It has been a while, huh? This Qilin of Brony music is still breathing, and today I’m excited by some FOE goodness courtesy of StealingShad3z! If a song could set a theme and environment on point, it would be this. For all you FOE fans, you notice right away this is the moment Lil’ pip is out of her stable with a mighty big reality check of the wastelands. Shadz’s melodies with his guitar work and that soft base speak of the horror Lil pip is seeing for the first time. The thump of the drums and Shad3z’s vocal work (which is always a treat) sell the violence, fear, and will to survive. As lyrics tell the emotions, the music aids with this haunting but lovely tone – like there is a bit of hope that a friend could be around the corner, or your end. As always, this Qilin asks you to judge for yourself. It’s good to be back.
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Nicolas Dominique – Kites | Chillout / Progressive Breaks
Nicolas is back with a remaster of Kites, and its the first track in their upcoming album LANTERNS due next month! You can always pick out Nicolas’s atmospheres and progressions, and this is no exception! A constant yet mellow pulsing bassline is the backbone for a stunning soundscape and snappy drum breaks that never gets boring. I can very easily see a scene play out of “No thoughts, just kites”, and can’t wait to see what the album brings!
[Equinity] Nevermourn – Summertime Memories | Drum and Bass
A great addition to the Immersion compilation album from Equinity last year, Nevermourn finds a way to bring a peaceful vibe among the madness. True to the genre, Summertime Memories makes use of a wide, immersive soundscape over top of a DnB beat. Throw in some bells, occasional piano melody, and a live recording of some distant noise and you are transported to an entirely different world!
SmD House – Let’s Move On | Progressive Breaks/Chillout
Aaaaaand back with a new writeup! SmD House has released a new atmospheric breakbeat tune that, as the title suggests, is reflective and hopeful. Adorned with an airy soundscape and plenty of chimes, this catchy beat is very bright and knows when to push onward with vigor and also when to reign itself in. T’was a thing to come home to and listen to on repeat just as the sun started rising. Great job SmD! Here’s to more unique and fun pieces in the future!
Brilliant Venture feat. Wrillez Basics – Abandoned City Dreams (NeighGative_’s ReCoded Promise Mix) | Trance
Brilliant Venture is back with an absolute banger of a trance tune! This song is BV’s side project NeighGative_’s interpretation of an old song, whose origins predate either of these aliases. It was originally written about a decade ago with the help of his grandmother, one of his biggest influences and part of the reason he makes music today. Sadly, she passed away at the end of last year, so this rendition pays fitting tribute to her.
[VibePoniez] PumpkinZ & Butterflight – Hindsight | UK Garage
PumpkinZ has been on a roll lately, and teamed up with long-time producer Butterflight for this big-sounding contribution to the most recent VibePoniez compilation album, New Leaf. Hindsight greatly utilizes a wide sound-design with its backing synths and somehow manages to keep getting bigger – surrounding you in the chill atmosphere. The percussion keeps driving without ever being too much or too little, but perfect for the energy of the track. Some lead synth-work is added at times to keep things fun and introduce more melodic tones to what is already an incredible vibe!
[P@D] AnNy Tr3e – Spread Your Wings | Progressive House
Hope and freedom, anyone? This is the uplifting message of AnNy Tr3e’s new track, “Spread Your Wings.” Inspired by the epic story of the hippogriffs’ imprisonment under the harsh reign of the Storm King, the music and lyrics of this piece convey the exhilarating moment when the Storm King’s rule is overthrown, and the hippogriffs leave their watery prison to spread their wings and fly free at last. My imagination soared as I listened. I could almost hear the hippogriffs exclaiming, “What’s that, you say? The king has fallen? Hooray! We’re free at last! In fear and solitude, we need no longer hide. Come now, let us rise up, spread our wings, and fly again!”
True to the story that inspired “Spread Your Wings,” AnNy Tr3e has done a masterful job of creating an instrumental that features both majestic and energetic sound design coupled with Agatan’s inspired lyrics and skilled vocal performance. This makes for a truly awesome track. Be sure to check out this, as well as a vast array of tracks from other talented artists from Ponies at Dawn’s newest compilation album, Aurora!
Skyshard – Pinkie’s Kitchen Magic | Experimental Orchestral
Here’s something new – actually a couple of things! Skyshard really got into the experimental spirit of Pinkamena Party and tried something fascinating with this song. Pinkie’s Kitchen Magic utilizes bells for a lot of the melody and adds on distorted, EDM elements as layers throughout the song. Combining blissful, sweet instruments with harsher dance elements makes this a standout track in the new Pinkamena Party holiday album, and shows off the creativity behind the artist as well!
Thunder Dash – Within | Piano Solo
Jyc Row – Midnight Sparkle, the Dark Angel | Epic/Apocalyptic Orchestral
With his newest track, Jyc Row actually moved away from Infinite Eclipse and gives us a sequel to two pieces he made back in 2017, mostly to test out a new VST he bought for himself, but nonetheless it still sounds amazing – so let me get straight into it! The piece starts out with epic choir chants that immediately bring you right into the epic feel of the track. Slow strings join in and start this apocalyptic end-of-times-like melody, mostly expressed by the chants, as the strings take a more supportive background role. After a bit we switch to more female chants that slowly ramp up into another section where we get strings, drums and a few other instruments, ramping up up bringing us back into the epic chants as everything rises and the chants hold a high note for a few seconds, only for the song to go completely quiet and end in a small string part.
Horse Music Herald 