2 Hour Track Sunday’s
Heroes and Villains Album Listening/Review by TheVideoGamer
So this is a presentation containing all of my thoughts for each track that is presented on the 2HTS Heroes and Villains album. I thought it would be fun to do something a little different, and not just listen and comment on discord. I will listen to each one, write down my thoughts in real time, which will be collected on this presentation here. I will also listen to my track and explain the process, as well as my collab for more or less the same thing. I’ve never listened to this yet, so wish me luck! Also be warned, there is a fair bit of text in this…anyways.
Track 1 - Friendship Strikes Back�Composed by Entoen with a Collab from Vaiaphraim
Click to play!
Just a friendly reminder this is all in real time based on what i’m listening to right now. Ok so we have 2 different people with different styles. Entoen is known for what you might call “Cutetronica”. Uplifting melodic ideas against EDM beats. And Vaiaphraim is known for what you might call EDM chiptune. NES music created with an EDM mind-set. 2 different people from different dimensions collided to contribute to this album.
The chords undeniably scream Vaiaphraim. It’s definitely up his alley. However what makes it Entoen is both the singing and the singing style, as well as the grooves. Vaia contributed to the NES Chip stuff, Entoen on the melody lines. The vocals are kind of masked in this, feels like it’s fed through a telephone. It’s actually super cool! Love the FM Dubstep elements in this. The arrangement is amazing, the melodies are absolutely fire! The chopping and placing of each sound is extremely impressive. Awesome work both of you! (Or 3, as i hear a faint bit of Wendy in there lol). Whatever, amazing stuff!!!
Track 2 - Shimmery Shame�Composed by Etrove
Click to play!
Etrove goes by a couple of names, like Timv and or Stumpf. He is primarily known for Neuro DnB and makes some of the most dirtiest bass lines known to man. The intro is killer, super granular, instantly reminded me of Noisia. The sound design is something that would take me ages to perfect and replicate. It slowly fades into something hard. It doesn’t take long before the awesome unexpect fill bangs us into some wicked DnB. Extremely dirty subs, heavy compression, and a banging selection of growls and reeses. The vibe is absolutely killer!! The drums are very chopped up, totally bordering on Drill n Bass almost lol. The breakdown and buildup into round 2 is also super hype. Completely sounds like a finished product, perfect from start to finish, incredible work!!!!!
Track 3 - Professor Pimp�Composed by Entoen with a Collab from Necrosadist (Also known as UrinalPooper on ThaSauce)
Click to play!
We’ve talked about Entoen, but not Necrosadist. Necro also goes by a few names, but for most of us we either call him Necro or UrinalPooper. He is primarily known for his Punk Rock style, but over the years he’s expanded his palette to include Techno pieces, Experimental Ambient stuff, as well as recently chopping up samples and playing with them on a SP-404 a-la Hip Hop. Definitely 2 different worlds. One from a Punk background, one from an Electronic one.
The drums and melodies are clearly Entoen, and the vocals are UrinalPooper. I love the background vox in this, it’s amazing. The mix is beautiful, super funk Disco inspired beats and chords. Definitely vibing to this one a lot! The lyric writing is also top notch too! Perfect balance of Necro’s humour and serious lyric touches. The lyrics are just soo good, it really makes it feel like a catchy song to sing to. The Disco chords just set itself up perfectly for the lyrics. Loved the ending, incredible work you two!!
Track 4 - Witches Dance�Composed by FixYourLevels with a Collab from Jose
Click to play!
FIxYourLevels is not a regular, but does appear often. He usually makes a variety of stuff, but for a lot of people he is best remembered for making 80’s styled EDM, usually taking notes from Synthwave. Also likes to use heavy dense chordal material, making it into something cinematic. Jose is also a frequent appearer (Although i haven’t seen him in a while). He usually makes light techno, with a slightly cute but minimal sound, featuring his own vocal performances. Not too similar styles, but different enough.
I really like the bitcrushed drums in this, it’s very strange, and i like strange. Techno beats are very much a Jose trademark. I could tell who did what listening to these. Sidechain was lovely, great umph to the kick. Super into the melodies, very cute! I like how Jose’s vocals also has a 2nd layer of distortion. Sounds like 2 singers, but it’s actually probably not. Love the different buildups, into these super funky riff’s. Ending was great (Minus the small tail. )Nice and light, but with a lot of lovely grooves. Amazing work you two!!!
Track 5 - badgoodbad�Composed by LukeLoww
Click to play!
LukeLoww has an Alias called Living in the Cut. This Alias specialises in Raw Techno and Hard Techno. Under LukeLoww he usually makes Guitar Based Indie Electronic pieces, with a lot of Jazz influences. Reminds me a bit of Tame Impala a little. The chords in this are definitely Folk and Indie inspired. Kind of bittersweet and positive. So far most of the entries are pretty happy, compared to mine lol. The drums also has a bit of Techno influences from his alias. I love the chords and drums, mix is super tight. Very laid back and chill, designed to be relaxing but with a bit of a head bopping groove. I love how as we listen, we keep getting new sounds thrown in, before sudden section changes. The different sections keeps the guitar going, but introduces more stuttering effects, closer to an IDM beat. The melodies despite its simplicity just work amazing well. The drum solo was killer, and when it went back to the main guitar progression i was like “wooo!!”. Soo clean and super catchy but beautiful melodies. Incredible work Luke!!!!!!!
Track 6 - what am i�Composed by Heartik (A duo made up of Antik and Harvey)
Click to play!
Heartik is the fusion of the names Antik and Harvey. Antik is the creator of 2HTS and deserves all the praise he gets for running an amazing show over here. Super Fun Sunday’s i call it. His music is completely varied, especially in recent times, but most remember him for making either Lo-Fi hip-hop with hyper sidechained beats, or House music with acid tweaking, and mooy chords. Whatever it is, it’s always a treat. Harvey is known for making varied music as well, but in a cinematic lens. As if he’s scoring a film. The music can be dramatic, but electronic and often features something in the music that gives it a bit of a ominous quality. 2 worlds, one track.
Already hit with the Antik lo-fi sample chops and beats. Immediately get that Antik vibe already. So much so, it’s hard to pinpoint what Harvey’s done here, but i’m sure his contributions is pretty marvelous. The transitions are wonderful, and the melodies are relaxing and chill. If this is not a sample, then that’s even more impressive. I love me some chill melodies! The mix is super tight, and the effects are amazingly smooth. Love the background strings in this. Incredible work both of you!!!
Track 7 - Hero Wing�Composed by Harvey with a Collab from Vaiaphraim
Click to play!
We’ve talked about both already, so let’s listen to the track. This is the 2nd track from both of them. Both did 3. The vocals are super cool! It sounds like a Wah Wah but it’s singing. I love the video game sound effects, it totally adds some soundscape elements to the mix. The music is very retro video game, totally FM based, perfect for the Genesis/Mega Drive. Loving the Mega Man/Ninja Gaiden sound inspiration here. Tight melody, and super thick pads. The pads almost make it sound like were in some kind of Abyss. The strings really compliment Vaia’s parts super well. Loving the ideas, especially with the cool vocal snippets here and there. Honestly it’s just a lovely epic piece, part cinematic, part retro, but full of goodness. Amazing work you two!!!!
Track 8 - Fight Until The Death�Composed by Me (TheVideoGamer)
Click to play!
Ok so this is my track, and as you see i entitled it Fight Until The Death as i wanted it to sound like an Epic final battle. The battle to end all battles. The track is designed to mix Cinematic with Hardcore and Electronica, all as one package. I was inspired by xi, a Japanese artist known for extremely melodic ideas, to the point where it’s saturated in thick vibrat cinematic orchestration, blended with electronic ideas, and insanely fast hardcore trance kick drum action. It sounds like it some dystopia or something. Xi’s music has become the forefront of the Rhythm Game scene and probably almost becoming a meme. This music captures the spirit, by combining heavy pads and choirs, a vibrant lead melody, and a piano line. It’s a full blast of fast melodic noise designed for you to not sit still. Loud, pulsating and epic. Probably too much for some, but it was a Xi type beat. If you want to know how i made this, move on to the next slide and i will share you screenshots of my work and workflow. Thanks to all for listening to this, and the kind words, you’ve been amazing!!
The top part of my project:
I couldn’t fit it all on one screenshot so i divided it into two. This is the top part of my project.
The bottom part of my project:
The bottom part of my project. The whole thing accumulates 28 tracks of audio (If we include the automations), 78 individual patterns and 14 VST’s (Some Unused)
VST’s Used to Make My Track:
Massive is responsible for the Off Beat Chords, and the Acid Sounds
Keyzone Classic is my go to Piano VST
SynthMaster Player is responsible for 80 percent of the project, including the Pad chords, the Lead Melodies, the Electro Sounds and the Basslines,
This one is pretty obvious. DSK ChoirZ for well…a choir sound.
The Drum Stuff:
3 Layers of Hi-Hat loops went into the process of making the drums.
I’m not huge on the Vengeance Sample Packs, but when you want a quick semi-decent Trance like kick, this is my go to. Since this is a Hardcore type piece, we have all quarter notes kicks playing.
The BPM is 208, since it’s a hardcore type piece. The Key is in E Flat Minor (Or D Sharp depending on how you view it) and the Time Signature is in 4/4.
The Chords:
The Chord Progression of Section A. We begin on a Eb Minor 7 chord, and sort of move our way down to a Ab Minor chord. What’s interesting is the Bb 7 Chord at the end, as a cool way of resolution.
The Chord Progression of Section B. It’s essentially a variation of the first progression, with a lot of very much the same chords. This time though we end on a F Major chord before resolving back to Eb.
Same chords as above but in off-beat form.
The classic Andalusian Cadence for the Section C.
Notes for the other sounds:
This is the bassline used in Section A. It’s played in a fast syncopated like style. It follows the chord progression.
The bassline in Section C. Section B’s bassline is a re-arrangement of Section A’s bassline, so it wasn’t necessary to show it here. Think of it as a Tresillo Rhythm.
This is the Notes for the Acid Riff. Standard filtering, mostly background textures.
The piano hits. Mostly a stripped down version of the chords.
Section C’s Piano arp. Again it follows the chords.
Section D is the Electro part. There isn’t much melodic ideas here, as it’s mostly texture I was after.
The main melodies:
The melody for Section A. I was taking parts of the chord and essentially arranging into a rhythmical melody. I wanted it to be essentially the star alongside the chords and bass.
The melody for section B also uses the same idea. We span 2 octaves, climbing to the final note. Both of these were made using lead sounds generated from SynthMaster Player
Buildup and Key Change:
Majority of the track goes through certain buildups into a climatic release. It hypes us into the drums. The breakbeat in the top is filtered for a bit of additional excitement.
This is where we go through a Key Change. We go from Eb Minor to F minor, a whole step up. We have a brief drum fill into this key. Everything melody and chord wise is the same, as well as the drums.
Here is a close up of the chords during the Key Change.
The ending:
The ending to my piece. After a long snare build up we have a big impactful sound with all of the drums removed, leaving us the chords and piano. We filter some of the chords out slowly leaving us with mostly piano and choir. A 2 bar pause and we have the finishing chord and kick drum with a crash cymbal on top, letting us know we have defeated the boss, we’ve come to an end.
The last 2 kick drum rolls into a crash cymbal surprises us with a further reinforcement of out finished journey. It’s over, we’ve won. Thanks for listening, hope you enjoyed my tour into my track for the Album. Stay tuned for the rest of the music coming up next!
Track 9 - Harajuku Hero�Composed by Harvey
Click to play!
This is the solo work of Harvey. I’ve already mentioned him. Loving the chords, very nice EP sounds. The drums are interesting, it sounds like we're playing in a 180bpm DnB style, but yet were actually in around 80-90bpm. The string work is a signature of Harvey, and has a lovely melody idea! The melodies are super catchy, and the drums are funky as hell. The music reminds me a bit of RnB but in a Film Score context. The track is simple, relying on simple but extremely effect ideas. Simplicity is always a great thing. The track is also only 2:16, making it the shortest on here. It’s just super catchy stuff, amazing work Harvey!!!
Track 10 - Morning Song�Composed by Jose with a Collab from FixYourLevels and Sunny Says
Click to play!
FixYourLevels and Jose team up once again to make another banger, this time with additions from Sunny Says. A rapper known for making very complex fire detailed Freestyles. His beats are mostly Trap and Hip-Hop, and he often does challenges which involve making a random rap verse out of a single word suggested by viewers on his Twitch. This one is a bit more on the calmer side, with a really nice wind sound, and a great chord progression in Minor Key’s. Really loving the vocals from Jose, and has a lot of nice synth work. You can always take a nice simple chord progression and make magic out of it. Sunny’s raps are fire also! Great transition, lovely switchup. Great chemistry, loving the snare drum sound! It’s just soo great, amazing work you three!!!
Track 11 - Rivals�Composed by Me (TheVideoGamer) with a Collab from Vaiaphraim
Click to play!
This is the last of my contributions with a collab with Vaiaphraim. I won’t explain much about the track in comparison to my other one, as one Vaia did a lot of the memorable parts, in regards to the melody and the chip stuff, whilst i mostly did the drums, chords and basslines, and two, a lot of what i made was back and forth between Vaia, so i don’t think i even have the project file for a lot of the contributions. I can still get you the rundown on how it’s made.
So we have 2 distinct sections. One in 130bpm, one in 165bpm. They both serve as the Hero and Villain parts respectively. It’s a direct contrast. To bridge the gap into the 2nd one, we included a Red Alert siren, followed by some heavy DnB influenced electronica. Vaia made the amazing melodies in this, he has a lot to thank for, for the track turning out so great. It’s got a lot of great effects in this too. Now Vaia used Reaper whilst i used FL Studio, so we really we trying to adapt to our Daw’s here, The bulk of my work is Samples from breaks and Vintage drum machine sample packs. The main choice of VST’s for my contributions came from Massive and SynthMaster Player respectively. Huge thanks for Vaia for the collab, you made some amazing contributions. You were hugely fun to work with, and i hope we do this again sometime. Once again can’t express how awesome this was, and how amazing the opportunity has been. Keep on rockin’ dude!!
Track 12 - 2HTS Telephone 3
Composed by Various 2HTS Participants.
Click to play!
The 2hts telephone was contributed by the following people:
The telephone is a concept in which each person is asked to create a 20 second piece of music that continues on from the last person’s contributions. By the end of it, there should be a finished piece of music. Whoever goes first has the opportunity to set the BPM and the Key Signature for others to follow. As long as it continues from these specifications, you can really make your part how you want, resulting in the most mismatched 2HTS community track, in all sorts of weird and wonderful styles!
I went first, and decided to set it at 150bpm with a B Major key signature. Everyone more or less followed that guideline. Resulting in some very cool contributions. Go to the next slide, to get my thoughts on each contributions.
Listening to the telephone:
Click to play!
Me - I call this Goofy Techno. Syncopated swing, off beat ska like chords, and a nice pad. Intro and ending fills nicely into the next part.
Harvey - Going half time with the really nice string section and sweet 80’s styled beat.
Vaia - All the makings of the classic Vaia chiptune. Lovely 20 second melodies!
Exubeats - Great trap melodies and beats. Love how the melodies fit perfectly in Key with the previous track. Tight vibes!
Antik - Classic Antik beat. Perfect sample and beat. Awesome stuff!
Jose - Again love how you took Antik’s chords and made something out of them. Creative. Great techno beat and robot singing!
Entoen - Lovely Entoen stuff. Very child like horror sound. Beats are fire, singing is fast and amazing. So far this is an awesome Telephone.
Wistpotions - Moar awesome chiptune melodies! Lovely acoustic beats in this, feels like we’ve moved from a minor key to a Major key. Awesome stuff!
Etrove - And you took the ending of the last track and flipped it into fire Dubstep! Creative shit at it’s finest. Headbanging grooves, amazing work! Awesome work on the telephone guys, loved each one!
That’s All Folks. Were Done. A big thank you to Antik and Vaiaphraim for making this all possible, you guys rock!