Month: December 2016

Broadjam Artist: Dave Haddad (CenterPeace)
Song: Destined to Fly

Reviewer: Floyd Kelly

Positive Comments: Go on a smooth jazzy musical journey where esoteric aqua-blossoms of splash and spottle – meet the spires of jade blue gems – extruding from brushes of green paint. Perhaps, on your journey you’ll see floral buttons with flows of ink dancing lightly through ethereal martinis – one olive – quite quaint. Bell-bottoms of blue droplets of musical ink, whisk you to a sad valley of lost dreams perhaps – the cries, quite faint.

Constructive Comments: This is a nice musical piece. I did notice a thickness in the mixing holding it back some. I listened to this three times. Around the 2:15 mark I think, that drum line comes in and the muddiness is really noticeable. I think a melody line in this would give this a new dynamic. It is good now but another with some improvements in the EQ and perhaps bring that string section playing around the 3:15 to the fore, to add more emotion just like at the climax that follows with all the instruments, organ and guitar playing. The guitar has a thickness to it. Have a great day today!

Broadjam Artist: Signal 30
Song: Technotropolis

Reviewer: Floyd Kelly

Positive Comments: I’m sorry to say that I am a hobbit and I live up in the woods and yes we hobbits have big hairy feets, ok! I woke up this morning and hobbled to my very dusty hobbit-like studio where I listen to other hobbiton musical creations, and hopefully, I get inspired to write elegant stories perhaps. I just nestled my poached egg and cut the cheese, when I pressed the big honkin’ play button on my hobbit-computer this morning – and out of my lacelorn speakers came this electronic dance track with a heavy beat, electric snares, a fast and light string keypad setting my feet hairs up I tell you. Oh, my. After getting into a hobbit-like groove I notice … This place sure is dusty … dusty I tell ya … I like this dance track and it really did inspire me to grab ye olde broom-bunny cornhusks and get these bliminy dust bunnies out of me’s studio! This music is … precious to me … and I am going to knock on the big play button again. OK, after wiggling to this three times, … me’s dusty studio isn’t so dusty now! Thank you Mr. electronic dancer maker person.

Constructive Comments: I think this is primarily for the dance foor – so market it to all the clubs. I took off marks because the mixing seems to have a thickness – holding back some dynamics in the piece. This is a traditional (so to speak) electronic dance beat and I would exploit that. I think a little more musicality could have been added to this to pull the piece into a new genre.

Broadjam Artist: SRJ
Song: Electronic Funk

Reviewer: Floyd Kelly

Positive Comments: The shimmer-wop, oh weow, … weow, weow … I’m trying to hum the synth chords in this really cool electronic dance track with a heavy beat. There’s a few “Battlestar Galactica”-like robots playing/vocoding a dark and enticing chord progression. It has a nice ambiance embedded in the panning with ethereal musical beings embedded in keypad backing notes the dark polynth rhythms come with some nice reverb – welcoming all people everywhere – to the grand opening of the new LaserX2000 virtual reality casino – the latest in neuro-sensory thrills and guitar cool wobbles, raspberry beats and some shimmery niobium. … I am listening again … and “Hello there Mr. dark polynth … you’re back again” thank you for joining in on our musical journey. I like to play this kind of music at the car wash while I’m gambling, and when I’m dusting the furniture or writing code on a late Saturday night, like that dude in “The Matrix”. Roller derby works with this too and my neighbor likes to vacuum the carpets with this playing. She has clean carpets.

Constructive Comments: OK, I just make shit up. I love being spontaneous. I listened three times, then wrote the above. My first play through I thought a little strange, but got into it quickly. Next play throughs, I was totally digging it. Have a Happy New Year!

Broadjam Artist: N.Jones, Music Designer (Protilius Productions)
Song: Frederickson’s “Finally Found (Protilius mad world remix)”

Reviewer: Floyd Kelly

Positive Comments: Louise, a war-afflicted girl, living in a village in a far away land is wishing for better days. Escaping into the rocky mounts of the village nearby. She’s careful with the jagged edges of weather-torn cliffs. A movie clip comes to mind while listening to this – presented in blue hues with a big war mess. She stands at the edge of a cliff – overlooking a war-torn place full of strife, while dark skies memories of family abound. The vocalist’s taunts in this electro-mystery seep through a mist of a campfires’ smoke flowing through the cold air.

Constructive Comments: There is a big chunk of silence at the end of this recording. I think the vocal on this could be much better and there are pitch problems. I played this three times before reviewing. Noticeable, is the placement of the vocal and sounding flat sonically in parts. I think the instrumention could be more ‘crying’ and ‘swelling’ as this entire piece has a dark quality – so exploit it. I like the faint electro-echoes used to add mystery. There is a thickness in the recording (i.e. muddiness) noticeable in the kick drum. I think with some more work on this in a re-mix would take this to another creative level – captivating and haunting. And, please remember, these are just thoughts of a whimsical hobbit up in the woods who has big hairy feet ok.

Broadjam Artist: CyclopsCow
Song: Rare Earth Element

Reviewer: Floyd Kelly

Positive Comments: The dance of woody skeletons are waiting for the dark clocky ghosts of the drum world you see. And then, there is this conglomeration of a sound, similar to a big hunky foley artist twisting a musical piece of metal. He really enjoys it! To get out of this room, we need to go through the hall of mirrors and globbidy glooks floating around just for good measure. Oh, it’s all so surreal … almost like mixing a cat’s meow with a Wonkymaster 2000 and VHS King Kong drumline perhaps. Oh, how the metalic whaaaaaa…. wherrrrrrrr… wmmmmmmmmm motif keeps you in your room of the woody skeletons.

Constructive Comments: As for commercial value for this and just my opinion only is probably limited. Still… there’s always a purpose for music! I see this (at a low volume) acting as a backdrop to a haunting scene in television. Perfect for a sound effects library. I think some more work on the arrangement and recording could, at the least, bring more drama to the piece. Have a great day/evening!

Broadjam Artist: Uncle Spider & The Electric Dirt Clods
Song: Trevor’s Lullaby / Children

Reviewer: Floyd Kelly

Positive Comments: I’m just sitting here counting … counting my pennies, counting my dimes, my nickels … lots of quarters! … oh, here’s a Canadian coin! Woohoo!… This $100 bill keeps getting in the way – oh, there’s some more pennies and dimes over there. Just counting, and counting…

Constructive Comments: To be honest, as for commercial value – I’m not sure about this one. If it was toned down and expanded in the recording’s spatial field it could be more marketable. I hear a synth string in the back which, brought to the fore and showed more often arrangement would have changed the dynamc of this piece. I apologize for my comments in the first part of this review I just woke up from a holiday dinner this was my first song to review and I went to the idea of money for some reason … OY! Have a great day/evening.

Broadjam Artist: FRED GROSS
Song: In the Morning (Instrumental)

Reviewer: Joshua Rice

Positive Comments: This nicely captures the Isley Brothers feel from the 70/80’s. The sonics are all there, well done. The structure and arrangement is simple and clean. The use of octaves on the guitar add a mellow jazz feel.

Constructive Comments: The track takes me to a warm, comfortable place, which is good, but misses an opportunity to push further. I think it would benefit from another element that breaks the pattern and grabs the ear. This could be a different rhythm pattern, a more adventurous solo, anything that provides a boost in the middle.

Broadjam Artist: Randal Dunkle
Song: Good getting up morning

Reviewer: Sandra Ada

Positive Comments: some really great potential here. I love his passion in his voice. The lyrics are great.

Constructive Comments: Only thing i would like to add is that maybe a professional recording could take this song to the next level.

Broadjam Artist: Gary Mazzola
Song: I WENT TOO FAR

Reviewer: Sandra Ada

Positive Comments: Wonderful song, has a really nice beat to it, I love the retro feel of some of the instruments. Vocals and lyrics are great. Recording is also done well.

Constructive Comments: Not really much to add here I think its extremely well done.

Broadjam Artist: Floyd Kelly
Song: Barter Time

Reviewer: Sandra Ada

Positive Comments: Some good elements happening here. Lots going on. Certainly keeps you interested in what is going to happen next.

Constructive Comments: I found the tempo to be a bit off in some of the instrumentation compared to other parts. Could be part of the effect as well. Good job!