Thanks to Gaia for letting me know about this great schranz-esque track from Alabaster. It was apparently released last year on a nice looking Touhou compilation called 妖精酒乱大戦 (Yousei Shuran Taisen).
Releases
Yes indeed, this week’s announcement is the return of free tunes on TYFTH, after being cryogenically frozen for a year or so. I’m really happy that the account is alive again, but things have obviously changed a lot in the scene since it first started. These days there are plenty of labels doing a very professional job of releasing new music for free, and so my original ambitious plans have been scaled back – that particular Horse has long since bolted.
I reckon there’s still a place for tunes on TYFTH though, and from now on the SoundCloud will hopefully be performing two main roles. The first is to be a place for up-and-coming producers to get some extra publicity – the account already has quite a decent following, which now combines with infinite downloads and strength in numbers among all the other free tunes, making it a nice stepping stone to the ‘real’ labels for new artists. The second role is to make some older tracks available that otherwise would be forgotten, starting tonight with the excellent Whipped remix/mashup.
It should be clear already, but the account absolutely isn’t meant as a competitor to any of the other free labels out there, rather as a ‘training ground’ before making the step up to better things/an archive for older material. That doesn’t mean the tracks won’t be worth listening to, as I’ll be aiming to keep the standard high, even if it’ll be significantly lowered by any of my own tunes that end up there.
Many thanks to Tyranoid & Strongstream for starting us off again with Whipped, a slightly edited mashup with the Substanced remix from many years ago. I have a few other tracks that were originally submitted back when the account went into hibernation, so there’ll be one or two of them going online every day or so next week. After that it’ll be dependent on submissions, so do feel free to get in touch if you think you might have something that fits the rambling description above.
Finnish schranz/NRG outfit RAF have been quite busy of late, and if you’re not already it’s definitely a good idea to keep a close eye on their SoundCloud. My favourite of the newer material is Rock you like a Hurricane, with its guitar/vocals and slightly plus-160 bpm there’s potential for this tune in all sorts of harder sets.
Vyral XIII (aka Kilamorza) is deservedly building up a nice reputation, with plenty of very promising atmospheric freeform tracks up on his SoundCloud. My favourite so far still has to be the live edit of Sirius, a demented tune with a slightly Finnish feel and a quality, addictive melody.
Le Dos-on’s latest effort is a fantastic high-bpm track that brings back fond memories of past Finnish tunes. This one is unsigned – instead Le Dos-on has made it available to download from his SoundCloud page. It’s already halfway through the 100 download limit, so be sure to grab it asap.
Alek Szahala’s submission for this year’s Assembly event is Lovestream, a nice track in his recent lighter freeform style. Presumably to appeal to more listeners, this obviously isn’t aiming to be a rough and nasty track – instead we have some very catchy melodies and more of an uplifting feel.
Staying with NRG for tonight, big thanks to Chip and Akibakei for the heads-up on two free tracks from the archives of Captain Tinrib and RR Fierce. Street Tab is especially nice, but fans of the classic NRG sound should make sure to get both tunes via the Tinrib Digital site.
More dark and nasty NRG from Alchemiist and Decion here, set for release on ‘Orrible Noize Recordings. Their latest collab track is another great effort, while The Anger Process has all the aggression you’d expect from Alchemiist, especially in the as-usual excellent breakdown.
Proteus’ original Never Show Mercy remix of For All You Heavy Hearted was ferocious enough, but here’s a brand new remastered version to really turn it into the track it should be. Having said that, I must admit that I still prefer the structure and brutal melodies of the unmastered Soittoversio Remix, even if (with Proteus’ blessing) I had to EQ the goodness gracious out of it during the last Munted! Monthly! set. Never Show Mercy is now a wonderful tune though, and one that’ll hopefully see a release soon.
Dye in Sound fans might be interested in Nuclear Warfare (from 3form Records), as it includes Kill You Slowly, the Dye in Sound Fugees remix with a very strong Nightforce feel to it. The version I’ve played in a couple of sets has always had a good response, but it’s probably a good idea to check the other previews before deciding if this one’s a worthwhile purchase.