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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Samination |
so, I guess it's time for one of these threads again, and this time I will not try to be an complete ass that I can be at times.
I will now post a quick review (I have listened to all the tracks once, so don't take it to face value just yet).
The Album:
Is it just me, are there comming more Freeform albums out than Hardcore albums? I'll keep it to the UK for convenience sake (becuser I know Japan spews out Hardcore/Makina/Gabber albums like it was nothing :P). It seems like HU does all the hardcore and the rest of the guys are being freeform related.
Anyways, enough of that precursor rambling, time to go for the album itself. I was definitly not dissapointed in it. It was mostly a chilled trancy freeform album, which I have never been fund of. I might blame this on just hearing one track (the Gammer one obviously), but if that's true, i wouldn't have bought half of the Rebuild CDs :P. But just like those CDs, I buy the albums for the offchance that there are some hidden gems. I can't say there are any big one here on this album, but I do feel like some of these tracks will definitly grow on me.
The Tracklist:
Just going to compare this to the Freeform Family album, this one seems to have a more variation of artists appearing. Freeform Family does have it's Rebuild CD, and Rebuild never really had any inhouse artists locked to it (but have artists that appears on almost all of the albums, like Peaks & Pinnacle). This being a Greg Peaks album, obviously the mayority of the track should be by him, but even then, he mainly only appears on 4 tracks (out of 21).
The Tracks:
In comparison to my other review threads, I wont list all the tracks here. I will just mention the ones that I think sticks out, and the ones I consider stinkers.
The good ones: Awakening by Poisecore, Gratuoitous (<- I retyped that 5 times already, cant still get it right :P) Grind by Gammer, Over the Moon by Peaks, Light Up by Transcend, The Preacher by Psyence, The Requim by Digital Commando(s?) and that remix by Transcend at the very end.
Gratuitous Grind is Gammer being Gammer as always. Freeform is definitly something that allows him to be someone else than his "Happy Hardcore revival" Gammer, which I'm, kinda thankful because his Freeform always has alot of energy and fast paced sounds in them. Light Up has the melody I like most of the tracks on this album but I dislike that it has to take almost 3 minutes and 2 breakdowns(?) until it starts. The Preacher sounds like an A.M.S from 2006, which suprimes me alot, so this one might appear on a mix (or 2) of mine in the future.
The poor ones:
Promised Land by Poisecore and Aaron Thomas, Technician by Peaks, Police on Drugs by CLSM, and CLSM alone :P.
The only reason I dislike Promised Land is the vocals, which is ungratuitously (oh look I made a bun) grinding my head in. I'm sure Technician isn't a remix or remake of that old DJ Impact track, but I was just not feeling it. An CLSM, let Gammer do the stupid tracks, I prefer you keep doing more melodic stuff (heck I'd even take the breaks stuff over it :P).
Last Words:
As mentioned earlier. This album has more of a chilled outfeel to it, just like how I feel about Stamina records. And like always, it was not really an album for anyone who likes either the gabbery stabs of oldskool Freeform, the dark aspect of psytrance or finrg or the fastpaced 'action' of, well, whatever the japanese are making.
Freeform definitly needs to be pushed out there, but I think Smiling Corpses should step up their game so we can get the more hard hitting stuff out, aswell as Watchtower for the more darker shit.
Anyways, this has to be the most fleshed out review I have made, ever. So... I guess I still starting using one word sentences from now on because I'm famished. |
| GregPeaks |
Thanks for taking the time to write this review!
The album covers a wide range of the colours of freeform, and i'm pleased that there seems to be something for everyone.
Anyone looking for the album can go here, www.teslatracks.co.uk |
| Vladel |
Any plans for a later digital release? There's only about two or three tracks on there i would want. |
| GregPeaks |
Sorry Vladel, I've got no plans to go digital, that was never my intention. I wanted to create a physical album that can be held in your hand and become part of a collection. These albums are cheap to buy. And whoever buys a copy will be one of very few people across the world, making that person unique in their own right. |
| Samination |
There's a huge fault in that kind of thinking in my honest opinion. Hardcore labels rarelly cater to its fans, other than "in the current moment".
Personally, I consider myself lucky that I have been able to get most of the stuff I like, from 1996 Happy hardcore to todays stuff for over 10 years of purchasing. But new fans who gets into the stuff now? The only time they can get anything is either pirate it, or hope that it gets released digitally or gets a reprint.
So, my background is piracy, but I dont think this limited runs have anything to do with piracy anymore. Thumpa got pissed off (wrongly at me first) when one of early limited albums got pirated within days, but he still managed to sell out within months anyways. So what did he lose? Nothing, other than a unthankful fans got the album without paying...........................
But then, I thought music was about entertaining people? |
| ViolonC |
Both views have their merits. But, as already discussed in other threads, this is one of the reasons Hardcore as a whole will not get big any time soon.
At least when the Album is sold out and no repress is planed a digital release should be done. Else this will be forgotten like so many vinyl recordings that didn't got digitized unless someone did it at home and uploaded it to Youtube. |
| GregPeaks |
It is 100% about entertaining people but a lot of work goes into making these albums. I started the label to bring music to the masses and i don't believe there is any money in selling music anymore but that doesn't mean i am willing to spend ??? and xxx hours to produce an album and give it all away for free, or risk preaching it will come out digitally and sit around with x amount of stock that never gets used. Piracy has changed the way things work, and despite it being pretty great for getting content out there, stuff that takes time and effort to make is also worth something.
I chose to make it a physical album that might one day become a collectors item. Maybe if someone decides he only likes one track from the album then the worth of that track lies with him, he can spend some extra ?? to have something fresh and a few other tracks or leave it for someone who will appreciate the entire product. Or indeed look out for a pirated version. The choice is yours.
However, although i don't have any plans to officially release something digital, if in your example case, there are new people who get into the music and want a copy or a track and i have sold out, it is fairly simple to ask me about it. I'm a reasonable guy and might surprise you with my answer. Never say never. |
| Samination |
quote:
Originally posted by GregPeaks:
However, although i don't have any plans to officially release something digital, if in your example case, there are new people who get into the music and want a copy or a track and i have sold out, it is fairly simple to ask me about it. I'm a reasonable guy and might surprise you with my answer. Never say never.
That has to be the most positive answer I have gotten so far on the subject :) |
| _Jay_ |
Just purchased, Greg. Sorry for the later order!
|
| GregPeaks |
No worries Jay. Still got loads of copies available so we can't count yours as late! |
| Cyrax |
I got mine at Sinistry on Saturday and am loving it so far ;) |
| _Jay_ |
A very timely purchase. I've been experiencing probably my longest lull in motivation towards Hardcore to-date over the last six month or so, and this is just what I needed to get reinvigorated again.
Some absolutely massive tracks on here. The whole album's a total fcukin' rush-fest. Love it.
|
| GregPeaks |
Thanks Jay! I also feel like the genre has been missing some of these tracks. There is something for everyone on the album, which reflects Freeform and Hardcore well! |
| Dan Theory |
Just ordered mine as well. Only stumbled across this in the last few days, great to have another Freeform album out!
I hear what your saying as well about physical copies. I actually prefer physical copies to digital (probably one of the few..) as I like to collect albums. Not saying one is better than the other but to actually hold the album as a product feels special to me and im more likely to play it. I dont think I would have got so into Hardcore last few years if HU, Music Mondays, Stamina, Lethal Theory etc etc had not released physical products. I listen to most new music in the car so it really works for me! |
| GregPeaks |
Thanks for ordering, Dan. It's been really special seeing more and more freeform albums released. Since Nu Energy closed, the future of freeform may have seemed uncertain to some but in it's own way it has gotten stronger.
http://teslatracks.co.uk/
https://soundcloud.com/teslatracks/sets/heat-light-sound
Oh and Dan, i'm glad you, like many others, listen to your music in the car - sharing it to the world as you drive by them. |
| Impulse_Response |
I finally got mine, and I'm happy to say that I like most of the songs on it. Great album! It is worth the price for the Road To Recovery remix alone.
I was excited to read that there is a second album on the way. One thing I would like to ask is that you consider the possibility of using less intense mastering, as there is a bit of audible clipping at some points. Mastering with a maximum level of around -1 dB true peak, instead of almost full scale as on Heat, Light, Sound and most other hardcore albums, would prevent clipping due to itersample peaks above full scale. The video below goes into detail, in case you're interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8HTmf--Wgs |
| GregPeaks |
Thanks for taking the time to tell me about some of that mastering, i'll pass your feedback on to Jon :)
I'm glad you've enjoyed most of the songs. The second album is under way, and there are still plenty of copies of Heat, Light, Sound available!
www.teslatracks.co.uk is the place to go! |
| GregPeaks |
It's worth mentioning that the CD quality and individual track quality is by not compromised by the perceived clipping Advather found. I have played the music countless times and never noticed it before, and it all sounds crisp when played on a big system! |
| ViolonC |
Likely happens when you rip the CD to mp3 or import to iTunes and alike. So better convert it to flac to avoid any issues. |
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