Flexstyle

I hope I don't have to give any sort of truly meaningful analysis on the source usage, because really all I can say is that I heard everything and it was there and you used it and it was elaborated upon properly. #runonsentence Anyways. Definitely a very dreamy feel, mix is plenty clean, piano could stand to be humanized a bit more, but that's not going to stop this one from going through. Really, anything else I say here is just a formality, so let's cut the noise and give a verdict. YES

EDIT: After considering this very carefully, I'm just going to retract my vote. I can see both sides and would rather not be a deciding voice in this case.

Hey all, I've recently entered into the NerdcoreNow Vocalist Producer Challenge. Basically, a producer and a rapper team up and do a track every three weeks or so for five rounds. This round, the challenge was to do a rap from the perspective of a character inside some sort of fantasy world, so my partner and I chose to take on the Fairy Tail anime. We could use your votes in this competition, so you'll need to go here: http://vpc3.tumblr.com/page/3 Rate our song (Never Turn My Back by FiberOptic Illusion) whatever you think it deserves, and while you're at it check out all the other entries as well and give them a bit of listening, too! (There are three pages for a total of 36 entries, so you'll have to use the "previous" button a bit.)

Oh hellz yes. If you've watched much OCR Talkback, you've heard me give love to Paul's stellar work on the Frozen Synapse many many times. Since I am also a fan of all the Deus Ex soundtracks, this hits all the exact right buttons. SOMUCHLOVE.

No genre restrictions! All I want to hear is YOUR best interpretation.

BUMP: for great justice! Also as a reminder that this contest will be over in thirty days, which is plenty of time, but also you should hop to it if you're interested.

I really dig this album. Listening to it right now for the second day in a row at work. I'll try and remember to download it when I get home. Satisfyingly atmospheric and glitchy. Great work!

So, this track was actually my first time listening to the source tune. For those of you keeping score at home, this is yet another game you can add to the list of "games-that-Flexstyle-hasn't-played-yet-nor-will-likely-ever-play-because-busy-yadda-yadda-etcetera." Whatevers. The point I noticed, though, was that the source tune was fairly repetitive and short, and it's always interesting to me to see what people do with sources like this. Like djp, I was intrigued by the genre-mashing action here. The downtempo bits are incredibly reminiscent of old halc material (which is a very good thing), and the actual trance bits are very old-school OCR sorta sounds. Yes, the arrangement is a bit repetitive, but so is the source and I don't feel that it's inappropriately done. Yes, there are some production tweaks that could happen, especially during the trancey bits, but I didn't think they ever got to the point where I had to reject solely on that basis, and I'm picky. Yes, some of the instruments are a bit mechanical, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing for this particular arrangement. Honestly, I was entranced (no pun intended) during the entire arrangement, and felt the song flowed pretty darn well. Source usage is obvious to the point of almost being TOO blatant, but the decently-well-executed mashing of styles really makes up for that rather nicely. I think that, as an overall package, this song has what it takes to get by. It's a very enjoyable ride to me, and hasn't got enough against it in any given area to knock it off the rails. YES

Yeah, I was gonna chime in and say that there have been cases where a posted ReMix was obviously heavily influenced by another posted ReMix, but both passed the bar just fine. If you were to do a remix that was heavily based off of another one, just make sure it's distinguishable enough (which means VERY distinguishable, most likely).

Sounds good, guys!

If the submitted track sounds enough like my track, it counts. For instance if you were to do an acoustic re-imagining....

Hey everyone! I've just started a remix contest, and the prizes this time are graciously provided by Impact Soundworks. Check it out! http://flexstylemusic.com/wp/remix-contest-2014-oasis/

Edited my vote to push this one over the bar.

This may be as good a place as any to start. Mr. Bill is one of the best and most creative Glitch Hop producers out there, and I think you'd be able to pick up a few things from him. Hope that helps.

Yeah, the ice cubes are obnoxious with how much they've been used. And yeah, the vocals are perhaps just a *teeny* bit loud in the mix. But dagnabbit, this is a FUN song, and I love the way you've treated the source. Slowing down the melody to create the cocktail vocal line is great. The instrumental track is well-mixed. The vocal delivery, while not flawless, is delivered with confidence and that makes up for a lot of nitpicky stuff. Enough talk, let's see this on the front page! YES

Used this song in my latest convention mix. Check it out! (Mystical Mist comes in around the 33 minute mark. Super sloppy transition but in my defense this was super last-minute. ) https://soundcloud.com/flexstyle/saboten-con-pool-party-2014-live-and-unedited

I'm biased (because I went to a rival school), but we didn't hear a whole lot of good stuff about Full Sale.

Then again, there's always something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajMpfPYlHi4 The route I'm taking right now--admittedly, with some significant financial blessings along the way, such as having college paid for (and graduating with absolutely ZERO debt!), etc.--is to get good at something that will likely make me a lot of money if I stay in that field, and then also try and get to the point where I'm at a professional level in the music world as well. I work in IT, where I make good money and have a lot of room for growth, have a good, versatile degree, and have enough experience and connections to probably do very well in the technical field. That said, I'd run away from all that in a heartbeat if I get some opportunity to work on a record or tour or something, even if it means just making enough to scrape by on. And honestly, while I'm still young and single, I might try something really crazy yet, like selling all my stuff and then travelling for a year. Nobody's counting on me for income, so why not take some chances?

So basically what we're all saying is that in order to hang out with OCR folks on a regular basis, you should either live in Phoenix or New England?

I'd love to be able to support myself by doing music in some form or another. Composition for film, TV, and video games is something I love, of course. There's also the aspect that I'm developing right now, which is studio engineering combined with acting as a producer for an album: not just recording and mixing, but also adding my own touches along the way, all while helping each musician give their best performances. Basically, whatever it is I end up doing, I'd like it to be both creatively and technically fulfilling, so I'm working towards expanding both my technical and creative skill sets. Also I get bored of doing just one thing for a living after about two years, so I might bounce between a whole bunch of things.

YES! So much of this.

I'm crushed. CRUSHED, do you hear me?

There's a decent contingent of OCR folks here in Arizona (KingTiger, DjjD, Chimpazilla, Emunator, Ergosonic, Zylance, Monobrow, Protricity, KyleJCrb, anyone else I'm forgetting), so I've met almost all the above names. I hang out with KT on a regular basis, and try to meet up with Jake and Wes (Emu) whenever possible. I try to meet up with OCR folks in any area I'm travelling through--got to meet with Rexy, WillRock, Fishy, and ProtoDome a few weeks ago in the UK. Will and Fishy even allowed me to stay at their houses for some nights each, which was excellent. And of course I look forward to the conventions where I'll be able to meet up with a bunch of people. MAG, Reno GAME Expo, etc.

Aww yeah, one of my favorite BnR tracks got posted! Great work, you two!

I'm not going to sign up--not going to have enough time, since I'm already entered in another high-time-pressure contest. HOWEVER, if someone needs me as a one-off collaborator on occasion, I'm happy to provide solos, ambiance, etc.