CAPT never ceases to amaze with their work! I personally am a sucker for theory style of production, and this song is just so wonderfully done! It starts out with a really fun melody, which slowly fades in as more elements are added along with a riser, resulting in some of the most fun DnB ever! Everything about this is so amazingly cute and wonderful. Around the middle we get a bit of a switch up as we keep the melody but move into some new elements and instruments. We end this wonderful track with a very fitting crash.
Huge thanks to theCANderson for proofreading this!
Drum & Bass
Kimiko Glenn – Fit Right In (Pone177 Remix) | Drum & Bass
The movie remixes keep coming. So far I have loved all of them, and this song isn’t breaking that trend–on the contrary, this is one of the greatest yet! We start right into this track with a beat and vocal loop and not by fancily fading in elements one at a time, which is a change I very much appreciate. Then when you think you hear the build up happen you actually don’t get a drop; rather we get sort of an interlude that leads us into the lovely vocals from the amazing Kimiko Glenn. Then we actually get to the wonderful build ups and the amazing drop, and oh my is it awesome! We get the usual DnB elements, but we also get a pretty prevalent melody that’ll stick in your head for a while. Within the drop we get to the next part of the lyrics, and we get out of the drop with this amazing vocal fade out. In this next bit of vocals we actually get this awesome echo effect applied to the vocals, and I swear, having the words “unicorn butts” echo in your ears is one of the most fun experiences I have had while listening to music in a good while! I was curious how PONE177 would combine rap vocals with DnB, and I was very much impressed as this wonderful combination blessed my ears. As the rap part ends we get a vocal fade out into the build up, and I already mentioned how much I love the drops! This awesome drop keeps going strongly as the vocals unexpectedly fade into a repeat of the last few lines before actually ending the song, like a unicorn does
Proofread by theCANderson, give some love to him for making my writing look better than it actually is!
TCB – Congrats, You Were Too Late: A 10 Year Retrospective | Album | Electronic
Okay. I probably don’t need to introduce you to TCB (If you’d like a proper introduction, may I recommend this beautiful compilation album?). All you really need to know is that this artist is one of the foremost practitioners of sound design in the fandom, that no one gets more out of a vocal chop than they do, and that emotional and psychological subject matter is their forte. Now they have given us a whole album of finely calibrated tracks, the product of 10 years of pushing boundaries and redefining sonic excellence. Your musical mind is in the hands of a master, so find a quiet place, break out the good headphones, sit down, strap in, and do your best to absorb everything that is about to come your way. It’s going to be a heck of a ride.
(Continued after the break)
BGM – Aeronautical (feat. RAInbow Dash) | Drum & Bass
This is a really wonderful tribute to Rainbow Dash! The gentle, ambient opening strings set the scene beautifully before we soar into the blue sky on an awesome percussive melody and fast-paced D&B percussion. Then the bassline kicks in along with electric guitar to get the pulse pounding before the vocals join the arrangement. The TalkNET vocals are awesome–it’s pretty magical hearing Rainbow Dash relate her own experience of soaring through the clouds, and the multiple vocal tracks and care put into their incorporation really makes it feel like she contributed to the production herself. As the blue pegasus challenges the listener to keep up, the production maintains a breezy but pulsing delivery perfect for slicing rainbows through the Equestrian air. Enjoy your flight!
Vanessa Hudgens – Gonna Be My Day (Seventh Element Remix) | Drum & Bass
It’s always interesting hearing everyone’s approach to these remixes. Seventh Element takes the original and pushes up the tempo, creating a greater sense of urgency. The opening keys combine with new synths, percussion, and effects to create a reverby, bubbly beginning, and then the strings kick in as the song builds into the chorus. The arrangement feels like it’s winding up for a big emotional punch, but instead we get a bubbly, peppy chorus that bounces merrily along. It’s a great combination, and the song flows along really nicely with some fun tweaks after the bridge that give it this great, chippy vibe without getting crunchy. It all makes for a lively pick-me-up of the tune that keeps the positive vibes of the original while doing its own thing.
Aventrix Fixes Assertive Fluttershy Fixes ArtAttack – Still Shy VIP (feat. Metajoker) | Drum & Bass
First ArtAttack created this terrific song with the goal of capturing Fluttershy’s capability for being both gently nurturing and forcefully protective. Then the Original VIP updated the arrangement and added Metajoker vocals to make the song that much more epic and impactful. Then Assertive Fluttershy created their Fix that reworked the song to create a UK Hardcore version for My Little Remix War V. Now Aventrix has created their own version that takes the hardcore mix and polishes it up. The tempo, key, and EQ have been adjusted, and new synths, drums, and FX create a super clean sound. You’d never know that this track was made on a phone using audio from YouTube. It sounds great, it’s a wonderful link to horse music history, and there’s a higher quality free download link in the description that I would recommend for full audio goodness. Get in there and create some new nostalgia!
Daniel Ingram – We’ll Make Our Mark (Snow Swirl Remix) | Drum & Bass
Who said that now that G5 has officially begun that we can’t have more fire remixes of G4 classics? Snow Swirl tackles a song a lot of people love from an episode that a lot of people really enjoyed, but before I get sappy about the past let’s take a look at this masterpiece! We start out with not too much beat, which is something that I always love to see, because the beat has time to build and doesn’t hit you like a freight train. As the beat grows, the vocals slowly break through and take center stage, and I don’t think I have to tell you how great the lyrics are. Soon we get into our first build up, and here is where the DnB elements start to shine. Then we get to the drop, and the drop is a wonderful love letter to all things DnB and an absolute pleasure for your ears. A bit into the drop we also get some vocal chops that fit the arrangement really well. After the drop we get to Rainbow’s part of the song, accompanied mostly by a stupendous acoustic guitar melody, and then, continuing with that same melody, we get to Rarity’s part. Afterwards we get this stunning string melody that you’d expect to hear in an orchestral piece. Then, in a moment that completely surprised me, the strings combine with the beat and the vocals to create this uplifting, inspirational part that goes straight into the drop in a wonderful display of Snow Swirl’s musical skill. The drop once again works with vocal chops, but this time around the focus lies more on the upbeat DnB melody. We end on a combination of the drop and the lovely acoustic guitar.
Proofread by theCANderson, go send him some love!
PumpkinZ – Black Night | Drumfunk
PumpkinZ delivers a delightfully atmospheric and groovy track with this drumfunk effort! The shimmering opening synths pair with the background art to transport the listener into a night scene that feels alive and energizing like a summer night full of possibilities. A lively melody with a folky feel combines with a groovy bassline and quick percussion, and we’re off on an adventure! The rise into the drop has a cool “bottle filling to the top” vibe, and the chorus brings in some sweet chops at the perfect time. The quieter parts that follow have their own variation on the melody, bringing the percussion in and out, teasing at some as-yet intangible possibility. This is a really well-constructed song with a super catchy melody and delightful groove, so please check it out, and big thanks to the artist for seeing the creation of the song through to the end!
Kaida – Celestia | Drum & Bass
I’m going to put this one down as “Regal Drum & Bass” in my book, because this is pure class. Delightful progressions and melodies fueled by percussive and acoustic instruments pair with sweet synths and a sick DnB groove to create a song that sounds like it’s playing out of a club in the basement of Canterlot Castle (or maybe off of the terrace so that all of Tia’s royal subjects can be uplifted). The soaring second half is guaranteed to put some pep in your pantaloons, so turn it on, crank it up, and bask in the glory of this wonderful tribute to fair Celestia!
[Equinity] Tw3Lv3 & Lexie – さいこう ! (Saikou!) | Kawaii Drum & Bass
It’s always a thrill to see what Tw3lv3 will come up with next. Well, on Equinity 05. I amusingly saw this called Weeb D&B, and they’re not wrong with that nickname. Kawaii is a type of anime-centered j-pop. Lexie and Tw3Lv3 have cleverly mashed up some fine D&B with what I do think are RD’s Japanese VA’s vocal chops with overtones of J-pop. It honesty works and with a theme of the track with Tw3Lv3’s skills at making genres mesh together in pure harmony. Just listen, and you get what I am talking about. As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself