Returned for Haunting listing.....

[mazz]

I've been meaning to post this up and am just now getting around to it. I think returns are as instructive, if not more instructive, than the forwards. Kudos/forwards are nice but returns are where the growth resides, IMO.Recently there was a dispatch listing that I was returned for:ELECTRONICA/TRIP HOP/AMBIENT SONGS are needed immediately by a successful Independent Music Publisher who has signed dozens of TAXI writers and has secured tons of Film/TV placements. He's working on an Indie Feature Film and will need tracks in the stylistic range of Dead Can Dance, Deep Forest, Bel Canto, Massive Attack, Morcheeba, etc. He will be screening these submissions himself and will be looking for tracks that have a great blend of World/Ethnic and Street beats - much like Dead Can Dance and Deep Forest. This film is a dark, brooding and tragically beautiful murder mystery in a style similar to a David Lynch project. You can reference the soundtrack from "Mulholland Drive", if you'd like more ideas/direction. Vocals are not necessary for this one - if vocals are used, they should be featured more as instruments than lyric-driven melodic lines. The tone should be haunting, with compelling instrumentation and pulsing momentum.I wrote this piece for the listing after perusing the a-las and I thought the instrumentation would make it sound haunting but some feedback I received on the piece was that the sound was more romantic than haunting. It's probably the music that makes it sound that way. After taking a few steps back, I now tend to agree with the assessment. For me this was an example of over focussing on one aspect of the music (the orchestration/arrangement) and missing the target. Hopefully this example will be of some assistance to others as well.I think the piece is good, just not right for this listing.Always learning.http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... tream=true

[bmete]

Hi Mazz,Thanks for sharing, great tune BTW, very nice groove.Bob

[hummingbird]

I agree, very well composed & produced, but not a fit for this listing. It will surely find a home, though I was also returned - I knew it was a long shot going in, good track but might not be a fit, but what the heck:http://www.vikkiflawith.com/audio/VIKKI ... ide_to.m3u

[michael11]

Oct 19, 2008, 12:45pm, hummingbird wrote:I agree, very well composed & produced, but not a fit for this listing. It will surely find a home, though I was also returned - I knew it was a long shot going in, good track but might not be a fit, but what the heck:http://www.vikkiflawith.com/audio/VIKKI ... e_to.m3uHi Vikki,I must admit I didn't find your piece particularly haunting or frightful but I did find it extremely thought provoking and evocative so I am sure it will find an appropriate home soon.Michael.

[vicky]

Hi Mazz...Can't wait to meet you at the Rally....Great tune....I used to listen to Dead Can Dance all the time....You're right on for the genre, but since the listing...says " dark, brooding and tragically" this means more harmonic dissonance to me....and a little more ebb and flow with the dense-ness...I'm sure you'll find a home for this tune....Vikki....great tune as well....your melody is a little far back for my ears....also your drums could use a little freshening up...good use of dropping in and out, but where are the lead ins and outs? also with these kind of drum beats you can vary the panning and wide-ness thru the song to give more depth and variation....also more harmonic dissonance for a listing like this...good luck,Can't wait to meet you both at the Rally,vtbp

[mazz]

Hey Vicky,I think you're right on with the dissonance aspect. I ended up going where the piece led me rather than push it the dark direction.Looking forward to meeting you at the Rally too!! I guess we have to travel to LA to meet rather than drive over the bridge!! Oh well, that's life!!Cheers!Mazz

[hazineju]

Wow i like both Mazz's and Vikki's pieces a lot, both sound great to me! thanks for posting this, it IS nice to point out that a song can be a cool piece with great production but that doesn't mean it will get forwarded. i think maybe the "mulholland drive" reference may have been the key factor in this listing because i felt both of you had stylistic elements of the bands mentioned in the listing. when i listened to the mulholland clips on itunes just now i definitely can hear a "haunting" sound not completely exhibited in the two posted here. anyway, it's an educational thread- the art and complexity of reading listings continues

[vicky]

Quote:"mulholland drive" referencebtw..I really don't get why this is used so often as a reference...it doesn't sound suspenseful or haunting to me....I usually don't submit when I see this...vtbp

[mazz]

Vicky,I bought the CD and I didn't get an ultra haunting vibe from it either. But if the requester thinks it's haunting, then it is, right?This shows the tough part about interpreting the listings, one person's haunting is another's romantic or spacey or whatever!!Good point Vicky, thanks for mentioning it!!Mazz

[aldicicco]

Hi Mazz,I also checked out Mulholland and it didn't strike me as haunting.Nonetheless, I really enjoyed your composition, its presence, groove and "soundscaping".Have you considered submitting this under the smooth jazz listing? I think it really fits that genre.Al