Voting For Composition Challenge 37

stratman3142

This is the combined Voting and Discussion thread.

Please use this thread to cast your votes for your favourite entries to Fretboard Composition Challenge

REMINDER OF THE THEME/GUIDELINES

The theme isn't mandatory but below was the suggestion.

The theme for this one is: Shaftsploitation

Music for a film in the style Shaft, Superfly...

70s New York/San Francisco cop/gang/drug dealer vibe. All funk and sleaze, wah and flute...

Thanks to @Snap for the idea and @flying_pie for the title.

Compose a tune, or recycle something you've composed previously.

Picture: In addition to the music, try to create your own picture that relates to your selected theme/title. This isn't mandatory.

VOTING AND DATES

Voting System - voters can pick their favourite entries.

First choice gets 5 points - Second choice gets 3 points - Third choice gets 1 point

The entry with the most points wins.

Simply post in this thread your top three choices for winner in order, 1st choice first etc etc. 

(Note for Entrants of the competition: Self Voting is not allowed)

Voting ends midnight 14th May 2023, and the results will be announced shortly after.

No prizes, it's just for fun.

THE ENTRIES

Below is a playlist containing the entries:

https://soundcloud.com/thefretboard/sets/composition-challenge-37?si=ec495f1d6a5246329719934462adc720&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

dindude

My first Q is for you @stratman3142 I love the bass lines on your track, is that you playing or is it sample?

stratman3142

dindude said:

My first Q is for you @stratman3142 I love the bass lines on your track, is that you playing or is it sample?

The bass on the track is the IK Modobass 2 VSTi (link below). The sound I used is based on the 'Motown - Retro Vibes' preset.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/modobass2/

I think I worked out the parts initially by playing a mixture of real bass and keyboards.

dindude

stratman3142 said:

dindude said:

My first Q is for you @stratman3142 I love the bass lines on your track, is that you playing or is it sample?

The bass on the track is the IK Modobass 2 VSTi (link below). The sound I used is based on the 'Motown - Retro Vibes' preset.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/modobass2/

I think I worked out the parts initially by playing a mixture of real bass and keyboards.

Nice, it sounds great

horse

I'm going:

5 points to @oaf  ;
3 points to @stratman3142  ;
1 point to @Springywheel  ;

stratman3142

Very hard to vote on these challenges. As they're so close, and hard to choose between, I ended up going with those that best aligned with the suggested theme, even though the theme wasn't mandatory.

5 points @oaf ;; : Great track in its own right but also good fit with the suggested theme. Fascinating how it was done with AI and synthetic vocals. Sounds like a lot of work must have gone into this one.

3 points @Springywheel ;; : Catchy funky track. Deserves points for the title alone Authentic sounds and style.

1 points @horse ;; : Great sounds and ideas. Moody hypnotic vibe. Sleazy groove. Love the rhodes sound at the end.

Really appreciate everyone that entrered. Sorry to leave out the following.

@Habanero: Props for going for a full composition with lyrics/vocals.

@dindude: I love the sounds and ideas. Great combination of electronic music with guitars. Pretty epic.

stratman3142

I'd welcome any ideas for the next one. I'd like to encourage as many entries as possible.

Is it worth sticking with a suggested theme? Or is it best to go completely freestyle?

dindude

Here’s my votes:

5 points @springywheel - really liked the vibe and lots of little things and changes that keep you interested start to finish.
3 points @oaf - love the ambition of doing a proper verse / chorus song with pretty new technology, and the general vibe of it is great.
1 point @stratman3142 - bang on theme, and as said, love the bass and also when the strings take over the panpipe melody in the B section, nice work.

stratman3142

@dindude that 'panpipe' is supposed to be a breathy flute. Still, at least my sample was cheaper than booking Ian Anderson to do it

dindude

stratman3142 said:

@dindude that 'panpipe' is supposed to be a breathy flute. Still, at least my sample was cheaper than booking Ian Anderson to do it

Sorry, breathy flute it is. They always say that about me, “he doesn’t know his breathy flute from his panpipe”

Habanero

So I've gone for

5pts : @horse ; 

3pts : @oaf ;

1pt : @stratman3142

@Springywheel if I could have made it a tie for 3rd I would have

@dindude especially enjoyed yours, but ended up judging on theme

oaf

I enjoyed listening to all of these.

Very difficult to judge, especially as some were on theme and others not!

1st @stratman lovely clean guitar playing, enjoyed the bass too, had a nice feel. Agree on the panpipe flute sound comments though! (I used the Auddict flute fwiw!)

2nd @dindude not on theme but I liked the production and sounds. Good ideas. I'd have liked to have the guitar ring out a bit at the end of the middle section (being very fussy there), the idea of fairly discrete sections with explicit labels was neat though.

3rd @Springywheel more on theme, I enjoyed the overall feel of it, sonically not too sure of aspects of the instrumentation(?) some of the synth sounds reminded me a bit of early Prince! Fun.

I really enjoyed the grimy, lofi, brooding feel of Horse's entry but would have liked a bit more tune/melody (and I recognised the keyboard sample which maybe put me off a touch, it could have possibly been chopped up more perhaps as it was used quite  bit).

I was impressed with Habanero's entry and felt that the arrangement and production was a good fit to the topic. It just wasn't on theme!

I wonder if @Snap or @flying_pie are going to have a listen as it was their idea?

Thanks all. I wasn't very familiar with the genre so it was a fun challenge.

Snap

Top work here, sorry I couldn't get my entry in, last few months seem to have evaporated with naff all time to do music, great plans laid to waste etc etc

5 pts @oaf brilliant stuff mate, vocals bang on the money dude
3 pts @stratman3142 - neck & neck with @oaf for me, almost
1 pts @horse loved it again.

Springywheel

They were all great but i'm going with the following  

5 - @horse ;
3 - @stratman3142 ;
1 - @oaf  ; 

stratman3142

Oops, I was away at the weekend and forgot to send out a reminder for the voting. But it looks like everyone that's likely to vote has voted.

Voting closed.