Vtech - Inertia EP review

Vtech is a Drum and Bass producer from Finland. He makes dark and fast paced sounding
Drum and Bass with some occasional ragga vocals.

First track Gangsters Anthem name implies for something about Gangster Rap but offers something very different what is expected. Vtech appears to use street talk phrases in many of his track names.
The track opens with a tiny synth melody and filtered breakbeats and after intro in 0:45 the gangster vocals come in. This track uses low bass only sparingly and nice distorted reece is coming quite late in 2:00 mark.
The mixing and dynamics works very well and usually in drum and bass scene some artists albums are either too loud or compressed to hell. The dynamics mix is both listenable and I believe it sounds just excellent with real PA on the dance floor.
Gangster combines an industrial ambient background with ripping reece leads and is very successful at that.

World Is a Ghetto has got nice breaks style with ragga vocals. Ragga vocals are sung by Ft. Mc Jahvice. His vocals suit perfectly for the Drum and Bass. Could not be any better than this. The track has got also some occasional acid synthlines. What a perfect addition to any breakbeat or Drum and Bass DJ stash.

Third track Black Ice style somehow reminds me of the classic and dark TeeBee tracks.
Very cool rhythmic reece bass is at its best when served with warm and distorted effects with some frohmage* (*editors note: Not sure if the produced uses Frohmage filtering. Just a personal note.) filtering to give listener a maximum drum and bass enjoyment. I am not familiar with origins of the speech department of this track but it surely gives some serious creeps in spine with some hysteric female screams and speech. Around 3:20 is very emotionally intensive with the "horror movie" genre. The track is very well mixed, layered and enjoyable to listen with headphones without head exploding.

The most industrial and eerie sounding track is the last track called Demise.
The ambience is propably the most interesting in this track of the whole bunch. I am able to find myself in a movie theme for a while with some swirling pads and other interesting sub fx. Let´s not forget the drum programming that is perhaps the most "junglistic" especially on the outro part. The outro kind of drum programming style makes me convinced that the producer has listened at least Goldies tracks. I still miss this kind of drum parts in other parts of this track. Anyway this was the most cinematic track on this EP.

Visit Vtech myspace

Buy Vtech Inertia EP

Why Rolling Stone magazine Must Die ? - The Prodigy - Invaders must die review

My jaw dropped when I read the review. Are the people at Rolling Stone magazine just overpaid idiots who have a very limited view of music genres?
In my opinion. Why just shut the fuck up and listen to mainstream rock bands since you don´t seem to understand a shits worth about real electronic music.

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/26079086/review/26212688/invaders_must_die

The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die

My review:
This album has got the real Prodigy back together. It´s a modern fusion of the good old and classic rave sounds, hits and stabs that Prodigy had already in the early 90´s. But topped with modern drum and bass reece basses and glitch tweaking. Not to forget about distorted synth sounds and breakbeat loops.
Just listen to track "Take Me to the Hospital". I first saw the video before getting the whole album which then blew my mind when I listened it with my headphones!
This album is not just for harassing your neighbour with your stereos but also good for listening and on the dancefloor. The track "Warriors Dance" has got some really nice old school vocals in 90´s style.
For my surprise the album had one nice analog synth style of track "Omen Reprise".
This is a different version from second track on the album "Omen"
They could have also renamed that into "Omen synth" because the track does not have any beats.

The production is modern but in true The Prodigy (the original band) style. Not just one man behind his computer. I think the previous Prodigy albums did suffer badly from the other band members absence. Of course I am talking about "Always Outnumbered _Never_Outgunned". For true I only liked only couple of tracks on that album.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Always_Outnumbered,_Never_Outgunned

The album has got many visiting artists:

The album features drummer Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures) on drums for "Run with the Wolves".
(Source Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prodigy#Invaders_Must_Die)

It is said that some bands left the worst song to the last but this is not the case with The Prodigy. The real recorded drumming with horn sections and with TB Acid lines mark 3:00. This track is just like a cherry on the top of the album!

My tears almost felled on my cheeks and my skin went onto goose pumps because it felt so good to listen to this "Stand Up". It´s just like a "farewell to listener" style of song on very last on the album.
This track reminds me of Chemical Brothers style when they remixed Oasis but this is way much better.

Last words for Rolling Stone magazine: Shut the fuck up

Beatmaka.com underground music with attitude? Or music without underground attitude?

I have submitted or at least tried to submit some of my tracks into a music website
called beatmaka.com. In my humble opinion Beatmaka.com slogan really does not do any favor to real underground scene since their music is mostly imitating all mainstream like music out there. When you visit and listen to every second artist you are able to notice there´s anything underground or original music on this website.

Every track sounds produced into best clarity and listening but there´s no real artistic talents that can produce original music outside the commercial club sound.

It is almost like a bedroom producers edition of DI.fm

There you have it. Another music website without underground attitude. Whoring to the commercial sound. I had only 2 tracks on this site and I have deleted another today. Now I have only one track and not wanting to upload more since the preview panel except that you produce the sound to meet some club standard sound.
Well there´s some better sites that you are free to upload without panel judgement process. For example reverbnation.com and myspace.com . It really does not help producers to develop their music or creative process when the track must be 100% ready and "pressed".
So from the creative point of view all music uploaded this site must be perfectly crafted and made as a final product for mass consumption.
But does this kind of process kill the creativity? In my opinion, yes.

The review panel:

What Do You Do Exactly?
The main goal of beatmaka.com is to deliver a site with high quality content. We do everything possible to select only the best music without compromise. Our Review Panel checks each incoming track and assures that only the best ones get online.
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From my point of view they only kill creative talents without constructive critique
about the tracks. Most of the reviews consider the producing side of music not really about the composition of artistic aspect of the track itself.

For example here is a feedback of my track "Arpeggiator One" from year 2006.

Reviewer: Marc Hedinger
Recommendation: no

Review:
I think the idea of the track's quite good but the way it's produced's far from optimal. The structures of the melodies, harmonies are pretty simple.


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I don´t want to bash the reviewer since they only do their job. But there´s nothing constructive on this review as it comes to artistic side.
The track is pretty simple. Perhaps it´s meant to be, right?
However there´s positive feedback about the idea.
So back to the production. Ok, no problem. Perhaps I make a club track with sidechain compression and limit the sound in Cool Edit and the track will be accepted.
From my point of view the panel does not seem to understand that there´s also some other forms of electronic music than that commercial (mostly crap) dance music they might only probably like. It´s often called synthesizer or electronic music and does not need to be pumped up as loud till your ears bleed. Of course there might be some EQ and mastering to be made
to make the track as final.
However sites like this give really narrow point of view about the electronic music in general.

Ok. So that´s enough critique about the review panel.

It´s not that bad site when you want to listen to some genres like
Trance, Breakbeat, Drum and Bass and Dance.

Some of my favorites are Mechanik Project:
http://www.beatmaka.com/music/artist.php?id=4588


ps: to add the review header was:

Unfortunately we do not think that "Arpeggiator One" fits into our portfolio.

They are presenting music as theirs you can see? Not the artists but as like a labels artists.