Did Scott Brown produce Freeform

A few weeks ago, I came across this album that was created by Scott Brown back in 1996-7 called Hard Trance Undiscovered. , Tracks sound somewhat like "Freeform' or early Freeform. Just wondering did Scott Brown produce Freeform back in the days or did his music have an influence on the style that developed as we know it?


http://www.discogs.com/Hard-Trance-Undiscovered/release/1335172
http://www.discogs.com/Hard-Trance-Undiscovered/release/1335172

He has produced a few Freeformy tracks. This is the 1st that comes to mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29pV3tdUNXc

Or this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LI6VgC7B2Y&feature=related

I wish he had!!! Or wish he would. Stop tumming around and really put his mind to making something epic. Layers and layers. He's proved he's got the ability, but seems to have gone very wayward over the last few years. Turn of the century, and just after, no one came close for me.

Freeformy tracks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVTP5KqmwZE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8HHBoisAT0

But Marc Smith's influence can not be underestimated on the above two tracks.

I'd say the below track is as close as Mr Brown got to Freeform on his tod:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYbqgxDEDTQ

There are other little bits and bobs, but there ya go. It seems odd to me, because I think it would have been a suitable progression for him, and he could be really pulling up some trees now.

Ah well, c'est la vie.

^ Protoplasm is such a great song. And yeah it would be nice to see Scott back in top form or at least putting effort into tracks again like in the early 2000's.

Nothing he has made I recall being specifically freeform. Most of it is very melody driven, but nothing he'd claim to be freeform though I'd imagine.

Hes produced such a unique style he deserves to give its own name.

Yeah, I would just call them instrumental tracks. Personally, I think the notation of 'freeform hardcore' is thrown around too much. I think of 'freeform' as a mindset or a 'freedom' from restrictions. Not at all a genre.

I think the word Freeform is thrown around too much to be honest.

A trance riff in a hardcore tune does not make it freeform. It makes it a hardcore tune with a trance riff, or like Olly said, a melody driven hardcore tune. Especially with around 2001/2 where Hardcore took on the more hard trance-esque persona. When hardcore turned from breakbeat happy hardcore -> The darker shit from 2000/2 -> To where it took on the hard trance elements. Anything around this time could be concidered 'freeform' if the definition were 'a trance riff in a hardcore tune'.

yeah theres a very fine line between the 2 sometimes when it comes to peoples opinions on it, its like when i try to describe to ('normal') people about freeform they say 'oh hardcore', i say well its the same speed but thats about it, its like saying hard house and hard trance are the same, just aint cricket

That's an interesting point you've got there, most of the early happy hardcore beats were more based around Jungle/Breakbeat style melodies whereas the 'newer' happy hardcore and Hardcore tunes became more geared toward the Hard Trance and Harder House sounds. I remember DJ Weaver spinning one of his first tracks, "life, the universe and everything" which took me by surprise because the beats were more techno-ish rather than driven along by Breakbeats like in Jungle music.

There was actually also a phase known as "Breakbeat Trance" - not sure if this genre actually exists...

Dyzphazia wrote:I think the word Freeform is thrown around too much to be honest.

A trance riff in a hardcore tune does not make it freeform. It makes it a hardcore tune with a trance riff, or like Olly said, a melody driven hardcore tune. Especially with around 2001/2 where Hardcore took on the more hard trance-esque persona. When hardcore turned from breakbeat happy hardcore -> The darker shit from 2000/2 -> To where it took on the hard trance elements. Anything around this time could be concidered 'freeform' if the definition were 'a trance riff in a hardcore tune'.

Otther genres can take influence from Freeform the same way Freeform borrows from other styles. A track, like some of Scott Brown's can be "Freeformy" (I love making up words ) without necessarily being Freeform, the same way tracks like VAGABOND's Bonecrusher is Gabbery while still being, IMO, Freeform.

I think the idea and ethos of freeform is that its a mood or feeling, but all the people who consider themselves freeformists create a very defined style of music. Trancey acid lines, double bass some of the time, so on so forth.

@Stray, lets be clear on the definition of Gabba. VAGABOND's stuff is generally more hardcore techno influenced. The same as Scott Brown.

Quote:
With tracks normally go over 200 bpm. Subgenres have developed where scenes exhibit certain musical traits and are mainly defined by their kick drum sound.

Freeform is a very very difficult term to define. I think people just use it to describe anything hardcore speed that doesn't fit into traditional genres.

For me, freeform is the contrast between euphoric (Not necessarily uplifting) and dirtiness. It just so happens that the euphoric element tends to appear in the form of acid trance style leads or trance riffs. Dirtiness depends on what you would concider to be dirty. Whether it be a rumbly bassline, a psy-esqu bassline, a big phat acid synth that rips your ears off, etc...