MadTracker - MT2 Compo

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The Art of Happieness (parasolar edit)

By QBical

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Yannick

Originality:	9	Technical:	9
Theme:	9	Quality:	9
Arrangement:	8	Global:	9

+ Happyness :)

Inge

Originality:	8	Technical:	9
Theme:	5	Quality:	10
Arrangement:	8	Global:	8

Sounds like: The Orb

Good:
Positive vibe. Amazing use of vocals. Very transparant sound. Crystalclear samples. Great mix.

[if we ever would need a teacher to give training in using MadTracker, it would be Qbical.]

Points of attention:
A bit too shallow for me. The overal atmosphere is very feelgood, but some more depth would be nice. The song itself asks too little attention to impress me.

Sunbuster

Originality:	8	Technical:	10
Theme:	10	Quality:	9
Arrangement:	9	Global:	9

I couldn't wait to listen to this piece by QBical, knowing that so far I've liked every track this guy has punched out of his head. And no, I wasn't dissapointed this time either. I got a bouncy happy track. I don't know how often I've said this, but once again QBical has mastered the art of combining somewhat weird sounds and melodies to a working structure.
Unfortunately, this use of special sounds and structures means this track probably is one of those that some hate, others love. If you're new to the QBical sound you'll have to get used to the track for a while first, but I urge you to take the time because it's worth it.

I especially liked the intro of this track, the mellow pads building up in the background of the dalai lama voice, before the beat kicks in.

Drumprogramming is right up there with the best, really driving the tune forward togheter with the bassline. I like the Dalai Lama voice, it has just that right kind of storyteller feeling, very good choice.

Only problem I have as far as sample selection goes is the swooshy effect used instead of a crash it seems (instr. 0E). It sounds a bit cheap compared to the rest of the tune. Also, I think some more reverb could have been good on the lead instruments (channel 28 for instance).

Overall, this is one of the best to come from the QBical production house so far. It has a great drive, good energy and mixing. If nothing else, then this is a track to pick apart while learning Madtracker. Good work!

Novus

Originality:	10	Technical:	8
Theme:	8	Quality:	8
Arrangement:	7	Global:	7

Let me first say that the Dalai Lama is a delusional blow-hard, tossing out hackneyed bromides about mysticism and psychological well-being with circular, self-sustaining "proofs" which stymie logical debate and make him look a lot smarter than he actually is. He's great at telling you things that you probably already know but making it sound revelatory, and he reminds me a lot of Deepak Chopra. A friend of mine once recommened one of Chopra's books to me; I got about 4 chapters in before my convulsions of laughter made it physically impossible for me to continue reading.

That said, the Dalai Lama's books-on-tape work great as vocal-clip fodder for trance tunes. :)

(Yes, I actually copied down some of the clips word-for-word and Googled them to find out who they were from, solely for the purposes of this review. Am I a geek or what?)

The Dalai Lama's cultured, hypnotic voice is the focal point of QBical's "The Art Of Happieness," a quirky trance tune with a unique identity that tends to focus a bit too much on the vocals but still remains entertaining.

It's hard to describe the sound of this song. It's a mixture of quirky synths playing quirky melodies over a quirky percussion line, with quirky results.

The first 2 minutes of the song are dominated by a monologue from the Dalai Lama, with various musical elements serving as a background foundation. It gets a bit tedious; there's about 3 different places where you think, "Good, he's finally going to shut up and let the song start," except that he keeps talking. But in the end he does shut up, and the song really gets started and suddenly gets a lot stronger, flowing well from section to section with enough variety to keep the tune from getting repetitive.

At around 4:15, the Dalai Lama hijacks the song again, but this time for only 30 seconds, and then the music takes over permanently, building up on the foundations laid in the first section and driving things along to its conclusion at the 8:36 mark.

The monologues make the song a LOT longer than it really needed to be, and really only work because of the hypnotic quality of the Dalai Lama's voice. QBical seems to lean far too heavily on these segments of the song, especially considering how strong his compositional skills are. But he at least avoids the repetition trap; not one phrase from the Dalai Lama is used more than once. And as trance vocals go, I've heard much, much worse.

Overall, the song is worth a listen. It's quirky, it's original, and it's creative. And if you happen to find these monologues inspiring and educational, then hey, bonus for you. :)