quote:

Originally posted by Mr Game+Watch So finally, here's my genre mix. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with this mix... take the "outer space" route with dubby ambient and turn-of-the-century progressive? Go quirky and goofy sci-fi B-movie with obscure moog-synth and theremin pieces? Do a post-apocalyptic themed mix with raw minimal techno and bleak, droning ambient? Instead, I settled on an aesthetic and a style of music I absolutely am enamored with... This mix is my attempt to convey driving your shiny new Testarossa through a neon-glazed cyberpunk future-that-never-was version of Tokyo... whether it be racing down electrified streets, attempting to outrun the cops in a corporate-fueled police state, or simply going for a leisurely cruise with your woman... this is the soundtrack of your Neo-Tokyo night. Enjoy! Tracklist Download Download Here (Right-Click/Save-As)

Well, I'm a sucker for catchy synth pop melodies, and seeing as this is basically one hour straight of that, it suits me just fine. Some really nice tunes in here, which led me to discover Aphasia Recs., a label I had only vaguely heard of before via the brilliant Magic Waves on Intergalactic.fm.

Not so sure if it really fits in with the challenge, though. To me, this sounds more like a flashy and decadent 80s throwback rather than anything futuristic (the artwork for a lot of the stuff in this mix seems to back that up as well). But hey, maybe I just haven't watched enough sci fi from back in those days.

Right, finally got things sorted out. It looks like everyone thought everyone else would go the dystopian route, and thus eschewed it for other approaches. That's good for me, because I've truly gone down that particular rabbit hole on this one. The deadline really crept up on me, so I still think the mix doesn't flow quite as effortlessly as I had hoped, but it most definitely represents a handful of the images I wanted to turn into music when the theme was agreed upon. I won't really describe the mix much more beyond that, as it'd make things a bit too obvious.



UR - Words From Atlantis [UR - UGCD-UR2005]
CoH - Boog [Editions Mego � MEGO 055]
Antanas Jasenka - System Zone [Audioactiviste - AA08]
Ryoji Ikeda - Supercodex 03 [Raster-Noton - R-N 150]
Kim Cascone - Zephirum Scan [Sub Rosa ‎- SR200]
KK Null - 0418 [Touch ‎� TO:74]
Oneohtrix Point Never - Free Ride [NNA Tapes - NNA051]
Robert Hampson - Signaux 1 [Editions Mego - eMEGO 148.1]
Christina Kubisch - In Transition [Important - IMPREC328]
Laica - Environs II [Alrealon - ALRN 045]
Mika Vainio - Half Awake Half Asleep [Raster-Noton - R-N 109]
DJ Datch - Dark Factory 01 [NuLabel - NU 024]
D Carbone - Abuse [Dynamic Reflection - DREF012]
Bas Mooy - Nastase (Developer Remix 1) [Audio Assault - AAR041]
Daniel L - Sypher (Iformat Remix) [Gynoid Audio - GYNOIDD012]
Excluded - Absurdity [Local Sound Network - LSNDS005]
Aphex Twin - Phloam [R&S - RS95035DB]
Shadows - Where There Is Only Light [Avian - AVN006]
Death Abyss - Love Is A Weakness (Tomohiko Sagae Remix) [Rodz-Konez - MAK035]
Cristian Vogel - Hearing Things Before They Happen (IQ2) [Magnetic North - MAGNET007]
Clouds - Lot Of Calls From No One (Part 2) [Deep Medi Musik - MEDI046]
Stellar OM Source - Process Vision [MinimalRome - MR 020]
Lizzie Miles - A Good Man Is Hard To Find [Hallmark - ?]
Stellar OM Source - Process Vision [MinimalRome - MR 020]
Frank Sinatra - Dancing On The Ceiling [Capitol - 4 96988 2]
Stellar OM Source - Process Vision [MinimalRome - MR 020]
Goldfrapp - Laurel [Mute - ISTUMM356]
Stellar OM Source - Process Vision [MinimalRome - MR 020]
Anthony Rother - Databank / Nuklearer Winter [Psi49net - PSINET006]
The Exaltics - Between Places [MinimalRome - MR 020]
MagneticNW - Longest Way Down [Echoes From The Abyss ‎- EFTA001]
Red Reflection - While England Slept [Frozen Empire Media ‎- FEM04]
Helm - The Hollow Organ [Pan - PAN 50]
Thomas K�ner - Untitled [Type - TYPE072]
Troum - Crescere [Beta-lactam Ring Records - mt183]

I listened to all of the mixes in full except for Mitztronic's, which I always start and then get interrupted halfway through (I promise I will get to it! Hopefully I'll have a workday without any meetings)...

Anyways, onto the reviews!

Psyshell - Dancing Is Active Meditation

This may be the hardest mix for me to review, as I'm not really a psytrance connoisseur. The genre as a whole seems tailor-made for this competition, with its liberal use of samples from classic sci-fi movies, its kickdrums sounding like a phaser zapping constantly at 140bpm, and its heavily synthesized and inorganic sound.

Since my musical tastes lean to the more housey, mid-tempo side of things, I felt the tracks on here eventually blended into one another and sounded almost... formulaic? Acid lines in middle-eastern musical scales, photon zaps and other alien SFX, a constant BPM rate... That's not saying this was a bad mix, since it fit thematically and you managed to do a decent job with the rapid mixing the genre requires (I tried mixing psytrance for a genre competition and found it pretty tough). I just wish you would've stepped out of your comfort zone a bit more for this challenge, since this is seemingly your primary genre and the genre's innate sci-fi hooks make it almost like a given.

Favorite track was the last song, it takes those middle-eastern musical scales of to their logical conclusion, overlaying them on a slower, more drugged out beat that calls to mind a sleazy futurstic hookah lounge for an inter-species clientele.

I will say, after finishing "Dancing Is Active Meditation", Soundcloud played 4am In Healesville and that one was a bit more suited to my taste.

Lews - Journey Through the Wormhole

I really enjoyed this mix. It's got a great late 90's progressive vibe to it that I'm such a sucker for. The mixing is some of the best I've heard from you, and the track selection is great. There are many tracks which capture the futurist, spacey sci-fi vibe that late 90's progressive was known for and really felt like speeding through an interdimensional portal as the synth melodies and tracks shift and bend at the speed of light. Love the intro tracks which are very reminiscent of Digweed at his best, though they didn't really scream "sci-fi" to me. Ditto for the track at 40 min, the Indian melodies and scrappy tribal beats are much more earthy and grounded in reality, echoing a bustling desert marketplace rather than an odyssey at lightspeed. It's only when the acid starts coming in at 18 min followed by Space Manoeuvers - Stage One where the theme becomes fully apparent.

Favorite tracks are from 47 min to 56 min, it's where the mix really hits its peak both thematically and melodically. Would love a tracklist!

Jack Moss - Human Revolution

Knowing Jack's musical tastes and inspirations, I came into this mix with really high expectations, and although it was a bit different from what I expected, it met those expectations. Truthfully, I was expecting something similar to what Dave provided with his mix.

The liquid funk that kicks off the first half of the mix conjures up images of scientists sequencing DNA, proteins, and amino acids for genetic manipulation, with these molecules spinning around and morphing in time to the music.

Orbital - Know Where To Run is the turning point of the mix, with the mix moving out of the labs of the mega-corporations that rule the dystopian cyberpunk future from their monolithic skyscrapers down to the gritty and dingy streets below. The production quality on the song and its breakbeat structure instantly conjure up the 90's, and it's cyberpunk future by way of The Matrix, Hackers, Deus Ex, Ghost in the Shell and other pop culture icons of the time (My entry into this competition showcased the more uplifting neon-lit Tron, Knight Rider, Wipeout, influenced future). Toward the end of the track, we get our first hands-in-the-air moment... showing that even in such a bleak dystopia, there still exists hope. This track in particular is my personal favorite on the mix.

After Know Where To Run the mix returns to its drum and bass routes, but this time in a more minimal, broken, and almost melancholy way, and then ending with a bit of hard-hitting, grimy drum and bass, and ending with a solemn ambient track. Those drum and bass tunes were in my opinion the most forgettable part of the mix, they were decent songs and fit the mix, but really not too compelling.

Jack mentioned his aim was to echo a movie with his progression and I can kind of see that - the ambient tracks at the beginning establishing the setting, the liquid funk showing the hustle and bustle of the scientists and engineers that manipulate the city, Know Where To Run being the the point where the movie's storyline starts to come together, the grimy drum and bass providing the soundtrack to the clash between hero and villain, and the melancholic ending theme shows that the battle was won, but it was a pyrrhic victory, with a ton of hardship and loss along the way. You nailed the storytelling with this one.

Ziptnf - Encrypted Universe

Seems like drum & bass was quite popular this genre competition! While Jack's mix takes a more subtle, melodic view of the genre, Nick's mix is much more forward and in-your-face. The sci-fi influence is immediately discernable, stomping, robotic and industrial percussion, vast and spacious fills, pulsating phaser beams and crystalline interplanetary melodies dominating the mix. The sinister, growling basslines resemble the sounds of grotesque alien lifeforms digesting their prey...

Taken on their own, a lot of the tunes are really great (favorites are the mind-melding appergios of the track 10 minutes in, the track at 26 minutes which sounds like a neurofunk take on classic Prodigy, and the quirky, euphoric final track), but I grew a bit weary of the relentless aural and SFX assault the by the end. That is no knock against the mix, since the technical aspects are excellent, thematically it fits like a glove, and the track selection is strong. It's more due to my personal taste. Jack was on point when he mentioned your mix can be likened to a SFX-heavy blockbuster movie... and while those movies are technically incredible, they tend to tire me out after a while as well.

Dave King - Hypersleep Dreams

Probably my favorite mix of the competition, so far. The subtle, minimalist ambient that starts the mix (especially #5 and 9:39) makes me draw immediate paralells with those lonely, desolate sci-fi movies like Moon and 2001. As someone who played The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld to death, hearing Back Side of the Moon at a pitched down tempo threw me off a bit. The dubby bongo drums give this point in the mix an air of playfulness... our lone intergalactic traveler getting his first taste of human contact. The FSOL tracks, dripping in operatic sorrow, then continue with the lonesome minimalist theme, and are a personal highlight.

Halfway through the mix, and it gets its first taste of percussion. It starts subtle at first, but subsequent songs increase the prominence of the percussion while keeping the desolate ambiance of the beginning few tracks. While we thought we've been alone in the desolate reaches of outer space for the first 50 minutes, the Aliens theme slowly fades in, showing that there may be something else out there. The inclusion of this song is my biggest complaint with the mix... my mind cannot undo the strong association with the Alien movies, and I would've preferred another song so you could have continued with making this story "your own". Now that the villain has been introduced, the industrial drum and bass beats at the end provide the soundtrack as the prey attempts to outwit and outrun the predator...

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9-9-99 Never Forget

Quarantine Music Festival 2020

All My Mixes!

The challenge is now over.

It is about 9PM EST, and the only two submissions that did not make it were from Bierheld and PivotTechno. If you two manage to submit your mixes by Thursday, I will still accept them, and you can participate in the Genre Challenge in September. If not, I will not allow you in the next challenge, but the turnout has been quite successful either way.

I've only managed to listen to a couple mixes, but when I listen to them all, I will post a mega-review much like Luke did above. This was a pretty fucking awesome idea, and I think we should do the same idea of a theme challenge next year. This really opened up the creativity floodgates and I'm extremely proud of all of you. Excellent work, everyone! Glad we could breathe some life into this dead forum.

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Set Archive | TA DJ Challenge

Thank you for listening, Luke! I agree with Jack's assessment with the cult classic/blockbuster analogy, that's a pretty good way to boil it down. As far as relentless energy goes, if you listen to my other mixes, you'll find that is sorta my style It's definitely wearisome for many people so I don't blame you for feeling kinda tired of the blasting full-speed DNB by the end.

I look forward to listening to yours! It looks like quite an interesting take.

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Set Archive | TA DJ Challenge

If you downloaded my mix, please try again. I had a small skipping error in it that I fixed just now... thanks and enjoy!

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9-9-99 Never Forget

Quarantine Music Festival 2020

All My Mixes!

OK, so this project didn't go very well for me. I don't know if I just can't do anything creative whilst on a schedule or what, but needless to say these past few weeks have not been very conducive for making mixes for me.
I had plenty of scrambled ideas at the start, but no single idea for the whole thing, and I never had one at any point during it's construction.
So I spend the first few weeks of this challenge doing nothing and listening to other peoples mixes that came in for inspiration, but it didn't help. When I eventually started two weeks or so ago I just flapped together whatever music I had lying around that sounded vaguely alien or futuristic and started experimenting, which lead to a whole hoard of ideas and me wishing I would have done this sooner as I simply didn't have the time anymore to work it all out.
Still, I figured that if my project was ambitious enough, that even if I'd only get 50% of my ideas done I'd still end up with a decent mix...

Yeah it didn't work. There has only been one night that I've spend on it were I was actually feeling creative enough to do these things, the rest was just spend mindlessly rearranging tracks to try and get something listenable out of it.

So when the deadline came I figured I'd just mock something up and upload it anyway, which was kind off the plan from the start. I was supposed to do that last weekend when I had time for it, but other opportunities arrived that I felt were more important for me, especially considering how my mix was looking.
I wanted to drop out, but fortunately Zip seems to have been feeling lenient enough to give me a pass anyway if I'd get it in by Thursday.
And as it happens I've had enough free time today to do a final mixdown and upload it. So here goes:

Science Dysfunction by Bierheld on Mixcloud

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Mixes: Ala� (Conceptional ambient dub)
AOTSE (Experimental)

Listens:
http://www.last.fm/user/bierheld

Last edited by Bierheld on Feb-12-2014 at 21:20

quote:

Originally posted by Mr Game+Watch I just wish you would've stepped out of your comfort zone a bit more for this challenge, since this is seemingly your primary genre and the genre's innate sci-fi hooks make it almost like a given. Favorite track was the last song, it takes those middle-eastern musical scales of to their logical conclusion, overlaying them on a slower, more drugged out beat that calls to mind a sleazy futurstic hookah lounge for an inter-species clientele. I will say, after finishing "Dancing Is Active Meditation", Soundcloud played 4am In Healesville and that one was a bit more suited to my taste.

First off thanks for the review. About the comfort zone, as I said a few times earlier in the thread, it's my second mix in 2 years and as I gain a bit more experience I'll be able to be more flexible and confident. In case you didn't see earlier, all the tracks are from 95-98 where psy tended to be a bit more formulaic than it is now. Personally I find it takes a while to transition between listening to older stuff and newer stuff. While the older stuff has more melodies and is great in it's own way it does tend to cover less of a variety of moods and has far worse production values. The formulaic qualities definitely makes it easier to mix but I guess it's not to everyone's preference. If you can be bothered, it's very likely that my next mix will be a progpsy mix (probably melodic stuff from ~2001-2006ish) so it might end up being more up your alley. I'll probably end up listening to your mix some time over the next week. I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's mix I haven't listened to yet.

quote:

Originally posted by ziptnf This was a pretty fucking awesome idea, and I think we should do the same idea of a theme challenge next year. This really opened up the creativity floodgates and I'm extremely proud of all of you. Excellent work, everyone! Glad we could breathe some life into this dead forum.

I totally agree. It's nice having a little community gathering with lots of people participating. It seems to be better than making a mix thread every now and then and getting the occasional person commenting. It's nice to have something that's a bit structured. It also makes it a bit easier to be competitive if you're into that. Perhaps some time over the next couple of years I'll have to get into mixing techno so I can make some sets that more people are able to get into.

quote:

Originally posted by Bierheld As for the narrative: "Somewhere, in the distant future. A computer with no concept of what music actually is or what it's supposed to do was instructed to create a mix and failed miserably. The scientists who conducted the experiment were laughing hysterically at it's efforts and called it names. The computer wanted to cry, but couldn't. It had no emotions. The end"

Well I think you should get an award for most innovative take on the theme so far.

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Check out my Goa mix and Darkpsy Mixes here

Last edited by Psyshell on Feb-13-2014 at 04:23

quote:

Originally posted by Bierheld DL: http://speedy.sh/m5zDN/Science-Dysfunction.mp3

I can't figure out how to download your mix from speedy.sh.

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Nu skal jeg betro dig min hemmelighed. Den er ganske ligetil:
kun med hjertet kan man se rigtigt. Det v�sentlige er usynligt for �jet.

Click the file name at the top where it says Download: Science Dysfunction in large letters, and ignore everything else on the screen.

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Mixes:
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24
> Surface Tension [Progressive Trance]
> Back To Deep [Deep Trippy House]
> Terra Nova [Modern Progressive Trance]

If you enjoy any of these sets and want to hear me live, I'll be playing a 2 hour progressive trance set at Basing House in Shoreditch, London on 11th October.
I'm also a resident at our bi-monthly party Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/

Thank you, Jack.

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Nu skal jeg betro dig min hemmelighed. Den er ganske ligetil:
kun med hjertet kan man se rigtigt. Det v�sentlige er usynligt for �jet.