*********************************** AM/FM ***********************************  MUSIC DISK REVIEW: Title : Devious Producer : Elenium 17 bit No : 2315A, 2315B No. Disks : 2 No. Tracks : 19 Musician : Audio X *********************************** AM/FM ***********************************  This two-disker opens up with a few screens of interesting artwork, before running up the main music selection screen. Nineteen tracks are on offer, but due to my bad habit of writing way to much, I've just picked out my top five. Feel to the Future - This track starts off with a string sample with a rather dodgy loop point, and we all have to suffer that yukky jumping noise as the sample loops. Fourtunatly the strings are joined by a quite a good drum track, and a great pumping bass sample. That's it really, the only fault with this track is it doesn't do much, a few chord changes here and there, and it's all over. It's quite short, but it's certainly listenable, and I quite liked it. Rating - 5½ Space Continium - This is quite different from the other pieces of music, being a more "standard" Amiga dance-impsired track. It contains quite a variety of synth, and bass sounds, including some of the more traditional acid bass samples. The main problem with this track is the lead string sample, it's one of those off key instruments, consequently the rest of the track all sounds a little out. Fourtuantely it's not too damaging, and the track still sounds resonably good. Certainly not a very original sound, but quite well done (apart from the lead strings). Rating - 6 Dream Zone - There's only a couple of samples in this track, a piano, and a hihat. The hihat only comes in near the end, so it's really all down to the piano to impress. I was quite impressed, it's quite an original sound, and a pleasent melody. The only thing that spoilt it a bit was the hazy piano sample. A shame really, with a good piano sample this track would of been very good. That's not to say it's bad, it's still good, and my favourite track of the two disks. Rating- 6½ Full Contact - A nice intro in this track. Alright, so it uses that dodgy string sample from "Feel to the Future", but the rapidly fading in and out bass track is nicely done, and sounds quite powerful. This track does almost die soon after the intro though with the use of an out-of-tune brass sample as the lead instrument. Luckily a piano sample takes over the lead a little later, and musical harmony is restored. There's not a lot to say about this track, the melody is pretty non-decript, and for me it was the interaction between the bass and drums which made it worthwhile. Rating - 6 Style - This is a nice mellow soul track containing a few vocal samples, a female voice saying, "I like it", and James Brown screaming "Ahh", and "1-2-3-4". The most interesting sound in this track was a looped humming sample, which gave the track it's mellowness when it took over the melody. It was quite nicely sampled as well. On the downside, this track also uses the out-of-tune brass sample I mentioned before in "Full Contact", it doesn't intrude too much, just enough to ruin the melody. Rating - 6 Composistions : Elenium had quite an original concept in bringing a modern soul sound to the Amiga. Most of their pieces have great drum and bass parts, but fall over when it comes down to the melody. With better melodies, and choice of lead instruments, some of these tracks could of been something special, but as they are, only average. Rating - 5. Samples : There's quite a variety in the quality of samples used throughout these disks. A few tracks use an electric piano sample with an audible glitch at the end of it, while some others, for example the piano from "Dream Zone", suffer from background noise, and just general lack of power. Most of the instruments are sampled quite well, but some are flawed elsewhere; being out of key from the other instruments, or not being looped correctly. Rating - 5½. Presentation : Music is selected by moving a copper bar with the mouse, highlighting the track of you're choice. After you press the left button to choose a track, the program has the slightly annoying habit of telling you to insert the appropriate disk even if it's already in there. With the selection bar reacting wildly to the slightist twitch of the mouse, this program isn't going to win any user-friendlyness awards, but it's workable. The screen is colourfull enough, but static, apart from the coders scroller. Rating - 5 AM/FM Rating : Before I wrote this review, I listened to all the music, start to finish (obviously), and wrote some notes on each piece. Looking back on them it's suprising to see how many times the phrase "Death by out-of-tune brass sample" comes up. That's the real problem with these disks, even the lack of melody could have been forgiven if the lead instrument was at least in tune, but in many of the tracks it's not. There are some quite likeable tracks on these disks, but there arn't enough to make me want to load it up again and have a listen. Rating - 4½. *********************************** AM/FM ***********************************