Grey Matter - Thirty

Having to review your own work surely can't be an easy task? Well I thought I would give it a go, you've got to be able to review your own work if you expect others to, right? So I've come up with a few descriptive lines for each track:

1/ electronic agent
A gradual building hybrid of analogue bass and layered drum sounds, peeking with a swirly synth string. Kept interesting with filtered parts and a kraftwerk-esque type melody.

2/ in the city
Gated hip hop samples aplenty here, some obvious ones and some obscure ones too, a subtle analogue burble in the background with various synth stabs providing the crutch for this track.

3/ four bar salute
Live drums reconstructed in an experiment with 3 tempos all under the same track (sound a little confusing? yes it is!) coupled with a screaming lead sound [play this one loud!]

4/ doesnae matter
More slo-mo drums and analogue filtering, Irvine Welsh providing a vocal snatch from a reading of the book Trainspotting, with distorted drums over the top of a tight drum machine pattern, one to nod your head to, especially when the bass part kicks in with the skippy hi-hats.

5/ openness
Picking up the pace with this one, gated vocal snatches of a speech harking back to the old Ibiza days sits well over a bass guitar (digital) with twiddly acidic sounds and Al-Naayfish-esque string sounds, brought together over somewhat abstract (yet within a 4/4 time) drum part.

6/ rising
Slow down again and nod your heads to this, effected loop, gated over a strong cut up break beat. Sub bass alert! Deep and almost searching-like sub bass injection, with a sweet acid-line and soft strings later on... (Who said acid was dead?!?)

7/ escape from death
Chilling, disturbing, short intermission.

8/ evil place
'Wake up and remember' urges the voice at the start of this, powerful beat slowly builds with a constant eerie feel, followed by a Man Parrish-esque modulated bass pattern, before breaking into a distorted (sounds like it's being ripped in places) and throbbing synth part.

9/ talent for survival
Heavy bassline over a 4/4 beat, updated 'warehouse' sound for the noughties, sweet filtered synth parts flow nicely, breaking into an analogue burbling sound with a smidgen of bongos, before 'climaxing' with a heavier crescendo.

10/ thirty
Title track, and probably the one I had most fun making, joint tempo, half speed melody with double speed beats here and there, love the way this builds, Orbital-esque rich melodies with a ride cymbal that makes you want to rush for the dancefloor, but instead are kept waiting to see where it goes next, elasticated bass sounds and chiming bells galore.

11/ taken away
Sparse 808 drums, a little reminiscent of some of the artificial intelligence stuff on warp, subtle sounds blend and pass each other, all held together around a wobbly bassline.

12/ do you know
Slow acid builder, 808 Drums with a 'battle of the machines' workout between a 303 and a 106 in a Detroit meets Manchester fashion.

13/ like a nightmare
Flanged break beat, cut up over a modulated dark synth sound, an electro breakdown.
Don't be scared!

14/ tearin' it up
Faded eerie flanged intro, break beat and drum machine chaos with heavy synth sounds.
"Watch yer bass bins I'm telling ya!"

15/ - = -
Ouch, my ears...

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