So as promised, here's my review on the entries. (Please consider it as constructive feedback based on my opinion, if you don't like to get feedback you can ignore my post.)
@Armani Nice intro, setting the mood of the beat. I like the sparks and FX you used. The second hihats that come in at 0:50 sounds dope and does a good job in keeping the listener engaged. I would like to hear the actual sample a little more on par with the drums and bass in terms of volume. I'm listening with 'fresh' ears and sometimes they trick me, but the drums are a little on the harsh/sharp side. Overall dope beat, very creative.
@Mefisto Beats The beat has a nice dark middle eastern vibe to it. Drop at 1:04 sounds dope. Could actually hear someone spit some bars over this. The mix is pretty loud and I hear some clipping/distortion after the drop, with little headroom left. Maybe it's intentional, but it might be a little too much for the already aggressive sounding character of the beat. Don't listen a lot to drill TBH but I really like the bouncy rhythm of it.
@Iron Keys Dope intro, nice creative use of the sample by reversing it. Also could easily hear someone spit some bars over this. Drums are on point. I like what you did with the break at 0:45 to engage the listener. But I feel like the drop after could use a little more highlighting. Like a short silence right before it or a build up, risers or fx, layer the vocals with multiple octaves etc... At the end the build up was actually there but ends a little unsatisfying with a snare roll. Mix is clean as always.
Solid beat!
@NonxG Great use of the sample. Beat is like a journey, very creative with all the change ups. I like the vocal snippets throughout the beat. Solid mix, nice job on the panning creating a stereo image. One of the better beats IMO and well deserved runner-up.
@BassThumper Dope you sampled the actual intro. Good job on the flip, a lot of variation. Is that "sweep" sound the actual sample? It's cool to do a flip without drums, but I feel like it's not suitable for a beat battle.
@DPrezd Beggar +1 for the track title. Cool 90's boom bap flavor. Musical wise it's all there. Drums are dope but could be a more present in the mix, where the bass is a little on the heavy side. Good use of the sample, maybe a little more variation and this would've placed i'm sure.
@Fury Beats I like the dark mood of this. Drums are dope and goes well with the rest but could use some more volume/pump. The wind chimes are a nice add but distract me from the actual melody. I also think the beat needs some variation to keep me engaged as a listener. Would be dope as a beat to spit some bars on, but in a beat battle the instrumental needs more variation to stand out IMO.
@InsideOutBeats Dope drums and instrumentals, good variation. Listening to it I miss some chemistry/harmony between them. The played in instruments sound kind of static/robotic and it feels like the L&O sample doesn't really fit in and is slightly out of tune with the rest.
@robin_92tt Nice uplifting mood on this. The drumbreak on 0:17 is very interesting but works quite well, but the transition at 0:23 could've been smoother. Mix is solid. Overall very creative beat with a lot of variation to keep the listener engaged. Well done.
@stcbeats Nice play around with the reese bass. Cool creative use of the sample and +1 for sampling the actual L&O tune. Piano goes really well with the rest of the beat. Drums could use some change ups and the beat lacks the energy that I like to hear in a beat battle.
@Walidank Really vibing to this. Very recognizable sound. I love the minimalist character of your beats but I miss a sub frequency layer to give it more low end/warmth. It sounds like the sample doesn't quite match with the rest of the beat. (Like it's just thrown in to check the box you have to make use of it.)
Despite
@Fade wasn't making things easy for us with the short sample, the entries are all very creative. I really like theme based battles like this because it seems to spark creativity, get people out of their comfort zone of doing the "normal" stuff.
Props to all who entered!