I made this song years ago using MIDI and a Yamaha PSR160 keyboard, thus the inadequate bass. I put it on here just to get a read on how attractive the notes are: I'll update the instrumentation if there's any general interest.

The melody is meant to be a vocal line, female singer, and in my head she's singing Japanese. The general idea was inspired such obscure music as the video game Gitaroo Man, and the anime series FLCL. The net effect is something you wouldn't mind dancing to, or a song that you might hear on a 10-year-old's action show. Naturally, I was hoping for a broader appeal in composing it, but if the shoe fits...

PRETENTIOUS ALERT: The overall format is standard ABABCAB that's found in most popular music. There are two motifs: the opening notes |_-¯-_-¯-|_-¯-_-¯-|_ which is the heart of the song, giving the sense of motion around which everything else was constructed; and the bass line |. . . . .|. . . . .|. which provides the drive or force for the motion, simultaneously pushing and reacting to the melody. In the opening I tried to set the tone and tempo unequivocally, though with minimal musical content. Drums establish the genre before moving onto the actual content, the verse. The verse intentionally feels initially stagnant in the first half, then overly bright in the second, giving a haphazard feel even though there are no discontinuities in the music. This allows the chorus to stand out, with its focused chords, quickly moving melody, and upward-driving bass line. The melody, really, was an afterthought, a natural product of the two motifs. Since the melody was not the origin of the song, I never wrote lyrics.

The instruments were chosen to give an electronic sound, but with clean intonation. The verses are meant to sound tinny, and empty in the mid-frequencies, but with the unquestionable sense of motion. For the chorus, the sense of motion and drive is present, but I wanted a more full sound, so I replaced the tinny instruments with piano and synth strings, and added a harmony line. I used left-right panning, which was mostly an experiment, and I'm not sure if the jarring transitions are effective or annoying: you tell me. The drums, though critical to the Dance style, are what displease me most about this recording. I went with simple percussion: the notes were what I wanted to concentrate on. But the weak bass drum, plus a mushy snare and too-low hi-hat, make for a seriously amateur effect that I hope the listener will overlook (as I did).

I feel the song has a place, and when I find that place I'll have a better idea of what instruments to use next time. Thoughts and criticism are always appreciated.