There seems to be a generous number of electronica/ambience/instrumentalists out there experimenting with mixes and the merging of an array of sounds together. Some I have found to work, and others I have found to not do so well. Again, I find another comes my way. I have mentioned before that I have never really been a fan on this type of music, but I do love songs that capture a mood and send me into another plane where my mind imagines and lets my ears wander.

For the most part, Refrag's piece "I'm Just Getting A Cold" sits the the former of the two groups I mentioned, and the piece warms to my ears.

It initially gives birth to an ambience that is mysterious, causing me to anticipate something compelling to develop. The mood is enchanting, graceful, and almost magical. There is this bewitching quality that sends my imagination to a place where I picture a mystical being casting some complex and bewildering spell. I am particularly drawn to what seems to be a bass(?) or guitar (?) which has been filtered to express a tone that is haunting and captivating.

There is also an air of delicacy in this piece that I attribute to the soft bells that faithfully play itself through the piece in varying degrees, as well as the dainty execution of keyboard sounds.

The strength in this song, I have found is in it's progression. The piece naturally glides and dances along and what transcends from this point is a growing enigmatic quality that slowly envelops the song like a dark storm giving the sense to the listener that something sinister is brooding. This veil of darkness is evident, but does not choke which adds to the appeal of the track and blesses it with a change that I see as a needed added dimension to keep it from becoming a dull piece of work.

I reached the 2:50 mark though, and I found my interest just hanging in there. The bars around this point seem a little repetitive and the segment seems to continue for what seems to be an eternity. My ears feel confined and I am hoping, waiting for a break or a change in the piece to bring about the small soother that I was looking for. Thankfully, it is delievered and a sigh of relief is given, as the song almost pauses momentarily for a breather, only to dive back into a more frenzied refrain.

To end, "I'm Just Getting a Cold" ebbs and closes calmly (or so I thought) until an extremely harsh guitar arrangement screamed itself out to throw my ears off. I would have preferred it if the song had ended on that calm and soothing note previously, however if you decide to keep the current ending, a suggestion would be to build up to the last leg of the song with some form of crescendo to incrementally get listeners to that point without scaring them. That way the abrubt ending would then seem more fitting and logical a closure to the piece.

Overall this song was favoured by my ears. I definitely got good vibes from it, and it held my interest despite some small areas that you might want to note for improving should you choose to evolve the piece and refine it further. I will give you my vote based on that basis.

One query to you though - how does the title of the song relate to the piece? It seems to be an odd match - I am interested to find out the story behind the title Smile

Anyhow, top work! *thumbs up*

This track combines a purely wicked pulsing synth/drum track with ambient new-age piano - think George Winston on acid, and you're 90 percent there.

At only 2 minutes in length, it's quick enough to make its point, and novel enough to leave you wondering what the impetus was here.

The drum sounds are superb, the synth rhythm samples are compelling, and the cross-rhythms on the piano somehow fit - but don't ask me how - it's more as a stream of consciousness than a deliberate editing attempt.

So you get two tracks in one. An interesting blend of genres.

With a little further enhancement (additional textures and more attention to syncing certain parts of the piano track with the rhythm track) this would be a bona fide classic.

Does anyone have a phone? I think George W. needs an ambulance.

But at least he's grinning.

Shocked Whoo, this is... cool. There's so many different ingredients in this, it simply DEMANDS (in a laid back sort of way) multiple listens - there's the shuffling breakbeat, the little jazzy touches of horn, the harp sweeps, the ethnic-sounding vocal bit and the psychedelic keys. This is well mad. The opening marimba/glock sounds a bit 60's surfer, while some of the other touches sound kind of far eastern. I don't think I've ever heard anything quite like this: it's a weird (but superbly harmonious) mish-mash of sounds. And somehow, it's all crammed into two and a half minutes, and yet, it doesn't feel rushed. The sound quality is excellent, with the reverb giving this an ethereal quality. I think the only criticism I can make of this is that it's maybe just a little too laid back.

Class... Cool

Yeah, yeah, I know it looks like a double header review and I never said anything about giving Refrag a good going over this month but read on, and I'll explain myself. Refrag - for those who are unaware - is a being from another planet, in a galaxy far away. Let's call it, for the sake of argument, New Zealand. Known over many years on Soundclick as forum poster 'ridd' this being meanwhile perpertrated many greivous boldily whatsnames on all and sundry. Instilled in tracks from the sublime Just Tripping to the riddiculous Are You Taking All This Down? is a mesage of re-arrangement that has snared just about everybody it touches - and remember he's been at this for at least two years to my certain knowledge. God (who shall be Desbo) knows how long he's really been about his revolting business... Having cleaned everyones clock on Soundclick, the last six months or so has seen Songplanet becoming similarly infected. This, however, is the severest case of re-arrangement I have ever seen - it never happened like this on Soundclick. For there, right in the middle of the main Songplanet page, is the Top 10 Radio Artists, Refrag can be seen to be inhabiting 3rd place.

This being, I put it to you, not only has rearranged everything in our sight but has become a damn STAR into the bargain.

It won't do I tell you.

(...and that was the news, now back to our regular programs...)

There is, of course, a serious reason that Refrag occupies this position in SP's charts. Impossible as it may seem to those of us who made ridds acquaintance with Fill O P N Tube, the man has transcended even himself - as his latest couple of tracks amply shows. The first time I heard Wasting Your Time was on SP radio and I loved it from the instant I heard it. Pure, unalloyed Refrag but with one of the catchiest vocal hooks its been my pleasure to hear for a while. It's almost Dr Who-like bassline intro sets you up perfectly for the laconic, too tired to be arsed vocals and that quirky vocal counterpoint. Whoa, back up there hoss... Did I hear you say vocals? This is Refrag, after all... Vocals, my pets, and then some... Wasting Your Time is one very, very special track in every single respect: production, arrangement, performance and absolutely fekkin HUGE marks for the vocal treatments. I really am not going to able to say this loud enough but this is an ESSENTIAL TRACK Definitely gonna be one of my tracks of the year....

Multi Purposeless is the track ridd originally put up for review, and is yet another example of just how subtle his work has become over the past year; dense, complicated and yet somehow light as a feather. The musical progressions in this track just blow me away, but I could make the same comments about all the instrumentation. Truth is, Multi Purposeless is a wonderfully crafted, beautiful little tune (it's 3:00 or so) which passes so fast it'll give you whiplash. I'm not sure whether I've ever felt that one of Refrag's tracks was actually beautiful before but this one definitely is. The biggest surprise of all, I must admit, is just how bloody awesome this guy has been becoming over the space of a few tracks. If anyone deserves to be a star around here, my money would be on Refrag every time. I wrote in a review some considerable time ago that Refrag was that most priceless of things: an individual voice. A voice that couldn't possibly BE anybody else; a unique talent in the ocean of talent that surrounds us, Refrag shines brighter now than ever before.

ESSENTIAL (can't say it loud enough) EEEEEfekkinSENTIAL....

-----------------------------------------
Artist: Refrag
Title: Swings and Roundabouts
Link: Website OR Download
-----------------------------------------

Ever since I heard and reviewed Fill O p N Tube from this artist way back in September 2003, Refrag's music has become part of my staple diet. In my year end review of 2003 (my first full year of reviewing on Soundclick) I mentioned him amongst the best original music I'd found here. It was 2004 that was the Refrag year though as testified to by the ranges of stations playing his material, not to mention his radio play rating over at Songplanet. Yep, the boy did well.

So, no getting ridd of Des then?

All this mind, without putting a foot wrong musically and that is really saying something. So what is it that he does that seems to please so many people? Well, he has a highly recognisable style that's for sure - there just isn't anyone like Refrag. Let me put some words in his mouth. On his webpage he says 'I'm a bit mad and taking all kinds of drugs. . .not for the madness, just for fun' and you'd better believe he means it to. A truly wicked sense of humour lies at the heart of what Refrag dishes out and we all seem to love it. Even my wife has had her head arranged by Refrag and I always thought she wasn't reprogrammable!

Des commits all these sins with a style that is breathtakingly audacious. Sounds that really shouldn't be working together are often found in passionate embraces, and there is always - ALWAYS - a hint of the inner madness that drives this artist to riddiculous heights. Much like the strangled cat vocalist that adorns this track. Don't be put off by that incrediblely soulful scat intro. Once this girls pipes get a bit loose they do things cats (and by extension Yoko Ono) are best at. Humans really shouldn't be sounding like this, but that's something Refrag knows and his rearrangement of people brains makes them do odd, silly and often bestial things. An electronic saunter through the heart of Refrag world can only do a body the utmost good because if you don't laugh yourself silly, you'll soil yourself in fear at the madness you've unleashed on your ears.

Truly terrific tunage. Not riddiculous in any way.

“Egg Chips Beans”

Writing reviews judging the “quality” present in a piece of music is such a pompous thing to do. I mean, what the hell is quality anyhow? Determining quality seems to mostly be a subjective matter, but there are obviously certain aspects inherent in the qualities of certain songs that are mostly universally appealing, whether those qualities be a catchy melody, a particular rhythm or syncopation, or a lyric that strikes a nerve. Pinpointing what exactly makes these distinctions so distinguished is rather difficult. What often is much easier is pinpointing particular areas in music that are lacking in quality. After all, this lack of quality is what is keeping the listener from enjoying the song in the first place, so would it not then logically follow that poor quality is more immediately perceivable than “good” quality?

I’m not trying to imply that a song cannot be immediately appealing. Quite the contrary. What I am assuming is that the listener has an easier time distinguishing what he or she dislikes about song than what gravitates he or she toward the piece. Being what I would consider myself to be an avid music listener (as I assume readers of this are also. why else would you be reading this?), I generally am confused by the songs that I am drawn toward. I have mentioned this Dave Eggers paraphrase before, but I believe the act of listening to songs multiple times is a kind of attempt to solve the puzzle that is the song.

“Egg Chips Beans” is puzzling to say the least. Refrag himself admits not knowing what genre the song falls under, mostly because the song crosses so many genre lines to create quite a bizarre array of sounds and styles. First of all, the vocal sample sound is if it came from a dub/dancehall type recording, yet the backing music is far from that style. The beat is fairly straightforward, while a guitar that I may dare to even call “grungy” is mixed somewhere in the back of the track. In true Refrag fashion, the organic/inorganic blend is present, especially stressed in the moments where the glitch-type drum beat appears, which serves nicely to offer the song more dynamic range.

Explaining why I like “Egg Chips Beans” is hard. While at times I think the song may suffer a bit from its schizophrenia, I can’t help but find it compelling, largely because I am having a difficult time finding a frame of reference. Quite an accomplishment indeed. While I don’t find this song to be as immediately attention-grabbing as the other Refrag tracks I have heard, this one still deserves more than a few listens.

(By the way, curiosity led me to check out the “Jazz Fusion” tracks. Outstanding. Reminds me a bit of the 70’s Kraut Rock bands being given a much needed kick in the ass.)

Song: 'Lurking Happiness Shadows Us All'

Genre: Jazz
Score: 7.02 / 10    (Back to top)

The Captain

gave a score of 7.25 / 10. Comments were:
There are a number of relatively tame compositions in the OMD world coming out under headings such as progressive rock and experimental. Ridd is more experimental than most of those who BILL themselves as such, but he takes the time to pigeon hole his work in genres. Never mind that they dont FIT the holes very well - one simply appreciates the imaginative effort! Fact is he makes very interesting music AND fascinating noises. Lurking Happiness Shadows Us All is not a typical title for his work, unless you mean that it is an atypical title and this a-typicality alone is what typifies his titles. That would be a true if paradoxical statement of the facts. The music no less than the title is odd. There are a meandering assortment of sounds strewn over a jazz bass and augmented by fairly typical jazz drums and quiet sax. If one closes ones eyes and listens, then one could easily image he has been spirited away to some space station jazz bar, and that the ambient noises in the background are the alien patrons of the club. Yes, thats about the best way to handle this song. That would be the aliens singing along: those vague, hollow, hornlike noises and squeaks. Certainly they must be aliens! They seem to appreciate what they are hearing. Who are we to disagree? Its all very evocative, fun and interesting. Also, by the by, its very well put together. Ridd has a wide variety of material on his page and is worth a listen.

Scoring: Songcraft: 7, Recording: 7.5, Freshness: 7.5, XFactor: 7

Uncle Thumpy

gave a score of 5.25 / 10. Comments were:
Entertainingly groovy and darkly mellow. Feels like an updated film-noir soundtrack, sort of a "Cyberblanca" with no nazis. Relatively repetitive, but enough interesting things are done with horns and some wild delays that it carves out it's own strange texture. I like it. The abrupt change around 3:40 is a bit jarring, though I do like the bass loop holding over. I wish it resolved back to the original riff before ending.

Scoring: Songcraft: 6, Recording: 5, Freshness: 5, XFactor: 5

Corner Kid

gave a score of 8 / 10. Comments were:
I want Refrag's entire CD collection. Refrag is a world of his own, and I can only compare his musical vision and depth to someone like Aphex Twin. Listen to Refrag if you want to experience something unlike anything else. Like his other works, this piece is a fresh blend of the most unpredictable sounds, coming together to form something out of this world. Which leaves me with the thought "How DOES he do it?"

Scoring: Songcraft: 8, Recording: 7, Freshness: 9, XFactor: 8

Dr. Strangelove

gave a score of 6.87 / 10. Comments were:
This song would work really well in a trendy cafe or restaurant. It's an interesting fusion between jazz and electronic music and has a great chill out vibe. Nice sounds too.

Scoring: Songcraft: 7, Recording: 7.5, Freshness: 6.5, XFactor: 6.5

Klaus Varley

gave a score of 7.75 / 10. Comments were:
Refrag is a blend of mellow electronica, jazz, and whales. An audio experimentation with gentle beats and effects, it drops you on a red couch with a human rabbit on your left and a giant mushroom on your right. Go with it, or things could take a turn for the worse.

Scoring: Songcraft: 7, Recording: 9, Freshness: 8, XFactor: 7

I hate most music, but this i like, It's subtle a little surreal and laid back. It has a very daydreamy feel. The backround voices are really creepy, nice touch! I've tried to fing something I don't like about this song, but i can't. Good job!

That song intruiged me, so i took a look into your song "pretending".

This song is completely insane, the music is so random. the voice is good, but a little cheesy at times, it should be more sublte, and not overused as much as it is. It should be at the beginning and the end, but its fucking annoying when that damn voice inturrupts the music.

Then i looked at "Just Tripping"

The upling music box is pretty fucking stupid, so is the stupid baby, It makes me want to reach through my computer and strangle that fucking baby, it wont shut up. It just wont shut up.

However, there is something more to this song, it;s very unsettling, the uplifitn music in the front, mixed the creepy backround sounds creates a weird duality, its very bittersweet. It creates a feeling of suspense... BUT THAT FUCKING BABY WONT SHUT UP. Overall, i think this song will give me nightmares, about babies

Your band rocks, it seems like a series of drug induced musical ramblings
keep doing what your doing, but lose the babies and the annoying voices bitching about how they're not real.

I've been a fan of Refrag since I heard my first Refrag tune: "Sack Yourself" I didn't have to look this up because I haven't got "Let Yourself Go" out of my head yet. That was about 5 months ago. I don't remember my own songs that well.

This tune is a masterpiece of airiness, clarity and sparkle. I just love it. There is nothing I can find to even comment on in the area of technical production. For those wanting an idea of the tune, I'll give it a shot, but explaining a Refrag tune in words is like explaining Picasso to the family dog. There are elements of jazz, electronica, and even a light touch of industrial sound in this tune. The overall sound is mellow, but far from boring, in fact it will take several listens to even begin to notice all the little "coolnesses." The wailing (sorrowful) synths weave in and out in a motion filled seascape. No towering crashing waves, just a myriad of ripples and swells moving in different directions (and I love the sea bird-like patch.) To me, there are soundscapes that try to make me sleep and others that try to make me dream. This is a perfect example of the latter. This one will definitely get some play at my next shroom party.

The EQ, stereo imaging, and blend of instruments are just excellent. The only thing I would say about this tune in the way of criticism, relates to the composition. I felt like the tune had said what it wanted to say (very effectively, mind you) by the end of the main part of the tune at around 3:40. The part beyond that sounds like the artist thought the piece was a bit too short and tacked on a bit more. It reminded me of when someone is talking and they make a very insightful point, then they feel like they need to explain it and the explanation detracts from the power of the original thought.

personal notes: Man, you've been busy. I've got some downloading to do. It used to be "Fire Yourself" didn't it? Or did I americanize it in my memory? I like "Sack" better tho. NZ is a jewel of the planet. You are very fortunate to live there. Thanks for listening to our stuff and the nice comment. Take care, outstanding work.

Sitting in an all-night urban cafe/bar called "The Niche" sipping a burbon espresso that is mostly burbon waiting for the mescaline to reach it's full potential. You idly pick out the faces in the crowd that you recognize and watch the ones you don't become ones that you do. Images slide through your peripheral vision like slow motion shooting stars. The waitress walks by and you watch her past as it stretches out behind her and you recognize the smell of her perfume as honeysuckle.....

You on soundclick is like seeing some mythical creature that shouldn't exist. What are you doing asking for my review?

If you want me to stretch to give some kind of criticism I could say that the main synth in the beginning sounds like it's bleeding a little and the kick/bass hit at 1:04 made my right channel speaker distort. But that is probably just my sound and I don't exactly listen to the songs I'm reviewing quietly.

You should be having magazines and websites reviewing your music and you should be signed. Sorry if I'm bias but I've been listening to your stuff before I had any music up on soundclick.

There are very few Soundclick artists who click with me every time; I could count them on one hand - should I be able to count past three that is. Maths has never been my strong suit. Refrag would certainly figure in that handful. The Man Who Stands On His Head as A Way Of Life has been consistently feeding us juicy morsels ever since I've been around Soundclick and probably well before too. Just a cursory search of my reviews brings up eight reviews of his tracks and I know for a fact there are at least six of his tracks which live permanently on my harddrive. Now that, my rugged beauties, is the purest compliment I can pay ANY artist.
I'm not alone in this absurd willingness to be refragged, seems like the whole population of SC's forums think the same. The reason is obvious should you have the good fortune to have heard this highly individualistic (and very zany) electronic artist. Pick almost any Refrag track at random and I can guarantee your reactions, in sequence. First comes the 'wtf stage' which is exactly what it says; you are wondering what on earth you are listening to. Secondly you enter the 'ooh that's neat' stage where you begin to notice all the little bits of decoration the track comes liberally adorned with. Then you reach the 'killer punch' stage where it all finally starts to add up and all you can do in this stage is to imagine how this could possibly have come from one guy's brain.

Just Tripping is a step away from the Refrag we know, but it's only a small step. Certainly the production and performance are pure, couldn't be anyone else really. I mean, how many of us would be brave enough to use a baby's gurgle as a main vocal? Since I see no show of hands, I'll take that as a no right? Seriously odd, continually entertaining Refrag carries on in the fine old tradition. Mind you, it took me a few plays to really uncover this really cute little tune that lurks underneath, so give it time to get to work on you.

Recommended (but you knew that...)

heh... Ridd called me "shar-ma-ma"... (close enough.. my version sounds better)

Lurking Happiness Shadows Us All: You have a plentiful mix of some rather unusual sounds in your instrumentation... what sounds like seagulls and whales, among other critters and unique noises, I can only guess are results of not only great sampling and mixing, but software or hardware alterations... I'm not sure which... maybe both. There's a lot, and awful lot going on here. From the warping bagpipes to the "club dance beat" quietly lurking in the background, to the sultry, mellow sounds in the intro, synths being tweaked, and more. Simply a smorgasboard of sounds (love the sax, btw) that meld into a fine mix seemingly simple to the unfocused listener. All in a all, a track displaying a great use of audio imagery and complexity of arrangement.

Very unique, and delightfully so.

The official bio notes for refrag available at various Independent Music sites read like absurdist short stories. Some of the band members are murdered during a Salvation Army charismas party. Additional band members are incarcerated for unethical scientific studies with insects and fruit. The underground cult participants who comprise the band are exposed as Jehovah's Witnesses and swiftly dis-banded. Assuming that none of this is true, who really makes this unique and genre-bending music?
Desmond Murphy of Auckland, New Zealand is the one-man electronic orchestra behind the music of refrag. Des began making music in the early 80's when he played bass in a band he describes as "punk and also shite." The members of The End Band were "very bad", in Des's estimation. The band remained together for three years but never got any better. After the demise of The End Band, Des continued to record demos and found a few gigs in a series of bands with another of its original members. The name of the new band changed from week to week to disguise its reputation. In 1998, his participation in the production of lousy live music ended, and Des got his first PC. He began to "mess around with music sounds" and the PC made it "easy to get the sound I like."

In 2001, Des relocated from London to New Zealand, his wife's home, and the country where their son was born. With this move, refrag was conceived. Working in Reason 2.5, Wavelab 4, and with the recent introduction of Melodyne into his compositions, Des achieved a level of excellence that has received significant notice in the on-line Independent Music community. Broadcast radio audiences in the cities of Christchurch and Wellington, New Zealand, are also privileged to be able to hear his music.

It is difficult to accept that someone with no musical training creates the music of refrag. Des plays the guitar, the bass guitar, and does his composing by ear. Self-effacing and perfectionistic, Des has no idea why one of his songs would be chosen as an Editor's Pick at Download.com or why he receives email from fans. When forced to comment, he says, "Maybe it's a bit odd and some folks like it? I like music that does not sound like anything you heard before but not so mad that it has no reference. I have made 100's of tracks and a lot of them get deleted, and I only put a few on the net. I'm never happy with what I do, and I always think it could sound better." Whatever the reason might be for the attention, he notes that the best moments he has had with his music are from emails that say the music is good, because "I don't do it for fame or money."

The son of Irish parents growing up in a West Indian area, Des heard and enjoyed traditional Irish music and Reggae. As a teenager, he notes, "I was very depressed and would only listen to Joy Division", but (deciding that statement would make him sound too mad) he added, "I also listened to dance music and anything with deep bass." He currently listens to all forms of music and any of those forms is likely to find its way into a refrag piece. Although his music is often gloomy, he enjoys lacing it with just a bit of humor. The titles and lyrics of his compositions are often certainly of black humor variety, and a careful listener will sometimes note just a touch of silliness in much of what refrag does. Des also enjoys remixing the music of other musicians into new compositions, some of which are posted as a separate band, the beerkats, at SongPlanet.

The addition of live guitar and vocal performance to refrag's recent electronic compositions is slanted toward the goal of performing with a live band again. He has located a guitar player, but is still searching for "a very good drummer." Fans of refrag may be disappointed that there are no plans for a purchaseable high quality CD because Des likes his music to be free.

When asked what the one thing is he would like the readers of this article to know about him or his music, Des replied, "I'm a bit mad and taking all kinds of drugs. . .not for the madness, just for fun." That statement neatly sums up what refrag is about--it is music like Des himself. Don't take it for the madness. Take it for the fun.

Before I had discovered the world of Soundclick, I found films like 'Independence Day' and 'Mars Attacks!' to be nothing but mere fiction. However, after I came here and heard the Refrag for the first time, I not only believed that it was a possibility, but that it was a certainty and it was about time I started making preparations.

At the start of one of Refrag's more recent tracks, 'Sack Yourself', a manipulated, bellowing voice chants 'Let yourself go', and this seems to be the basic philosophy behind his music. This artist is one of the few who manages to be entirely idiosyncratic while never using the same trick twice. I first heard Refrag in the form of 'Fill O p N Tube', which completely blew me away. My initial thought was that this is what all modern music should be, a brilliant blend of punk, drum n bass, and space aged ambient electronica. Even in my laziest moods, this gets me frantically drumming on the desk, or jumping around my bedroom like a maniac.

What is instantly striking about Refrag's music is that it is about as eclectic as music can be. Drawing influences from classical, jazz, trance, punk, ambient, drum n bass, metal, house, leftfield, IDM, the list could go on and on. This, as far as I'm aware, means that at least some of the music could be enjoyed by round about anybody.

Much of Refrag's work is extremely moody, such as intense synth odyssey of 'Error Occured' or the slower, minimal 'Side Notes'. By contrast, a great amount of the work is more upbeat and fun, such as the short, chirpy 'Reconstructing the Mould' or 'Karangahape Road'. Some of them seem to be made souly for the dancefloor (while still remaining wonderfully original in their own right) such as the classical influenced 'We Don't Need No Stinking Badges' or the afformentioned 'Fill O p N Tube'.

As I said before, there is something here for everybody. Those who like soul music will enjoy the glitchy 'Outside a Fridge', whereas those who like great harmonies will love 'Scop Toe and Lee With Ann', and those who are into ambient soundscapes should enjoy the acoustic 'I'm Just Getting a Cold' or the eerie 'The Day After'.

To conclude, Refrag is an artist who draws influences from just about everything he hears, and turns it into an inventive masterpiece. The space age may not be here yet as Stanley Kubrick once predicted, but I myself am content waiting for it since I have Refrag to keep me going until that day.

First off, I’m curious to find out how you made this? What did you play? Did you use any loops?

Music - The song starts off wonderfully and holds its place until the very end. I must say, this is the most unique arrangement of instruments I’ve ever heard (and enjoyed as well). The song is nearly the same throughout, but has subtle changes with the entrance and exit of different sounds and instruments. There’s a slight progression at 1:24 that really got to me in a good way. The overall theme I get from listening to this song is “randomness coming together to make something that has structure.” I love the 5-beats-per-measure time signature. The harp is the icing on the cake.

Voice: N/A except for the faint background vocals that appear in the middle of the song to give it an worldly feel to it. Adds a nice touch to the song and takes it to another level.

Song: Very well arranged. This song shows that you know what you’re doing, and that you’re a pro.

Highlight: the over-all feel of the song, and the part at 1:24
Low-point: I’d like to have heard more. Its short, I didn’t want it to end, I wanted to hear a cool new part, like how the song progressed at 1:24, just something new.

If this song were in a movie: this song should be in a Guy Ritchie type film. (excluding “Swept Away”). It should be in one of those organized crime-type films.

Personal POV: I loved it. It made me want to listen to your other songs, which I also enjoyed a lot. I want a CD.

Genre: Ambient/Trip-Hop

Des Tore Ted. The name tells me a lot. This artist has some intelligence I can tell from the witty name, so i'm expecting something intresting and i'm not disappointed. Honestly, the first listen of this track i was like wtf is this? The bass line sounds like it heavly favors the left channel, not to mention it sounds just plain wierd to me. Thankfully I was reviewing this song and gave it more than one listen. The only reason I am writing this is so you the reader know to give this track a chance, i recommend at least 2 listens, if not more. Its got such complexity that its hard for the brain to process everything that is going on the first time around. It reminds me of one of my 1st goals in writing music: to make tracks that become better with each listen. Cheers! While I am unable to describe how you did this, you certainly did.

Starts of mysteriously with the help of some nicely played paino*. The song starts abrubtly at :18. The melody consists of of a vocal sample being played with lots of pan and pitch shift. Its a totally unique sound, and it really works well with this track. The hip-hop drum beat (why i added trip-hop to the genre) sounds great with the vocal samples being played. Its not to empty, but not to much. The song somehow borders on this 'not-to-empty not-to-much' sound through-out the entire piece.

At :40 the everything starts picking up, the swirling snare roll is a nice effect*. I can feel that the song is about to change, which is great. Good music should never surprise the listener. It should always hint at what is about to happen, and this is a good example of that. Anyway, i'm not surprised at :50 when everything cuts out except the vocal sample 'ahh'. THIS PART IS HOT!!! That little ahh, ahh, ut-ahh makes my body start reflexively bobbing around. Its simple, but it sounds so good. I want this break to play longer, its so cool. the high hat taps a couple times and the beat kicks back in around :54.

A very loud sample of singing/screaming (sounds native american), is the melody this time (pitched way up, and sounds great). The way it is looped fits well with the drums and i love it. The guitar is a nice touch and leads seemlessly away from the rich vocal sample. The song grooves for a little bit (but not repetativly) and at 1:30 the the vocal sample comes in back in, however this time at the proper speed. Nice.

Breaks down again around 1:40. Again, it sounds good...not quite as good as the first break down (didnt have that snare roll) but still good (+ its a little longer). Some wierd computer beeping is going on, honestly i could do without that noise, but its not too bad once the beat kicks. When the beat kicks back in at 1:49 I am once again lifted away. The sample is dark and mysterious. It sounds cool as hell, a great fit for the song. Lots of LFO only make it sweeter...but a adding some speaker pan would make it the sweetest thing! Back in with the vocal sample and then the song ends around 2:43.

...you have about 1:40 seconds of silence at the end of this mp3 which i can not understand. Dog whistle? I hope so, cause if that is just sloppyness you need to re-upload your track, no reason to scar such a thing of beauty with sloth.

I'm sure you can tell, but I really digged your song. Sounds very psy. My favorite track i've reviewed so far. I've noticed myself humming that breakdown around :40 a couple of times. Great job!!!

The title kinda promises that this will be an interesting piece. Nothing unusual for this artist, as he has always something different to offer. And it took only 5 hours to create this? That makes it even more interesting. So, lets take a listen…

Love the opening guitar work here. Excellent beat, as we have become accustomed to by ReFrag. Some interesting pads and noises in the background, which makes this track almost sound of Industrial nature. The theme of the composition is well conceived for this genre. Some dark noises makes this one almost a haunting experience. If it wasn’t for the guitar, bringing a bit of “calm” (if you can call it that) to this track, I’d say this would be a dark killer game music track. The oboe section fits nicely in this overall good production.

The beats and the guitar, however, are the most outstanding feature in this track. Whoever has not yet listened to that one definitely should!

Nice work,

This sounds pretty good. I have a hard time believing that the bass was done on a six string but if the man says it was it was! It sounds like a good effort to be sure.

I think the production is really decent. The drums sound good. The guitar is a little low, but I imagine that's the intent. It sounds fine to me. There's just enough mo-jo in the music/arrangement to make it very listenable, even without vocals.

I think it sound fine bro.

Cheers.

This tune is a bit of a departure for our ever prolific Refrag. This song has a heavy bass and drum in the mix with REAL guitar parts and other assorted sounds. This is a quite likeable if not strange track, that I found quite enjoyable to listen too. I really liked what I could hear of the guitar parts (more on that later), and the bass which was played on the guitar fits the song very well and is a refreshing change of pace from the usual Electronic bass sounds so many use in this genre and Electronica.

This tune is listed as a DNB tune, though I'm not sure it really fits there from what little DNB I've listened too. I'm kind of at a loss to really say where it belongs, maybe someone else has a better idea.

The Artist has asked for some specific comments on the production and mix, so here is my take, and my suggestions on how to possibly improve the mix, at least the way I would go about it.

The production and mix is a bit muddy in the frequency's so important for guitar and that is the main area of the mix that I think needs a bit of tweaking. In order to still keep the heavy bottom end yet still give a good space for the guitar work to sit, I think the best attack might be to scoop out an area with EQ in the 2k-4k area of the bass track along with some careful EQ cuts in the 250hz - 1k range of the bass track. Everything else is sitting pretty well in the mix and it sounds good. A good final EQ on the stereo mix should have things shaped up nicely.

Overall a very refreshing and interesting piece, big here!

This song follows a style that isnt normally my cut of tea. I found it enjoyable but immediatly knew that I was going to struggle here.

That said the opening really caught my attention, a simple picked bass, a great drum track overlain and intermingled with an almost classical sounding picking pattern on the guitar. As the song progresses more artifical sounds complement the rythum (spelling) which pauses every now and then to allow the picking pattern to resonate through. a trick that i found particually effective here.

The melodic lead line complements the picking very well and isnt too in your face. Whilst the drums keep the tune alive and fresh.

The song is well mixed and the balance of the instruments is about right. It just doesnt really do enougth for me although i must admit that after a few trys the consistancy of the bass and guitar really is quite a hook.

I really did enjoy hearing this song and im sure others will as well but it just isnt quite my cup of tea.

Yet another one I would recommend to hear for yourselves.

Are We At a Dance Or Am I Dead//We Don't Need No Stinking Badges

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One of my finer finds for me last year was the very odd, but entirely wonderful aural landscape erected by ReFrag. So far, if my memory serve me well, I haven't found one dud in all the Refrag tracks I've listened to. In fact, they're all pretty much of a muchness, heard one track, you'll know what to expect from another. That's not to say that ReFrag is 'samey', the chances are ReFrag couldn't make music that wasn't interesting, oddly strange and totally fascinating so sounding 'samey' just doesn't enter the picture.

T'isn't only the music that gets me about this very class act either. For my money they have THE best titles I've seen anywhere; most of them have absolutely nothing to do with the tracks but hey, that's small change. Are We At A Dance sets you up well to enter ReFrag's world. It's an acoustic/electronica cross that works really well, melding the two together in the time-honoured Vulcan way, so you don't even notice it after the first few plays. It also took me a while to realise that the vocal I was hearing was eerily familiar... So, its compo time again, I think this singer is the one from Soul To Soul, what do you think? No matter what you think, you should be listening to this track while making up your mind. Excellent blend of styles that is intruiging, fun and of interest to anyone who appreciates music on the wry side.

We Don't Need No Stinking Badges is a new track and one I just had to give a whirl when ReFRag first told me of it. I feverishly imagined that it features that classic line from The Treasure of The Sierra Madre from where it gets its title. Don't know about you guys but I feckking LOVE this clip and in fact used it myself waaaaaayyyy 'back in the day' (ie1993 or so) when I was making 'demo's (ya know the MOD type) and I used it in a track called Badges At High Noon. Goes without saying that I'd be interested in this track.

And no sign whatsoever of the aforementioned sample???

The more I've heard and played this the more I've questioned the mix which seems IMO way to 'boomy' for its own good. Musically the track is pretty much a DnB workout albeit with an acoustic guitar, which you gotta admit is a bit of an innovation. I liked the oboe(?) parts that dotted this track as well, shows taste does that.... Actually, the final mix aside, this is a very tasty blend indeed and one I itch to hear with a little more clarity.

Get the ReFrag habit, adopt a nervous tic or two

We Don’t Need No Stinking Badges

This begins with a very ‘cultured’ feel about it when the opening acoustic guitar strings start plucking away, and it isn’t long before we’re introduced to a break-beat style drum rhythm that really does sound quality. They’re not too overpowering, which is a damn fine start and they’re nice and varied.

While it sounds quite chaotic with the bass, drum beats and instruments plucking away in the background, it does have a kind of down-tempo feel to it – if that makes any sense whatsoever! Okay, so you probably wouldn’t lie on a beach listening to it, but you could very easily just sit in the corner of a packed nightclub, smoking away or just chillin’ out – and then soak up the superb rough bass note that kicks in about half-way through. It’s a very short sample that is used and very reminiscent of the old skool drum & bass era. But it improves the sound of the track no end. Who said small details couldn’t add anything to music?

I’ve come to expect this level of quality from Refrag of late – and as of yet he hasn’t let me down; not that I’m waiting for the time when he does, of course! But with quality examples such as this, I reckon that the future is looking pretty darn bright indeed! One for the solid-but-down-tempo break-beat fans out there – I challenge you not to be impressed by this!

Beat: 9/10
Sustaining Listener's Interest: 9.5/10
Groove: 9/10

Overall: 9/10
Love the use of the instruments, the guitars and that bloody marvellous bass synth! Maybe I would have liked the beats a tad harder, but overall we have a quality track here. Not sure if this available for downloading, but I’m about to pop on over and check – I suggest you do the same too!

"Sack Yourself"

I must say, after reviewing "all new despair waltz" by refrag, i was quite excited to be asked to review another track. not that i needed any excuse to check out more material by this artist.

"sack yourself" displays the much more frantic side of refrag's music. the track is basically comprised of 2 movements, the first of which layers tracks to create a very moody, somewhat dark atmosphere, yet still somehow managing to be groovy. then, just before the second half, the music stops and the vocal line that has been repeated slowly descends in pitch until...boom! controlled chaos at its finest.

refrag is a curious beast. this artist has manage to win over more than a few seemingly anit-electronic music enthusiasts. even more curious is refrag's ability to achieve such, yet uncomprisingly push the boundaries of his genre's boundaries. the answer lies in refrag's innovation, the key element to electronically derived music.

yes, electronic equipment can make certain types of music more accessible to the marginally creative. it is one thing to listen to a person only adequately play guitar; there may be a wealth of creativity at work that overshadows the limit in technical skill. however, in electronic music, more creativity is necessary, and that creativity is found mostly in the innovative uses of equipment and sounds. refrag has achieved such masterfully and has transcended his genre by creating a limitess palette in a style that so many people find themselves limited.