1. and nothing was found
   coloradoweeks
2. Vlyrica - Wasteland Heart
   Meistr
3. but it's a Toyota
   jxsl

I really felt that ColoradoWeek's entry was coherent and had a consistent message with its melancholy strings and slow development.

Vlyrica for the great mood setting. The low part did fit the mood more in this one but I think the high voice could have had a good eerie and interesting effect if it was more distant in the mix.

jxsl: I liked the electronic sounds that were rhythmic, but still kind of somber and reflective rather than too upbeat or "dancey". I think it fit the theme more.

1. The Waste
   obScene
2. and nothing was found
   coloradoweeks
3. The Duality of Emptiness
   DDRKirby(ISQ)

All comments are replied to on Discord, onto the voting!

TheVideoGamer - This one is a mix of atmospheric pads and chords, with funky basslines and syncopated breakbeats. It kind of feels similar to a lot of my other tracks, in that it's a somewhat moderately tempo'd breakbeat number. There is a synth melody sticking mostly to 4 bars, and 2 bassline layers, one as a main layer, and one as a supporting layer. There is also a lot of arps and piano work too. Key is Bb Minor, and BPM is around 105. The arrangement is very simple, and follows the TVG formula of making various sections with mild changes here and there. The middle part changes up the break, from 3rd Bass, and adds a lot of gating and filtering to make it really rhythmical and funky. It's all really about the breaks in this one. It's nothing entirely new from me, and maybe it's a bit one the loud side in parts, but it's very cool, i feel like it works the theme well. Oh well, glad you liked it anyways!

DarkShadow - Gotta have the squares and sawtooths for it to be DarkShadow lol. This one to me is probably the most overt 90's sounding track you've done. Most times it's got more of a modern lazer sound, but this one takes me back to 1994, with the 909 and moving bassline. It's a lot of bass, so much so it's all i really hear for this track. It just drowns everything out, and makes it just one rattling noise. I don't know if that's for me if i have to be honest i'm sorry, but it was very cool sounding. Like really cool. Good job!

Coloradoweeks - Colorado returns! And with quite the long tune to boot. The strings are very dark and haunting, although not gonna lie, i almost thought we were making Still Dre based on the progression heh. But the piano work is awesome too, it totally reminds me of c418 and the minecraft sounding, especially with the upclose and soft nature of it all. This one is quite the atmospheric piece, very slow build, lots of sound effects. It tells a lot with a little. Even if it's only 3 chords, it's quite emotive and got a lot of depth. I also love how the percussion slowly changes throughout both in rhythm and time signature, but in dynamics too. This is just beautiful stuff, nothing else to say. It was more than good enough for the 2nd spot, incredible work!

DDRKirby(ISQ) - More pianos! This time with the classic DDR delay, and a nice calming progression. In a way this kind of continues from Colorado's entry, but in a major key than a minor key. It's also more hopeful than the others. As this one emphasises the more peaceful part of the theme, than the wasteland. I love the guitar work in this, it's of course not realistic, but it works so well, i really feel like i'm in a doccumentry of some kind, but the music is lovely. The beat is also absolutely fire too, well mixed, and not too in your face. The whole track from start to finish was just peaceful and vibed exceptionally well. The 2nd part was definately a WTF moment. Because i excepted a beat change sure, but not a full key change into a minor key, plus vocal samples. I was ready to close out this review, until this happened and i was like, no i need to talk about it. Whatever it may be, it was absolutely lovely stuff, so good i placed it 3rd! Amazing work!

Jxsl - Loving the drum work here, it has that stadium sound, even if likely not made in a stadium lol. Those chords remind me of Daft Punk, from their 2013 album, but done in a more rock style setting, the grooves are great. The snare sounds weirdly thinner than the rest of the drums, i don't know if that's on purpose. I also think the lead synth in this, is also very buried, and i have no clue if that's all intentional. The chords and beats though were lovely, i sense a lot of potential mix wise, to make it even more of a banger. Still sounds great though, just a lot more could up it into even voting territory. Good job!

Meistr - Granular beats are always fun. The intro is very dark and textural, totally unexpected from you guys, but then it transitions into a chord progression and vocal, and were back to classic VLyrica shennanigans. Singing is awesome as usual, you pick some great vocalists, and the strings are dark and quite impactful. This piece is mostly about the vocal and light drum work, there is very little in terms of intense melody ideas, and i like that. It keeps it more simple, a little more minimal. I listened to it a few times, and i couldn't really find much to critique, it's quite dynamic, and packs a punch, it's just lovely. Definately could vote for this, even if i only have 3 to choose from. Awesome work!

Unknown Pseudoartist - Were continuing the dark theme, but this time with more darkness than the last entry, which had more pop sensabilities. In this case, we are going full on East Asian inspired with the melodies. I feel like i should be in Japan, it's got a lovely Shamisen melody, and a nice Shakuhachi melody. I also love the bass work here, we incorperate a few western musical instruments too, for the ultimate fusion track. I do feel like the track is an intro to a full blown drop of some kind. I am hyped, ready for the drums to drop, but instead it's more rain and strings, before we fade out. Don't get me wrong, it's still lovely, i just feel like i am hyped for more, but never get it because it ends too quickly. Still though, there is a lot of potential here, a few more sounds could really take it places. Good job!

Arcana - Wait you also play trombone? That is very cool, i can only play piano really. The orchestral drums are really cool, it has a lot of that movie trailer aesthetic, but with more of a melodic synth/vocal. I like the trombone has identifable pitches, but in some parts i feel it clashes with the vocal and strings, making for quite a dissonant listen. The vocal melodies though are actually gorgeous not gonna lie. The reverb is so beautifully, done and it really goes well with the strings. It's just sadly so dissonant. The trombone is almost in a completely different key. I thought the vocals were fine here, just the trombone could be integrated better for my liking, sorry. Good job though!

DarkMystery727 - Wow it really it is string week. This is some very dark borderline Bach sounding melodies. The strings don't sound real to me, nor does the brass, it sounds more closer to a Roland MIDI sound than anything. However i do love the melodies here, especially with some of the spicy notes chosen. Adds a layer of spookiness to the sound, but doesn't make for a dissonant listen. There is a lot of deep brass going on, i feel like the top melody is lost for the a lot of the track, the string melody for me is the star. I don't know what it is, but some parts of the track feel more like you are chosing chords based on what might sound nice, which is a really interesting way of working. Ending is abrupt, but i have kind of come to expect that in this compo. I relistened to it, and found more to like than dislike. It was really good. Well done!

Dex - Sawtooths galore, this is very much an Amiga sounding track. Maybe something Chris Hulsbeck would have come up with. The drums sound bitcrushed i don't know if that's intentional or not, but it's really nice. The melodies are also very catchy, and the bassline is very well done too. It can be a bit too...in your face maybe mix wise, but the melodies are very strong. There is also quite a lot of time signature changes here which surprised me, but i'm all for it. Yeah i don't have anything else to say, it's really great stuff, definately a lot to like here. Definatrly got voting potential, awesome work!

mcmiagblackmanisgod - God to see you got your account back, it's been a while. I believe you were a victim of an hacking attack no? This sample is fire, it totally feels like you went the Kanye West route with the sampling, it's really great. Sadly it's just a sample though, i really long for a beat here. I'm not trying to say sampling is wrong, i do it all the time. But all i'm hearing is a looped sample, with processing on it, so to me it goes against what OHC is really is. It's different when you flip it with a beat or something, because there's more to it, but at the moment i'm sorry, but it's a good job from me.

Turbo852 - Cool gating here, it sounds like a synth guitar getting fed through a tremelo. The beat is proper jungle woo, those are some killer breaks, i love the drums in this a lot. The bassline is not strong for the intense beats, but that's ok, not everything needs to be really strong. I do long for something melodic, because whilst the beats are awesome, there is very little in terms of melodies, so everything is getting destroyed by the drums. The only thing that matches in intensity is the pad that comes in now and again, but aside from that, it's mainly a drum excersise. Still though, the beats are great, so there is definately nothing to dislike here, i just sense a lot of potential. Good job!

obScene - obScene returning with some killer delay sounds. Has that classic orchestration, but with special emphasis on some really dark articulated flute sounds, it really makes me feel like i'm in a dystopia it's so good. Loving the string work in this, it's kind of cartoonish, but with a really dark overtone. Almost horror movie sounding in a way. The track is delightfully dark i really feel the arrangement. Whole thing is just lovely, i can't think of anything else to say, mix is awesome, arrangement is awesome, it's just so dynamic. It was more than enough for the top spot, incredible work!

Top 3 - obScene, Coloradoweeks, DDRKirby(ISQ)

Meistr and Dex could also be on the list.

Awesome - Coloradoweeks, DDRKirby(ISQ), Meistr, DarkMystery727, Dex, obScene.

Needs Work - DarkShadow, jxsl, Unknown Pseudoartist, Arcana, mcmiagblackmanisgod, Turbo852.

1. Before The Apocalypse
   TheVideoGamer
2. In the Desert
   Dex
3. The Waste
   obScene

This was tough! I really liked how many of the tracks really gave good ambient feelings.

TheVideoGamer: I really loved all the breakbeats!

Dex: I loved the Gameboy sounds!

obScene: I loved the overall sound and feeling!