Battle 48: That's strange! - VOTING

OP-1 Battles
#1


(link to battle thread is here)

Yeah, it's INTERNATIONAL STRANGE MUSIC DAY 2017, and there are 10 very strange battle tracks that are available for voting!

Thanks everybody who participated (or at least tried)!

The voting rules:

  • EVERYBODY IS INVITED TO VOTE!
  • You can vote for up to three tracks.
  • Voting will close in ten days (September 3rd, 12:00 GMT).

As always, a short comment on each entry would be highly appreciated.

And here are the contestants (in the order of submission):

1) @kln https://soundcloud.com/dj_kln/pat

2) @Servando https://soundcloud.com/the-grateful-nerd/ambambu

3) @LyingDalai https://soundcloud.com/lying-dalai/berrose

4) @Nozaihaus https://soundcloud.com/dutch-morgan/the-woodsman-v2

5) @rudolphrapid https://soundcloud.com/rudolph-rapid/lovely-family

6) @millbastard https://soundcloud.com/mlbstrd/breakathon

7) @Zach_Lambert https://soundcloud.com/lambertlambert/gypsy-driver

8) @Underglass https://soundcloud.com/duotron/office-party-by-underglass

9) @vehka https://soundcloud.com/vehka/ritual-hybrid

10) @jshell https://soundcloud.com/sunhil/eucci-opconcret48

...and finally my track, which is not eligible for voting https://soundcloud.com/motone/kranked

For your listening convenience here's a playlist with all the tracks above:
https://soundcloud.com/motone/sets/operator-1-com-battle-48

Have fun listening!!!!

#2

Cool !

Thx @Motone for this awesome battle brief, very libertating !

Currently listening to the whole thing :slight_smile:

#3

Awesome job, @motone!

#4

Great tracks!

#5
@kln: Playful yet seriously groovy, acid-jazzy and quirky!

@servando: Mesmerizing bamboo-rattling, I really loved it. A compelling soundscape that really engulfed me.

@LyingDalai: Music for berry picking? Intensive, rough, and fun.

@Nozaihaus: Great, oppressive mood. Enjoyed the contrast between the grim vocal sample and the almost cheery drum loop.

@rudolphrapid: Outsider-comedy? This was genuinely strange, so congrats! =)

@millbastard: This could be the soundtrack to a film based on a William Gibson novel. Futuristic and relentless.

@Zach_Lambert: Loved the combo of a chaotic beat & space-y synth.

@Underglass: Superb restrained glitchy groove. Phone for the win!

@jshell: Very intensive and pleasant. Musique concrète-core? All over the place but still with a focus.

@motone: I'd love to buy a wind-up toy or a music box that made sounds like that! Much more interesting than Buddha machines. =)

It's very tough to pick 3 favorites, but I'll have to pick @rudolphrapid's track, definitely being the most "outsider" of the lot, @jshell for being most avant-garde, and @millbastard for the awesome futurist feeling. So many runner-ups, really enjoyed all of them!

#6

Mannnnnn there’s some great entries here!! This was a real tough one to pick

My votes:

@jshell (pure brutality)
@Zach_Lambert (crazy breakbeat vibe - loved the power-drill kind of sound somewhere near the middle)
@LyingDalai (the long intro build sound reminded my of a shepard tone - awesome!)
#7

My votes after heavy listening:

@jshell (blew my mind. Would like to know more about the way you did this. Masterpiece!)
@millbastard (brilliant sound and atmosphere, as always!)
@servando (reminded me of Oophoi, whom I listened to a lot a few years ago - meditative and relaxing but strange as well)

#8

I’ve been out of town so have only listened to the complete playlist once so far. But I’d like to say - this sounds like the kind of stuff I used to stay up late to record off of community radio stations when they’d play the interesting experimental stuff in the wee hours! If I had such a radio show myself now this is a block I’d totally love to play.

#9

My vote goes to @kln


#10

You have 3 votes if you want :wink:

My vote goes to @kln

#11

Votes:


  1. @Nozaihaus - Love the Twin Peaks reference, which may be why it also reminds me of the “Eraserhead Dance Remix” that was on one of the Eraserhead soundtrack releases :slight_smile:
  2. @rudolphrapid - Absolutely banging track and it makes me giggle. The drums and all those vocal samples/bits. [thumbs-up-emojicon kahn kaaaaahn!]
  3. @Zach_Lambert - Feels like mid-80’s EBM (like the Ministry/PTP song from Robocop, just those dirty short sample hits) with some meets Plan 9 from Outer Space / Mars Attacks.
Happy yodeling!

#12

Vote for @Zach_Lambert

#13

Hey, this is a great menu for a special late dinner :slight_smile:

I went through the whole list thouroughly, and here are my votes.

@Underglass You just touched the upper threshold of strange music, I think. I’d hardly listen to it often in the future, but in this context it has the right place. While some others have done similar job (which I like), for me the real advantage of your track over those others is its length set wisely :slight_smile:

@LyingDalai This track is a crazy ride on totally gone sounds. However it has an evolving structure which I very like. Thinking of the genre, this may be counted as a benchmark :slight_smile:

@kln Your track is a delicate piece in this genre. The musical bed is professional while the whole track with that long speech on top of it becomes an unexpected experience.

#14
wish I had gotten a track in, totally went camping with op1, but we stayed so busy chilling the whole time, I barely broke it out!

@vehka this is my cup of tea right here, love the loose, rolling pule of the thing, neither arrythmic, nor rigid, and loosly enough corresponding lines of intrumentation as to allow a more open hearing of their interactions, which is a thing I love in music, in general. Bravo!

@Servando the near static nature of something like this could wear on one quickly, but this maintains enough motion to keep the listener transfixed for the duration, and even wishing for more.
#15

Hello peeps ! I’m not as active as I’ve already been in the past, but I can’t miss this battle vote ! Every tracks here are awesome, good work to everyone here !

@kln love the positive vibe of your track, very well down as always !

@Servando you really made something strange and the sound is so clear ! That’s cristal track.

@LyingDalai Powerful as always, with the PO infinite crescendo that’s perfect ! Reminds me a good session :wink:

@Nozaihaus super strange, deep, oppressive and spatial ! Imminent Invasion !
Nice work

@rudolphrapid funny strange circus ! Love the way you construct this track, very fun and totally crazy !

@millbastard feel like I’m deep under the ocean, great atmosphere down there ! I like the way you destructed the sounds and the beat, good job.

@Zach_Lambert haunting, love the crying synth, and your beats are crazy, 1:25 is my fav ! The way you bring all these together is awesome.

@Underglass phone is ringing ? Wait something totally strange is calling ! I love the way you use the phone effect, great track.

@vehka the sound are so clear ! I’ve got the feeling that acoustic musicians are in front of me ! And the structure is pretty well done, good job.

@jshell it’s like a brain when it’s trying to analyze different things at the same time. Very artistic track, abstract and powerful !

@motone feeling like an engine doesn’t wanna start, and needs to go to the garage !

My votes :

  1. @rudolphrapid
  2. @jshell
  3. @LyingDalai
#16

9 voters and 22 votes so far. The lines are still open!

Current ranking:
#1 @jshell with 4 votes
#2 @LyingDalai, @rudolphrapid, @Zach_Lambert with 3 votes
#5 @kln, @Servando, @millbastard with 2 votes
#8 @Nozaihaus, @Underglass, @vehka with 1 vote

#17

My votes:


1. <a href=“https://www.operator-1.com/index.php?p=/profile/Servando” style=“margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14.3px; font-family: “lucida grande”, “Lucida Sans Unicode”, tahoma, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(1, 115, 198); background-color: rgb(252, 252, 255);”>@Servando really dig this track. It sounds like the peaceful dissembowelment of a marimba and that tone in the background is like the ‘soothing’ note they pipe into the background at casinos to keep people calm.
2. <a href=“https://www.operator-1.com/index.php?p=/profile/millbastard” style=“margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14.3px; font-family: “lucida grande”, “Lucida Sans Unicode”, tahoma, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(66, 157, 168); background-color: rgb(252, 252, 255);”>@millbastard raw. distorted. minimal. I love it. The timbre of everything is just very oddly satisfying.
3. <a href=“https://www.operator-1.com/index.php?p=/profile/Zach_Lambert” style=“margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14.3px; font-family: “lucida grande”, “Lucida Sans Unicode”, tahoma, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(1, 115, 198); background-color: rgb(252, 252, 255);”>@Zach_Lambert I can identify with how you went about this track. The beat in the background does such a good job of keeping the beat but loosing it at the same time. I love the spooky lead sound and the very APhex Twin like break downs.

Honestly it was very hard for me to pick three. I feel like I could easy put anybody else’s tracks cause they were all really good.
#18

Wow, so many great tracks in this battle, I really have a hard time picking only three… Here are my thoughts on each entry:

@kln: very nice and smooth beats and sounds. Definitely the most “normal” track in this battle. I really love how you mixed the pep talk record into it.

@Servando A very nice ambient track. I really love the soothing drone and how you played with the pitchshifting delay. One of my favs.

@LyingDalai Wow, this track makes no prisoners. Kicking peak time stuff… yeah!

@Nozaihaus Holy shit. Awesome blurry beats, dark sounds, the scary voice really adds up to the overall eerie atmosphere. Definitely matches my taste!

@rudolphrapid Haha, your track has really earned the “officially approved strangeness” stamp. Strange family business.

@millbastard Another “holy shit” moment. This distorted filter monster amazes and scares me every time.

@Zach_Lambert In-your-face random beats and harsh sounds. I feel like sitting on the backseat of a cab running down-hill.

@Underglass Very cool subliminal glitchy beats and pure tweak-fx minimalism.

@vehka Sounds like a modular going wild. Strange indeed. I love it!

@jshell Crazy brew of sounds. Well cooked. Spicy taste!

I vote for:
@Nozaihaus
@vehka
@LyingDalai

It was a very hard choice, as every entry is so awesome.

#19

Current ranking:
#1 @jshell, @LyingDalai, @Zach_Lambert with 4 votes
#4 @millbastard, @rudolphrapid, @Servando with 3 votes
#7 @kln, @Nozaihaus, @vehka with 2 votes
#10 @Underglass with 1 vote

Hurry, there’s still time to choose your favourites.

#20

voting closed.

Congratulations to the three champions of strange music @jshell, @LyingDalai and @Zach_Lambert, but also to the other contestants!!!