Review of Sounds of Revolution Minimal Techno Revolution is a library for the techno producer with a focus on drum loops and single drum sounds.

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Oliver Schmitt aka Sounds of Revolution is on a roll. Not only is his label Sounds of Revolution distributed by Mutekki Media who helped make Vengeance into fame, but lately he's got Tiesto, Timo Maas and Adam Beyer among his fans. When it comes to endorsement of famous artists in the same genre as yourself, for me it's hard not to become suspicious. All it takes is a photo of the artist smiling broadly next to the product, and at the next moment he's trotting off with a bag full of money to receive a truckload of free gear. But when it comes to endorsement for a sample library - even during my darkest and most cynical moments I simply cannot imagine Maas, Tiesto or Beyer not to afford a sample library for 80 euros.
So no. For once I set aside my ideas of sinister conspiracy theories and accept that they actually dig the stuff. Which is not hard to believe anyway. Once you start to listen to it. As the title suggests, this library has a clear direction. After my initial listen I would personally mark this library as proper techno. Not pop, no trance, no endless carpets of evolving pads. It's hard, at times clinical and sparse - there are no trendy supersaws in here. In other words, this is a library for the producer who a new fresh platform to create techno with.

 
 
Review of Zero-G Disco Gold. Disco is one of those genres that refuses to go away - but paradoxically although there are quite a few disco libraries on the market - many of them are less than satisfactory. Most of them are in fact soulless, recycled and repackaged rubbish. Zero-Gs Disco Gold is thankfully not one of them and also mixes disco with the sound from the 80s - a move that proves to be very potent.

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Whatever your personal thoughts about how catchy or cheesy disco might be - there is no way of denying it. The impact of disco on what we today call pop is fundamental. No matter what you think about the music of Bee Gees, Chic, Donna Summer & Giorgio Moroder - just load up any production by Stock, Aitken and Waterman and you'll clearly hear which path disco took since the middle of the 70s. The question poses itself naturally, if you're into pop, what better way is there to go back to its roots?
 
 
Review of Wave Alchemy Drum Tools 01 Minimal Techno sample library. Drum Tools 01 is a drum and percussion library which concentrates on synthetic drums.

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While there isn't really a shortage of electronic drum libraries on the market, Drum Tools 01 is well worth checking out. With well over 2000 samples (over 4300 depending on how you count) the main excitement is where the game is: the kicks and snares. Read on.

In my drum machine shootout, I've already showed how damn obsessed I am trying to find the perfect drum machine. Looking back, I believe this whole mania started way back in the 90s when I got a few floppies from Seba with his own assembled drum kits. The drum kits just suited me perfectly and since the departure of the EPS 16+ I still haven't found a drum kit I always reach for when starting to make music. Naturally, I am aware of the futility of my obsession, as the music I create have mutated many times since then, and in many respects, I am no longer the same person as I was back then. But, my need for finding that perfect drum kit seem to be etched into my DNA.

 
 
Review of Sounds of Revolution Kick Free Revolution 2. The most classic way to infuse more energy and/or shift the attitude to your songs is by using kick-free drum loops. Kick Free Revolution 2 is a collection of over 530 loops keeping the house and techno vibe in 127 bpm.

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When it comes to sound libraries for dance music (where dance music is spelled Popular Dance Music Intended For Clubs) there are a few safe cards. Vengeance, Sample Magic, Loopmasters and of course the german label Sounds of Revolution. Behind this label is a fellow called Oliver Schmitt who have been around long enough to earn himself a reputation of being a sound designer worth counting on. His library Kick Free Revolution 2 is basically a collection of drum loops without kicks. Kick-free loops, aka top loops, have been around for ages. Its purpose and function is genial. While a normal drum loop might inspire - it's limited what you can do with it. By just taking out the kick, you open up for more manipulation and editing and you'll get the pleasure for adding your own kick. Some people say Kick-free loops are like instant noodles and in a way they are. By themselves they are pretty dull, but add eggs and some vegetables and you have something nice. Me personally is a huge fan of kick-free loops so when Sounds/To/Sample announced the release of Oliver Schmitt latest offering, I couldn't resist taking it for a spin.