- Mar 9, 2022
- 221 Posts
- 187 Thanked
Solid enough but still waiting for full extended version to make my mind up. I like the melody but the sound feels a little thin at times doesn't it?
Grant Towbridge - Discover [Borderline]
- Thread starter No Return
- Start date
Trance4Ever
Elite Member
- Dec 18, 2021
- 1,057 Posts
- 769 Thanked
depending on what you define as thin. it has a distinctive Activa/Askew sound design with great punch and dynamics, however some squashed WAO138 releases might feel sounding more 'phat' for the moment during A/B comparisons but they have much worse dynamics which makes em sound tiresome if you listen to such stuff for just a couple minutes
so I would say this tune sounds spot on technically. the melodies are solid 4/5 tho
Daysleeper
Lost in Trancelation
This has potential. Its a no-nonsense simple melody progression that has been quite common over the years, but it still works. Not the most original though.
I think the "thin" part is that back in the days there was more fx used on individual synths or stacking/layering that made the sound more rich,spacey or "phat".But this is a common problem with the modern activa sound imo. It just feels more "empty" even though the overall track sounds more beefed up with modern production. There mas more emphasis on small details in the days, but now its more about the whole package.
I think the "thin" part is that back in the days there was more fx used on individual synths or stacking/layering that made the sound more rich,spacey or "phat".But this is a common problem with the modern activa sound imo. It just feels more "empty" even though the overall track sounds more beefed up with modern production. There mas more emphasis on small details in the days, but now its more about the whole package.
not talking about certain artists but if we take an 'average artist' picture, the amount of tracks released per year now and let's say 20 years ago will differ significantly
basically, one have to pull out more releases to stay somewhat revelant, that also affects more underground labels/artists even if they don't have big commercial goals, that's just the common 'rules of the game' you see everywhere around so you adapt willingly or not and essentially tracks are considered 'done' at a stage that back in the days was 'that's solid already but needs an extra touch here and there'. artists used to it, labels used to it, listeners used to it, so I don't think there's coming back, except for very few artists that won't make it change globally
Trance4Ever
Elite Member
- Dec 18, 2021
- 1,057 Posts
- 769 Thanked
It's a really nice track. I can't deny. It's very well produced. Liking that Askew- ish style, so on and so forth, but will I ever play it in any of my DJ sets? Probably not. I don't know...
Z Dobrej Woli
Legendary Member
Daysleeper
Lost in Trancelation
It has a good drive/energy/flow thast most in todays scene lack but why in the the hell does the kick has to have sooo much over-the-top oumph to it? Its unbareably to my ears. The low-end just feels bloated. Musically and structurally its really straight-forward as usual with borderline. Just something thats missing to take it to the next level.
Just compare it to older vandit tracks like this. This track certainly has enough bass/oumph to it while still sounding pleasant to the ears, and much more balanced. Its also much more interesting musically. It has dynamics, goes into phases, valleys and peaks, while still maintaining that driving repetitiv """techy"""theme similar to the above. Its building on something and takes it somewhere. Its layered much more cleverly.
Just compare it to older vandit tracks like this. This track certainly has enough bass/oumph to it while still sounding pleasant to the ears, and much more balanced. Its also much more interesting musically. It has dynamics, goes into phases, valleys and peaks, while still maintaining that driving repetitiv """techy"""theme similar to the above. Its building on something and takes it somewhere. Its layered much more cleverly.
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