1. the lonely middle
   nukage
2. Lost in the Crowd
   DDRKirby(ISQ)
3. Our Boi versus the Everything (Surrounded by EXP)
   Wassup Thunder

Honorable mentions: Meister and co, TheVideoGamer

1. Undecided
   Misael.K
2. Lost in the Crowd
   DDRKirby(ISQ)
3. It was all for you
   obScene

All comments are replied to on Discord making this section irrelevant. Onto the voting!

TheVideoGamer - This track is a semi hyper breakbeat number featuring some dark booding bell synths, cutting leads and some kind of adventerous chords. In a way i was kind of inspired by Crystal Method, but of course done in the classic TVG way. The track was made on GarageBand because at the time, my old computer died on me, and so i was forced to get a new one, and for the time being whilst i was waiting for it to arrive i made this for compo. The breaks come from a norman cook sample pack, that i downloaded specifically for this compo, as i felt the drums in the program irself were more suited to hip-hop and house, and yet what i wanted was more of a breakbeat hardcore kind of sound. All in all i don't hate this at all, it's pretty fire, and i like the changes a lot. I hope you do too!

obScene - Not often you are the first entry, but i'm ok with that. Loving that soft piano and string combo, it's kind of emotional, which is to be expected, as this is what you are known for. That piano has a real almost 1800's feel in the sound, it's very warm. The bell sounds are interesting, it's not on beat, and instead hits randomly almost like it's just played on the fly. Interesting fake out lol, i love when it increases in dynamics, with a whole host of cute chiptune elements and signature flute sounds. It's quite pretty i must say, and the melodies were very lovely as always. Yeah this one was fire as hell. So fire i decided to place it 3rd, amazing work!

DarkShadow - That bassline is massive as always, but with the added stereo panning which is not a common thing from you. Really loving those stabby chords, the whole thing sounds like a straight up techno track, especially from you, who is known for vast and violent IDM gabber, so this is very interesting. The whole thing is extremely compressed, and that to me is personally a bit much especially for this kind of sound, however you do bring some very cool rhythms to the party, it's a lot of fun, and kind of groovy. Good job!

LillyMeadows - Sick beat and bassline, very techno forward. Also loving those moody pad chords, it feels very much like a science fiction movie. The bell sounds really make for a nice soothing yet somewhat high energy listen, it's great. Ending is abrupt, and if i have to be honest, i kind of felt more was coming, but it never happened. However from what i've heard it is fire, and i can't see any real negatives here so i'll give you this one. Well done!

DDRKirby(ISQ) - Loving those granular synths, this is chillout music, but in a large factory kind of setting. It feels open, but also otherworldly. Always a treat to hear chiptune in an ambient context, this is great. Theres quite the wall of sound here, but it all blends super nicely to make for an extremely chill listen. There is very little in terms of drums, but what is there, is extremely nice and goes super nice with the melodies, almost like granular percussion. It's super fire, and also very relaxing. The 2nd half was just wonderful. I love this one, so good i placed it 2nd, amazing work!

Wassup Thunder - Epic Wassup is back, with some very cinematic strings and choir sounds, sounds like the most epic of final bosses. I feel like the world is ending, it does not remind me of the images at all. This is sick, it totally feels like a metal symphony, the guitars are dirty, and the choirs are very haunting. The only thing i'm not super into, but this is more minor, is the mixing of the drums. The drums don't really fit this vibe, because it's a bit quiet and a bit more of a tighter snare, yet this is a balls to the wall kind of sound. However everything else was still absolutely epic, and i don't think it was enough to take away this piece so i'll give it to you, well done!

Nukage - Starting with synth leads? That is a new Nukage variation, even though this one Metal AF. It's definately digital metal, as if someone was in a Metal band but discovered Deadmau5 for the first time lol. It's as hard as ever, but then again have you ever made metal that doesn't slap? Loving the waveform, it's not too loud or overblown, even though towards the end we get pretty close. This one is super unique to you in terms of metal production, as it's pretty high energy, with some parts reachin 250bpm. It feels very much like were on a spaceship, it's great. Absolutely fire stuff, awesome work!

NickC - More granular synths! This one sounds like a whale, but in a horror movie show, i really like it. The way you've set up the soundscape indicates some fast Drill n Bass, but i don't know you can surprise me. That bass thud is very deep, it really cleanses my ears lol. Almost too deep, i definately felt that rattle. The whole thing is strangeley comforting despite it being thicc and overpowering, but i think it's the pads that are responsible for that. The kickdrum is a bit overblown here, which is sad as the rest of the elements are very nice and spooky, i love it. Tone down the kick and we would have something awesome. Still though this one was fire, i found it a lot of fun, so don't be discouraged, good job!

Misael.K - Woah unexpected synth tail. That chord progression came out of nowhere, but man i love it. So weird and whimsical. The melody is also really catchy, and not obtrusive too, it blends really nicely with the chords. It just sounds very cute in a way. Love the breakdown in the middle, yeah it doesn't do that much, but it's a really nice way to blend to each section. So many amazing chord changes here, it's pretty awesome. Absolutely loved this one, it was so good i decided to place it 1st, incredible work!

Meistr - The man of many collabs is back! One day you'll make an OHC with 30 people at once lol. Very quiet piano intro, really feel the lo-fi nature. Love how you have some lyrics in Japanese, Multiculturalism at it's finest. The bass notes really make for a lovely harmonisation, it feels kind of emotional. The vocals at the start were a bit quiet, compared to the rest, i feel like one mic was louder than the other. Drum work is super catchy and well mixed, whole thing from a melody stand point is wonderful, just maybe some timing issues on the vocals slightly, and the gain of each one, but aside from that, it was still lovely, and i feel there was a lot of amazing elements that outweigh the bad. Well done!

Arcana - Improvised lyrics is fine by me. Usually you do an intro, but this time you went straight into it. Loving that chord progression, and light drum work, it feels like some electronic chiptune goodness. Wasn't expecting that trance drop, but damn those drums are exceptionally mixed, i don't know what happened, but i hope this mix is applied to future pieces i love it. The vocals are good, but but i think there was some mild timing issues present, because i felt it dragged behind a little. Autotune is great here, although for me, you sing better without. Still though i thought about it, and i think there's enough here for me to place you in the awesome ranking, i loved it. Well done!

Top 3 - Misael.K, DDRKirby(ISQ), obScene.

Nukage also deserves to be on the list.

Awesome - obScene, LillyMeadows, DDRKirby(ISQ), Nukage, Misael.K, Meistr, Arcana.

Needs Work - DarkShadow, NickC.

1. It was all for you
   obScene
2. Lost in the Crowd
   DDRKirby(ISQ)
3. Followers
   TheVideoGamer

obScene: beautiful entry.

DDRKirby(ISQ): solid work.

TheVideGamer: catchy and appropriate.

Meistr: impressive collab.

awesum: DDRKirby(ISQ), Meistr, obScene, TheVideoGamer.
good: Arcana, DarkShadow, LillyMeadows, NickC, nukage, Wassup Thunder.