Kamikaze

Round 1
Avenza: Starts off okay, but gets more energetic and fun as it goes along. I like the Bridge (I think that’s what it’s called) around the 1:35 mark. I think it gives a suspenseful feel, and I like the way it leads into the final energetic hook. In my opinion, it conveys that even when times are tough, you should still push through and have a good time doing it.
Rating: 7.2/10
Clean Bandit: I like how it explains EDM itself, and I like how it incorporates classical music into the song, giving it a relaxing feel. However, the lyrics were increasingly hard to understand, in my opinion.
Rating: 6.5/10

Round 2
Ichor: The song starts off with a kind of dark feel, then transitions at 0:25 to something that I feel like could be in an action movie. Then, at 0:50, it goes into a more generic EDM beat. From then, it basically switches back and forth from slow, suspenseful feels to more action-themed beats. I like how at the end it fades away, and finishes off with a nice string of keyboard notes. I enjoyed the fact that the song repeatedly switched up cadences, keeping th listener on their feet.
Rating: 8.1/10
Coyote Kisses: This song starts off with an interestingly alternative pop-like beat, which is amplified at the hook. I liked the tight the percussion leading into the chorus, I feel like it gives it some good momentum. The second chorus is a bit different from the first, as I feel like the second focuses more on the percussion and the hard-edge (that’s the best description I have) mixes. The song ends with a rather abrupt fade, which I like. The lyrics don’t do much for me, but I like how the singer rides the beat.
Rating: 8.2/10
Round 3

Noisestorm – The beginning makes me think of something Ryan Higa would make for some reason. I like the transitions in Mharman’s chosen songs like I have so far. 0:45 to 1:41 strikes me as similar to the Spider-Man: Unlimited theme song, which I loved when I was younger. The middle of the song gives me a Regular Show-reminiscent feel, and it transitions back to the SM Unlimited-like beat. The rest of the song (starting at 3:42) sounds like something out of MineCraft. Though probably not the artist’s intention, this gives me a lot of nostalgic feelings.
Rating: 8.7/10
Paper Love – I like how the other instruments match the percussion beat. I like the snare at around 0:46, it makes me think of the snare fill in Chicago by Michael Jackson. The hook is okay, I’m not too keen on one of the noises in it. I think it’s neat how the artist draws the analogy between paper cuts and love, describing how her lover is “not nice” and that cuts her inside. The very end is pretty cool.
Rating: 7.5/10
Round 4
Till It’s Over – The song starts off with a light feel, adding instruments and depth as it progresses for the first 35 seconds until entering an okay cadence. I like the motivational “We will fight, it’s not over till it’s over” line, which leads into a kind of choppy-but-good beat. Then, we get a soft piano ballad, which leads into more lyrics with a gradually increasing-in-momentum lead-up to the choppy hook. It ends with a faint, pretty “ding.” I like the message the song conveys.
Rating: 7.4
Kannibalen - The song begins with a unique mix that reminds me of action movie trailers and fight scenes. It then goes into an Imagine Dragons-esque beat. The vocals are a bit annoying. I LOVE the percussion in this. The rigid beat at 1:29 is sweet. I like it changes beats, although the same beats seem to be used repeatedly. I like the abrupt ending.
Rating: 8.3
Round 5
Final Boss – Starts off pretty good, I like the mixes going into the first 30 seconds. The cadence-changing adds to the fun factor of this song. I love how the layers blend so well together. The laid-back rock feel at 2:29 is FIRE. I feel like just when I thought the song would lose steam, they switch up beats to increase the momentum. The hard-edge beat at 3:42 makes me feel like I’m winning a Final Boss fight (this song fits its title very well!) I like the outro in that it feels celebratory to a win. A good closer to Mharman’s set.
Rating: 8.1
Can’t Resist – I like the guitar strums (I think it’s guitar?). The hook’s percussion is simple, I feel like I’d have fun playing it myself. The lyrics describe the love that draws the duo together. However, I personally don’t find it that engaging and the lyrics do nothing for me. I feel like RationalMadman could have used his final round to close with a real bang, but that didn’t happen.
Rating: 7.0

Mharman wins, congratulations.
I also want to thank both participants – you guys just got me into EDM!