I’ve been keeping an eye on hardrng’s soundcloud for quite some time now, belonging as it does to someone we all know well at TYFTH. This third mix upload has to be the best so far, and some blinding work in the middle of the set makes it one that I’m happy to mention here.
The whole tracklist is very TYFTH-friendly as you’d expect, with a solid opening of Tendrils of Reality and Acid Maker setting up the atmosphere nicely. It’s the next transition that shows the ambition behind the set, as Kamsheen is teased in and out of Acid Maker. So close but not quite matching up, it’s a heroic effort and very nearly a killer combination. Frozen Abyss into Reboot The System, meanwhile, is an absolutely superb transition and a worthy centrepiece for the set, both selection-wise and for the quality of the blend.
Is it worth listening after that high watermark? Absolutely, as there’s an enjoyable shimmy around a few varieties of freeform in the second half. As always there’s something to enjoy in Lost Soul’s tracks, so that and the Substanced remix of Eons keep things on the darker, more technical side of this interlude into UK freeform. It was nice to see hardrng rein things back in though, and Aryx is always a good option to bridge the gap and reintroduce some depth to a set.
The finale is the other major highlight of the set, with a superb choice of atmosphere and smooth mixing. The echo of Fairytale’s melody in Morokai isn’t something I’ve thought of before, but it’s a lovely little trick, maybe even improved with the breathing room of another Lost Soul track in between.
One or two transitions could have done with cleaning up, but that’s a minor complaint in a really enjoyable set that also has me looking forward to the next.
Thank you for the kind words!
It is quite an honor to be featured for the first ever on a TYFTH blog entry, on my birthday no less.
I had various inspirations for that mix, aside from your advice on mix construction which I found
quite enlightening, and past mixes (namely, Solvynt and Dyzphasia’s Lucky Lotus sets).
If it was only up to me though, I would like to try making things a little crazier, not unlike your finale in your joint LL8 mix with Shimo.
I have loads of ideas on a little notebook I want to try out, and your review gave me the push I needed to keep things going.
I also want to try to mix some other genres as well (hard trance/hard house, goa, industrial techno), the jump may be frightening, but I need to challenge myself and go forward!
Another trick I seem to have stumbled upon: there is a need to be seen and noticed (even if you feel modest
and ashamed about promotion), and by showing your work,
you can influence the people around you, who then increases the likelihood of them pushing some work,
which in turn inspires you, in some sort of virtuous circle.
So it is my hope that my work will keep the Horsers’ interest in freeform alive in some way.
The mix is available as a download, but I don’t intend to keep other mixes on SC for very long. I intended that space more for showing off my mix practice and I don’t have any particular attachment to those mixes, so the older ones will disappear on a rolling basis. However, if you think this is worthwhile, feel free to archive them!
A pleasure, and belated happy birthday!
As you know, I love hearing about how sets have been put together, so thanks for all of that. Making things crazier is easier said than done depending on the set – personally I find it tough in an hour. Shimo usually seems to manage though, so she’s the one to really look to for ideas. Our LL set was that bit longer of course, which makes it orders of magnitude easier…
I’d absolutely recommend trying some other genres, as you might find a style of mixing that clicks with you and can be transferred across to freeform.
On your final point, that’s so timely as I’ve been thinking about exactly the same thing recently. The more sets we can get out there the better and I already have some ideas along those lines. I’m also going to take that to heart with the tracks themselves, so I’ll be subjecting everyone to some of my own productions before too long in the hope it’ll inspire others.
Good luck with the next set 😀
That is a good point about promotion. It’s kept me trying to think in vain for a while…in the end I don’t want to be known for something I truly care about, but I do want more to listen to from others, which is what’s kept me wanting to produce. My main comfort with Shibilant stuff is that I know nobody listens to it, and I throw away experiments on netlabels because I don’t listen to them. Enough about me, but I keep on putting this set off. The tracklist and reception are signs you’re on the right track. As usual, it seems like a less embittered Shimo/Plasma/Solvynt selection (sweatdrop). I’d like for these to gain some TYFTH exposure from potential producers, and will of course see if anything comes to mind when I check it out.