Conceptual Music Competition 20: The Urban Streets

CMC: Conceptual Music Competition

This competition is based on the rules of the classic TOMC (Thematic Original Music Competition).

The CMC (Conceptual Music Competition) is designed so that each participant enters a piece of music based on a set theme. The participants take the theme and interpret it as they will to come up with something that fits. Any style can work, as long as it portrays a sense of what the theme is.

Feel free to be imaginative!

Each successive theme will be chosen by the winner of the previous competition. For example, say the theme of the last competition, CMC 31, was "Invasion" and the winner, Norman, submitted a piece that knocked the socks off of everyone, so he won. Norman then gets to decide the theme for CMC 32.

This competition is open to registered members of the forums of

OverClocked ReMix, VGMix, VGMusic, Gaming World, Young Composers, and GameDev.

CMC 20: The Urban Streets

"You're walking along the streets of a big city (i.e. New York, Tokyo, etc.). You can hear the cars zoom by as you head to work. It's around 6:00 PM right now, so the sky is getting dark. As you walk on by, watching the scene, neon lights flashing every where, you get this crazy tune in your head..." -Blue.Nocturne

Results!:

• Text results and critiques

There are 9 entries for this round...

Stanley Cupid - "Sidewalk Dance"

• "I imagine a person dancing/walking in rhythm on the sidewalk with some big headphones, totally in love with the music. The music shuts the world out and gives strength."

• "Danny McDump is walking down the street to the pizza parlor he works at. Danny was never a brilliant guy though, so he managed to get lost, despite working there for two years. The song is as random as chaotic as his thought process (or the lack thereof), then he ends up going in a place he really ought not to be and gets gunned down, then falls down a man hole. Enjoy!"

just64helpin - "When the Lights Go Up"

• "For my entry I decided to model the piece after the description itself. It begins by establishing the setting, then transitions as night falls. The middle represents the neon lights switching on, and the last third is the "crazy tune" that abruptly fades as the subject snaps out of it and heads to the destination."

• "This song is actually designed to be looped at around 0:13 and 1:35, but I decided to finish it off for completeness. Instead of my song telling a story, this time it describes a scene. The lead synth used is supposed to mimic car horns, but not entirely. So picture a city while listening and enjoy. If you can't, look at the picture that Abadoss designed for this competition."

Sean Gilleece - "Wishful Thinking"

• "It is a piece for ContraBass, Cello, Viola and Violin. ContraBass and Cello are pizzicato throughout the piece. Viola and Violin are arco.
  I envisioned the piece depicting a person walking home as usual in the city. The pizzi strings that are steady throughout the piece show this constant everyday-ness of city life but also show the loneliness that such a setting can have, regardless of the amount of people.
  It begins to get dark as the description said, this just adds to the loneliness, I tried to capture this with the arco strings.The first time round the strings start off with the character forgetting about his destination and thinking about his quality of life here but the strings end when he realises he is not home yet.
  The second time the arco strings join in shows him when he is almost home, nearly there, nearly safe. There is a build up to the climax, but when he does get into his false sense of security he realises he is still lonely - leading to the piece dying off rather then an accentented end.
  I'm a happy person! Just like to write sad music."

xRisingForce - "Yume no Natsu"

• "It’s 9:00 P.M. on the streets of summer Tokyo. Streets once crowded by people whose waking breath to sleeping minute are dictated by busy schedules and work commutes are now empty, and quite an opposite crowd is beginning to surface: a crowd completely free from engagements and responsibility, a crowd seeking nothing but a relaxation that only the night can adequately satiate. Cruising around in an open-roofed car, the smell of the clean, cool night air running against your face reinvigorates your mind as suspended neon lights glaze over every visible surface and figure. You slow down as someone catches your eye, and you casually offer her a ride with no specified destination. From catching a late meal to clubbing, an innocent ride paves the way for a genuine date, as the two of you soon become immersed in nocturnal activities. As fatigue draws near, the excitement pulls to a close. Pulling up next to her house, you walk her to her door and before either can utter a word, you find yourselves caught in the rain. Eyes lock and inaudible conversation is exchanged; subtle, yet deep and mutually understood. Thunder strikes, and the rest of the ride is downhill. ;)
  P.S.: Yes, I’m sorry but this song is obviously from a man’s point of view; it really can’t be helped since I’m a guy, lol."

Alex Smith - "Jump the Lights"

• "You run along the streets of London at night. The bass of car stereos rumble past and the lights send you into a trance. As you run, the city comes alive inside you."

• No description given.

Numegil - "Ephemeral City"

• "You are walking down the street of a busy city early in the night. You somehow feel rather distant and ephemeral. The city has several distinct elements, each of them recurring several times throughout your short journey. By the end, you become accustomed to much of it, and the details of the city seem to just fly right past you..."

• Voters will be allowed to pick a first place (3 points) and any number of honorary mentions (1 point). Only one set of votes from any one voter will be accepted and a person cannot vote for any one piece more than once. Corrections to votes, from the original voter only, will be accepted, but corrections will void the previous votes. Basically, a voter can vote and correct the vote, but only the final form of that vote will be counted. Send all votes to

• The voting period will last from the moment the entries are posted in the thread to the Saturday of that week. The voting period for this round ends July 5, so be sure to spend some time really listening to the pieces.

• Any participant in the competition can vote, but not for their own pieces. However, in an effort to encourage voting among participants, any participant who votes will have 2 points added to his/her voting score (unless the participant chooses to be anonymous).

Official Rules!:

1. Each piece must be originally composed for this competition. Arrangements and remixes will not be accepted. (Pieces composed by the participant prior to the competition will not be accepted.)
   
2. Each piece must be 2:00 or longer and match the competition theme.
   
3. Only one entry per person. Collaborations will be allowed, but each collaborator may not submit any other pieces. (This also means that a person cannot collaborate on two or more different pieces at the same time.)
   
4. A link to the entry piece must be e-mailed or PMed to Abadoss prior to the deadline set for each competition. DO NOT POST THE LINK IN THE THREAD!
   
5. Important: Each file must be labelled accordingly: Composer_Name_-_Composition_Title_CMC#.mp3
   (For example, if Clara Hartford submits a piece called "Waking the Dream" to CMC 26, then her filename would be: Clara_Hartford_-_Waking_the_Dream_CMC26.mp3)
   
6. MP3 file format is required. Know that even OGG will need to be converted into MP3. (If someone is unable to do so themselves, Abadoss would be willing and able to do it for them.)
   
7. Entries should be accompanied by a description and/or story to help listeners understand what the piece is about. (Not required, though.)
   
8. All entries must be submitted by Saturday, June 28, 2008 at 11:59 PM - PST, GMT-8.

You can find the competition threads for each forum listed below:

• OverClocked ReMix: Conceptual Music Competition 20: The Urban Streets - OverClocked ReMix Forums
  
• VGMix: VGMix Forums • View topic - Conceptual Music Competition 20: The Urban Streets
  
• VGMusic: VGMusic • View topic - Conceptual Music Competition 20: The Urban Streets
  
• Gaming World: Gaming World Forums - Conceptual Music Competition 20: The Urban Streets
  
• Young Composers: http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/conceptual-music-competition-20-urban-streets-15079.html
  
• GameDev: Conceptual Music Competition 20: The Urban Streets - GameDev.Net Discussion Forums

Good luck and have fun! :D

Previous CMCs: Conceptual Music Competition (1-9)

I made a mistake, the deadline is June 28, not June 26 - as June 26 is a Thursday.

Sounds fun, I hope I can make time for this one..

The deadline is only a week away!

All entries are due in tonight by midnight (Pacific Standard Time).

The entries are up! Time to vote!

The results are in!

will there be another contest soon?

The next round has been posted! Here's the link:

http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/conceptual-music-competition-21-determination-15845.html

Where do you actually enter? there isn't a thread in the 'submissions' forum, and you're meant to reply to the post. Do you just email the completed work to Abadoss? Thanks and sorry for my ignorance - but you've got to learn somehow!

George

You send the piece to me in an e-mail or a PM. It's not supposed to be public until all the entries are in.

• A link to the entry piece must be e-mailed or PMed to Abadoss prior to the deadline set for each competition. DO NOT POST THE LINK IN THE THREAD![/u']

Also, seeing as how this particalur round has finished, go ahead and take a look at the next round:

http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/conceptual-music-competition-21-determination-15845.html

Thanks. So does that mean that you can't do the whole W.I.P thing and get feedback? I guess not.

I love the CMC idea, and will hopefully enter (if I have enough time).

I'm determined to do it. Ha ha ha! How clever of me!

George