pads are very very nice as well.

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quote:

Originally posted by Froofy-D Total Cheese: Solid Sessions - Janeiro Motorcycle - as the rush comes

Shame on you.

quote:

Originally posted by Wretched Take the whiny "Baaaaby" out of Oceanlab - Satellite

word, and possibly change the vocalist to someone that can sing

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quote:

Originally posted by Froofy-D Not cheese: Oakenfold - Southern Sun

Aye whatever

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quote:

Originally posted by Froofy-D Total Cheese: Fragma - Toca Me (vocal mix) - my vote for the absolute worst vocal mix ever. Way to ruin a decent instrumental. Motorcycle - as the rush comes

never call classics cheese. they may seem sorta dull now but they had their day just like darude-sandstorm did.

i think you forgot cass & slide - perception (vocal mix) in your non-cheese category

how come just because as the rush comes gets popular newbies are calling it cheese?

wtf

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