Vectorman 2 - Night in the Swamp

[Mr. Hu]

This is a ReMix of my favorite track from either Vectorman game (though honestly it sounds better without headphones because of that crazy spread).

Updated version, 5/28/18: So this turned out pretty experimental, with different field recordings and some game SFX, as well as a long vocal track that I had planned to be a focal point cut down to only the most essential few seconds. I tried to do a bit of experimenting in the mixing as well, with butting high-frequency stuff against lower stuff, and squeezing as much dynamic range as I could out of everything without things becoming too alienating or annoying. It's kinda artsy-fartsy, but more even more fun, I think. The GooDrive link is below the OG.

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15OtpmPZX4siS0yVs0iifwMw03OdEhL7b

 

[Mr. Hu]

Update again, 5/2918: Well, I'm just gonna submit this and see how it goes! Still, any extra ears would be neat-o.

[Cubeshark]

You have some really nice parts in this song. I particularly liked the part starting around 1:41. In general I think the hardest thing about experimental songs is differentiating between something truly experimental vs. something incorrect. For instance, the effect with the delay feedback at the end was definitely interesting, but I could hear it switch on with a little pop and I felt it didn't really accompany the song well. Also, I feel that even though the original song was minimal and sparse and that's probably what you were going for, you could have done a lot to add to it with some extra layers like a nice synth pad or some glitch drums, even something quiet and consistent in the background can really go a long way. You did this somewhat with the field recordings, but overall I think you just needed a bit more supporting elements to tie everything together rather than sounds scattered around the composition. I could really hear the potential in the part I previously mentioned at 1:41, I just wish it was fleshed out a bit more.

Hopefully that all makes sense. Your song definitely has potential and like you said it was pretty experimental, but I personally think that experimentation can be accepted more in music when it is contrasted against normal things. 

[timaeus222]

Experimental is fine, but yeah, it can be hard to pull off. Redg manages to pull it off:

However, in this case, I do agree with @Cubeshark that this is a bit too sparse. You may want to add something to fill in the gaps, like a glitched drum loop to add interest, a pad to create some sort of tonal filler, or a bass to glue the mix together. Near the end of the mix, the glassy pad you had was doing that job.

Something else you may want to consider is finding a structure; I typically want to be able to skip 15 seconds forward and notice a forward change in something, whether it's faster hi hats, more bass, less drums, etc., rather than just a change. Something where you can tell whether you're in an intro, a "chorus", a breakdown section, an outtro, etc. 

[Mr. Hu]

Oh cool, I actually got some feedback! Thanks!

I know there are parts that are pretty sparse, and not changing too much. While making this song I was listening to a lot of music by a repetitive trance guy named Lorenzo Senni, which I quite liked, and some of that definitely leaked into this song. I guess the "constant-adding-of-instruments-as-the-song-progresses" formula, while bronzed for all time at this point, was getting a little too predictable for me. That's why it sounds a bit like it "needs something". There was a bassline, and I just took it out. The whole thing became kind of reductive exercise. 

The delay switching on is something I know other musicians will catch, but I actually decided to not hide it on purpose, just because I think the hiccup sounds better. Like someone hitting a stomp-box in a basement show. 

Maybe it is little too strange! If it gets rejected, then I'll try to make it a bit more digestible.