Posted 2010-11-27, evaluated by the judges panel

Fresh off his solo piano departure mix, WillRock writes:

"This all started off with listening to lots of zircon music, and listening to the awesome sound he gets out of his drums. So I heard that he layers lots of different samples together to create a powerful drum kit, which I do on occasion, but this time I tried layering more stuff down and got a powerful drum sound which was the foundation for this remix. Emunator deserves credit for naming the remix (took him about two seconds, wish I could name things that fast)"

I've heard Andy talk about layering drums before, and probably a decade before that, I think I read some interview in Keyboard magazine where someone was saying the exact same thing - you want beefy, powerful drum tracks, layering is a great technique. Mr. Harby intros with darker pad clusters, then filters in a repeating trance riff before bringing in drums with a high hooverish fall. Then the familiar 'Dark World' melody comes in on lead synth and everything clicks. From there, the lead goes soaring into pattern-heavy riffage territory, with speedpeggios galore, and it's quite the fun ride. AnSo writes:

"Pretty easy decision for me. Nice personalization both rhythmically, structurally and melodically. Definitely got a great sound, REALLY nice drums. If you're gonna copy someone Zircon is pretty much THE guy. ;) Nice soloing as per usual. This time around I also thought pretty much ALL your sounds were a perfect fit too, something that wasn't always the case before. Crisp, clear, interpretive and positively face-melting. Two thumbs and my big toe up!"

But which big toe? Or is that... a euphemism? OA echoed the sentiments:

"I think these drums are actually working way better than your normal semi-real sound you use. Definitely something you may want to explore further, because it is definitely working for you. The source is very prominent, with the exception of some really nice breaks and transition sections. Drums solo was cool and unexpected, and of course the synth solo was badass. I would actually demand my money back if a Willrock track didn't have a great solo, but so far it's always been there. Ending ramped up the excitement really well into a great finish."

What they said; this is a pretty popular theme that's been mixed a lot, but this particular arrangement is electro-indulgence and synth hero goodness at WillRock's finest, so it definitely crafts its own identity. It's a fun, familiar ride, and WillRock's upped his drum ante and applied layering techniques effectively; excellent stuff!