The Manas and the Kaita

[Eyru]

So, here's my entry for TITANS AND MONSTERS. Basically, it's a musical interpretation of the clash between the Manas (the monsters) and the Toa Kaita (the titans) in the darkness of the Makuta's lair. Click below to enjoy.

 

Click me!

 

Now, here are all the details.

 

I'm sure some of you out there know me for my writing, and are surprised to see me entering this contest with a piece of music. Surprise, surprise, I also dabble in musical composition!

 

The idea for a piece inspired by the Manas/Kaita battle came to me almost immediately after seeing the contest. It's a classic battle between titans and monsters, where the heroes unite (like, literally unite) to combat evil foes. It's also a battle where brain triumphs over brawn, no matter whether you read the books or watch the online movies. In short, it's a ton of fun.

 

I started composing this piece with the goal of combining organic and mechanical sounds, because that's always been the spirit of BIONICLE to me. The mystery of 2001, to me, was largely composed of, “Why are these robots on a primitive island?” The combination of organic and mechanical is a big part of why I liked BIONICLE, so I tried to incorporate those themes here. Wooden drums and flutes contrast with synthesizers and the sounds of machinery, invoking a feeling of combat. The rapid escalation in the drums also promotes a feeling of back-and-forth action, followed by a drop of sorts that, to me, brings to mind the moment when the Toa realized the key to beating their opponents wasn't strength, but smarts.

 

Unfortunately, this summer has been very busy for me, so I wasn't able to finish this piece until the last minute, and even then wasn't able to make it as long as I wanted. I wish I could have had a dozen hours to spend on it, but I simply didn't have the time and energy I would have liked to spend on this project. It's far from my best work, but there are things here that I really like (and others I don't ), and overall I think I did a good job.

 

Please let me know what you think! I welcome all comments and criticism.

[Toa of Dancing]

This is pretty cool. Main complaint is the slight discord between the beat and instruments after the "drop" (for lack of a better term). I don't know if this was on purpose, but it seemed off even if it was. Still, it sounded awesome, and I wish you could've made it a full track. Good work.

[Toa Of Anarchy]

Good Music! I like all the use of techno.

Next time you could add a bit more of the human side, like in MNOGI, a good mix of human and techno.

Great entry though!

[Zox Tomana]

I'm not normally a fan of this kind of music, but I think you could have really developed this into a longer track. It sounds like a really good starting point for some Bionicle techno-style music, or whatever this style is. good job.

[fishers64]

Nice electronic mix. You definitely could have done a bit more with it, but its excellent as it is. Great job!