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Vladel
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
1,525 posts
Joined: Feb, 2008
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 Posted - 2013/04/08 : 19:29:53
I thought i'd start one of these as it seems no one else has and that could maybe due to not getting it yet. To be honest i was really surprised to see it arrive today but i'm glad it did!. I will also say that i'm not a huge follower of breaks by any means and i'm writing this during my first full listen but at the end of the day it's Hardcore Underground so here goes:
Disk 1:
-What you got for me feels a bit too charty for me (i'm not sure how to word my feelings about this) i suspect it's the vocals that sorta puts me off.
-Construct is an interesting one for me and i like it's dark tones that remind me of the first version of the playstation game wipeout.
- the soul children doesn't do too much for me because i think it's far too shouty.
- Fragments I love this track! great piano and euphoric synth just does it for me. I can't describe how uplifting this tune is with some nice dark parts to break it all up. TOP TUNE.
- into the fire Not sure where i stand with this one because i like half of it and don't like the other half but i suspect it could be a grower.
- The good inside good old skool feel to this one but not really my thing but there's some cracking bits in it.
- Leaving utter miss for me.
- Energy Really like this one by Daniel Seven and i think it's again a blend of piano and vocals that hits every spot.
- Feelings A bit of a miss for me. I don't particularly dislike any part of it but it doesn't do anything for me.
- Climax I suspect this one will be another grower for me and i like how chilled out it is without being sleepy.
- Higher emotion A miss for me.
- can you hear the silence Strife II remix A lot of energy in this one and is definitely a grower
- Giving all my love A miss for me.
- you better run Another miss for me
Disk 2: obviously will skip the ones that are on the unmixed disk
- Afrika is a nice opening but nothing spectacular
- Desire sounds a lot like the first song
- Junglefield isn't really my thing
- get your hands up is too dub steppy for me
- this moment doesn't quite hit the buttons for me
- Music blocks Another mixed bag for me with bits i like and bits i don't like
- Take you higher Oh god please make it stop
- Gavin G remix of new zealand story i was hoping for a bit more from this but it's ok
- I'll be ready it's a bit too samey for me
- Soundshower Really nice ambient melody here that sometimes makes me forget the breakbeat in the song. It's a nice experience and i like it.
- Can you hear the silence Doesn't do a lot for me.
- Sky Very nice and relaxed but i reckon i could lose it amongst the rest of the quality tracks on there.
Ok overall i much prefer the separate tracks more than the mixed one but it's nice to have both. I reckon that i wouldn't listen to most of the mixed disk for the songs themselves but the disk flows really well and there's not a single point of it where i would feel the need to fast forward because i couldn't stand to listen to a part. I will also say that while some of the tracks are not really to my taste,every song sounds so crisp and the production values are off the charts! None of it sounds cheaply made and i know as much as i like the album there are going to be people that will absolutely love this! There is not a part of this album i could be horrible about and while there's not much on there that i would absolutely have to play at some point but i think i can see this album being a nice distraction to listen to when i want to chill out for a time.
Anyhow i'm not going to ramble on so i will say that Hardcore Underground can be very proud of this album and i like it a heck of a lot more than i expected to (even the bits i'm not keen on). I hope i've explained adequately why i give this awesome album 8/10.
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remain calm do not be alarmed do not attempt to leave the dancefloor
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The Doc
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United Kingdom
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Posted - 2013/04/08 : 23:11:51
Thanks for that, I know everyones tastes can be different, but I now definately know I wont buy this for the price even more now!
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djDMS
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United Kingdom
10,304 posts
Joined: Feb, 2003
572 hardcore releases
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Posted - 2013/04/09 : 08:00:03
8/10 looks a much better score than your review suggests.
Didn't bother pre-ordering this time due to the unique way that Amazon seem to balls it up without fail. Hopefully have my copy by this time next week, then I'll do my own review.
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Claxton
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United Kingdom
1,061 posts
Joined: Dec, 2011
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Posted - 2013/04/09 : 11:02:13
Still not dispatched :\ hmphhh
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Vladel
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
1,525 posts
Joined: Feb, 2008
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Posted - 2013/04/09 : 15:27:37
quote:
Originally posted by djDMS:
8/10 looks a much better score than your review suggests.
I wrote the review and when i came to the end it was a score i felt happy with to be honest and perhaps it does seem generous considering the things i said about the music. The thing is that how i like the tracks are not always the be all and end all with regard to how much i like the project. For instance i gave HU5 a 5/10 and i stand by that because of despite a lot of quality music that i have bought full releases for since, the crammed tracklists, fillers, choppy nature of the disks and most importantly the number of tracks that seemed to me to be chucked together by producers and rammed into a tight space already really brought the project down for me.
In the case of HU Breaks, the first disk has 14 full high quality tracks from a broad group of producers (ie it doesn't feel like 70% is from two guys). It feels like a lot of thought was put into the music that was chosen and even the mixed cd doesn't feel like an artist album. The mix flows nicely for me me with a good range of artists and none of the tracks have been chopped to sub two mins. ITS SENSIBLE for once and it actually is what it says on the cover! It says it's breaks and every track is breaks! What a fantastic idea  Some may think i over-rate these things but i honestly feel that the album is so refreshing in these regards that it overcomes my lack of passion for some of the tracks and i still feel that there really isn't a horrid waste of space track on there and that makes it worth 8/10.
I hope that clears things up.
Edited to add: On the flip side the reason i gave clubland false advertising 9 a 2/10 was despite some quality tracks on there (i counted 4) the rest was a load of crap that wasn't even hardcore and the stuff that could be called hardcore at a long shot wasn't even worthy of the clubland name and that is saying something. When something is dog shit i call it that. When something stands out like HU breaks i call that too.
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remain calm do not be alarmed do not attempt to leave the dancefloor
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Edited by - Vladel on 2013/04/09 15:33:52 |
Serenity
Average Member
United States
173 posts
Joined: Jul, 2005
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 Posted - 2013/04/10 : 02:35:59
I was truly amazed when this arrived today. Normally overseas shipping takes quite a while!
Breakbeats own my heart, so this was a great album for me. I really love the balance - some harder tracks, some really flowing liquid tracks, and a bit of an oldschool vibe on others. Fragments has been a favorite of mine for a while, but I know I'm partial there. And I thought strifey did a great job on the Can You Hear The Silence remix. I'm also so glad to have Gavin G - Climax, it's such a beautiful and uplifting tune. I only gave a quick listen today, so those are the tracks that stood out on the unmixed CD. :) I thought this thread needed more positive words if the first review was preventing people from ordering it.
The thing about HU albums (to me anyways) is that there will always be something for everyone. There's a variety of genre's and sub-genre's covered so that the tracks don't all sound the same and get boring, and good music is fully represented.
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arpz
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United Kingdom
1,267 posts
Joined: Aug, 2012
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Posted - 2013/04/10 : 11:47:05
Did anyone that got both HU Breaks & Marc Smith think the printing was a bit off on the back of HU Breaks? To be the text doesn't look very sharp at all, compared with the crisp text on Marc Smith (& previous CLSM digipak too)
Just wondering really, really like both of them though HU Breaks is probably gonna get played a lot more than the Marc Smith one.
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Claxton
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Posted - 2013/04/10 : 21:12:01
quote:
Originally posted by arpz:
Did anyone that got both HU Breaks & Marc Smith think the printing was a bit off on the back of HU Breaks? To be the text doesn't look very sharp at all, compared with the crisp text on Marc Smith (& previous CLSM digipak too)
Just wondering really, really like both of them though HU Breaks is probably gonna get played a lot more than the Marc Smith one.
I didn't notice it until you said. Maybe because it is a different font and in italics? I noticed an exclamation mark was missing from one of the Marc Smith tracks. That made my OCD tendancies twitch a little.
I will leave full feedback later... But I just want to say... Entity & Darwin - Fragments is a game changer. WOW!! What a stunning track this is. Have a feeling it's going to be one of them timeless ones.
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Edited by - Claxton on 2013/04/10 22:19:03 |
Vladel
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United Kingdom
1,525 posts
Joined: Feb, 2008
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Posted - 2013/04/11 : 06:06:00
quote:
Originally posted by Claxton:
I will leave full feedback later... But I just want to say... Entity & Darwin - Fragments is a game changer. WOW!! What a stunning track this is. Have a feeling it's going to be one of them timeless ones.
It really is a fantastic tune isn't it?
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remain calm do not be alarmed do not attempt to leave the dancefloor
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_Jay_
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Posted - 2013/06/12 : 21:15:08
Need to go through the album more thoroughly, but fcuking hell, how good is Higher Emotion?
As most of you know, I'm not reeeeeally a Breakbeat person - but my word this album has gone a long way to talk me around! HUGE fcuking shouts to CDJay for giving me a free copy when I bumped in to him outside Hard Beats a few weeks back. You're an absolute LAD, Jon. Cheers mate. :-)
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Mad Max
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United Kingdom
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Joined: Dec, 2005
281 hardcore releases
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Posted - 2013/06/16 : 19:34:32
quote:
Originally posted by _Jay_:
Need to go through the album more thoroughly, but fcuking hell, how good is Higher Emotion?
I too like this track very much.
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Claxton
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Posted - 2013/06/16 : 20:19:26
quote:
Originally posted by _Jay_:
Need to go through the album more thoroughly, but fcuking hell, how good is Higher Emotion?
As most of you know, I'm not reeeeeally a Breakbeat person - but my word this album has gone a long way to talk me around! HUGE fcuking shouts to CDJay for giving me a free copy when I bumped in to him outside Hard Beats a few weeks back. You're an absolute LAD, Jon. Cheers mate. :-)
Ohhh!!!! That's how it works is it??!!
That's what you get for giving blowjobs out these days...
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latininxtc
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United States
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Posted - 2013/06/16 : 21:47:16
quote:
Originally posted by Claxton:
quote:
Originally posted by _Jay_:
Need to go through the album more thoroughly, but fcuking hell, how good is Higher Emotion?
As most of you know, I'm not reeeeeally a Breakbeat person - but my word this album has gone a long way to talk me around! HUGE fcuking shouts to CDJay for giving me a free copy when I bumped in to him outside Hard Beats a few weeks back. You're an absolute LAD, Jon. Cheers mate. :-)
Ohhh!!!! That's how it works is it??!!
That's what you get for giving blowjobs out these days...
Yes I am mad pissed about that! Getting a CD like that for free!
Oh well can't complain too much. Petruccio gave out a ton of Real Talk: Strictly for the Purist at the freeform yacht party last year in Spain. That made my day, especially since he gave me an extra one!
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_Jay_
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Posted - 2013/06/16 : 22:11:31
Ha ha! I guess going to lots of raves and making an effort to thank the guys I love for sets goes a long way?? Or maybe people just wanna get in my pants?
Either way, I couldn't believe my luck!!
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latininxtc
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Posted - 2013/06/16 : 23:54:01
quote:
Originally posted by _Jay_:
Ha ha! I guess going to lots of raves and making an effort to thank the guys I love for sets goes a long way?? Or maybe people just wanna get in my pants?
Either way, I couldn't believe my luck!!
What really happened is Jon gave it to you so you would stop molesting him!
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Serenity
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United States
173 posts
Joined: Jul, 2005
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Posted - 2013/06/17 : 01:27:07
HU is pretty incredible with the giveaways honestly. I mean they flew across the atlantic with an entire suitcase of cd's to share with all the TRR7 attendees!
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