5.1 comes to mp3!!
DAMN!! Ya got my attention right away. The
production barrage in the first 30 seconds or so
was Xtreme, particularly in headphones. All the
middle-eastern string and vocal color mixed with
all the panning, sweeping electronica--whoa!
And then it drops into a really crisp, tight...I
dunno what you call this--is this down-tempo
dance? Whatever it is, it's got a little funk, a
little thumpin' kick drum, and a lot of serious
mixology going on.
The vocals are completely, immaculately
clean--there's not a speck 'o dust on 'em. The
harmonies are perfectly in tune, the tone
quality is absolutely consistent throughout.
Nobody's gonna have to find words like "raw," or
"honest," or "angst-ridden" to compliment this
vocal performance--you don't need sniffly
euphamisms or excuses, this is pure polished
badness from beginning to end.
Every element of the mix is balanced to
perfection--the vocals are RIGHT IN YOUR FACE,
yet really expertly blended with the
instrumental tracks. The turntable stuff (if
that's what it is--it's so fast I've gotta
believe it took a pretty long time to put
together, and there's not a single bit of this
that sounds "off-the-cuff"...it's all there for
a reason) is incredible, as are all the samples
of middle eastern percussion and plectrum string
instruments. This is one of those GB tracks (and
I've heard a few) that I have trouble believing
isn't a major label release with a lot of money
behind it.
In the interludes where the middle eastern feel
comes back, we're transported--the long low
drones, mixed with the wailing male vocals, just
soar out at you and draw you into another world,
like you're watching a big-budget movie in a
theater with a kickin' Dolby surround system. In
fact, I'd almost bet somebody's DONE a surround
mix of this, and we're just hearing the "dumbed
down" stereo mp3 version.
There's so much explosive high-frequency
percussion color I couldn't possibly describe it
all, but every bit of it is clear, mixed and
panned for maximum impact, and comes at you so
fast there's no way to keep track of it all.
I don't have anything to contribute
here--there's nothing I'd do differently. So
much work went into making this thing kick that
there isn't anything left to say. This is the
Acid/sample track from hell, with some killer
vocals and a strong hook.
That's all, I'm done.
Happy 2005.
- noiseartist from Muncie, Indiana on 28Dec2004
