Archived Reviews of M'Ocean's Music

We turn to the anamorphic moniker of M'Ocean. What does it mean?

Well, simply put, exactly what it sounds like; which in this respect coins as onomatopoeia—Holy Christ, we spelled it right on the first try! Anyway, that word is a descriptive, such as 'swoosh,' 'thunk,' and for those of you who adore the X-Men, 'BAMF!' Taking this into consideration, one would tend to think that M'Ocean has a definitive meaning, which it does. This will all come about in due course. You must first read the ramblings of us here in the Land of Phrygia Mnemonics and Vernacular Awareness Conservatory, then you will understand.

Putting aside the school books, let's get totally scientific for a minute: M'Ocean is a term that we subjectively relate to 'motion'; where things move, and are subject to the cause and effect of Newton's Laws of Physics. Let's spell this out—V = 1,113,263 / v(3,963) + A.
Where:

V= velocity in miles/hour
A= height in miles.

This is gravity represented in nominal form on earth. But, we can actually escape gravity. We could go on and on about the relative lessons to be learned, but we are here to prove a short and hopefully meaningful point.

M'Ocean makes music, not scientific observations. And because we acknowledge that fact, we must dismiss the scientific reasoning of the laws that bind the Universe in order to understand why one would call himself that in the first place. We think we figured it out. Motion, as it happens, is constantly interpreted in the brain as a series of synaptic responses to stimuli, either through the eyes or ears, or other senses, when the body is actually moving. Since we are in a prone position and not moving, we discount the latter, because let's face it—who in the hell is listening to mp3's while on a rollercoaster, and writing about it?

So, we come full circle to our case in point—'Oceanic.' A little less touted as M'Ocean's better works, this track honestly brings about the true meaning behind his name (aka Mike Tomaselli). This is pure drum and bass, with no real strings attached. It provokes a sense of urgency, which catapults the teeming listener into a cavern of endless depth. Where can the music possibly go? It moves all around you.

The great thing about DnB is that the drumbeats are decidedly programmed—this is a fact, except for some really strange apparitions of the same genre, such as Catfish Live from the UK, who perform this music—you guessed it—live. But, it's always the synth washes and the deep bass that cues one in to the real meaning of the track.

'Oceanic' does this rather well, and certainly not at an overbearing rate—the synths and electronic inflections are introduced at a perfect lapse in timing, and are so unobtrusive that you could hardly think that you were immersed in nothing but electronica. It has depth, native earthly feeling and immense clouds of sound. These sounds all come together under the DnB fabric to provoke the sense of what? MOTION. Hence, we have stated our case. Needless to say, the drumming takes off into various directions and polarities, much like Angina P., yet remains constant and non-foreboding. Plus, the synths are not a constant flow of pedal tones, they evolve, creating harmonized triads, which lull the teeming listener into a state of relaxation, while worlds spin backstage.

Look, don't take our word for it, there is so much more music that M'Ocean is responsible for and will take due credit, so you must hear for yourself. The Trance and Dance music not withstanding, we see M'Ocean as a key player in what is another great advantage in the culmination of freely available music on the internet. Close your eyes, let the music flow, and tell us you don't start to see some cubic algortihms start to take shape, leading you to believe that motion is truly taking shape.

We'd bet you feel this, otherwise, the Sun and the Planets might as well stop 'feeling' the effects of gravity altogether.

—Phrygia
Exerpted from a Funender review

'Without You' by M'Ocean is exactly what trance is all about, which is the ability to capture the listener's mind and carry it clean out of this world and into a plane where stress and inhibitions are stripped away. Well, for nine minutes and thirty-nine seconds, my soul walked on that higher plane.

The female vocalist in this piece is Laura J. Bolle, whose pure, haunting voice sang like a distant memory of a happiness that can never again be reached. Sung almost in slow counterpoint to the beat of this song, Laura's voice has been reverbed until it reaches a truly ethereal quality.

The recording production is superb, and tastefully done. Given this is a trance, the breaks and synth sounds used are perfect to keep the song going, and the song reaching the ever deepening mystery it is.

M'Ocean has also taken great care to keep the music fresh, not relying on canned drums or overused bass and motion synth, but has imaginatively woven a steady and inexorable beat with an ambient feel to it that is smooth and lucid.

This is a remix of Laura J Bolle's song 'Without You', and done extremely well, meaning one doesn't have to listen to the original in order to enjoy this song. M'Ocean has injected his own interpretation and strong emotion into the structure and chording, which is the mark of a true remix.

In short, you absolutely cannot go wrong here. Nine minutes and thirty-nine seconds may seem like a long song, and if it is for you, there is a 'radio edit' version as well. However, the time flew by for this reviewer, and will remain on my playlist for a very long time to come. Excellent work!

—Lana J. Albert, GOM Reviewer
indiehangout.com
Reveiw from godsofmusic.com

M’Ocean is one of very few musicians that can keep my attention when it comes to the genre of Ambient Drum n’ Bass. His loops and bass lines are captivating and don’t sound monotonous or redundant. His pads/synths are very lucid and filled with melodic euphoria, not boring or morose. And the FX used in certain songs actually matches the context of his music; they don’t stand out and haunt the rest of the piece with irregular pitches. Such qualities in a musician that chooses this non-descript genre are ingenious and atypical.

—Deidre Moxley

'Visions' is a true Drum'n'Bass splendor; just listen to the arsenal of great sound FX, distorted basslines, addictive rhythms, subtle pads, perfectly integrated in this original and energetic track.

—brandebokje

My man from NJ does it again! What stands out here is the restraint of the production. Where it's easy to layer up hundreds of sounds (he says himself it's his 'busiest' tune), M'Ocean keeps it simple and steady and as a result comes with a sublime slice of atmospherics. GLO never had it so good... 100% Certified dopeness. Top notch stuff Mike!!! Mo' Fire! Mo' M'Ocean! =P

—Code of Conduct

'Dreams Interlude' has incredible sound textures, perfect loops & deep overall smoothness that makes this track stand out from the rest of the carbo-copy d&b. I would spin this in a heartbeat. Reminiscent of Good Looking Recordings, this should have LTJ Bukem reachin' for his kleenex!!! keep it comin....

'Persuasion' is one of those tracks you hear in a set where the real shift in the energy of the mix is about to drop. Where its not at a peak, but not nearly an intro track. Its sets the pace & mood to cross over with something harder or deeper depending on what route you want to go with it. Super effective as far as versatility within a mix giving it a quality thats totally balanced, this REALLY should be pressed and mixed! the kind of track you look for, but find too little of the challenge of making a track of this style & not end up sounding redundant has been won! Now make wax of it....

Personally, i prefer warehouse parties to clubs & 'Out of Time' clearly belongs played in an abandoned building somewhere at around 3am. serious energy, oddly but perfectly placed filtered organs give it a unique touch, & in the world of techno, that separates a good track from something you remember in your head for days (i.e.- plastic dreams). no criticisms on this really, just fucking good music that needs to be played!

—2serene

In listening to M'Ocean today, I felt compelled to comment on a couple of my favorite tracks. Perhaps you'll agree that these two tracks are outstanding. 'Dreams Interlude' is a heady mixture of swirling pads, solid drum and bass grooves, progressive chord stabs and sweet dream vibes which tansports to a place we know as M'Ocean. The phrase, 'Just the right amount' often comes up in any conversation about this artists, and Dreams Interlude is a perfect example of how the artist tastefully blends ambient, drum and bass and spacey sound samples into a complete picture.

—Ed Drury

I listened to this track 'Under the Ocean' (M'Ocean Remix) with no surprise. M'Ocean has always pleased my senses with all of his tracks! The proposal of Ambient Drum´n´bass is very well arraned with a superb sound quality. The flow and vibe, envolves in a relax mooded ambient drum n´bass filled with spice and emotion! Great Track!

—Metricks