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OCR03890 - *YES* Soul Blazer "I'm the Soul Blazer"


Gario
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Collaborators: Smooth4Lyfe (vocals), Brothadom (lyrics)
Remixer: HoboKa
Description:
We did an RnB/rappy remix of the underground theme for Soulblazer.  Brothadom wrote the lyrics, but I found his vocals to be wanting, so I wound up hiring Smooth4Lyfe to do-em up for me.  And man, can Smooth4Lyfe rap AND sing!!  On a sadder note, I think Brothadom was very upset at this revelation and blocked me.  I hope he's doing alright... Regardless, whether or not this collab-mix passes, can you guys drop him a line and tell him I've got some moneys for him??  I owe him for the time/effort at least.  
 
PS, if anyone on the panel is up for doing any potentially needed finished mastering touches, can you PM me?  I'm open to paying for the service too.  Thanks!!!!
best regards,

-Alex

 

 

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We don't have lyrics, and while a lot of it is straightforward there are a couple sections that I couldn't quite understand. 

The bass that comes in has a pretty fun sound and sets the track up nicely. Nice groove overall. The synth that comes in after that is a bit thin and shrill, but it doesn't take away from the track much. 

Smooth's performance is good, though I felt like a lot of the lyrics for the chorus are repetitive and some what uninspired. This becomes really noticeable when you have the chorus followed by the bridge Gillard by the chorus. It lasts from 0:45 to 1:27, nearly 45 seconds. It feels like a lot of chorus/vamping. After that is the party I can't really make out bit definitely feels more inspired, and another hero verse to the end.

I'm a bit torn here because the middle repetitive section cuts a lot odd momentum from the track. I'm curious what others think but I do think in the end this has a lot of good aspects and a solid performance. Good luck on the rest of the vote.

YES(borderline)

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Man those lyrics are pure cheddar.  I think the arrangement is groovy and the arrangements ideas keep the track fresh for the most part, the effects put on the vocals mid-way were pretty cool as well.  The whole thing doesn't overstay its welcome either.

Overall I think the lyrics could've been less simplistic, and the mix could've been a bit cleaner, as it does feel a bit muddy at some points, specially on the lows and mid-lows but overall I think this is just above the bar.

YES

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  • Sir_NutS changed the title to 2017/10/23 - (2Y) Soul Blazer 'I'm the Soul Blazer'
  • 5 months later...

I think the arrangement is pretty cool, the singing is on point, and the production is pretty good. I hear the issue with the lower mids being cluttered, and I'll add that the mixing of the vocals get drown by the rest of the arrangement from time to time (such as the section starting at 0:24), but overall it's not anything that's breaking the track definitively. I do like how the track breaks things up a bit with the SFX on the vocals in the middle - it's a nice change of pace.

It ain't perfect, but it's still pretty good. I'm all for it.

YES

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  • 2 weeks later...

Smooth as. Although we don't get much variation throughout the underlying groove, the lyrics are well constructed and keep the mix moving at a solid pace, making the mix feel like it crams a lot into the relatively short timeframe. Typical dropping in and removal of layers which feel right and we placed well. The bass only break at 1:28, while simple, was a good addition and was timed right. Vocals did seem a little soft in places and could've been more upfront, but I think the blend here works.

YES

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The negatives first. The opening synths felt pretty stiff. The bell riff from the source is actually kept with some quiet, tingly instrumentation in the background, which was a nice touch although the part got buried most of the time (you hear it more audibly from :42-:45, for example, when the drums dropped out).

During the chorus (e.g. 1:02-1:27), the vocals were getting pushed behind the instrumental, so the mixing wasn't the best, but it gets by.

Not feeling the effects on the vocals from 1:35-2:21; I hear how it's meant to thicken up the vocals, but it was a grating effect IMO, so it could have been shorter in duration. It felt like a really basic/default effect was just put onto the vocals without much work, but that's just my reaction from feeling it wasn't used well.

Structurally it was pretty conservative, but that's Alex's pocket, and he does better when he works within that space. He did a good job giving the track a denser and more driving sound, and the vocals further fleshed things out. (I hope Dom and you worked things out; I've generally liked his POV on politics, so he's always cool in my book.) I'm with Gario that the piece isn't as polished and well-mixed as it could be, but it's still solid and the interpretation & beefed up sound were above the line. Keep working on your production, Alex, but the pieces are in place here. :-)

YES

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  • Liontamer changed the title to OCR03890 - *YES* Soul Blazer "I'm the Soul Blazer"
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