Darren Curtis Music | Free Music Patreon Poll #54 - January 2022 @DarrenCurtisMusic | Uploaded January 2022 | Updated October 2024, 22 hours ago.
Cast your vote for the track you want finished next on Patreon: patreon.com/darrencurtismusic

Today we have January's poll ready to go. This time around we have 6 new samples up for grabs.

The first is a fusion between a Bulgarian/Gypsy sound and a song beat. We start with two stringed guitar-like instruments. The double bass enters and gives us a toe-tapping,almost funky rhythm. We have some clapping for the high percussion and, naturally, a drum beat. I was torn between this being a track for an exotic gypsy princess character or some kind of ritualistic dance. I went more with the former as it's named "The Gypsy Princess," though it's really an amalgamation of the two as she could be performing some kind of ceremonial dance, right?

The second is "Forest Guardian." This track starts with short strings and some glockenspiel for a bit of whimsical magic. The woodwinds and brass take the lead melody when it bursts onto the scene, with the strings providing support. I really fell in love with the flowing violin towards the end playing up and down the chords. I got a sense of being in a deeply magical place full of wonder and ancient knowledge.

Up next is "On the Case," a detective, noir track. It starts with a bass and the glockenspiel is back again, giving us a little bit of a "Bully" vibe. We have some muted brass playing in short "wahs" that really put us over the top in the whole black and white detective movie vein. The french horns play in slow arcs to add a sense of danger and our melody is taken by a sax and trumpet duo.

And now on to the soft and peaceful "Magical Innocence." We start with light piano which is soon joined by the harp. We really have a mood of calmness set and it makes me feel light as a feather. A woodwind section takes the lead, with the oboe and clarinet being the principle sounds. After their section, we pull back a bit with just the harp and strings continuing softly on the journey.

Make sure you have your seat belt on, because after that soft interlude, we break-neck cut into some dark Sci-Fi territory. We have an evolving, grungy synth sound that keeps fading in and out. After a couple bars the heavy, distorted percussion starts slamming and we have several different sound effects that are layered sporadically throughout the track. The closest thing to a "lead melody" here is the echoing, saw type sound that plays in short 3 note spurts. I felt like I was stuck in darkness, possibly underground, with nowhere to go. Thus "Endless Corridor" was born.

And lastly we have "Hero's Legacy." This starts on an extremely triumphant note that has more of the orchestra playing at once to start with a bang. I feel like if this wins, I'd really have to sharpen that up a bit and make it more epic. From there we fly through some fast trumpet lines which leads us into our heroic melody. We have bold timpani for percussion, strong horn sections taking the leads and the trumpets continuing their fast lines over the top. After our intro, we delve into a more reflective section with just the strings and woodwinds.

I'll start a private poll for the second tier and higher to cast your vote for the piece you want finished. Voting will end February 4th, so there's plenty of time to decide!